Why Use MapBuilder?

MapBuilder is an easy-to-use tool that helps you build your own mapping application, complete with powerful analytical tools and core WRI data layers. A MapBuilder map can be built in as little as fifteen minutes by following our tutorials, and by using open-source code, anyone can customize the application to fit their needs.

With MapBuilder, you can integrate your own data layers into an interactive map to create a custom mapping application, or if you do not have your own data, you can use global datasets from Resource Watch and Global Forest Watch to create a map focused on your geographic area of interest.

To get started creating your own MapBuilder map, complete the steps below by following the instructions found on the Tutorial page.

Check our FAQ section

MapBuilder Features

Data Options

Adding Local Data to MapBuilder Global Datasets

Adding Local Data to MapBuilder

To add your own data into MapBuilder, you can either upload your own files directly to ArcGIS Online, or you can add items from a URL that reference items from ArcGIS Server, KMLs, GeoJSONs, OGC feature layers, WFS, WMS, or WMTS (tutorials available here).

MapBuilder is compatible with the following types of data layers:

Tile
Web tile
Image
Dynamic
Feature
WMS
Remote data layers

You can also add multimedia content to your datasets and reports. Compatible formats include:

Pictures

jpg
jpeg
png
webp

Videos

Here's an example

Global Datasets

Climate

Forest Greenhouse Gas Net Flux
- Displays the net exchange of carbon between forests and the atmosphere between 2001 and 2021, calculated as the difference between forest carbon emissions from stand-replacing forest disturbances and carbon removals from forest growth
- 2001-2021
- Harris et al. 2021
Forest Carbon Gross Removals
- Displays forest carbon removals by forest sinks
- 2001-2021
- Harris et al. (2021).
Forest Greenhouse Gas Emissions
- Rate at which carbon could be sequestered
- Annual 2001-2020
- Harris et al. 2021
Air Quality: Nitrogen Dioxide Satellite Measurements
- Average monthly density of nitrogen dioxide in the troposphere
- 2022
- TROPOMI/ESA/KNMI/DLR/SRON/BIRA-IASB/STFC/MPIC/S[&]T/Uni-Bremen
Projected Change in Dry Spells
- Projected change in average annual dry spells
- 2000-2080
- WRI/Vizzuality
Wind Speed Potential
- Mean wind speed for any location on Earth
- 1999-2009
- DTU/World Bank Group/ESMAP
Potential carbon sequestration rate
- Rate at which carbon could be sequestered
- Applicable to the first 30 years of natural forest regrowth.
- Cook-Patton et al. 2020

Land Cover

Tropical Tree Cover
- Displays tree extent at the ten-meter scale and tree cover at the half hectare scale to enable accurate monitoring of trees in urban areas, agricultural lands, and in open canopy and dry forest ecosystems
- 2020
- World Resources Institute
UMD Land Cover
- Global land use and land cover map for 2000 and 2020
- 2000-2020
- UMD
GlobCover Global Land Cover
- Shows the global distribution of land cover in 2009
- 2009
- Copernicus Global Land Service (CGLS)
- Analysis available
Tree Cover Height
- Height of global forest canopy
- 2019
- University of Maryland
Tree Cover
- Areas of tree cover
- 2000 & 2010
- University of Maryland
Aboveground Live Woody Biomass Density
- Carbon density values of aboveground live woody biomass
- 2000
- ICEsat GLAS lidar, MODIS, Landsat, ground measurements
Primary Forests
- Pantropical primary forests
- 2001
- University of Maryland
Intact Forest Landscapes
- Unfragmented forest landscapes
- 2016
- University of Maryland
- Analysis available

Land Cover Dynamics

PRODES Deforestation
- Deforestation monitoring system for the Brazilian Legal Amazon, used by the Brazilian government to establish public policy
- 2008-2021
- INPE
Integrated Deforestation Alerts
- Integrated layer of GLAD-L/GLAD-S2/RADD.
- 2019-2024
- Data from UMD and WUR.
- Analysis available
Tree Cover Gain
- Areas of tree cover gain
- 2001-2012
- University of Maryland
- Analysis available
VIIRS Fire Alerts
- Active fires
- Past 24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours, or 7 days
- NASA
- Analysis available
Tree Cover Loss
- Annual tree cover loss
- 2000-2023
- University of Maryland
- Analysis available

Information Tab Layers Tab Data Tab Analysis Tab Printing Reports Additional Tools

Information Tab

The information tab contains the description of your MapBuilder map. You can edit this text through the configuration form.

Layers Tab

When creating a MapBuilder map, you can add both global datasets and your own data. In your map, the groups ‘Land Cover Dynamics,’ ‘Land Cover,’ and ‘Climate’ are layers from Global Forest Watch and Resource Watch. The group ‘My Layers’ contains the data that you upload to your map (the name of this section is configurable). The ‘Basemap’ group contains Esri and WRI basemaps.

In the layers tab, the layers are sorted by group. In this view, the user can:

Toggle layers on and off
Click and drag layers to change their display order
Change the opacity of each layer
Control other display options for certain layers

Data Tab

Analysis Tab

There are several tools under the analysis tab. If a shape is not already selected, the tab first prompts the user to select a region to analyze. There are several options available to create an analysis region:

Select a shape already on the map
Select multiple shapes on the map and analyze the overlapping region
Draw a shape on the map
Select a region using coordinates
Upload a custom shape to the map.

