customize forest maps

customize forest maps | Help Center | Global Forest Watch

mapbuilder

mapbuilder | Help Center | Global Forest Watch

MapBuilder

MapBuilder Archives | Global Forest Watch Content

In order to create a MapBuilder application, you will first need to create a web map. A web map is an interactive display of geographic information organized as layers. Afterwards, the MapBuilder template can be configured to the web map you created. 



Learn more about creating a MapBuilder application <a href="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/help/mapbuilder/guides/create-mapbuilder-application-arcgis-online/">here</a>.



<ol><li>Create a web map by first clicking “Map” on the top menu. You will be brought to a default web map that you can customize.</li></ol>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="521" src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/default-web-map-arcgis-01-1024x521.png" alt="" class="wp-image-11004" srcset="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/default-web-map-arcgis-01-1024x521.png 1024w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/default-web-map-arcgis-01-300x153.png 300w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/default-web-map-arcgis-01-768x391.png 768w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/default-web-map-arcgis-01-1536x781.png 1536w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/default-web-map-arcgis-01-2048x1042.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>Click “Map” on the top menu.</figcaption></figure>



<ol start="2"><li>From here, add an item to your web map by clicking “Add” and selecting “Search for Layers.” You will be able to browse available data layers and add them to your web map.</li></ol>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="517" src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/search-for-layers-arcgis-01-1024x517.png" alt="" class="wp-image-11005" srcset="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/search-for-layers-arcgis-01-1024x517.png 1024w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/search-for-layers-arcgis-01-300x151.png 300w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/search-for-layers-arcgis-01-768x388.png 768w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/search-for-layers-arcgis-01-1536x775.png 1536w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/search-for-layers-arcgis-01-2048x1034.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>Click “Add” and select “Search for Layers.”</figcaption></figure>



<ol start="3"><li>You will see your layers by default; any hosted feature layers you have created should be visible under “My Content.” Learn more about how to add data to an organizational ArcGIS Online account here. To add one of these layers to your web map, click the “+” icon on the bottom right of the layer. Click “My Content” to select a different source for browsing available data layers.</li></ol>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="516" src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/browse-available-data-arcgis-01-1024x516.png" alt="" class="wp-image-11006" srcset="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/browse-available-data-arcgis-01-1024x516.png 1024w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/browse-available-data-arcgis-01-300x151.png 300w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/browse-available-data-arcgis-01-768x387.png 768w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/browse-available-data-arcgis-01-1536x774.png 1536w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/browse-available-data-arcgis-01-2048x1032.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>Select a source to browse available data layers.</figcaption></figure>



<ol start="4"><li>You can also browse available data layers from within your favorite layers, your organization layers or public ArcGIS Online layers. For instance, if you click “ArcGIS Online” and type “globalforestwatch,” official data layers shared by GFW will appear. Official GFW data are shared by GlobalForestWatch. To add one of these layers to your web map, click the “+” icon on the bottom right of the layer.</li></ol>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="517" src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/add-data-layer-web-map-01-1-1024x517.png" alt="" class="wp-image-11008" srcset="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/add-data-layer-web-map-01-1-1024x517.png 1024w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/add-data-layer-web-map-01-1-300x151.png 300w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/add-data-layer-web-map-01-1-768x388.png 768w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/add-data-layer-web-map-01-1-1536x775.png 1536w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/add-data-layer-web-map-01-1-2048x1034.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>Add a data layer to the map by clicking the “+” icon on the bottom right of the data layer.</figcaption></figure>



<ol start="5"><li>After adding your preferred data layers to the web map, you can modify how the data is visualized by clicking the change style icon. From here, you can change the style of the web map.</li></ol>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="515" src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/change-style-icon-arcgis-01-1024x515.png" alt="" class="wp-image-11009" srcset="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/change-style-icon-arcgis-01-1024x515.png 1024w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/change-style-icon-arcgis-01-300x151.png 300w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/change-style-icon-arcgis-01-768x386.png 768w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/change-style-icon-arcgis-01-1536x773.png 1536w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/change-style-icon-arcgis-01-2048x1030.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>Click the change style icon – the icon with three shapes overlapped – to edit your data visualization.</figcaption></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="515" src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/edit-data-visualization-arcgis-01-1024x515.png" alt="" class="wp-image-11010" srcset="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/edit-data-visualization-arcgis-01-1024x515.png 1024w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/edit-data-visualization-arcgis-01-300x151.png 300w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/edit-data-visualization-arcgis-01-768x387.png 768w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/edit-data-visualization-arcgis-01-1536x773.png 1536w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/edit-data-visualization-arcgis-01-2048x1031.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>Edit the data visualization then click “Done” to save any changes.</figcaption></figure>



