HOW TO CREATE A MAP:

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First register, then log in!
On the Home page, select "Create new map". You will enter in the mapping interface, where you should first browse and zoom in to determine the frame and desired view where your map will open (ex. view of world, or Europe, or just Quebec City). Then open the Map tab if it is not already open and click Create. Enter both a name and description/instructions for the new map.

To find a specific place to visit or mark, you can use the search engine field at top right.
Note that a temporary yellow marker is added automatically to locate the element found through the search engine. It will disappear when your line or marker is added.

At any time , you can open the Map tab and select "Description" to change the name and description of the map.

TROUBLESHOOTING:

If you want to report a problem, write to cartograf AT learnquebec DOT ca
If something goes wrong, click the HOME link at top!
Then re-enter your map
Make sure you are using a modern browser:
-Microsoft Edge or Safari or Chrome now work well.
-In the past Firefox has drawn inaccurately in the image editor. Try latest version
-Browsers on mobile devices like iPads do work, however... often you must zoom very, very close and use a two-finger click to place points. Now that iPads can use a bluetooth mouse, this is a better solution. Recently we are noticing that Openstreetmaps does not work well on iPads. Switch to Google Streets instead.
-Switching from OpenStreetmaps to Google streets can sometimes bug. It is best to switch to Google when you enter a map, and then it should work fine. (We are going to test making the default map technology Google Streets to avoid this issue.)

TEACHERS: Want to create a scenario?

Learn how to create learning scenarios that use the Cartograf mapping space.

Learn more about scenarios and advanced formatting techniques, by clicking here.

Navigation buttons and mapping tools

To move closer, use the Zoom tool at bottom left to "click and drag" to zoom in on a specific area. Click the button to activate it, then click and hold on an outside corner of the area you want to zoom. Drag to draw a rectangle around the selected area, then release and you will zoom in to that region. NOTE: To close this tool you need to click another tool up top. A better technique though is to use the Shift Key on the keyboard, which temporarily toggles on the Zoom tool.

The Reset Zoom function returns the zoom level to the origin of the map frame at the time of creation.

The Pan/Zoom hand
allows you to drag the map to move around in it. It also helps to open pins and lines/shapes to view and edit their information windows (descriptions, etc.). Double-clicking map when on this tool will zoom. CAUTION: To delete a line/shape, open it first with the hand function, and then click Delete. Do not try and use Delete key on your keyboard.

The Select/Modify arrow also allows you to drag the map to move it. But as well, it allows you to select the lines/shapes to change their colour and readjust their forms. To move the points of the line/shape, close or move the colours window out of the way and adjust the shape's corner points. The Select/Modify arrow can selects Marker pins too, to allow you to move them around the map thus altering their location!

To draw a line first press the lines button . Click on the map to place the points on the line. Double-click to finish the line. Advanced: To draw freehand (without points), hold down the Shift key on your keyboard before starting to draw. Click and hold the mouse button down to draw. The drawing is finished when you release the click. You can then edit the name and description of the line or drawing. To change the colour, you must close the information window and then select the line with the Select/Modify arrow.

To draw a shape press the Draw Polygon button , and then click on the map to place points to connect the sides of your shape. Double- click to complete the shape. Advanced: To draw a freehand shape (without points), hold down the Shift key on your keyboard before starting to draw. Click and hold the mouse button down to draw. You can then edit the name and description of the shape. To change the colour, you must close the information window and then select the shape with the Select/Modify arrow.

Panorama mode allows you to view which locations have panoramic (Streetview 360 degrees) pictures taken. The territory (streets, roads, etc.) covered by this function appears blue when the button is activated. Note that you need to zoom in very close for roads to be visible, and to achieve the necessary precision to use the Panorama mode. Once lines are visible, place your cursor on a point on one of the lines you want to view and click. A photo will appear, and within you can use arrows and your mouse to achieve the "view" you want to capture. Click ADD MARKER to create a POI marker at that location and that includes your Streetview panorama image view. Important note:
Not all "user submitted" panoramas (the little blue dots you will see) are available to download successfully into a Cartograf marker!

