Can Creator-based indoor mapping work with a Gen1 Azure Maps account?

No, Creator (the indoor mapping and dataset creation capability) specifically requires a Gen2 account, this is a hard product requirement, not a configuration option, if indoor maps or Creator-based features are needed, the account must be provisioned as Gen2 from the start, an existing Gen1 account can't simply be upgraded in place to gain Creator support.

How frequently should featureStates be updated compared to the underlying dataset geometry?

featureStates is specifically designed for frequent updates (occupancy changing as people move through a space, temperature readings updating continuously from sensors), while the underlying dataset's building/floor geometry is comparatively static and only needs updating when the actual physical layout changes (a renovation, a new floor). Treating these as the same update cadence either means unnecessarily re-processing the full dataset for every sensor reading, or under-updating feature states that are meant to reflect near-real-time conditions.

Does a geofence's enterTrigger and exitTrigger fire for any brief pass-through of the zone boundary?

Yes, unless dwellTimeTrigger is also configured, enterTrigger and exitTrigger fire on any boundary crossing regardless of how briefly the entity remains inside, for a use case that only cares about meaningful presence (like actually being at a delivery location, not just driving past it), configure dwellTimeTrigger with an appropriate threshold rather than relying on enter/exit alone, which will fire on every brief pass-through too.

Azure Maps Config Builder

MonitoringAzure

Build Azure Maps account and Creator configs with indoor maps, datasets, feature states, geofences, and CORS rules.

Azure Maps Configuration

Build Azure Maps account and Creator configs with indoor maps, datasets, feature states, geofences, CORS rules, and managed identity auth.

Required Fields

accountNameresourceGroupskukind

{
  "accountName": "maps-contoso-prod",
  "resourceGroup": "rg-maps",
  "location": "eastus2",
  "sku": "G2",
  "kind": "Gen2",
  "properties": {
    "disableLocalAuth": true,
    "linkedResources": [
      {
        "uniqueName": "creator-indoor-maps",
        "id": "/subscriptions/a1b2c3d4/resourceGroups/rg-maps/providers/Microsoft.Maps/accounts/maps-contoso-prod/creators/creator-contoso"
      }
    ],
    "cors": {
      "corsRules": [
        {
          "allowedOrigins": ["https://app.contoso.com", "https://admin.contoso.com"],
          "allowedMethods": ["GET", "POST"],
          "allowedHeaders": ["Authorization", "Content-Type"],
          "exposedHeaders": ["x-ms-request-id"],
          "maxAgeInSeconds": 3600
        }
      ]
    }
  },
  "creator": {
    "name": "creator-contoso",
    "storageUnits": 5,
    "location": "eastus2"
  },
  "datasets": [
    {
      "name": "ds-campus-hq",
      "description": "Indoor maps for headquarters campus - all buildings and floors.",
      "facilityMapping": {
        "buildings": [
          {
            "buildingId": "bldg-001",
            "name": "Main Office",
            "floors": [
              { "floorId": "floor-1", "ordinal": 0, "name": "Ground Floor" },
              { "floorId": "floor-2", "ordinal": 1, "name": "First Floor" },
              { "floorId": "floor-3", "ordinal": 2, "name": "Second Floor" }
            ]
          }
        ]
      },
      "featureStates": {
        "enabled": true,
        "statesets": [
          {
            "name": "occupancy",
            "stateType": "boolean",
            "keyName": "occupied",
            "styles": [
              { "value": true, "color": "#FF4444", "label": "Occupied" },
              { "value": false, "color": "#44FF44", "label": "Available" }
            ]
          },
          {
            "name": "temperature",
            "stateType": "number",
            "keyName": "temp",
            "styles": [
              { "range": { "min": 0, "max": 65 }, "color": "#0000FF", "label": "Cold" },
              { "range": { "min": 65, "max": 75 }, "color": "#00FF00", "label": "Comfortable" },
              { "range": { "min": 75, "max": 120 }, "color": "#FF0000", "label": "Hot" }
            ]
          }
        ]
      }
    }
  ],
  "geofences": [
    {
      "name": "gf-delivery-zones",
      "geometryType": "Polygon",
      "zones": [
        {
          "zoneId": "zone-hq-campus",
          "name": "HQ Campus",
          "coordinates": [[-122.1326, 47.6358], [-122.1280, 47.6358], [-122.1280, 47.6390], [-122.1326, 47.6390], [-122.1326, 47.6358]]
        }
      ],
      "alertRules": {
        "enterTrigger": true,
        "exitTrigger": true,
        "dwellTimeTrigger": {
          "enabled": true,
          "dwellTimeMinutes": 15
        }
      }
    }
  ],
  "tags": {
    "environment": "production",
    "team": "facilities"
  }
}

Generated Output

Output will appear here...

