In this month’s edition of Map Mavin Methods, we’ll check out a simple but potentially overlooked use for Map Mavin. While Map Mavin is certainly a great tool for putting maps together online, it’s equally useful as a cloud storage platform for your spatial data. Put more simply, one can think of Map Mavin as being like a “Dropbox for maps.” While we have specifically covered the upload process in the past, this lesson will provide a comprehensive overview of both uploading and downloading files as well as organizing and sharing them.
For many users, one of the biggest hurdles faced when working with spatial data is the fact that many do not have access to or knowledge of how to use cartographic programs like ArcGIS or QGIS. Without these, .shp files (one of the most common spatial data formats) can’t be previewed. With Map Mavin, users can quickly scroll through their many .shp files and click the Preview button, making identifying and locating particular layers much easier. Users can also preview their uploaded .tif and .kml (Google Earth) files.
Once layers have been uploaded, users are able to either drop their files in an existing folder or create a new folder. Additionally, layers can be left outside folders to stand alone. Once uploaded, users can log in from anywhere around the globe and download these same files to the computer of their choice.
The Download button, which appears as a downward-facing arrow over a box, can be seen hovering next to each file. Simply click the button and downloading of the selected file will begin automatically. Remember, as mentioned above, the Preview button (which is an eyeball icon) can be clicked to look at the specific layer and make sure it is the desired file without having to open up a whole new map or screen. This becomes especially helpful as more and more files are uploaded to a given account.
If a user would like to deliver a particular map to another individual without giving access to his or her account, the Share button (an icon showing three figures grouped together) provides multiple options for quickly and easily sharing such data. These options, which are covered in detail in other Map Mavin Methods, include sharing with internal (existing) Map Mavin users, external users (via email) or by copying and pasting a unique URL – this is available for map projects, not individual files; though if a user wanted to share a single file they could create a map with that particular file and share that with the available sharing options.
If you’d like to learn more about these tools and see additional video content on how to best take advantage of Map Mavin, visit our support page at: https://support.mapmavin.com/support/home
Fletcher Berryman
Cloud Tamer
(970) 710-0909
fletcher@apollomapping.com
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