Q2 2024
New features and improvements introduced from April to June 2024
Support for organizing and filtering maps and workflows with tags
June 28th, 2024
New Workspace
We are happy to announce a new system to allow users to classify and filter maps and workflows in the CARTO Workspace with tags. With this new feature, editor users will be able to create, apply and filter maps and workflows by tags, considerably improving the organization of assets within CARTO. With this new enhacement:
You can create, apply and remove tags by editing the Map/Workflow properties from the Workspace.
We have added a tag filter to the Workspace so you can filter by one or several tags.
Once a tag filter is applied, you can copy the URL for sharing that Workspace view internally.
Tags will be automatically removed when they are no longer applied to any map or workflow.
Network planning and coverage analysis for Telco with the Analytics Toolbox for BigQuery
June 28th, 2024
New Analytics Toolbox
We are thrilled to announce our new functions for line of sight and signal propagation analysis in the Analytics Toolbox for BigQuery. These new procedures, available in the telco module, enable network planners to run coverage analysis natively within BigQuery. With this functions users can now assess the geographical areas where current or potential new network's signal is available and evaluate its quality.
This release includes procedures for:
Path profile analysis to evaluate the line of sight and identify potential obstructions between two points;
Path loss estimation of a signal as it propagates through an environment, with options for the Close In and Extended Hata models.
Learn more about these new features in our documentation, and start testing them by following our step-by-step tutorial.
New space-time analysis capabilities in the Analytics Toolbox for BigQuery
June 28th, 2024
New Analytics Toolbox
We are excited to announce the addition of two new space-time analyses available in the statistics module of the Analytics Toolbox for BigQuery:
Space-time hotspot classification, to classify hotspots based on changes in their intensity over time, such as strengthening hotspots, declining hotspots, occasional hotspots, and more;
Time-series clustering, to identify locations with similar temporal behaviors.
Learn more on how to perform these spatiotemporal analyses by exploring our tutorials for space-time hotspot classification and time-series clustering.
Heatmap visualizations at scale for massive point-based data
June 20th, 2024
New Builder, CARTO for Developers
We are thrilled to announce density heatmap visualization for vast point datasets! This new feature allows you to render large point datasets as a heatmap in a scalable and performant manner. Available now in Builder, you can easily identify hotspot patterns and gain insights from your data.
Developers can also build their own large-scale heatmaps in their apps using CARTO + deck.gl, with the new heatmapTileLayer (Experimental). Learn more from our documentation and examples.
Improved Data Importing Capabilities in Workflows
June 19th, 2024
New Workflows
We are excited to introduce enhanced data importing capabilities in CARTO Workflows. This new release includes a variety of features designed to simplify and expand the ways you can import data into your workflows, providing greater flexibility and functionality.
New Features:
Import from URL Component
This new component allows users to import data directly from a public URL. It is compatible with BigQuery, Snowflake, Redshift, and PostgreSQL. By leveraging the CARTO Import API, this component ensures seamless data integration across different database systems.
The Import from URL component supports workflows that run on a schedule or are executed via API, providing more robust and automated data management options.
Sunset of Previous Method
The previous data importing method, which was limited to UI-based operations, will be deprecated. The new Import from URL component provides a more versatile and powerful alternative.
Quick Import from your desktop
Users can now quickly import files from their computers directly into the workflow canvas. This feature supports drag-and-drop functionality, making it easier to integrate local files into your workflows.
Files uploaded in this manner remain accessible within each workflow, ensuring consistent data availability and management.
Support for calling external API services from Workflows
June 3rd, 2024
New Builder
We are thrilled to announce a powerful new feature for Workflows: the ability to connect your workflows with external API services. With this new capability, we enabling use cases like the following:
Retrieve Data from External APIs: Augment your datasets by pulling in information from APIs such as Google Environment APIs, government, cadaster, parcel data, and other specialized data sources.
Trigger Actions via API: Automatically trigger external processes, send notifications, or execute commands directly from your workflows, like:
Notify on chat applications: Send real-time notifications to your company's channels to keep your team updated on workflow executions.
Integrations with automation tools: Integrate with automation tools to trigger external actions from a Workflow execution.
Send data from your Workflows to external APIs: Use data from any node in your workflow to build the body for a request.
Leverage all this new functionality by using the new HTTP Request component: A dedicated Workflows component that facilitates making requests to external APIs, providing enhanced versatility and extensibility. It uses the http_request module from the CARTO Analytics Toolbox.
