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Module 03: Map View ​

The Map View is where users draw features, collect GPS locations, measure distances and areas, edit geometries, cache offline tiles, and review spatial results.

1. Map Interface Overview ​

When you open the Map View, the map fills the screen and shows controls around the edges:

ControlPositionPurpose
Layer Selector PillTop-centerSwitch the active drawing layer
Offline MapTop-rightDownload tiles for offline use
Basemap ToggleTop-rightSwitch between Satellite and Street map
Layer VisibilityRight sideShow or hide individual layers
Measure ToolRight sideEnter measurement mode for distance and area
Record GPS PathRight sideAuto-record points as you walk (requires GPS Tools setting)
Silent TrackRight sideRecord GPS movement in the background (requires GPS Tools setting)
Advanced EditRight sideSplit and merge polygon tools (requires Advanced Edit setting)
Sketch ModeRight side / drawing toolsFreehand drawing support (requires Sketch Mode setting)
GPS PinBottom-rightCapture your current GPS location and place a point
Quick CaptureBottom-right / GPS toolsCreate a point at your current GPS location with fewer taps (requires Quick Capture entitlement and setting)
Status BarBottom-centerShows current mode (Idle, Drawing, Measuring, Editing, etc.)
AI Preview PillBottom-leftShows/hides Geova AI spatial query results on the map

2. Selecting a Layer & Drawing ​

Selecting the Active Layer ​

  1. Tap the Layer Selector Pill at the top of the map.
  2. A dropdown lists all layers in the active project with their geometry icon and color badge.
  3. Tap a layer to make it active. The drawing toolbar adapts to the layer's geometry type.

Drawing Features ​

Once a layer is selected, the Geoman Toolbar appears at the left side of the map. The available tools depend on the geometry type:

GeometryAvailable Drawing Tools
PointMarker placement (tap to drop a pin)
LineStringLine drawing (tap vertices, double-tap to finish)
PolygonPolygon drawing (tap vertices, close the shape to finish), Rectangle tool

After drawing, a Bottom Sheet popup appears with the form for that layer. Fill in attributes, attach photos, and save.

Snap Engine ​

When drawing, the Snap Engine can align your cursor or finger to nearby vertices and edges. This helps users connect lines and polygons cleanly, which is useful for utility networks, parcel boundaries, and other datasets where shared edges matter.

3. GPS Features ​

Grabbing Your GPS Location ​

Tap the GPS Pin button (bottom-right). The map:

  1. Activates your device's GPS.
  2. Displays a blue pulsing dot at your location.
  3. Shows a GPS Accuracy Indicator — long-press the GPS button for detailed accuracy info (horizontal accuracy in meters, satellite status).
  4. Zooms the map to your current position.

If an active drawing layer is selected, the GPS point is captured as a new feature on that layer.

Quick Capture ​

When Quick Capture is enabled and your workspace includes the feature, tapping GPS can create a point feature at your current location with fewer steps. Use it for repetitive point collection where the active layer and form schema are already prepared.

Recording a GPS Path (Auto-Track) ​

For surveys where you walk along a road, trail, or pipeline:

  1. Tap the Record Path button (right side).
  2. A dialog appears: "Auto-Record GPS Path"
    • Min Distance (Meters) — Minimum movement before a new point is recorded (default: 2m).
    • Min Time (Seconds) — Minimum time between recordings (default: 3s).
  3. Tap Start Tracking. The app drops points automatically as you walk.
  4. Tap the button again (now pulsing red) to stop recording.

Example: A pipeline inspector walks along a mapped route and records a GPS path at set distance and time intervals. The resulting points can be reviewed as a path record without requiring the inspector to tap the screen at every location.

Silent Track ​

Silent Track records your GPS movement without drawing visible collection points on the active layer. Use it when you need a device path for review but do not want to add point features at every interval.

4. Manual Coordinate Entry ​

For precision placement (e.g., known survey coordinates):

  1. Use the manual coordinate entry option.
  2. A dialog opens: "Enter Coordinates"
  3. Type latitude and longitude separated by a comma:
    31.2001, 29.9187
  4. Tap Place Point. A marker appears at the exact location.

When precision placement tools are enabled, the map can also show a center crosshair to help position a feature before confirming placement. This is useful on tablets where dragging the map is easier than tapping an exact coordinate.

5. Measurement Tools ​

Tap the Measure Tool button on the right side. The map enters Measure Mode:

Simple Distance (2 points) ​

Tap two points on the map. A distance label appears at the midpoint showing the measurement.

Multi-Segment (3+ points) ​

Tap more than two points. The system displays:

  • Individual segment labels between each pair of vertices (shown in indigo badges)
  • Running total distance at the final vertex (shown in green)
  • Units: Metric (meters/km) or Imperial (feet/miles) based on settings

Area Measurement (Closed Shape) ​

Tap 3+ vertices and bring the final point close to the first point. A magnetic snap zone (glowing green circle) appears around the first vertex:

  • When you're close enough, the circle enlarges and pulses with a glow animation
  • Snap to it to close the polygon
  • The system calculates and displays both Perimeter and Area

Drafting Controls ​

While measuring, the toolbar provides:

  • Clear — Clear current measurement and start fresh (stays in measure mode)
  • Close Shape — Force-close the polygon to calculate area
  • Undo — Remove the last placed vertex
  • Tap the measure button again to exit measure mode and clean up all overlays

6. Basemap Switching ​

Tap the 🗺️ Basemap Toggle button (top-right) to switch between:

  • Satellite imagery — High-resolution aerial photography
  • Street map — Standard road and place names

The current basemap persists across sessions.