Once a region of interest is selected on the map, the user can select which analysis to run. The following analyses are available:

VIIRS Active Fires: Counts the number of VIIRS fire alert detections within the selected time range.
Total GLAD alerts: Counts the number of GLAD alerts which occurred within the selected time range.
Annual Tree Cover Loss: Shows the annual tree cover loss since 2001.
Annual Tree Cover Loss in Intact Forest Landscapes (IFL): Shows the annual tree cover loss since 2001. Results will not be available if the area you selected does not include IFL.
Land Cover Composition: Shows the area of each present land cover type.
Total tree cover loss: Computes the total area of tree cover lost for regions with greater than 30% tree canopy density.
Total tree cover gain: Computes the total area of tree cover gain from 2000 to 2012.
Total Integrated Alerts: Counts the number of integrated alerts (GLAD-L/GLAD-S2/RADD) within the selected time range.

When the user selects an analysis, there may be parameters that the user can set. The user can then hit the ‘Run Analysis’ button.

The results of the analysis will appear in the tab. An image of the result can be saved by clicking the download button below the analysis selection bar.

This method returns a single analysis result per region at a time. To run all analyses for the selected, users can select the 'Print Report' option. See the next section to learn more about printing reports.

Printing Reports

To print a report, users can select a region of interest on the map using one of the methods described above, then select “Print Report” at the bottom of the widget. This button opens a new tab in the browser.

At the top of this tab is a view of the region selected for analysis and associated popup, if applicable. If the user scrolls down, all available analyses are computed for the region of interest.

At the top right of each analysis is a set of icons. These icons allow the user to modify the settings of the analysis, download the output as a png file, or turn the analysis on or off.

The report can be saved as a pdf or shared with a link using the icons at the top right of the page.

Additional Tools

Advanced Settings

Advanced MapBuilder Configuration Translating MapBuilder

Advanced MapBuilder Configuration

After using the configuration form, your MapBuilder map is ready to use! Just follow the directions to copy the JSON and paste it into the application. If you would like to do more advanced configuration, you can edit the JSON directly. The configuration options are listed below, and details on each element can be found on the MapBuilder GitHub page.

Plain Attribute Settings:

Webmap ID
Title, subtitle
Logo URL, logo link URL, about link URL, download link URL, print service URL
Map theme IDs, map themes
Narrative
Hide header/footer/legend Custom color theme
Include MyGFW login
Open links in new tab
URL for host sharing
Initial map extent
Load Google Analytics Script
Footer links
Language settings
Include documents tab in application
Turn GFW layers on/off

Layer Panel Settings:

Group types
Group order
Group label
Group layers
Layer label language
Layer ID
Layer order
Layer type
Label
Service URL
Opacity
Technical name for GFW Metadata API Visible
Legend Layer
Popup
Dashboard Icon

Translating MapBuilder

You can use the configuration form to offer your MapBuilder map in alternative languages. MapBuilder supports:

English
Azerbaijani
Dutch
Armenian
Georgian
French
Spanish
Portuguese
Indonesian
Chinese

Before adding these translations through the configuration form, you must first translate your map. To do this, you must create a second map in ArcGIS Online. This map should look identical to your original map, but you can provide layer names and popups in the desired alternative language the second map.

If you are interested, Esri offers basemaps in several languages which you can use to translate location names. To use these maps, follow the links below and select your desired basemap. Then, select ‘Open in Map Viewer,’ and proceed to add your layers into the map. Be sure to save your new map.

Esri Basemap Languages:

To include an alternative language in your MapBuilder application, select yes on the Alternative Language Settings page on the configuration form and add in the translated map ID, title, subtitle, menu title, narrative, and map themes.

Visit the MapBuilder GitHub Page to Learn More

The Configuration Form

The configuration form is a quick and easy way to set up your MapBuilder map. You can enter your information into the configuration form to create a JSON file that is used to structure your MapBuilder map. The configuration form has four pages to:

Set general settings (title, subtitle, adding in your map)
Add in global datasets from WRI
Add an alternative language
Set advanced settings (page analytics etc.)

Once your MapBuilder map is up and running, you can return to the configuration form at any time to edit the parameters of your application. Additionally, if there are any elements of your MapBuilder map that you would like to customize further, there is a GitHub library detailing how to edit the JSON. See the ‘Advanced Configuration’ section for more information.

Customization Guide

Configuration Form Page	Item
General Settings	A. ArcGIS Online Webmap URL/ID
	B. Title for your map
	C. Subtitle for your map
	D. Title for the menu of map
	E. Narrative about your map to give users insights about it
	F. URL to your map logo
	G. URL for the "About" tab
	H. URL for "Download Data" tab
Layer/Analysis Settings	I. Climate datasets from GFW
	J. Landcover datasets from GFW
	K. Landcover dynamics datasets from GFW
	L. ISO Alpha-3 for your mask layer (masks all other countries)
Alternative Language Settings	M. Include additional language (additional language title, subtitle, title for menu, and narrative)
Advanced Settings	N. Include myGFW login and alert subscriptions
	O. Header
	P. Footer

Resources