The Curious Engineer

All blogs / Software / engineering practice

Felt

felt.com/blog

Dispatches on cartography, engineering, and modern GIS from the Felt team.

Software / engineering practiceAI / MLDatabases

’21’22’23’24’25’26
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99 from 26 Aug 2021 to 13 Oct 2026
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monthly (10 in the last year)
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company blog

2026 8

  1. ProductAI-native GIS meets government security: Felt is now available on AWS GovCloudDeploy AI-native spatial intelligence to accelerate mission-critical work without compromising on security.Mamata AkellaOct 16, 2025
  2. ProductUnlocking SQL at scale: Felt’s AI-native GIS adds conversational queryingYour built-in data engineer is here - turning questions into SQL and unlocking spatial insights from cloud databases instantly.Mamata AkellaSep 9, 2025
  3. ProductFelt’s powerful GIS platform goes mobile: Introducing Field App for iOS and AndroidField App takes Felt beyond the browser, giving teams one connected platform for data collection, collaboration, and decision-making from anywhere.Mamata AkellaNov 11, 2025
  4. ProductField App: One connected system for data collection, operations, and decisionsField App replaces fragmented workflows with one place to collect, manage, and act on field data the moment it’s captured.Mamata AkellaMar 17, 2026
  5. EngineeringIntroducing Lightning: Real-time editing for tiled dataFelt’s breakthrough technology Lightning ends the age-old compromise of fast tiles or editable data.Mamata AkellaDec 16, 2025
  6. ProductEvery AI agent now has a full GIS: Introducing Felt’s MCP serverThe Felt MCP Server is live today. One endpoint, 30 tools, every major model provider.Danial HazarikaApr 28, 2026
  7. ProductA brand new era of GIS, powered by Felt AIFelt AI turns natural language into spatial analysis connected to your warehouse. From question to live map in minutes.Sam HashemiJun 2, 2026
  8. ProductQuery your warehouse directly: live maps without ETL or PythonConnect Snowflake, BigQuery, or Databricks to Felt and map live data with spatial SQL or natural language, no ETL, no Python. Here’s how.Mamata AkellaAug 11, 2026

2025 12

  1. ProductOffline Mode is here: uninterrupted access to any Felt mapOffline Mode in the Felt Field App lets you download any map, work with no signal, and sync everything automatically once you’re back in range.Sam HashemiAug 11, 2026
  2. ProductAI raster analysis is here: zonal stats, elevation profiles and moreRun zonal statistics, band analysis, elevation profiles, and spatial filters on raster data in Felt (or just ask Felt AI).Sam HashemiSep 15, 2026
  3. ProductBuild maps into your product, at a price that scales with youBuild live, private maps into your product with Felt’s map API and JavaScript SDK. Platform is free for three months on any paid plan, with published usage rates.Aaron FraintOct 13, 2026
  4. ProductFelt’s new pricing: start with what you need, grow at your own paceNew Felt plans are live. Start small, add one person at a time, pay monthly if you like, and share with as many people as you need.Sam HashemiOct 13, 2026
  5. ProductAdd maps to Power BI reports & dashboards with FeltFelt makes it easy to access spatial insights within your Power BI dashboard and reports.Rachel ZackNov 4, 2024
  6. ProductIntroducing Felt’s JavaScript SDK: the best way to build apps with mapsTake full control over Felt’s UI and create custom applications with our JavaScript SDK.Rachel ZackNov 12, 2024
  7. ProductSOC 2 certified & GDPR compliant: Felt’s enterprise-grade securityWe are pleased to announce that Felt has successfully achieved SOC2 Type 2 certification.Can DurukDec 3, 2024
  8. ProductNew Workflows Unlocked: Introducing Spatial Filters with CSV ExportAs we wrap up 2024, we’re excited to announce a powerful new addition to Felt’s enterprise dashboards: Spatial Filters.Rachel ZackDec 17, 2024
  9. ProductIntroducing Felt SQL Queries for Spatial Analysis at ScaleIn the race to derive insights from spatial data, teams need tools that work at scale. That’s why we launched Felt SQL queries.Rachel ZackJan 14, 2025
  10. ProductSupercharged Security at Scale: SSO, Authenticated Embeds & Self-Hosted VPCModern teams need unfettered access to best-in-class GIS tools without compromising security.Can DurukJan 28, 2025
  11. ProductMap symbols unleashed: import, visualize, and manage icons in FeltFelt’s new icon system empowers organizations to create polished, easily-understood maps with unprecedented efficiency.Rachel ZackFeb 18, 2025
  12. ProductBuild Apps 6x Faster with Felt’s New Developer APIsLearn how you can leverage Felt’s developer tools to accelerate your roadmap.Rachel ZackApr 15, 2025

