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How to Load External Data via URL

This guide explains how to launch single-dataset viewports and multi-sample cohort sessions using direct URLs from AWS S3, HTTP/HTTPS endpoints, or Zenodo.

1. Open the URL Dialog

  • 1) Click + URL Button: Click the + URL button in the Top Bar or data discovery pages to open the external data loading dialog.

2.A Launch a Single-Sample Dataset

To load an individual spatial transcriptomics slide:

  • 1) Select Single Dataset Mode: Ensure the mode toggle is set to Single Dataset.
  • 2) Enter URL: Paste a direct link to the dataset folder or catalog.yaml file (AWS S3, HTTP/HTTPS, or Zenodo).
  • 3) Optional Preview: Check the Preview checkbox if you wish to inspect dataset metadata and spatial layers prior to launching.
  • 4) Load Dataset: Click Load to launch the single-dataset Map View.

Single Dataset URL Examples

AWS S3 

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s3://cartostore/data/my-collection/my-dataset/
# or direct catalog file
s3://cartostore/data/my-collection/my-dataset/catalog.yaml

HTTP / HTTPS 

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https://example-server.org/spatial_data/sample_1/catalog.yaml

Zenodo 

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https://zenodo.org/records/12345678/files/catalog.yaml

2.B Launch a Multi-Sample Cohort Session

To load a multi-sample cohort study linked by a multi-catalog.yaml file:

  • 1) Select Multiple Datasets Mode: Switch the mode toggle to Multiple Datasets.
  • 2) Enter Multi-Catalog URL: Paste a direct link to a multi-catalog.yaml file or paste a shared multi-sample session configuration YAML.
  • 3) Configure Multi-Sample Session: Click Load. CartoScope automatically fetches sample metadata and opens the Set Up a Multi-Sample Session dialog to inspect sample slots, verify layer compatibility, and set grid layout dimensions (\(N \times M\)).
  • 4) Launch Workspace: Click Launch Multi-Sample Session to initialize the synchronized Map (Multi-Sample) grid workspace.

Multi-Sample Catalog URL Examples

AWS S3 Multi-Catalog 

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s3://cartostore/studies/brain_cohort_2026/multi-catalog.yaml

HTTP / HTTPS Multi-Catalog 

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https://example-server.org/cohorts/mouse_brain_replicates/multi-catalog.yaml

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