---
title: "Working with Solarmaps"
slug: "working-with-solarmaps"
description: "Explore Solarmaps to customize solar data layers, compare locations, and download high-res GHI maps for informed decision-making on solar resources."
updated: 2025-05-20T11:40:04Z
published: 2025-05-20T11:40:04Z
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://kb.solargis.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Working with Solarmaps

**In this document**

You will learn how to work with Solarmaps, change layers, add locations, or compare and customize the map layers.

## Working with Solarmaps

Solarmaps lets you examine site-specific data in a new way. You can select up to three locations to compare their solar resource data, and the color scale and the parameter range on the map can be customized to your preferences.

### Selecting a site and exploring the data

You can explore any site’s data simply by selecting it on the map.

1. Select the preferred **dataset**you want to explore.
2. Click on the map to **select the location**.
3. Select the parameter you want to examine. Available parameters are:
  - **Global Horizontal****Irradiation** (GHI)
  - **Temperature in °C** (TEMP)
  - **Precipitation in mm** (PREC)
  - **Wind speed at 10m in m/s**(WS)
4. If available, you can choose if you want to see **average**or **difference******values.

> [!TIP]
> **Note**: The **difference map** is based on a relative or an absolute difference between the monthly totals/averages from the period 1994-2024.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/ae2d502f-6c0d-4865-a68e-43ad8da61149/Images/Documentation/image(893).png)

### Changing color scheme and range

Solarmaps offers a unique feature to customize the map to your needs. It offers different **color schemes** you can choose from and allows you to customize the parameter’s **displayed range** to accommodate your requirements.

1. Use the dropdown to select a different color scheme.
2. Change the displayed range by overwriting the default bottom/top values.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/ae2d502f-6c0d-4865-a68e-43ad8da61149/Images/Documentation/image(679).png)

![](https://cdn.document360.io/ae2d502f-6c0d-4865-a68e-43ad8da61149/Images/Documentation/image(894).png)

## Comparing sites

You can compare up to three site’s data in Solarmaps. The comparison is available for **Monthly**and **Yearly Time Series** only.

1. Select a site on the map and click the small **chart icon** inside the map marker. The site will be added to the comparison chart.
2. Previously added location indicator.
3. The comparison chart.
4. **Show/hide** the comparison chart.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/ae2d502f-6c0d-4865-a68e-43ad8da61149/Images/Documentation/image(895).png)

### Side-to-side map comparison

You can visually examine two different parameters at a time using the split screen feature. For example, you want to see the total GHI at the location and, at the same time, examine the temperatures between 10 to 30 °C.

1. Click the **split screen toggle** button to activate the split screen.
2. **Select the window** you want to change the parameter.
3. **Select the parameter** you want to display in the window.
4. Change its color scheme or ranges as required.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/ae2d502f-6c0d-4865-a68e-43ad8da61149/Images/Documentation/image(896).png)

## Downloading monthly GHI maps

You can use Solarmaps to download monthly total GHI (Global Horizontal Irradiance) maps for individual months. Each download includes 10 maps of selected world regions, provided in two formats: an **average GHI map** and a **GHI difference map**. This results in a total of 20 maps per download. The maps are provided in high-resolution PNG format.

To download the maps:

1. Click the **downloads icon** in the top right to access map downloads.
2. Click the **download icon** to download GHI maps for the respective month.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/ae2d502f-6c0d-4865-a68e-43ad8da61149/Images/Documentation/image(889).png)

> [!TIP]
> **Note**: The maps are packed and downloaded as a **zip file.**

## Additional features

Solarmaps offers additional features to enhance the visual experience further and accommodate possible requirements.

You can change the **base map layer** from Solargis maps (default) to topographic or satellite, and you can **enable/disable map labels** if required. These features are available for you at the bottom right of the Solarmaps interface.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/ae2d502f-6c0d-4865-a68e-43ad8da61149/Images/Documentation/image(897).png)

Additionally, you can **close** the righ-hand side navigation panel using its **close button** to gain more view of the map area and **open**it again using the **icon at the top right**.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/ae2d502f-6c0d-4865-a68e-43ad8da61149/Images/Documentation/image(890).png)