77. Live Layers for GIS (OGC API - Features)¶

A live layer publishes the filter you have applied in BIMS as a URL. You paste that URL into a GIS client such as ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Online or QGIS, and the client reads the matching occurrence records directly from BIMS. There is no export and no re-import: when records change in BIMS, the layer shows the change the next time the GIS client refreshes.

Behind the URL, BIMS serves the filter as an OGC API - Features collection. Any client that supports that standard can use it.

77.1 Overview of the workflow¶

flowchart LR
    B[Apply filters in BIMS] --> C[Publish as live layer]
    C --> D[Copy the layer URL]
    D --> E[Paste into ArcGIS / QGIS]
    E --> F[Manage, replace or delete<br/>in My live layers]

1. A staff user applies filters in BIMS and clicks Publish as live layer.
2. BIMS checks the filter, shows how many records match, and creates the layer.
3. The user copies the layer URL and adds it to the GIS client.
4. The user can later replace the URL or delete the layer.

77.2 Before you start¶

Requirement	Details
Live layers switched on	In the BIMS admin, open Site Settings (SiteSetting) and tick Enable ogc api. Without it, the button and the Live Layers tab do not appear.
Staff account	Only logged-in staff users see Publish as live layer.
A narrowing filter	At least one filter must be applied (see 77.8 What can be published).
At most 100,000 records	The filter may match up to 100,000 records.

77.3 Step 1: Apply your filters¶

Apply the filters you want in the BIMS map page (taxon group, area, year range, reference, and so on). See Filtering for the available filters.

You can publish from two places:

• the site dashboard opened from the map page, and
• the Summary Dashboard (spatial dashboard), which is shown in the screenshots below.

In both, the Publish as live layer button sits under the Distribution map.

77.4 Step 2: Check the filter¶

Click Publish as live layer. The Live layer dialog opens and immediately checks your filter. When the filter is valid, a green message shows how many records match.

The layer name is pre-filled with Live layer <date>. Replace it with a name that helps you recognise the layer later.

If you have the rights to see sensitive or private data, two extra checkboxes appear: Include sensitive data and Include private data. Both are off by default. If you tick either one, a warning reminds you that anyone with the URL can read that data.

77.4.1 When the filter cannot be published¶

The Create layer button stays disabled and a red message explains why.

No filter applied. Apply at least one narrowing filter and try again.

More than 100,000 records match. BIMS holds millions of records, so a layer is capped. Narrow the filter (for example by taxon group, area or years) and try again.

Other messages you may see: the filter type is not supported as a live layer, you are not allowed to include the chosen data, the server is busy (try again in a moment), or live layers are switched off on this server.

77.5 Step 3: Create the layer and copy the URL¶

Click Create layer. The dialog shows the layer URL, how many records it holds, and short instructions for ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Online and QGIS. BIMS also copies the URL to your clipboard.

77.6 Step 4: Use the URL in a GIS client¶

Paste the URL ending in /ogc/layers/<token>/ into the client.

• ArcGIS Pro: Insert > New Map, then Map > Add Data > Data From Path, choose OGC API and paste the URL.
• ArcGIS Online: Map Viewer > Add > Add layer from URL, choose OGC API Features and paste the URL.
• QGIS: Layer > Add Layer > Add WFS / OGC API - Features Layer, create a new connection and paste the URL.

Below, a live layer is shown in QGIS.

The client pages through the records on its own. Each GIS client decides when to refresh, so a change in BIMS may need a manual refresh (or reopening the project) before it shows. Responses can also be reused by clients for up to 60 seconds.

Each record is a point feature at the site location, with attributes such as the site code, sampling date, taxonomy, origin, conservation status, owner, source reference and the spatial context of the site.

77.7 Step 5: Manage your layers¶

Open the My live layers tab of the dialog, or go to your profile page and open the Live Layers tab.

The list shows each layer's name, status (Active or Revoked), a masked URL and its record count.

Action	What it does
New URL	Creates a replacement URL. The old URL stops working at once. The new URL is shown once, so copy it. Use this if a URL was shared by mistake or lost.
Delete	Removes the layer. Its URL stops working for good.

Both actions ask for confirmation first.

77.8 What can be published¶

• A filter must contain at least one narrowing filter: search text, taxon, site, months, invasions, category, collector, reference, reference category, conservation status, decision support tool, boundary, endemism, source collection, tags, dataset, polygon, modules, meta group, ecosystem type or spatial filter, or a year range with both a start and an end year.
• Only occurrence (biological collection) records are served. Water temperature, physico-chemistry and climate searches cannot be published.
• The layer is evaluated as its owner, with the same visibility rules as in BIMS (embargo, sensitive, private and validation rules). If the owner's access changes, the layer changes too.
• The layer stores the filter, not a copy of the data, so new records that match the filter appear automatically.

77.9 For developers¶

The endpoints, response format, settings and server limits are described in Live Layers (OGC API - Features) in the Developers guide.

77.10 Troubleshooting¶

Problem	What to check
No Publish as live layer button	You must be logged in as staff and Enable ogc api must be ticked in Site Settings.
Create layer is disabled	Read the red message: no filter, too many records, or an unsupported filter.
Layer shows old data in the GIS client	Refresh the layer in the client. Clients may reuse responses for up to 60 seconds.
The GIS client cannot connect	Check that the URL was copied completely, that the layer was not deleted or replaced with New URL, and that the layer is still Active.
Client reports 429 or 503	Wait a moment and refresh. Avoid reloading a large layer repeatedly.