<ol start="6"><li>If you are using the “Types” draw style, you can click on the “Choose an attribute to show” drop-down menu to change which attribute is shown.</li><li>Select your preferred draw style. Use the “Types” draw style to visualize shapes based on attribute and click “Options” for advanced color editing options. Use the “Location” draw style to visualize all shapes in the same color.</li><li>Click “Done” once you are finished editing your data visualization.</li><li>You can also customize the fields shown in your web map pop-up windows. The pop-up windows indicate the fields that will be visible to the user when they click on a shape.</li><li>To customize pop-up windows, click on the “…” icon then click “Configure Pop-up.”</li></ol>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="517" src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/customize-pop-up-arcgis-mapbuilder-01-1024x517.png" alt="" class="wp-image-11011" srcset="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/customize-pop-up-arcgis-mapbuilder-01-1024x517.png 1024w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/customize-pop-up-arcgis-mapbuilder-01-300x151.png 300w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/customize-pop-up-arcgis-mapbuilder-01-768x387.png 768w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/customize-pop-up-arcgis-mapbuilder-01-1536x775.png 1536w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/customize-pop-up-arcgis-mapbuilder-01-2048x1033.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>Click on the “…” icon then click “Configure Pop-up.”</figcaption></figure>



<ol start="11"><li>Click “Configured Attributes” to customize the attributes shown in your pop-up window.</li></ol>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="514" src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/configure-attribute-01-1024x514.png" alt="" class="wp-image-11012" srcset="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/configure-attribute-01-1024x514.png 1024w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/configure-attribute-01-300x151.png 300w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/configure-attribute-01-768x386.png 768w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/configure-attribute-01-1536x772.png 1536w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/configure-attribute-01-2048x1029.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>Click “Configured Attributes.”</figcaption></figure>



<ol start="12"><li>Uncheck the fields that you don’t want to show in your pop-up window. You can also change how a field name is displayed by clicking on its “Field Alias” and entering a new name. adjust the field alias to change how the field name will be displayed.</li></ol>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="518" src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Change-field-name-arcgis-mapbuilder-1024x518.png" alt="" class="wp-image-11013" srcset="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Change-field-name-arcgis-mapbuilder-1024x518.png 1024w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Change-field-name-arcgis-mapbuilder-300x152.png 300w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Change-field-name-arcgis-mapbuilder-768x388.png 768w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Change-field-name-arcgis-mapbuilder-1536x776.png 1536w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Change-field-name-arcgis-mapbuilder.png 1913w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>Uncheck the fields you don’t want shown and adjust the field alias to change how the field name will be displayed.</figcaption></figure>



<ol start="13"><li>Click “OK” when you are done configuring your pop-ups.</li><li>Once you are done creating and editing your web map, click “Save” on the top of the map and select “Save As.” Give your web map a name, any applicable tags and a summary, then choose where to save it and click “Save Map.”</li></ol>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="515" src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/save-web-map-arcgis-1024x515.png" alt="" class="wp-image-11014" srcset="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/save-web-map-arcgis-1024x515.png 1024w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/save-web-map-arcgis-300x151.png 300w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/save-web-map-arcgis-768x387.png 768w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/save-web-map-arcgis-1536x773.png 1536w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/save-web-map-arcgis.png 1919w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>Click “Save” on the top menu and select “Save As” to save the web map.</figcaption></figure>



<ol start="15"><li>To share your web map publicly, click “Share” and ensure “Everyone (public)” is activated. Once selected, click “Done.”</li></ol>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="517" src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/share-web-map-publicly-arcgis-01-1024x517.png" alt="" class="wp-image-11015" srcset="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/share-web-map-publicly-arcgis-01-1024x517.png 1024w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/share-web-map-publicly-arcgis-01-300x151.png 300w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/share-web-map-publicly-arcgis-01-768x387.png 768w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/share-web-map-publicly-arcgis-01-1536x775.png 1536w, https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/share-web-map-publicly-arcgis-01-2048x1033.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>Click “Share” on the top menu and select “Everyone (public).”</figcaption></figure>



For more information on how to edit and modify a web map on ArcGIS Online, consult the <a href="https://doc.arcgis.com/en/arcgis-online/get-started/get-started-with-maps.htm" target="_blank" aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" rel="noreferrer noopener">ArcGIS documentation</a> on creating and editing web maps.

Create a web map on ArcGIS Online

Global Forest Watch Content

https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/gfwGlobal.png

In order to create a MapBuilder application, you will first need to create a web map. A web map is an interactive display of geographic information organized as layers. Afterwards, the MapBuilder template can be configured to the web map you created. 



Learn more about creating a MapBuilder application <a href="https://www.globalforestwatch.org/help/mapbuilder/guides/create-mapbuilder-application-arcgis-online/">here</a>.



