Help
Search the guide, or browse by topic. Every tool and function is documented.
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Get started
Getting started
Load your first layer and make a map in under a minute.
The interface
A quick tour of the DropMaps workspace — the side nav, panel, header, tool rail, map controls and menu.
Supported file formats
Every format DropMaps can read, and how it handles them.
Layers & data
Adding & importing layers
Every way to get data onto the map — local files, open data, web services, URLs, blank layers and the Layer Catalog.
Working with layers
Add, organise, duplicate, lock and remove layers, and reuse them across maps with the Layer Catalog — every control in the Layers panel explained.
Styling layers
Symbolise by value, use your own point icons, set opacity and zoom ranges, add labels, build rich popups and filter features in a layer's settings.
The attribute table
View, search and edit your data as rows and columns — sort, select, add rows and fields, and browse tile layers.
Fields & forms
Set up a layer's fields — types, labels, pick lists, limits and defaults — record who edited what and how accurate the GPS was, and build a data-entry form with required and conditional questions.
Editing features
Change a feature's attributes straight from its popup, and reshape, move, extend or split the geometry of features you already have.
Photos & attachments
Tie photos and documents to features, browse them in a gallery, and sync them to the cloud.
3D maps & layers
Terrain, hillshade and the globe; extruded buildings; heatmaps and hexbins; and 3D Tiles city models, photogrammetry and point clouds.
Drawing & analysis
Drawing & measuring
Annotate the map, edit feature geometry and take measurements with the tool rail's Add, Edit and Measure tools.
Selecting features
Pick features with the Select tools, then delete, move, copy or table them.
Field calculator & SQL
Compute and update columns with the field calculator, and run full SQL — including spatial functions — in the SQL console.
Spatial analysis
Buffer, dissolve, clip, overlay, spatial-join and more — the Analysis panel explained.
Charts
Build charts from your layer data in Chart Studio, compare "x of y", match your map colours, pin them to a live dashboard on the map, and use them in popups and shared maps.
Live filters
Explore a layer interactively — drag a range slider or tick values and the map, table and charts update as you go.
Basemaps & web
Basemaps & external sources
Switch the background map, add your own basemaps, and bring in open data, map servers, satellite imagery and ArcGIS Online.
Save, share & cloud
Maps & cloud sync
Organise your maps into folders, set a map's name, Home view, 3D and thumbnail, delete maps, back them up to the cloud and keep an eye on storage.
Sharing & the viewer
Publish a map as a link — public or password-protected — with a branded, read-only viewer.
Teams & collaboration
Create a team, invite members, share maps and layers, and transfer ownership.
Account, plans & billing
Sign in, choose a plan, manage your subscription and add storage.
Working offline
Take a map into the field with no signal — save the basemap, layers and photos to your device, keep editing, and sync when you're back.
Tools
QGIS plugin
Move maps and layers between DropMaps and QGIS — import/export .dmap files and sync your cloud account both ways.
Tile Converter
Prepare big rasters, tile archives and point clouds for DropMaps — convert GeoTIFF and MBTiles to COG and PMTiles, and LAS/LAZ to 3D Tiles, locally.
Reference
Settings & preferences
Preferences, on-map controls, bookmarks and the Home view, address search, printing, coordinates and installing the app.
Coordinate systems & projections
How DropMaps handles CRS — everything works in WGS84, your original projection is recorded, and exports can reproject back to it.
Developer API
Create and manage DropMaps layers and maps programmatically over a simple REST API.