A Grand Tour

Datasets

Explore and customize geographic reference data

Datasets

Datasets in A Grand Tour are collections of geographic reference data that enhance your trip planning. They provide curated information about countries, points of interest, scenic routes, and more, all of which can be customized for your specific tour.

What Are Datasets?

Datasets are structured collections of geographic data that appear as layers on your map. They include both global reference data (maintained by administrators) and tour-specific customizations that you create.

Built-In Template Datasets

A Grand Tour includes several comprehensive template datasets seeded globally:

Countries

Information about every country in the world:

  • Driving side: Left or right-hand traffic
  • Currency code: Local currency for budgeting
  • Power sockets: Plug types and voltage (e.g., Type C, 230V)
  • Visa information: Requirements by passport country
  • Safety rating: 1-5 star rating for travel safety
  • Carnet requirements: Whether a Carnet de Passages is needed
  • Languages: Official and widely-spoken languages
  • Time zones: All time zones in the country
  • Flag emoji: Visual identifier
  • Notes: Additional country-specific information

Points of Interest (POIs)

Curated points of interest with:

  • Global rating: 1-5 star quality rating
  • Category and subcategory: Type of attraction (cultural, natural, historical, etc.)
  • Description: What makes this place worth visiting
  • Location: Precise geographic coordinates
  • Images: Photos of the location
  • Source: Where the data came from (Wikipedia, Wikivoyage, user-contributed)

Scenic Routes

Beautiful drives and touring routes:

  • Rating: 1-5 stars for scenery and experience
  • Description: What makes this route special
  • Path: The actual geographic route
  • Distance: Total route length in kilometers
  • Images: Photos from along the route
  • Country: Which country or countries it passes through

Ferries

Ferry crossings for overland travel:

  • Name: Ferry service name
  • Ports: Departure and arrival ports
  • Operator: Ferry company
  • Path: The crossing route
  • Typical duration: How long the crossing takes
  • Typical cost: Estimated fare
  • Countries: Which countries the ports are in

Risk Regions

Areas marked for travel planning considerations:

  • Risk level: Impossible (closed borders, war zones) or Problematic (difficult but possible)
  • Reason: Why this area has restrictions
  • Area: Geographic boundary of the region
  • Updated: When the information was last verified

Per-Tour Customization

While template datasets provide global reference data, you can customize them for your specific tour:

Override Ratings

Adjust ratings based on your personal preferences or research:

  • Change a POI’s rating if you’ve heard it’s overrated or underrated
  • Update a country’s safety rating based on current conditions
  • Modify scenic route ratings based on season or road conditions

Add Notes

Supplement the default information with your own research:

  • Add visa application experiences for your passport
  • Note specific border crossing tips
  • Record contact information for accommodations near POIs
  • Document road conditions on scenic routes

Add Custom Items

Create your own dataset items:

  • POIs you’ve discovered through research
  • Wild camping spots from overlander communities
  • Mechanic shops that work on your vehicle type
  • Border crossings with specific vehicle requirements

Soft Delete

Hide global items that aren’t relevant to your tour without deleting them for everyone else. The item is marked as deleted for your tour only.

Map Layers

Datasets appear as toggleable overlays on your map:

  1. Open the map layers panel
  2. Toggle datasets on or off
  3. Adjust visibility and styling
  4. Filter by category or rating

This allows you to focus on the data most relevant to your current planning task.

Dataset Views

Configure how datasets appear on your map:

  • Colors: Choose colors for different categories
  • Icons: Select icons for POI types
  • Visibility: Set default visibility for each dataset
  • Clustering: Group nearby items at low zoom levels
  • Labels: Show or hide labels for dataset items

Creating Custom Datasets

Beyond customizing built-in datasets, you can create entirely new datasets:

  1. Click “New Dataset” in your tour settings
  2. Define the schema (what fields each item will have)
  3. Add items manually or import from GeoJSON
  4. Configure map appearance
  5. Use items in your itinerary and route planning

Custom datasets are perfect for:

  • Overlander-specific data (gas stations with diesel, repair shops, border crossing tips)
  • Personal research collections
  • Community-contributed data
  • Trip-specific categories

Searching and Filtering

Find dataset items quickly:

  • Text search: Search names and descriptions
  • Category filter: Filter by type (museums, parks, viewpoints, etc.)
  • Rating filter: Show only highly-rated items
  • Country filter: Limit to specific countries
  • Proximity filter: Find items near your route or current location

Related Articles

  • Route Planning - Use dataset items as waypoints in your route
  • Itineraries - Reference dataset items in your itinerary
  • Documents - Link to dataset items in your travel notes
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