It also supports custom expressions and variables to embed logic directly into component settings using SQL operators combined with variable and column values.
Support for custom basemaps in Builder
May 16th, 2024
New Builder
A basemap is a crucial component of any map, providing essential context, spatial features, and the visual foundation for your creations. To meet the unique needs of each organization, we now enable you to bring your own basemap directly into your CARTO organization.
Admin users at CARTO can now upload custom basemaps and tailor the basemap gallery options available to Editor users in Builder. Unleash your creativity and enjoy an enhanced map-making experience while maintaining a cohesive and consistent selection of basemaps throughout your organization. To learn more about how you can upload custom basemaps to the CARTO platform and the supported formats, check this page. For a step-by-step guide on custom basemaps, check out our new tutorial in the Academy.
Performance optimizations in Builder maps
May 14th, 2024
Improvement Builder
We are excited to introduce a set of enhancements in CARTO Builder designed to further improve the performance of our interactive map visualizations. With these improvements, Builder will:
Load only essential properties: Builder will now load only the essential properties from your tables or SQL queries when they are needed in the map. This reduces unnecessary data transfer and speeds up processing.
Reduce tile requests: The number of tile requests has been significantly reduced, resulting in faster map loading times and a smoother user experience.
Limit simultaneous queries: To enhance stability and prevent overload, Builder will limit the number of simultaneous queries, ensuring a more reliable performance.
These enhancements are part of our ongoing commitment to providing the best possible experience with CARTO Builder.
Redesigning our Developers section in CARTO Workspace
April 29th, 2024
Improvement Workspace
We believe that all paths to success start from the CARTO Workspace, and the path to successfully developing powerful geospatial apps isn't an exception. With this in mind, we've carefully redesigned the experience when accessing the Developers section, and these are the highlights:
New Overview with a curated list of documentation, guides and examples.
A simplified Credentials system to manage all your authentication methods.
This change unifies the management of API Access Tokens and OAuth Clients (previously known as Applications) in a single section, making more clear what each method is best for.
A new list containing all your API-enabled Workflows, for easy access.
Additionally, we've simplified the way that organizations decide the content in their Applications section. Before, it was a mix of developer credentials and apps registered by the administrator. Now, administrators in CARTO are in full control of managing Applications, including the visibility/sharing settings.
Developer credentials created before April 25th have been duplicated as applications to maintain the same visibility level as previously. Read more here.
Extended support for raster data sources in Data Explorer and Workflows
April 24th, 2024
New Workspace, Workfows
We're happy to introduce a suite of powerful new features that are set to enable working with raster data in CARTO. Before these were available, working with raster data required using external CLI applications and dealing with SQL queries manually in order to leverage the analytical capabilities of the CARTO Analytics Toolbox for Snowflake and BigQuery.
Import Cloud Optimized GeoTIFFs: Say goodbye to cumbersome raster data ingestion processes. With our latest enhancements, you can now effortlessly import Cloud Optimized GeoTIFFs to Snowflake and BigQuery via both the Import API and the Workspace UI. This provides a streamlined and efficient method for ingesting raster files into BigQuery and Snowflake, ensuring optimal storage efficiency and fast query access.
Raster Tables in Data Explorer: Dive deeper into your raster data in the data warehouse with full support for raster tables in the Data Explorer. Gain access to a specific set of metadata and custom actions for raster tables.
Workflow Components for Raster Analysis: Take your spatial analyses to the next level with our new Workflow components designed specifically for working with raster data sources. Whether you're looking to extract raster values or perform complex intersect and aggregate operations, our new components, including "Get Raster Values" and "Intersect and Aggregate Raster", provide you with the tools you need to unlock valuable insights from your raster datasets.
Generate PDF reports from your Builder maps
April 17th, 2024
New Builder
We’ve launched a new feature that allows you to download detailed PDF reports of your interactive Builder maps. These reports capture everything from the current map extent to widgets, parameters, and the map description.
Whether you're sharing insights with colleagues, presenting to stakeholders, or documenting your analysis, this new feature packs the richness of your interactive maps into a portable, easy-to-share format.
Get quicker, better answers with the new AI-powered help sidebar
April 11th, 2024
Improvement Workspace
A new AI-powered help assistant can now be found in the Help sidebar, available at all times from CARTO Workspace, Builder and Workflows.
It will provide quick answers based on our documentation and will link to the most relevant resource. With our documentation evolving and growing in size and depth, this AI-powered tool will save precious time and will guide you in the right direction without leaving CARTO. Ask anything!
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