OpenSearch Dashboards provides basic map tiles with a standard vector map that you can use to create your region map visualizations. You can configure the base map tiles using the Web Map Service (WMS) map server.
You can't configure a server to support user-defined vector map layers. However, you can configure your own GeoJSON file and upload it for this purpose.
If you have a specific locale that is not provided by OpenSearch Dashboards vector maps, such as a US county or US ZIP Code, you can create your own custom vector map with a GeoJSON file. To create a custom region map you would define a geographic shape such as a polygon with multiple coordinates. To learn more about the various geographic shapes that support a custom region map location, see [Geoshape field type]({{site.url}}{{site.baseurl}}/opensearch/supported-field-types/geo-shape/).
GeoJSON format allows you to encode geographic data structures. To learn more about the GeoJSON specification, go to [geojson.org](https://geojson.org/).
You can use [geojson.io](https://geojson.io/#map=2/20.0/0.0) to extract GeoJSON files.
To create your own custom vector map, upload a JSON file that contains GEO data for your customized regional maps. The JSON file contains vector layers for visualization.
1. Prepare a JSON file to upload. Make sure the file has either a .geojson or .json extension.
1. On the top menu bar, go to **OpenSearch Dashboards > Visualize**.
1. Select the **Create Visualization** button.
1. Select **Region Map**.
1. Choose a source. For example, **[Flights] Flight Log**.
Enter **Map name prefix** (for example, `usa-counties`). Your map will have the prefix that you defined followed by the `-map` suffix (for example, `usa-counties-map`). <imgsrc="{{site.url}}{{site.baseurl}}/images/import-geojson-file.png"alt="import a Geo .json file"width="340"/>
1. Select the **Import file** button.
Once the upload is successful, you will see a pop-up prompting you to refresh the map. Select the **Refresh** button. <imgsrc="{{site.url}}{{site.baseurl}}/images/upload-success.png"alt="message upon a successful file upload"width="280"/>