2024 19

  1. ProductStream, Index, and Visualize Raster Data from Amazon S3, Google Cloud, or Microsoft Azure with FeltFelt bridges the gap between where your raster data lives and how you use it, providing the world’s best-in-class raster infrastructure in one powerful stack.Mamata AkellaMay 20, 2025
  2. ProductFelt now in AWS Marketplace delivering cloud-native GIS in 1-clickAmazon Web Services (AWS) customers can now easily try, purchase and deploy Felt directly through AWS Marketplace.Jaime SanchezDirector of PartnershipsJun 25, 2025
  3. ProductFelt AI unleashed: Build spatial applications with just a promptIntroducing Felt AI, your built-in spatial engineer that turns ideas into purpose-built apps instantly.Sam HashemiJul 15, 2025
  4. ProductFelt AI’s new superpower: custom popups with just a promptYour built-in web designer has arrived - Felt AI now creates interactive experiences with just a prompt.Mamata AkellaAug 26, 2025
  5. Case studyCase Study: How Sharetown tackles logistics with FeltSharetown, a logistics company specializing in large & bulky item returns, uses Felt to manage orders across the U.S.Nora ShevickCustomer Success ManagerMay 13, 2024
  6. ProductIntegrate and automate: power your apps with Felt’s API and Python SDKSetting up a custom geospatial app shouldn’t take a dedicated development team, and years of effort.Álvaro ArredondoData CuratorJun 4, 2024
  7. EngineeringExploring the power of Felt’s API: highlights from our internal HackathonWhether it’s real-time data integration, interactive gaming, or advanced geospatial analysis, the possibilities are endless with Felt’s API.Álvaro ArredondoData CuratorJun 18, 2024
  8. ProductFelt 3.0: Apps and dashboards powered by native Postgres & Snowflake integrationsIntroducing Felt 3.0–apps, databases, and dashboards for your entire organization.Sam HashemiJul 16, 2024
  9. ProductWebinar series: building a modern GIS stack with Felt’s native database integrationsLearn how to natively connect your database and instantly visualize all your spatial datasets with Felt.Rachel ZackJul 31, 2024
  10. ProductBuild Maps & Dashboards with PostGIS (PostgreSQL Extension): A Step-by-Step GuideConnect your PostGIS database directly to Felt to map your location data.Sri VemuriAug 1, 2024
  11. ProductBuild Maps & Dashboards with Snowflake: A Step-by-Step GuideConnect Snowflake directly with Felt for instant maps and performant data dashboards.Can DurukSep 5, 2024
  12. ProductBuild Maps & Dashboards with Databricks: A Step-by-Step GuideConnect Databricks directly with Felt for instant maps and performant data dashboards.Can DurukSep 9, 2024
  13. ProductBuild Maps & Dashboards with BigQuery: A Step-by-Step GuideConnect BigQuery with Felt for instant maps and performant data dashboards.Can DurukSep 11, 2024
  14. ProductBuild Maps & Dashboards with Amazon Redshift: A Step by Step GuideConnect Redshift directly to Felt to map your spatial datasets.Can DurukSep 17, 2024
  15. ProductSimplicity meets power: Felt’s H3 spatial index support has arrivedThe dynamic, automatic H3 visualization you’ve been waiting for has arrived.Mamata AkellaSep 30, 2024
  16. ProductAnnouncing regional hosting & enterprise-grade data managementExplore Felt’s five new data hosting regions and enterprise-grade data management tools.Can DurukOct 15, 2024
  17. EngineeringDeploying more, stressing less: how Felt achieves 15+ daily releasesFelt is the best place to make maps on the web, and a big part of our magic is the speed of our maps.Can DurukSep 19, 2023
  18. ProductDynamic styling, hillshades, & raster algebra – Felt’s new raster rendering engineFelt is on a mission to make mapping effortless for everyone — from pros to the people who work alongside them.Damon BurgettOct 3, 2023
  19. EngineeringHow Tippecanoe makes Felt’s polygons look good, part 1: choosing good label pointsLearn how to quickly choose good label points for polygons with Erica Fischer & Tippecanoe.Erica FischerEngineerOct 17, 2023

