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2: Define Field Mappings

How to Index GeoJSON Objects

On this page

  • Define the Index for the geo Type
  • Configure geo Field Properties
  • Try an Example for the geo Type

You can use the Atlas Search geo type to index geographic points and shape coordinates. For this type, the indexed field must be a GeoJSON object. You can use the geoShape and geoWithin operators to query indexed fields of type geo.

Atlas Search doesn't dynamically index fields of type geo. You must use static mappings to index geo fields. You can use the Visual Editor or the JSON Editor in the Atlas UI to index fields of type geo.

Define the Index for the geo Type

To define the index for the geo type, choose your preferred configuration method in the Atlas UI and then select the database and collection.

  1. Click Refine Your Index to configure your index.

  2. In the Field Mappings section, click Add Field Mapping to open the Add Field Mapping window.

  3. Click Customized Configuration.

  4. Select the field to index from the Field Name dropdown.

    Note

    You can't index fields that contain the dollar ($) sign at the start of the field name.

  5. Click the Data Type dropdown and select Geo.

  6. Configure the field properties for the geo type. To learn more, see Field Properties.

  7. Click Add.

The following is the JSON syntax for the geo type. Replace the default index definition with the following. To learn more about the fields, see Field Properties.

{
  "mappings": {
    "dynamic": false,
    "fields": {
      "<field-name>": {
        "indexShapes": true|false,
        "type": "geo"
      }
    }
  }
}

Configure geo Field Properties

The Atlas Search geo type takes the following parameters:

Option
Type
Necessity
Description
Default

type

string

Required

Human-readable label that identifies this field type. UI value must be Geo and JSON value must be geo.

indexShapes

boolean

Optional

Flag that indicates whether to index shapes. By default, Atlas Search:

  • Indexes points, even when nested.

  • Doesn't index shape geometries such as lines and polygons.

Value can be:

  • true to index shapes and points

  • false to index only points

false

Try an Example for the geo Type

The following index definition example uses the sample_airbnb.listingsAndReviews collection. If you have the sample data already loaded on your cluster, you can use the Visual Editor or JSON Editor in the Atlas UI to configure the index. After you select your preferred configuration method, select the database and collection, and refine your index to add field mappings.

The following index definition indexes the address.location field as the geo type to support queries against that field using the Atlas Search geoShape and geoWithin operators.

  1. In the Add Field Mapping window, select address.location from the Field Name dropdown.

  2. Click the Data Type dropdown and select Geo.

  3. Modify the Geo Properties to set the value for Index Shapes to true.

  4. Click Add.

Replace the default index definition with the following index definition.

1{
2  "mappings": {
3    "fields": {
4      "address": {
5        "type": "document",
6        "fields": {
7          "location": {
8            "indexShapes": true,
9            "type": "geo"
10          }
11        }
12      }
13    }
14  }
15}

Tip

See also: Additional Index Definition Examples

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