Create Plots on Maps

Points, lines, and polygons; bubble charts; images; pseudocolor plots

Visualize data on geographic axes and map axes. For illustrations of the types of plots you can create with geographic axes and map axes, see Types of 2-D Geographic Plots. For information about the differences between geographic axes and map axes, see Choose a 2-D Map Display.

Functions

expand all

Create Map Axes

`newmap`	Set up new map (Since R2023a)
`mapaxes`	Create map axes (Since R2023a)

Create Plots

Point, Line, and Polygon Plots

`geoplot`	Plot points, lines, and polygons on map (Since R2022a)
`geoscatter`	Scatter chart in geographic coordinates
`geoiconchart`	Icon chart in geographic coordinates (Since R2024b)

Raster Plots

`geopcolor`	Display raster using scaled colors (Since R2026a)
`geoimage`	Display RGB or grayscale image (Since R2026a)

Data Distribution Plots

`bubblechart`	Bubble chart
`geodensityplot`	Density plot in geographic coordinates

Manage Maps

`gca`	Current axes or chart
`hold`	Retain current plot when adding new plots
`cla`	Clear axes

Properties

expand all

Axes, Ruler, and Scale Bar Objects

MapAxes Properties	Map axes appearance and behavior (Since R2023a)
GeographicAxes Properties	Geographic axes appearance and behavior
MapAxesInteractionOptions Properties	Map axes interaction behavior for apps (Since R2024a)
GeographicAxesInteractionOptions Properties	Geographic axes interaction behavior (Since R2024a)
GeographicRuler Properties	Control axis with geographic values
GeographicScalebar Properties	Geographic scale bar appearance and behavior

Chart Objects

Point Properties	Geographic point appearance and behavior (Since R2022a)
Line Properties	Geographic chart line appearance and behavior (Since R2022a)
Polygon Properties	Geographic polygon appearance and behavior (Since R2022a)
IconChart Properties	Icon chart appearance and behavior (Since R2024b)
Image Properties	Raster image appearance and behavior (Since R2026a)
PseudocolorRaster Properties	Pseudocolor raster plot appearance and behavior (Since R2026a)

Topics

Plots

Create 2-D Plots Using Map Axes
Display data on a map using point, line, and polygon plots, bubble charts, images, and pseudocolor raster plots.
Create Maps Using Icons
Use icons on maps to represent and display data, animate movement along paths, and annotate basemaps. (Since R2024b)
Control Color and Transparency of Icon Chart
Change the color or hide the background of an icon by using the color and transparency properties of the icon chart object. (Since R2024b)
Create Binned Scatter Plot from Latitude and Longitude Data
Display a binned scatter plot on a map using data in latitude and longitude coordinates. (Since R2026a)

Animations and Apps

Create Animations Using Latitude and Longitude Data
Animate geographic data using comet plots, animated lines, and markers along lines.
Create Animations Using Raster Data
Visualize changes over time by animating raster data on a map. (Since R2026a)
Create Map Axes in App
Use App Designer to create an app that includes a map axes object and components that control the map projection and the visibility of plotted data.

Related Information

Printing and Saving

Featured Examples

Create Choropleth Map from Table Data

Create a map that illustrates numeric attributes using colors along a gradient.

Open Live Script

Create Classification Map from Table Data

Create a map that illustrates categorical attributes using discrete colors.

Open Live Script