2023 34

  1. EngineeringSOC 2 certified: Felt’s enterprise-grade security infrastructureFelt has always followed rigorous industry best practices to keep your data safe an secure. Today, we’re announcing a huge milestone: We’re SOC 2 compliant.Can DurukOct 17, 2023
  2. EngineeringHow Tippecanoe makes Felt’s polygons look good, part 2: preventing shard gapsLearn how to make polygons look as good as possible in Tippecanoe.Erica FischerEngineerOct 24, 2023
  3. ProductAnnouncing Felt 2.0 — a better way to work with mapsIntroducing Felt 2.0, a new chapter in our mission to make mapping effortless for everyone.Sam HashemiNov 9, 2023
  4. ProductThree key UI upgrades in Felt 2.0Our release of Felt 2.0 included powerful new spatial analysis tools along a streamlined UI. Here’s a quick review of the UI upgrades we packed in for users.Rachel ZackNov 30, 2023
  5. ProductPowerful new admin tools and a streamlined billing experienceReady for a new year of map-making with improved organization, management dashboards and a straightforward billing flow.Rachel ZackDec 11, 2023
  6. ProductGetting the most out of Felt’s new WorkspacesOur new Workspace design is packed with features that make collaboration feel even more seamless.Rachel ZackJan 25, 2024
  7. ProductTeaching Spatial Analysis with FeltGet inspired for the new semester: Felt cartographer Mamata Akella put together a sample exercise for educators who want to teach their students to think spatially.Mamata AkellaDec 21, 2023
  8. ProductSearch, filter, select — data discovery done rightBringing users the fastest, most streamlined data discovery experience on the internet.Álvaro ArredondoData CuratorFeb 27, 2024
  9. ProductCartography Tips for Designing Web MapsMaking maps that are visually appealing and informative shouldn’t require specialized cartographic expertise or a deep understanding of design principles.Mamata AkellaMar 20, 2024
  10. EngineeringGraceful startup and shutdown for Phoenix applicationsA quick guide for running a Graceful Shutdown process in your Phoenix application, ensuring clean process termination and minimizing downtime during deployments.Jason AxelsonEngineerMay 10, 2023
  11. EngineeringFrom SVG to Canvas – part 1: making Felt fasterSwitching from SVG to Canvas keeps Felt maps performant as our users zoom and pan around their data-rich maps.Tom HicksEngineerMay 17, 2023
  12. EngineeringFrom SVG to Canvas – part 2: a new way of building interactionsWhile the DOM and React give you a lot of useful tools “for free”, that easy on-ramp starts to get very steep as you try to add more complex interactions.Tom HicksEngineerMay 24, 2023
  13. ProductPowerful conversations in Felt: Comments, Public Feedback, and GroupingMapping deserves to be a team sport. That’s why we are launching comments, public feedback, and grouping.Kevan LeeMarketingMay 30, 2023
  14. ProductMay spotlight: 10 best Felt Community mapsHere is how Felts were putting maps to use lately — from visualizing the impact of wildfires across the West to tracking air pollution in London.Anna SavinaJun 6, 2023
  15. ProductEasily bring data to Felt with our QGIS plugin and the Felt APICreating collaborative maps is now even faster, with three new ways to bring data directly into Felt: a QGIS plugin, Open in Felt buttons, and the Felt API.Michal MigurskiJun 21, 2023
  16. ProductFelt for advocacy groups: mapping traffic violence in OaklandBryan Culbertson and Kuan Butts, two activists working on Traffic Violence Rapid Response, leverage Felt maps to advocate for safer streets in Oakland.Anna SavinaJun 29, 2023
  17. ProductJune spotlight: 10 best Felt Community mapsHere is how Felts put maps to use lately — from combining all the Tour de France races in one place to trying out new Open in Felt feature.Anna SavinaJul 6, 2023
