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Map Editor – Create a New Map, Layer & Add New Features

This guide will give you an overview of the essential steps to create a new map, set up a database layer, add data, and share your map with others in four key steps.

Along the way, we’ll highlight best practices and link to additional guides to help you get the most out of each step. We recommend checking those out!

1. Create a New Map

Start by logging in to the Map Editor with your GIS Cloud credentials. Once you’re on the home page:

  • Click Create New Map
  • Enter a name for your map
  • Choose a basemap – note that you can always change this later!
  • Click Save—your map will open immediately

Check out the full guide here.

2. Set Up a Layer in the Database

Once you have a map, you need some data to display! You can either upload data if you already have it, or follow these steps to create a new layer. (Or, if you want to be fancy, connect your own database!)

It’s always good to follow naming guidelines and avoid spaces or special characters (see more details here), and if you’re preparing for a data collection project, also keep in mind the type of form item you want to use (see available options) and set the attribute field type accordingly (String, Integer, or Real) – for example, if collecting photos – set that field to String!

You can always go back to adjust the field names or add new fields.

3. Add Features to the Layer

Now that you have a layer, it’s time to add data to it! 

If you’ve uploaded the data in the previous step, make sure you’ve also followed the guide to import the data into our database before moving forward.

Otherwise, simply:

  • Select your layer in the Layer List
  • Open the Feature tab and click “Add Feature”
  • Draw points, lines, or polygons directly on the map (depending on what geometry type you chose earlier)

It can be helpful to use the Snapping or Measure display option if you want to be more precise, or use hotkeys to draw and rotate rectangles. Learn more about these options here.

Don’t worry about making mistakes; you can always edit the geometry or attribute data later.

When filling out the attribute information about a certain feature, it can be helpful to have a structured way to input your data. If you want to streamline this step and include options that will help you ensure data quality, you can create input forms – learn more about this here.

4. Share Your Map

Once your map is ready, you can share it with others.

  • Click the “Share” button in the Map tab
  • Enter a GIS Cloud username and click “Share”
  • Assign permissions (view-only, edit, share, export, collect, update) to control access

Mix and match the permissions to get the exact level of access for each user separately, or create user groups to help you share your projects with multiple people in one click. Note that all users within a group will always have the same permissions.

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