---
path: docs/getting-started/managing-data
title: "Managing Data"
desc: "Understand how GISOwl stores, syncs, and manages your geospatial data."
date: "Apr 2, 2026"
---

# Managing Data

GISOwl gives you full control over how your geospatial data is stored, organized, and kept up to date.

## Data Storage

When you upload a file, GISOwl ingests and stores it in its cloud-native spatial database. Vector data is indexed for fast rendering and querying at any zoom level. Raster data is tiled and served as cloud-optimized GeoTIFF (COG) for efficient streaming.

## Replacing and Updating Data

To replace a dataset, open the layer menu and select **Replace data**. Upload a new file and GISOwl swaps the underlying data while preserving your existing styles, filters, and popup configurations.

## Refreshing Data

For datasets connected to external sources (cloud databases, URLs, or APIs), you can configure automatic refresh schedules: every 15 minutes, hourly, daily, or weekly. Manual refresh is always available via the layer menu.

## Deleting Data

Deleting a layer removes it from the current map. If the dataset is in your data library and used by other maps, those references remain intact. To permanently delete a dataset and all its references, remove it from the data library.

## Data Limits

| Plan | Max upload size | Storage | Refresh frequency |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Free | 50 MB per file | 100 MB total | Manual only |
| Pro | 500 MB per file | 10 GB total | Hourly |
| Team | 2 GB per file | 100 GB total | 15 minutes |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Custom |

## Next Steps

- [Files](/docs/upload-anything/files) — Supported file formats in detail.
- [Refreshing Data](/docs/upload-anything/refreshing-data) — Configure auto-refresh.