![]() ![]() In addition to guiding the design, the questions above also influence how the map will be built. While there are a number of other details to consider during the design and build process, these initial questions help everyone to gain a high level understanding of what data should be displayed, how the map should look, and the method to get the data onto the map. Should there be pins on the map to represent different individual locations or should the map represent the data in a different way?.What will power the data for the map and how frequently will it change?.Should the map just represent a single data type (e.g., projects), have different data types represented on the same screen (e.g., past projects and current projects), or a toggle to let visitors get different views? And what is the data that should be displayed?.Three things we like to establish upfront to help guide the approach are: When deciding on an approach, much of the process involves our team sharing various examples with clients. Examples help clients work out which functionalities they need, how they'd like to present the data, and the overall look and feel that they're drawn to. Additionally, we think through the desired behavior and implement various integrations that will efficiently power the map with data. We work with each client to determine what the map should convey, how the information should be displayed visually, and how it should respond to user interaction. When working with clients to design and build interactive maps, we understand that there is no “one size fits all” solution. In this post, we'll walk through a variety of examples and explain what to consider when thinking about an interactive map for your next web project. Nonprofit website designs often use them to show the geographic distribution of projects, while B2B or B2C websites usually leverage them to display office locations or retail stores. Making those maps interactive adds another element of engagement and functionality to the display.ĭepending on the industry, our clients use interactive maps in different ways. A map of any type does a great job of showcasing the scope of a group’s work, their influence, and their success. Interactive maps are a great website asset to organizations with a large geographical reach. ![]() Below, we've picked 10 of the best tools that will help you to design the perfect interactive map for your content.Updated – This post was updated from the previous version to include new examples of interactive maps from around the web and different industries. No matter what you want your interactive map to do, you'll need a specialist tool to build one. Where will you publish your map? Will you be able to share it on your website and social media channels? Will you want to embed your interactive map into a content platform like Shorthand so your audience can interact with it? Developing and maintaining a truly interactive map will generally require a developer or GIS resource, so keep that in mind for your budget. How will you build your map? Here is where you get to decide how interactive and impressive you want your map to be. What do you want your map to look like? Do you want it to be produced with your brand colours? Do you want it to fit into your blog and match the other web design elements in your content? What will your map show? Interactive maps can show points, lines, and polygons indicating a specific place on a background basemap, such as a satellite image. Here are some points you need to consider Some interactive maps use datasets to make a story interesting, while others use scrollytelling and striking design to draw your reader in. The type of interactive map you need will come down to what you're using it for. In this guide, we’ll cover what an interactive map is, how to make an interactive map, and 10 tools to make interactive maps, including: The good news is that, with the rise of interactive mapping tools, teams can now produce maps and integrate them into their content-even on a small budget or without coding skills. Expertise in geospatial data and web development is thin on the ground in most marketing teams - who typically don’t have ‘map maker’ as one of their in-house hires - which has meant that great interactive map stories have been few and far between. The problem for most web content professionals, though, is that truly interactive online maps have been incredibly expensive to produce and maintain. Over the last five years, an increasing number of media outlets have used maps to engage their readers on everything from pandemics to weather events. Content professionals - from journalists to marketers - have long understood the power of maps.
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