1. A method for enabling a user to view data from an external data source in a visual map, wherein the external data source has a web service interface, the method comprising: building a web service request for the external data source; sending the web service request to the web service associated with the external data source; receiving data from the web service in response to the web service request; transforming the data into a format that can be used to generate visual map content; and displaying the data in the visual map.