Adding and editing Points! Click anywhere on a map using the Point of Interest marker and it will open a description window you can fill in, and when closed that inserts a place mark icon at that exact location. Images can be attached when the description window is being edited. Return and click the point to edit information and change the picture. If you have previously used the Panorama function, an icon will also be on the map and you can also open that to edit it in a similar way.

The information window for each marker you place contains its title and description. The coordinates (latitude-longitude ) are displayed. An image can be added in three ways: by uploading an image file (.jpg, .gif, .png), by pasting the URL of an image already on the internet, or by browsing in the application for images already uploaded (your files, etc.).

Youtube videos can be added if you have the Youtube address (the URL). Note that there are several advanced options available when using this button, including Fullscreen and No Related videos!

Drawing Tools built in !

Drawing a sketch with SVG Edit
When opening a Point of Interest marker point or a shape or line which contains a picture, the Drawing icon will be visible near the bottom of the attached image. Clicking on this icon opens a new technology which allows you to draw a sketch of the image using SVG Edit tools, which are integrated into Cartograf. Inside this drawing application, hover your cursor over the different buttons or editing elements to display its name or function. (Note: The SVG tools do not work in certain browsers.)

Create and edit legends
This function builds the legend of the map. Create the type of objects you intend to mark on the map, select a custom icon, and give it a name. (If you have a suggestion for an icon to be added, send it to cartograf AT learnquebec DOT ca)

Sharing and collaborating

You can invite others to build a mapping space with you or you can distribute a map (which can include your instructions). Either way, you must first give your map a Share Code. Important: This is your map’s only security, and the code that allows anyone in the world to see your work, copy your work and even work simultaneously with you! So, choose a code that is completely original and very, very unlikely to be guessed or repeated. (ex. ProjectNameDate like QueT1JoR212013)

You have three methods :
1 - You can give the share code to another user. In their own map, they have already created, the other user can enter this same code in the Share tab on right side of the map. Objects already on the first map then become visible on theirs, and objects on his/hers also appear in the first map, in the same visible space. In other words, essentially two maps are overlapped, and only the owners of objects on their own map can change or delete them.
Note: The sharing code can be given to as many users as you want. Remember, it should be a code no one else is likely to accidentally use.

2 - Once you have added a share code and pressed Modify, you will be offered a "Permalink" found on the Sharing tab which you can send to others. This allows them to view the map and read its instructions and the point and shape contents.

3 - Once the share code is applied, you can also enable Duplication, Collaboration or both these options by clicking the appropriate checkbox in the Share tab. This automatically changes the Permalink to a new kind of link. The Duplication option allows another user to create a new map exactly like yours, a distinct copy! The Collaboration option will again ask the user to create a map, but their map will be blank and empty, but will use the same share code as yours, so...your points and theirs will be visible to each other, overlapped as explained above.

Note: Cartograf does have limits in terms of the number of items it can serve up at one time. When working with a whole class on a single share code AND in situations where each student has several points, consider breaking things up into groups. If you do reach Cartograf's limits (around a 1000 items) the last points created may not show up in a shared space.

Print maps to PDF

You can now print your maps! Open the Share tab and make sure you have a entered a share code. You will then notice two buttons, both of which print your map onto several pages. This feature will also print off the points, shapes, and lines of your map. In fact, it will print ALL the visible map items for those using the same share code, so careful!

Notes: The second button prints large versions of the attachments inside points and shapes. Also, it is advisable to print to PDF first. (Google Chrome has this option built in). This is because, depending on your map's description length and the initial shape of your browser window, to get your pages to fit correctly into the PDF you must first choose Landscape setup, and then you may need to try Letter, A4 and sometimes even Legal sizes to get your map to print correctly. Careful, PDFs can be very long! You shouldn't do this with a whole class. Do it at home. And you may want to print only certain pages. Press Okay to return to your map once done!