Upload a Map Sheet

Uploading a New Map Sheet as a Map Object

This feature is only available for pro, desktop or team accounts. To upload a map sheet, you must be working with a saved map, meaning you have added at least one object, such as a marker, to a map, then used then saved that map to your account.

How to Upload a Map Sheet

Here is an example of how to use this feature. We’ll walk through uploading a PDF file of a map of the Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida. There isn’t a lot of information about this preserve on any of the base layers available on CalTopo so it makes a good choice to add as a map sheet.

With a saved map open, click the +Add menu on the left side of the map viewer and select Map Sheet from the bottom of the list.

Click the orange Add menu and select Map Sheet from the list

The map sheet dialog will appear. Name the map, upload the file and select whether or not to share the map publicly. The maximum upload size is 40 MB. If you are trying to upload a file larger than 40 MB, creating a custom layer in MapBox is probably a better option.

After selecting a file, the file name shows next to the Choose File button. You can add your own title.

Click Add to upload the file. If the file contains geospatial alignment data (such as a georeferenced PDF file), then the map sheet will automatically align. If not, then you receive the following dialog and manual alignment will be required.

If your file does not have geo-info, you will get this warning.

Manual Alignment for an image that does not have geopgraphic information

To manually align your map sheet, match two points on the image with two points on the map. Try to choose very obvious and well established locations on both the image and map so it's easier to align your map sheet. Right-click on the map sheet and select “Georeference> Mark Point” to mark image points. Right-click on the mapviewer and select “Georeference> Mark LatLng” to mark corresponding coordinates. As you mark image points and coordinates, move the opacity slider to see how well the map sheet is aligning. You can zoom in/out and remark image points or coordinates as many times as needed. The video below demonstrates the manual alignment process.

Once you are happy with the alignment of your map sheet, press Save.

Map sheets that are added to the map will appear in a Map Sheets folder in the Map Objects menu on the left side of the map viewer as well as in the Map Sheets dropdown menu on the right.

Here arrows indicate the two places on the page where you will see the map sheet listed.

Back To Top

Saving a Map Sheet to Your Account for Future Use

Currently the map sheet is only added to the map. To save the map sheet to your account, click on the pencil icon to the right of the map sheet name in the Map Sheets folder. A dialog will appear and you can click Save To Account to save the map sheet to your account for future use.

Tap the pencil icon to edit, then use the Save to Account link.

Saved map sheets will appear in the Map Sheets tab of your account. In addition, saved map sheets will also appear in the Map Sheets dropdown menu on the right hand side above Shared Sheets when you are viewing that particular area in the map viewer.

Alternatively you can upload map sheets directly to your account via the Add Map Sheet button at the bottom of the Map Sheets list in the Map Sheets tab of your account.

You can also save map sheets directly to your account by using the + button in the Map Sheet folder in Your Data.

Uploading map sheets via this method will save the map sheet directly to your account but will not automatically add the map sheet to your map.

If you would like to view the map sheet on your map, navigate to the area where the map sheet is located and then click the Map Sheets drop down menu on the right hand side of the map viewer. Any map sheets saved to your account in that area will appear at the top of the list under Your Sheets. Click the map sheet to display it in your map.

Map sheets saved to your account in an area are displayed at the top of the Map Sheets dropdown menu under Your Sheets.

Back To Top

Print to Map Sheet: Creating a map sheet from map object data

Create a layer from map data. This function will take the map objects from one map, and turn them into a transparent image that can be viewed on other maps.

1. Set up your map. Display on the map only the objects to be included in the map sheet. For example, select a folder of tracks, but turn off the folder for assignments. Map layers don’t matter, as they will not be included in the "printed" map sheet. Labels do matter. If you have labels displayed on the parent map, they will be "printed" in your map sheet.

2. Click the print icon to open a new tab with the print functions.
3. From the drop down menu under the word Format, choose “Map Sheet.”
4. The map sheet title defaults to the map title. Edit it here if you want a different name. A good title will be helpful later if you have multiple map sheets in the same location.
5. Choose a max zoom level. This will affect how your map sheet displays as you zoom in. Choose a higher zoom level to be able to zoom in more on your map and see more detail. A lower ‘max zoom’ level will mean that as you zoom in on the map with the map sheet turned on, the map sheet data will enlarge and appear blurry.
   

6. Click the button "Create Map Sheet". Wait while the map sheet renders. You will get an alert when it has completed rendering and is saved to your data.
7. Return to your map viewer and refresh the page.
8. In the right hand layers column, use the drop down menu below the Map Sheets title to select the map sheet you just created. Toggle the opacity to show the map sheet data.
   

   After refreshing the page, click "stack map sheet" and select the new map sheet from the drop-down menu. Adjust the opacity appropriately.

   Your map sheet will be in Your Data in the map sheets folder. As with other map sheets stored to your data, you can view this map sheet on any map.

Back To Top