About This Tool

Build an Azure Maps account (Gen2 pricing tier, which is required for Creator-based indoor mapping) combining a Creator resource for indoor map datasets (buildings/floors hierarchy plus featureStates for real-time overlays like occupancy or temperature) with geofences using Polygon geometry and configurable enter/exit/dwellTimeTrigger alerting. featureStates is specifically for dynamic, frequently-changing overlay data (occupancy toggling, live temperature readings) rendered on top of the static indoor map geometry, it's a separate update path from the underlying dataset's building/floor structure, which is comparatively static and not meant to be updated at the same frequency as sensor-driven feature state changes.

When to Use This Tool

•Choosing Gen2 kind specifically because Creator-based indoor mapping (the linkedResources.creator-indoor-maps reference) requires Gen2, a Gen1 account can't use Creator's indoor mapping capabilities regardless of other configuration.
•Defining a featureStates stateset for occupancy (boolean, styled red/green) updated frequently from a sensor feed, kept separate from the underlying building/floor dataset structure, which changes only when the actual physical layout changes, not on every occupancy sensor reading.
•Setting a geofence's dwellTimeTrigger with a specific dwellTimeMinutes threshold, so an alert fires only when a tracked entity remains within the zone for a meaningful duration, rather than firing on every brief, incidental pass-through of the boundary.
•Configuring cors.corsRules scoped to specific allowedOrigins (app.contoso.com, admin.contoso.com) rather than a wildcard, so only the organization's own known frontend applications can make browser-based calls directly against the Maps account.

Pro Tips

TIP

Confirm Gen2 is provisioned from the start if Creator-based indoor mapping is anywhere in the roadmap, this isn't a setting that can be changed after the fact on an existing Gen1 account.

TIP

Keep featureStates' update cadence genuinely decoupled from the underlying dataset's geometry updates, treating sensor-driven feature state changes as requiring the same heavyweight dataset update process as an actual floor plan change is a common and unnecessary overhead.

TIP

Use dwellTimeTrigger rather than relying solely on enter/exit triggers for any geofence use case that cares about meaningful presence rather than incidental boundary crossings, this avoids a flood of low-value alerts from brief pass-throughs.

How It Works Under the Hood

The builder validates that accountName, resourceGroup, sku, and kind all resolve before accepting the JSON as a valid combined Maps account, Creator, dataset, and geofence configuration; it can't verify the Gen2/Creator combination is correctly licensed and provisioned or that geofence coordinates form a valid, non-self-intersecting polygon, those are only confirmed against the live Azure Maps resource provider and its geometry validation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Creator-based indoor mapping work with a Gen1 Azure Maps account?: No, Creator (the indoor mapping and dataset creation capability) specifically requires a Gen2 account, this is a hard product requirement, not a configuration option, if indoor maps or Creator-based features are needed, the account must be provisioned as Gen2 from the start, an existing Gen1 account can't simply be upgraded in place to gain Creator support.
How frequently should featureStates be updated compared to the underlying dataset geometry?: featureStates is specifically designed for frequent updates (occupancy changing as people move through a space, temperature readings updating continuously from sensors), while the underlying dataset's building/floor geometry is comparatively static and only needs updating when the actual physical layout changes (a renovation, a new floor). Treating these as the same update cadence either means unnecessarily re-processing the full dataset for every sensor reading, or under-updating feature states that are meant to reflect near-real-time conditions.
Does a geofence's enterTrigger and exitTrigger fire for any brief pass-through of the zone boundary?: Yes, unless dwellTimeTrigger is also configured, enterTrigger and exitTrigger fire on any boundary crossing regardless of how briefly the entity remains inside, for a use case that only cares about meaningful presence (like actually being at a delivery location, not just driving past it), configure dwellTimeTrigger with an appropriate threshold rather than relying on enter/exit alone, which will fire on every brief pass-through too.

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