<ol><li>Create a web map by first clicking “Map” on the top menu. You will be brought to a default web map that you can customize.</li></ol>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/default-web-map-arcgis-01-1024x521.png" alt="" class="wp-image-11004"/><figcaption>Click “Map” on the top menu.</figcaption></figure>



<ol start="2"><li>From here, add an item to your web map by clicking “Add” and selecting “Search for Layers.” You will be able to browse available data layers and add them to your web map.</li></ol>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/search-for-layers-arcgis-01-1024x517.png" alt="" class="wp-image-11005"/><figcaption>Click “Add” and select “Search for Layers.”</figcaption></figure>



<ol start="3"><li>You will see your layers by default; any hosted feature layers you have created should be visible under “My Content.” Learn more about how to add data to an organizational ArcGIS Online account here. To add one of these layers to your web map, click the “+” icon on the bottom right of the layer. Click “My Content” to select a different source for browsing available data layers.</li></ol>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/browse-available-data-arcgis-01-1024x516.png" alt="" class="wp-image-11006"/><figcaption>Select a source to browse available data layers.</figcaption></figure>



<ol start="4"><li>You can also browse available data layers from within your favorite layers, your organization layers or public ArcGIS Online layers. For instance, if you click “ArcGIS Online” and type “globalforestwatch,” official data layers shared by GFW will appear. Official GFW data are shared by GlobalForestWatch. To add one of these layers to your web map, click the “+” icon on the bottom right of the layer.</li></ol>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/add-data-layer-web-map-01-1-1024x517.png" alt="" class="wp-image-11008"/><figcaption>Add a data layer to the map by clicking the “+” icon on the bottom right of the data layer.</figcaption></figure>



<ol start="5"><li>After adding your preferred data layers to the web map, you can modify how the data is visualized by clicking the change style icon. From here, you can change the style of the web map.</li></ol>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/change-style-icon-arcgis-01-1024x515.png" alt="" class="wp-image-11009"/><figcaption>Click the change style icon – the icon with three shapes overlapped – to edit your data visualization.</figcaption></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/edit-data-visualization-arcgis-01-1024x515.png" alt="" class="wp-image-11010"/><figcaption>Edit the data visualization then click “Done” to save any changes.</figcaption></figure>



<ol start="6"><li>If you are using the “Types” draw style, you can click on the “Choose an attribute to show” drop-down menu to change which attribute is shown.</li><li>Select your preferred draw style. Use the “Types” draw style to visualize shapes based on attribute and click “Options” for advanced color editing options. Use the “Location” draw style to visualize all shapes in the same color.</li><li>Click “Done” once you are finished editing your data visualization.</li><li>You can also customize the fields shown in your web map pop-up windows. The pop-up windows indicate the fields that will be visible to the user when they click on a shape.</li><li>To customize pop-up windows, click on the “…” icon then click “Configure Pop-up.”</li></ol>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/customize-pop-up-arcgis-mapbuilder-01-1024x517.png" alt="" class="wp-image-11011"/><figcaption>Click on the “…” icon then click “Configure Pop-up.”</figcaption></figure>



<ol start="11"><li>Click “Configured Attributes” to customize the attributes shown in your pop-up window.</li></ol>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/configure-attribute-01-1024x514.png" alt="" class="wp-image-11012"/><figcaption>Click “Configured Attributes.”</figcaption></figure>



<ol start="12"><li>Uncheck the fields that you don’t want to show in your pop-up window. You can also change how a field name is displayed by clicking on its “Field Alias” and entering a new name. adjust the field alias to change how the field name will be displayed.</li></ol>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Change-field-name-arcgis-mapbuilder-1024x518.png" alt="" class="wp-image-11013"/><figcaption>Uncheck the fields you don’t want shown and adjust the field alias to change how the field name will be displayed.</figcaption></figure>



<ol start="13"><li>Click “OK” when you are done configuring your pop-ups.</li><li>Once you are done creating and editing your web map, click “Save” on the top of the map and select “Save As.” Give your web map a name, any applicable tags and a summary, then choose where to save it and click “Save Map.”</li></ol>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/save-web-map-arcgis-1024x515.png" alt="" class="wp-image-11014"/><figcaption>Click “Save” on the top menu and select “Save As” to save the web map.</figcaption></figure>



<ol start="15"><li>To share your web map publicly, click “Share” and ensure “Everyone (public)” is activated. Once selected, click “Done.”</li></ol>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.globalforestwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/share-web-map-publicly-arcgis-01-1024x517.png" alt="" class="wp-image-11015"/><figcaption>Click “Share” on the top menu and select “Everyone (public).”</figcaption></figure>



For more information on how to edit and modify a web map on ArcGIS Online, consult the <a href="https://doc.arcgis.com/en/arcgis-online/get-started/get-started-with-maps.htm" target="_blank" aria-label="undefined (opens in a new tab)" rel="noreferrer noopener">ArcGIS documentation</a> on creating and editing web maps.

In order to create a MapBuilder application, you will first need to create a web map. A web map is an interactive display of geographic information organized as layers.

Create a Web Map on ArcGIS Online | Help Center | GFW

Join Land &#038; Carbon Lab&#8217;s upcoming webinar on February 11, 2025 to discover how DIST-ALERT’s integration into Global Forest Watch can enhance your work and help shape the future of land monitoring. <a href="https://gfw.global/4hBlNJF">Learn more</a>.