Bounding box

Replace each feature's geometry with its axis-aligned envelope via PostGIS ST_Envelope. Attributes are kept.

basic

A bounding box (bbox) step replaces each feature's geometry with its axis-aligned envelope (ST_Envelope). Attributes are kept; row count is unchanged.

This is per feature, not one envelope for the whole layer. For a single combined outline of every feature, use Dissolve (attributes dropped) or Group by with empty keys when you also need aggregates.

Inputs

  • Source layer. Any geometry type. Null geometries are skipped. The step has no parameters in the derived-layer builder.

Output

One row per non-null input geometry:

  • Geometry: closed rectangle polygon enclosing that feature (WGS84).
  • Properties: copied from the source row.

How to use it on its own

From Analyze (guided)

  1. Open a data layer and switch to the Analyze tab.
  2. Click Bounding boxes for this layer.
  3. Optionally edit the title.
  4. Click Create derived layer.

The portal creates a private derived layer and opens it. Expect a short server job, not an instant browser result.

From the new-item wizard

  1. New-item wizard → Derived layer.
  2. Pick a Source.
  3. Add a Bbox step.
  4. Save.

Examples

  • Lighter extent overlays. Source: detailed building footprints. Output: one rectangle per building for overview maps or clustering by extent overlap.
  • Extent QA. Source: survey polygons. Output: quick visual check that envelopes sit where expected.

Notes

  • Per-feature only in v1. There is no "envelope of all input features" switch on this generator.
  • Axis-aligned in the layer CRS (stored as EPSG:4326). At high latitudes the geographic rectangle is not a planar square.
  • Cheaper than convex hull when only the rectangle matters.