Working with the map

The map view is the spatial hub of TerraSitu. Use it to visualise site boundaries, GIS layers, and collected observations — and to navigate between survey areas in the field.

Navigating the map

• Pan: Click and drag
• Zoom: Scroll wheel, or pinch on touch screens
• Reset to site: Click the site boundary or use the zoom-to-extent button in the map controls

Layer panel

The layer panel on the left lists all spatial content for the current context (project, site, or survey):

• Site boundary — the outer boundary drawn or imported when the site was created
• GIS layers — any spatial data imported via the GIS import tool
• Observations — observations collected in the field, plotted by GPS coordinates
• Sampling units — the structured grid or transect stops for the current survey method

Toggle each layer on or off using the eye icon. Drag layers to reorder their render order.

Observation symbology

Observations are plotted as coloured points. The colour reflects the observation status:

• Forest green — approved
• Amber — pending QA review
• Red — flagged for re-survey

Click any observation point to open the observation popup with key details and a link to the full record.

Drawing tools

Use the drawing toolbar to add or edit spatial features:

• Point — add a point of interest
• Line — draw a linear feature (e.g. track, fence line, drainage)
• Polygon — draw an area boundary
• Edit — move or reshape existing features
• Delete — remove a drawn feature

Drawn features are saved to the site's GIS layer set.

Map styles

Switch between base map styles using the style switcher in the bottom-left corner:

• Topographic — contours and terrain shading
• Satellite — aerial/satellite imagery (requires connectivity)
• Street — road and place names

Filter panel

Use the filter panel to show or hide observations by:

• Date range — filter by when observations were recorded
• Assigned user — show only observations from a specific researcher
• Survey — show observations from a specific survey within the site
• Status — show only pending, approved, or flagged observations

Offline map tiles

Map tiles are bundled into survey packages and available offline on mobile. The topographic base map is always available offline. Satellite imagery requires connectivity unless explicitly cached during the package download.

Related Articles

• Importing GIS data — Adding spatial reference layers to a site
• Submitting observations — How field data collection works on mobile
• QA review — Reviewing and approving observations