  18. EngineeringVisualizing weather data using the Felt APIHere is how you can leverage Felt API to create beautiful cartographic visualizations of data from The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).Damon BurgettJul 13, 2023
  19. ProductJuly spotlight: 10 best Felt Community mapsHere is how Felts put maps to use lately — from Barbenheimer history to visualizing Overture Maps Foundation data.Anna SavinaAug 2, 2023
  20. ProductIntroducing powerful new cartographic design tools, including heat mapsThe most powerfully intuitive cartographic toolkit on the internet has arrived.Rachel ZackAug 8, 2023
  21. ProductHow one engineering firm streamlined client feedback with the 'Add to Felt' QGIS pluginICON Engineering, Colorado-based firm specializing in stormwater and transportation engineering, is leveraging Felt and QGIS for getting stakeholder feedback faster.Anna SavinaSep 7, 2023
  22. EngineeringCreating UI delight: dynamically rotating mouse cursorsFelt is constantly searching for ways to enhance the user experience & create a sense of delight for our users. Take a look at what that means for the humble cursor.Tom HicksEngineerJan 10, 2023
  23. ProductNew in Felt: Geocoding, Geomatching, and ChoroplethsSupercharging our uploads: we are stoked to share new features that allow you rapidly visualize and style your data.Michal MigurskiJan 24, 2023
  24. ProductBeautiful new ways to visualize data in FeltDrag and drop your numeric data into Felt and watch it appear as an informative, beautiful visualization.Mamata AkellaFeb 1, 2023
  25. ProductJanuary spotlight: 10 best Felt community mapsHere is how Felts were putting maps to use in January — from tracking Indigenous territories, treaties, and languages to visualizing Czech Presidential Election results.Anna SavinaFeb 7, 2023
  26. EngineeringFelt renders faster than ever with MapLibreWhen trying Felt 1.0 for the first time, users will immediately notice that it feels different...Chris LoerEngineerFeb 28, 2023
  27. ProductMonthly spotlight: 10 best Felt Community mapsHere is how Felts were putting maps to use lately — from mapping world’s electric battery gigafactories to investigating whale strandings on the East Coast.Anna SavinaMar 14, 2023
  28. ProductCreating maps on the web with QGIS & FeltMany users prepare data in QGIS before styling and sharing in Felt. Here are some of the ways they are leveraging this combo to create beautiful maps on the web.Anna SavinaMar 28, 2023
  29. Case studyModern client collaboration: Alta Planning + Design case studyAlta Planning+Design, a leading consulting firm specializing in bicycle and pedestrian planning, is using Felt to bring their clients a more modern mapping experience.Anna SavinaApr 4, 2023
  30. ProductMarch spotlight: 10 best Felt Community mapsHere is how Felts were putting maps to use lately — from locating cherry blossoms in Korea to visualizing every street in London by its width.Anna SavinaApr 11, 2023
  31. EngineeringRouting patterns for manageable Phoenix ChannelsThere are unique challenges that arise when you’re building a huge Phoenix Channel, and in this post we’re going to explore some solutions.Lucas San RománEngineerApr 18, 2023
  32. ProductGeoTIFFs, XYZ urls, and raster imagery – now in FeltFelt’s collaborative modern map-making platform now works for raster files. Try it today.Isaac Besora VilardagaEngineerApr 25, 2023
  33. ProductApril spotlight: 10 best Felt Community mapsHere is how Felts were putting maps to use lately — from trying out new raster imagery features to locating best biking routes in Hungary.Anna SavinaMay 2, 2023
  34. ProductHow to design a beautiful mapWe’re building a tool that empowers anyone to make a great map. These tips for making your map beautiful are just as accessible.Loren BaxterMamata AkellaAug 9, 2022

