Map Layers
Accessing the Layers Panel
Click the Layers button in the top-right corner of the map view. The Map Layers panel appears on the right side of the map, organizing available layers into categories. Each layer shows a count of items currently on the map (e.g., "Competitors 4" or "All Stores 90"). Click any layer to toggle its visibility, or use Show All / Hide All to control entire categories at once
Managing Available Layers
To customize which layers appear in your legend, click the Add or Edit Layers button at the bottom of the Map Layers panel. This opens the Manage Available Layers settings, where you can enable or disable layers for your legend. Disabled layers won't appear in the Map Layers panel but can be re-enabled at any time.
Layer Categories
Area & Traffic
Visualize geographic context and movement patterns around a site.
Trade Area — Displays the boundary of your selected trade zone. Updates automatically when you change your trade area settings.
Local Traffic — Shows vehicle traffic counts on roads. More detailed data populates as you zoom in, displaying average daily vehicle counts on street segments.
Foot Traffic — Renders a heatmap overlay showing visitor density. Warmer colors indicate higher foot traffic areas.
Business Markers
Display points of interest for your competitive landscape.
Competitors — Businesses you've defined as direct competitors in Brand Settings, with distance and performance metrics.
Complements — Complementary businesses that typically drive traffic benefiting your store type.
Visitation — All nearby businesses with foot traffic data, not just those in your predefined lists.
Zoning
Visualize zoning designations to understand land use regulations and development potential around a site.
Residential — Areas zoned for residential development and housing.
Commercial — Areas designated for commercial and retail activities.
Industrial — Zones allocated for industrial and manufacturing uses.
Mixed Use — Areas that allow a combination of residential, commercial, and other uses.
Agricultural — Land zoned for farming and agricultural purposes.
Public — Areas designated for public facilities and government uses.
Recreational — Zones set aside for parks, recreation, and open space.
Other — Zoning categories that don't fall into the standard classifications.
Each zoning type can be toggled individually to focus on specific land use patterns relevant to your site analysis. Use the Show All / Hide All toggle to control the entire Zoning category at once.
Your Locations
Display your store portfolio and related analysis.
All Stores — Every location in your existing store database.
Filtered Stores — Only stores matching your current filter criteria.
Cannibalization — Trade areas of nearby existing stores that may overlap with a potential new site.
Custom Layers & Territories
To create and manage custom layers, navigate to My Layers in the left sidebar under Manage. From the My Layers & Territories page, you can:
Click + New Layer to create a custom map layer
Click Import Layer to upload an existing map file
Click Create Territory to define territory boundaries
Custom layers you create will appear in the Custom Layers section of the Map Layers panel and can be toggled like any other layer.
Importing Layers
The Import Layer feature allows you to upload existing map files to use as custom layers in GrowthFactor.
Supported File Formats
You can import layers in the following formats:
GeoJSON (.geojson, .json) — Geographic data in JSON format
KML (.kml) — Keyhole Markup Language files from Google Earth and other mapping tools
KMZ (.kmz) — Compressed KML files
File size limit: 50MB per file
How to Import a Layer
Navigate to My Layers in the left sidebar under Manage
Click the Import Layer button
Drag and drop your file into the upload area, or click to browse for a file
Review the auto-populated layer name (based on the filename)
Edit the layer name if desired
Click Import Layer
The layer will be processed and added to your Custom Layers. You can then toggle it on and off from the Map Layers panel like any other layer.
Import Requirements
Files must be in one of the supported formats (.geojson, .json, .kml, .kmz)
Files must be under 50MB
The file must contain valid geographic data
After Import
Once imported, your custom layer:
Appears in the Custom Layers section of the Map Layers panel
Can be toggled on and off like any other layer
Remains available across all your mapping sessions
Can be managed from the My Layers & Territories page
Layer visibility settings do not affect underlying data or calculations—they only control what's displayed on the map.
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