WORKING WITH YOUR MAPS
Customized maps can be found under Menu > My Maps. Select a map card to open it, or tap on the trash can icon to delete it. Other common tasks include:
Share: Open the map and copy its URL to share it via a web page, digital learning platform, email, or other method. Or use the Export Map feature described below.
Print or download: Go to Menu > Export Map and a dialogue box will appear. Choose Layout (includes a white border) or Map Only (map fills the entire page).
- Layout: Name the file, choose the page setup, and select the file format (PDF, JPG, TIFF, etc.), Choose Advanced Options to set the scale, add author and/or copyright information, choose the DPI (resolution), and decide whether to include the map legend. Tap the yellow Export button when finished.
- Map Only: Name the file, choose the file format (PDF, JPG, TIFF, etc.), and adjust the width and height, if necessary. Choose Advanced Options to set the scale, DPI (resolution), and to include or exclude the map attribution (sources of the map data). Tap the yellow Export button when finished.
Exported files appear underneath the Export button. Select the link to open the file. From here, the PDF can be downloaded, printed, or shared. When you close the Export dialogue box or leave the page, the exported files are cleared.
Remember the Key Parts of a Map
- Title (What’s featured on this map?)
- Orientation (Which direction is north?)
- Author (Who made the map/who is the cartographer?)
- Date (When was this map made?)
- Scale (What is the relation of distance on this map to the real world?)
- Symbols (Are the symbols on the map defined in the legend?)
Recreate a Map from Classic MapMaker
Unfortunately, there is not a way to import a map from previous versions of MapMaker due to updates in the software. We hope you will be able to recreate the map using the simpler, more intuitive interface of the new version!
ADDING MAP LAYERS
Choose from a variety of map layers to view on the basemap. These layers provide rich data about topics in Earth Science, Environmental Science, Human Geography, Ecology, Economics, Oceanography, and more.
View multiple map layers at a time, changing their order and transparency as you wish, to analyze relationships among phenomena.
Here are some tips for using map layers:
Scroll through the options in the layer panel to see the broad range of choices, or type a keyword into the Search for Layers field in the layer panel. To learn more about a map layer, select Layer Details for a description of the layer, map credits, relevant subject areas, sources, and dates for when the layer was created and last updated. In some cases, there is also a link to more information and classroom resources.
Select Add and the layer will appear on top of the basemap. It’s possible to add multiple map layers, though adding more than three layers might affect the map’s loading time.
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 the data might not be visible if the view is zoomed in too close or out too far.
The colors/symbols and what they represent in each added layer appear in the map legend, which automatically appears when you add the first layer. In the legend you can:
- Change the order of the layers using the arrows to the left of the layer title.
- Select the opacity icon to lighten or darken the colors on the map layer.
- Hide or show the legend as preferred using the Hide Legend or Show Legend buttons.
Select Remove in the legend or in the layer panel to delete a layer.
For a full screen view of the map, hide the layer panel by selecting Hide Layer Panel at the bottom of the layer panel. To reveal the layer panel again, select the map title.
The map layers included in MapMaker have been updated based on feedback from users. You can submit requests for map layer content via the feedback feature: Menu > Get Help > Share Feedback.