2022 21

  1. ProductPut your data to workAnnouncing our biggest launch yet: powerful new tools for working with data inside Felt.Michal MigurskiSep 13, 2022
  2. Product10 maps that push the boundaries: fire progression, Colorado River basin & moreWith our game-changing data launch, the possibilities of what Felt is capable of exploded. Here are just a few examples of what is now possible on the platform.Mamata AkellaSep 20, 2022
  3. ProductSeptember spotlight: 10 best Felt Community mapsIntroducing our new monthly community spotlight — we’re excited to celebrate our users who create impressive maps!Anna SavinaOct 4, 2022
  4. EngineeringUpload Anything: how we revolutionized data uploadWe launched Upload Anything to enable our users to bring any file format into Felt and see it magically "just work." Here’s why it’s revolutionary.Conor LandryEngineerOct 25, 2022
  5. ProductOctober spotlight: best Halloween Community mapsOur judges Mamata Akella and Vanessa Knoppke-Wetzel determined the winners — check out their outstanding maps!Anna SavinaOct 28, 2022
  6. EngineeringRate limiting algorithms for client-facing web appsA lot of ink has been spilled on the topic of building rate limiting into API-based products, but client-facing apps have different needs. Here are some tips.Tyler YoungNov 8, 2022
  7. ProductNovember spotlight: 10 best Felt Community mapsFelts have been busy putting maps to use – from debunking the myth of the Bermuda Triangle to making safe cycling easier in Oakland, CA.Anna SavinaNov 29, 2022
  8. ProductMake your maps shine with powerful background and styling controlsUnlock Felt for professional use: add your organization’s basemaps, select styles to make your data shine, and export to PNG or PDF to bring your reports to life.Loren BaxterDec 6, 2022
  9. EngineeringHow we make your data look great at every scale with TippecanoeFelt doesn’t require users to tell us anything about the data being uploaded – here are some tools we use to get the display right across different scales.Erica FischerEngineerDec 13, 2022
  10. ProductFelt for educators: best strategies to keep students engagedMaps are a wonderful way to understand our world. Here is how Felt makes it easy to create and share beautiful interactive maps.Anna SavinaDec 20, 2022
  11. ProductDecember spotlight: 10 best Felt Community mapsHere is how Felts were putting maps to use during this holiday season — from outlining Santa’s route around the world to analyzing NYC bike accidents data.Anna SavinaJan 5, 2023
  12. EngineeringWhat it takes to make a mapThe internet is being re-written, first docs, then design and now maps. Felt is approaching the complexity of multiplayer mapping head on by building the culture and infrastructure necessary to iterate quickly.Can DurukOct 20, 2021
  13. EngineeringComputer graphics in the land of mapsUsing my background in computer graphics, I enable our in-house cartographer to create beautiful maps, and to render them as beautifully–and as quickly–as possible.Isaac BesoraData TeamDec 27, 2021
  14. EngineeringTools for fast (and less furious) frontend developmentYou can think of a Felt map as a space which has certain Felt elements (drawings, pins, notes, data) that live inside it.Omar RizwanEngineerFeb 2, 2022
  15. EngineeringSQLAlchemy reflection and PostgreSQL for data schema flexibilityHow Felt is using SQLAlchemy and PostgreSQL for maximum data schema flexibility.Juan Ignacio Sanchez-LaraEngineerMar 2, 2022
  16. EngineeringTips for improving your Elixir configurationAs an Engineer at Felt and a core maintainer of ElixirLS, I wanted to share some of the hidden configuration improvements I’ve found in Elixir’s latest releases.Jason AxelsonEngineerMar 31, 2022
  17. EngineeringTaking Hashrocket’s "Ultimate Elixir CI" to the next levelContinuous integration and deployment is the heartbeat of a software development team. That’s why we’ve invested in powerful tooling that goes way beyond the basics.Tyler YoungApr 12, 2022
  18. ProductFelt’s public beta, and a new $15M round of fundingIntroducing the world’s best way to make & share maps on the internet.Sam HashemiMay 31, 2022
  19. ProductBuilding the Figma for mapsIn this article, I’ll share a bit about how we built a special canvas from the ground up to power Felt’s geospatial drawing tools.Giles Van GruisenEngineerJun 2, 2022
  20. ProductJune 2022 layers: ZIP codes, congressional districts & moreOur Data Team is working hard to bring you useful and beautiful data layers.Rachel ZackJul 5, 2022
  21. EngineeringWhen “one size fits all” fails: PostGIS bounding boxes for mapsAs a mapping company, we curate and visualize all sorts of data for our users.Joe HermannEngineerJul 7, 2022

2021 5

  1. EngineeringNarrowing in TypeScript with type predicates and discriminated unionsDiscriminated unions are the natural fit for working with unions in TypeScript. Here’s why I advise them over inline checks and type predicates.Tom HicksEngineerJul 19, 2022
  2. ProductJuly 2022 layers: hot springs, drought monitor & moreEvery month, Felt’s data team curates new data layers and adds them to the data library for your use.Rachel ZackAug 2, 2022
  3. EngineeringMultiplayer prototyping: if your tools aren’t fun, you’re not doing it rightFor the past few months, I’ve been prototyping different web drawing tools for Felt—a collaborative mapping app which aims to get everyone to think in maps.Julius TarngAug 26, 2021
  4. EngineeringCultivating code for who comes nextIf you had asked me what the most inspiring part of engineering was five years ago, I would not have said maintenance.Joe HermannEngineerSep 29, 2021
  5. EngineeringHot reloading: a faster way to develop modern appsHi, I’m Jason Axelson and I’m a software engineer at Felt. Felt is a highly interactive multi-player application built for making the best maps on the internet,Jason AxelsonEngineerOct 7, 2021