Configurable app templates and Story Maps are a great way to share your web maps with others. Many of these templates offer tools and capabilities targeted towards specific uses and workflows, and all offer configurable options that don’t require any coding. But sometimes you’ve got a great web map that speaks for itself, and just want to find a great app that showcases your map without unneeded extras. Here’s six options for delivering a map-centric app experience.
A great app starts with a great map
Especially when the map must speak for itself, it’s true that a great app starts with a great web map. Using tradecraft in choosing a basemap, applying styles to layers, configuring expressive pop-ups, and making use of transparency, scale dependencies, and other elements of web cartography are key to the final experience. See Maps We Love for inspiration.
Craft the map, Share it, and choose Create A Web App.
What do you want to do?
One of the configurable app categories you can choose in the Create A New Web App gallery is Showcase a Map. Click*to view a collection of apps that offer a simple user interface that places focus on the map.
Using the Apps
Hover over the app and click to select it.
Once selected, you can:
Here’s a showcase of the five apps from the Showcase a Map gallery, plus one more alternative, that place the focus on the map. Age and Growth in Phoenix was used in all examples and is displayed using the default configuration for each app (using Preview). Additional configuration changes can be made easily, without coding, via each app’s configuration panel. View the app item details for all configuration details.
Basic Viewer
Basic Viewer presents a map in a general purpose app with a collection of essential tools, including a basemap gallery, bookmarks, layer list, measure, search (which can be constrained to the map extent), edit, print, and more. These are presented in a configurable toolbar, and also via a unique scrolling panel.*View details.
Map Tools
Map Tools displays a collection of commonly used tools on a toolbar, and includes an optional table view. It also enables you to constrain a search within the current map extent only.*View details.
Minimalist
Minimalist lets your map speak for itself with a very simple user interface. By default it presents just a map with a scalebar and zoom, but it can be configured to show a content panel, legend, map details, and pop-ups. *Mouse scroll is also disabled by default to better support embedding the app in websites. A configuration option lets you display the pop-up content in an info panel instead of over the map. View details.
Simple Map Viewer
Simple Map Viewer keeps things simple, with a legend, map description, and basic navigation tools. View details.
Story Map Basic
Story Map Basic features your map with only a title, subtitle, optional legend, and basic navigation tools. View details.
Story Map Journal
Story Map Journal is used for telling stories that often involve multiple maps, and lots of text and media, that are organized into sections. A single-section Map Journal can be used to keep the focus on a single map. View details.
For more information:
A great app starts with a great map
Especially when the map must speak for itself, it’s true that a great app starts with a great web map. Using tradecraft in choosing a basemap, applying styles to layers, configuring expressive pop-ups, and making use of transparency, scale dependencies, and other elements of web cartography are key to the final experience. See Maps We Love for inspiration.
Craft the map, Share it, and choose Create A Web App.
What do you want to do?
One of the configurable app categories you can choose in the Create A New Web App gallery is Showcase a Map. Click*to view a collection of apps that offer a simple user interface that places focus on the map.
Using the Apps
Hover over the app and click to select it.
Once selected, you can:
- Create App: Prompts for a title, tags, and summary to create a new item, then opens the map in the app configuration panel so you can make changes. Check desired tools, override default text, choose colors, and more. Note that each configuration panel will be different, since each app is unique. View the configuration panel for Map Tools.
- Preview: Opens the map in the app with the default configuration. Note that some tools and settings may not be enabled or apparent using preview.
- Download: Download the source code for the app.
Here’s a showcase of the five apps from the Showcase a Map gallery, plus one more alternative, that place the focus on the map. Age and Growth in Phoenix was used in all examples and is displayed using the default configuration for each app (using Preview). Additional configuration changes can be made easily, without coding, via each app’s configuration panel. View the app item details for all configuration details.
Basic Viewer
Basic Viewer presents a map in a general purpose app with a collection of essential tools, including a basemap gallery, bookmarks, layer list, measure, search (which can be constrained to the map extent), edit, print, and more. These are presented in a configurable toolbar, and also via a unique scrolling panel.*View details.
Map Tools
Map Tools displays a collection of commonly used tools on a toolbar, and includes an optional table view. It also enables you to constrain a search within the current map extent only.*View details.
Minimalist
Minimalist lets your map speak for itself with a very simple user interface. By default it presents just a map with a scalebar and zoom, but it can be configured to show a content panel, legend, map details, and pop-ups. *Mouse scroll is also disabled by default to better support embedding the app in websites. A configuration option lets you display the pop-up content in an info panel instead of over the map. View details.
Simple Map Viewer
Simple Map Viewer keeps things simple, with a legend, map description, and basic navigation tools. View details.
Story Map Basic
Story Map Basic features your map with only a title, subtitle, optional legend, and basic navigation tools. View details.
Story Map Journal
Story Map Journal is used for telling stories that often involve multiple maps, and lots of text and media, that are organized into sections. A single-section Map Journal can be used to keep the focus on a single map. View details.
For more information: