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Service Discovery & Data Source Management
Service Discovery is the primary method for administrators to connect external spatial data sources to InsightMaps. Add service endpoints, automatically discover available layers, and synchronize layer metadata.
Overview
Service Discovery Capabilities:
- Automatic layer detection: Enter a URL and discover all available layers
- Seven service types: ArcGIS REST, Image Server, Vector Tile Server, WFS, WMS, WMTS, GeoJSON
- Health checking: Verify service availability with one click
- Layer synchronization: Sync layer metadata from source services with real-time progress
- Bulk operations: Sync, health check, or delete multiple services at once
- Grouped browsing: View services grouped by organization, government level, or service type
Access Service Discovery
Location: InsightMaps Console > Data Sources
How to Open:
- Log in to console.insightmaps.app
- Navigate to Data Sources in left sidebar
- Click "Add Data Source" button
Supported Service Types
The Add Data Source dialog provides a Service Type dropdown with seven options:
| Service Type | Description |
|---|---|
| ArcGIS REST Service | MapServer and FeatureServer endpoints with sublayers |
| ArcGIS Image Server | Raster and imagery services |
| ArcGIS Vector Tile Server | Vector tile basemaps |
| WFS (Web Feature Service) | OGC vector feature services |
| WMS (Web Map Service) | OGC raster map image services |
| WMTS (Web Map Tile Service) | OGC tiled map services |
| GeoJSON Feed | GeoJSON FeatureCollection endpoints |
Each service type shows a type-specific URL placeholder to guide administrators on the expected URL format.
Adding a Data Source
Step 1: Open Add Dialog
Click "Add Data Source" in the Data Sources toolbar. The dialog appears with the discovery form.
Step 2: Select Service Type
Choose the appropriate service type from the dropdown. The URL placeholder updates to show the expected format:
- ArcGIS:
https://services.arcgisonline.com/arcgis/rest/services/.../MapServer - Image Server:
https://example.com/arcgis/rest/services/Imagery/ImageServer - Vector Tile Server:
https://example.com/arcgis/rest/services/.../VectorTileServer - WFS:
https://example.com/geoserver/ows?service=wfs&version=2.0.0&request=GetCapabilities - WMS:
https://example.com/wms - WMTS:
https://example.com/.../WMTS/1.0.0/WMTSCapabilities.xml - GeoJSON:
https://example.com/data/incidents.geojson
Step 3: Enter URL and Discover
- Paste the full service URL
- Press Enter or click Discover
- The system queries the endpoint and parses available layers
- Discovered layers appear in a selection list
Step 4: Review and Save Layers
- Review the discovered layers (name, geometry type)
- Select which layers to import (checkboxes)
- Optionally edit the service name
- Click Save to create the data source and its layers
Service List
Browsing Services
The Data Sources page displays all registered services in a tree view using the EnhancedServiceTree component.
Each service row shows:
- Service name
- Layer count
- Health status indicator (available, unavailable, unchecked)
- Organization name
- Last checked timestamp
Grouping Services
Services can be grouped for easier navigation using the Group By control:
| Group Mode | Description |
|---|---|
| Organization | Group by assigned organization name |
| Government Level | Group by government level classification |
| Service Type | Group by service type (ArcGIS, WMS, etc.) |
Each group shows:
- Group name with service count
- Total layer count across group services
- Collapse/expand toggle
- Group-level actions (check health, sync all in group)
- Load more pagination for large groups
Filtering and Search
- Search: Filter services by name
- Status filter: Show available, unavailable, or all services
Service Actions
View Layers
Click a service name or the Layers icon to open the layers dialog. This shows all layers belonging to the service with their details.
Health Check
Single Service:
- Click the health check icon (Activity) on a service row
- The system pings the service endpoint
- Status updates to available (green) or unavailable (red)
- Last checked timestamp updates
Group Health Check:
- Click the health check button on a group header
- All services in the group are checked sequentially
Sync Layers
Single Service:
- Click the Sync button (Download icon) on a service
- The system re-queries the service endpoint
- Layer metadata is updated from the source
- A progress indicator shows sync status with SSE (Server-Sent Events) streaming
From Layers Dialog:
- Open a service's layers dialog
- Click Sync Layers in the dialog footer
- Real-time progress shows current layer being synced
Activate Layers
Click the Activate button (Power icon) to activate all layers for a service.
Edit Service
- Click the Edit icon (Pencil) on a service row
- Modify the service name or URL
- Save changes
Delete Service
- Click the Delete icon (Trash) on a service row
- Confirm deletion in the dialog
- The service and all its layers are removed
Bulk Operations
Select multiple services using checkboxes to enable bulk actions. A contextual sidebar appears showing selection summary and available actions.
Bulk Sync
- Select multiple services
- Click Sync in the contextual sidebar
- All selected services sync sequentially with progress feedback
- Results show: total services, succeeded, failed, total layers synced
- Failed services listed with error details
Bulk Health Check
- Select multiple services
- Click Check Health in the contextual sidebar
- All selected services are health-checked
Bulk Delete
- Select multiple services
- Click Delete in the contextual sidebar
- Confirm deletion
- All selected services and their layers are removed
Troubleshooting
"Service discovery failed"
Causes:
- Invalid or unreachable URL
- Service is down
- Network or firewall blocking the request
- Wrong service type selected
Solutions:
- Verify the URL loads in a browser (should return JSON or XML)
- Check service status
- Confirm the correct service type is selected
- Test from a different network if firewall issues are suspected
"No layers found"
Causes:
- Service contains no sublayers
- Wrong endpoint URL (e.g., using base URL instead of MapServer endpoint)
Solutions:
- Ensure the URL ends with the correct service type path
- Check the service in ArcGIS REST Services Directory
- Verify the service contains data layers
"Health check shows unavailable"
Causes:
- Service endpoint is down or moved
- Network connectivity issues
- Service requires authentication not configured
Solutions:
- Verify the service URL still works in a browser
- Check with the service administrator about availability
- Confirm network access to the service endpoint
Integration with Other Console Features
Works With
Layer Configuration:
- Discovered layers can be configured (title, keywords, visibility, opacity, etc.)
- Assign layers to categories for user navigation
Categories:
- Layers from discovered services are assigned to categories
- Category assignment organizes layers for end users
Audit Logs:
- Service additions, syncs, and deletions are logged
- Track which administrator added or modified services
Summary
Service Discovery enables data onboarding:
- Seven Service Types: ArcGIS REST, Image Server, Vector Tile Server, WFS, WMS, WMTS, GeoJSON
- Auto-Discovery: Paste URL to discover layers automatically
- Health Monitoring: Check service availability with one click
- Layer Sync: Update layer metadata from source services with real-time progress
- Grouped Browsing: View services by organization, government level, or type
- Bulk Operations: Sync, health check, or delete multiple services at once
Key Points:
- Use official, stable service endpoints
- Check health regularly to monitor service availability
- Sync layers after source services are updated
- Use grouping to organize large numbers of data sources