7. Offline Map Caching ​

Work in areas with no internet? Download the tiles beforehand:

  1. Navigate the map to the area you need.
  2. Tap the ☁️↓ Offline Map button (top-right).
  3. The system caches all visible tiles at the current zoom level and several levels above/below.
  4. A progress indicator shows download status.
  5. Once cached, tiles load from local storage — no internet required.

Cached tiles are stored in the browser's Cache API and persist across sessions.

8. Clustering & Performance ​

Smart Clustering ​

When enabled (default), features that are close together visually cluster into numbered bubbles at lower zoom levels. Tap a cluster to zoom in and reveal individual features. This prevents visual overload when your project has thousands of features.

Overlapping Cluster Expansion ​

When clustered features overlap at the same location, tapping the cluster can expand the points so you can select individual features.

Canvas Rendering & Viewport Culling ​

For projects with many features, Mapplex uses optimized rendering techniques:

  • Canvas rendering — Draws large point sets more efficiently than individual HTML markers.
  • Viewport culling — Keeps off-screen features out of the active rendering area.
  • Dynamic loading — For very large projects, loads data for the current viewport instead of drawing the full dataset at once.

9. Feature Popups & Editing ​

Viewing a Feature ​

Tap any feature on the map to open its popup. The popup shows:

  • All form field values
  • Photos (with gallery navigation)
  • Computed geometry info (coordinates, area, perimeter)
  • Action buttons: Edit, Delete, and History where available (based on your role and workspace entitlement)

Editing a Feature's Attributes ​

  1. Tap a feature to open its popup.
  2. Tap Edit.
  3. The form opens in a bottom sheet. Make your changes.
  4. Tap Save.

Editing a Feature's Geometry ​

  1. Tap a feature and select Edit Geometry from the popup.
  2. The feature enters edit mode — vertex handles appear on the shape.
  3. Drag vertices to adjust the shape.
  4. Tap Save to commit or Discard to cancel.

For point features, you can drag the marker to a new position directly.

10. Advanced Editing: Split & Merge ​

(Requires the Advanced Edit setting to be enabled. Available to project Owners and Admins only.)

Splitting a Polygon ​

  1. Tap the Advanced Edit button. The Advanced Edit panel appears.
  2. Tap Split Polygon (scissors icon).
  3. Draw a line across the polygon you want to divide. The split line must enter on one side and exit on the other.
  4. When the line is complete, the polygon is divided into two separate features, each inheriting the original's attributes.

Example: A parcel boundary needs to be split after an approved subdivision. Draw the split line across the parcel; Mapplex creates two polygon features that can be reviewed and edited separately.

Merging Polygons ​

  1. Tap the Advanced Edit button. The Advanced Edit panel appears.
  2. Tap Merge Polygons (join icon).
  3. Tap two or more adjacent polygons. Selected polygons highlight in red.
  4. The state indicator shows "SELECTED: 2" (or more).
  5. Tap Finish to merge them into a single feature.

Note: Merged polygons must be from the same layer. The merged feature inherits the properties of the first selected polygon.

Radial Command Palette ​

Long-press on any polygon to open the Radial Command Palette — a contextual ring menu with quick actions including Split and Merge, accessible without opening the Advanced Edit panel.

11. Layer Visibility Panel ​

Tap the 👁️ Layers button on the right side to toggle the Layer Visibility Panel. This floating panel lists all layers with eye-toggle switches:

  • Toggle individual layers on/off without leaving the map
  • Reference layers (imported KMZ backgrounds) are listed separately
  • Changes apply without reloading the map

12. Time Slider (4D Temporal Playback) ​

For datasets with temporal attributes, Mapplex can animate features across time:

  1. The Temporal Playback Manager activates when your layer has date/time fields.
  2. A time slider appears at the bottom of the map.
  3. Drag the slider to filter features by date range.
  4. Press play to animate the progression over time.

Example: A public health team can filter visit records by date to review how follow-up activity changed over a reporting period.

13. Geova AI Preview Layer ​

When Geova AI runs a spatial analysis (from the Chat module), results can be projected onto the map:

  • The AI Preview Pill (bottom-left) shows "AI Result" with show/hide and clear controls.
  • A Ghost Layer Pill shows previous AI query results for comparison.
  • These are visual overlays only — they don't modify your project data.

14. Map State Persistence ​

When you navigate away from the Map View and return, the map restores your last position (center and zoom level) automatically. This state is saved per-project so switching between projects doesn't lose your viewport.

Next: Proceed to Module 04: Forms & Smart Logic to build data collection schemas for your layers.

Intelligent Infrastructure Mapping

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