LAUNCH GUIDE

If this is your first MapMaker visit, create an account to access all of the features. Select Menu (in the top right corner of the layer panel) and then Sign In and follow the prompts. If you already have a MapMaker/National Geographic account, just sign in.

To create a new map, select Menu > My Maps > Create New Map.

To make a copy of a map select Menu > Save a copy of this map to My Maps. After naming and saving a map, annotation tools appear in the upper right corner.

Creating a new map or saving a copy of an existing map activates the Map Editor which allows you to design and edit your map.

Once in the Map Editor, you are able to choose a basemap, add layers to incorporate data sets, add annotations (circles, lines, point labels and descriptions, etc.), and save the map to access it again later.

Each map you save is stored under Menu > My Maps. To delete a map, select the trash can icon in the bottom right corner of the map card.

In the Find address or place entry box (bottom right corner of the map), type in a location and select the magnifying glass to search for it.

To move the whole map in any direction, tap/click and drag it.

Zoom in or out on a map using the “+” and “–“ symbols near the bottom right corner of the map. Alternatively, on a desktop computer you can zoom using your mouse or trackpad. Pinch to zoom on a smartphone or tablet device. The scale for distance (to the left of Find address or place) changes as you zoom.

When finished, sign out of your account by going to Menu > Sign Out.

• Refresh: If something isn’t working, try refreshing the page.
• Zoom in/out: If data sets aren’t appearing in a layer, try zooming in or out. Some data sets are limited by the scale of the map, so if zoomed in too close or out too far, the data might not be visible. For example, in the Latitude and Longitude layer, the lines won’t be visible at a global scale. Conversely, the lines of the Meridian layer are only visible at a global scale.
• Be patient: Robust data sets may take time to load. Adding more than three layers to your map may affect loading times as well.