In this guide, we will walk you through what are map templates and how you can use them to achieve your teams or company goals.
Written By Jose Portillo
Last updated 9 months ago
Overview
Map templates are customizable configurations designed for specific mapping objectives. They consist of selected datasets, areas, saved views, shape layers, and map styles and visualizations. By creating map templates, you can focus on particular data sets and visualizations relevant to your goal. Actions like saving views and areas are linked exclusively to the specific template in which they were created, ensuring organized and goal-oriented mapping. Templates can be customized with a thumbnail, name, and description to help teams easily identify and distinguish between different configurations. Only the enabled datasets will be accessible within each map template.
Note
Actions like saved views, saved areas, and created map configurations are linked exclusively to the specific map template in which they were created. For instance, if you save a view or designate a created shape as an area, it will be contained solely within that particular map template.
How To Use Map Templates
Map templates should be used strategically to enhance organization, focus, and collaboration in mapping projects. Here are some suggestions on how to effectively use map templates:
1. Goal-Oriented Configuration: Create map templates with specific objectives in mind. For instance, if you're analyzing urban mobility, configure a template that includes only relevant datasets and visualizations.
2. Team Collaboration: Use map templates to facilitate teamwork by providing a clear, organized framework for specific projects. Custom thumbnails, names, and descriptions help team members quickly identify the purpose and contents of each template.
3. Data Management: Enable only the necessary datasets for each map template. This keeps the interface clean and relevant, ensuring that users focus on pertinent data.
4. Saved Views and Areas: Save important views and defined areas within the map template. This ensures that these elements are easily accessible and organized within the context of the specific project.
5. Efficiency: Utilize map templates to quickly replicate common configurations for recurring projects, saving time and maintaining consistency.
6. Customization: Tailor each map template with custom styles and visualizations to best represent the data and achieve the desired insights.
By following these suggestions, you can maximize the effectiveness of map templates in achieving specific mapping goals and enhancing team productivity.
Benefit
Using map templates in this manner keeps your maps organized and makes it easier to collaborate with your team on specific goals. It avoids the complexity of a catch-all map template that attempts to address everything.
Create Map Template
You can create map templates in the Map Templates section of your Dataspace portal, located in the main navigation sidebar. For a detailed walkthrough on creating a map template, please refer to this guide.
Map Template Configuration
You can configure your map template to include only the specific datasets, saved areas, and map styles you want enabled on the map interface. For a detailed walkthrough on how to configure your map template, please follow this guide.