Tableau Web Maps: Transforming the Way We See Data

Tableau Web Map Services (WMS) are web-based map services that provide access to geospatial data and maps over the internet. Tableau supports WMS as a data source, which allows you to connect to and visualize geospatial data in Tableau.

Here are the general steps to connect to a WMS in Tableau:

1. Open Tableau and connect to your data source.
2. Click on the “Map” button in the top right corner of the screen.
3. In the “Map” pane, click on the “Background Maps” drop-down menu and select “WMS Servers”.
4. In the “WMS Servers” pane, enter the URL of the WMS server you wish to connect to.
5. Select the layer you wish to use from the list of available layers on the server.
6. Adjust the map and layer settings as desired.
7. Drag dimensions and measures to the view to create the desired visualization
8. Once you’ve connected to the WMS server, you can use it as a background map for your Tableau visualizations.

Tableau also supports the use of WMS layers in the map view and allows to blend data from the WMS layer with the data in the workbook to create more advanced visualizations.

It’s worth noting that, In order to connect to a WMS server, you may need to have the appropriate credentials, such as a username and password, or a token. Also, the WMS layer should be publicly accessible and not behind a firewall or require VPN connection.

Tableau supports a wide range of WMS services, including services from organizations such as the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and the European Environment Agency (EEA). WMS services can be useful for visualizing geospatial data in Tableau, and for overlaying data on top of maps to show the spatial distribution of data.