Mapeo Support Materials
English
English
  • Introduction
  • Overview
    • About Mapeo
      • Mapeo tools
      • Peer-to-peer & Mapeo sync
      • How Mapeo is being used
    • Is Mapeo right for me?
    • FAQs
  • Quick start guide
    • Getting started
    • Mapeo Mobile
    • Mapeo Desktop
  • Complete Reference guide
    • Welcome – Introduction
    • 🗒️Essentials for a successful Mapeo project
      • Planning a Mapeo project
        • What is the project goal?
        • What outputs do you want?
        • What information to collect?
          • Data types within Mapeo
        • Who should be involved and how?
        • What are the parameters?
      • Security & risk assessment
      • Creating user protocols
    • ✔️Will Mapeo work out-of-the-box for me?
      • Default configuration
      • Default background map
    • ⚙️Customization options
      • Translating Mapeo & default configurations
      • Custom configurations
        • Creating custom configurations
          • Planning configuration & data structure
            • Categories
            • Icons
            • Details fields
          • Coding configuration
            • Adding icon files
              • Creating and exporting SVG files using Adobe Illustrator
              • Creating and exporting SVG files using Inkscape
            • Creating details fields
            • Creating categories
            • Defining geometry defaults
            • Adding a project key
            • Adding project name and version
            • Building configuration file
              • Via the command line
              • Using GitHub Actions
          • Testing and iterating
      • Custom background maps
        • Creating custom background maps
          • Generating map files in .mbtiles format for the experimental Background Maps feature
    • 📱Mapeo Mobile installation & setup
      • Installing Mapeo Mobile
      • Choosing Mapeo Mobile settings
      • Experiments: Turning on experimental features
        • Directional Arrow
        • P2P (peer-to-peer) App Updates
        • Background Maps
        • Security
          • App Passcode
          • Obscure Passcode
      • Importing configurations into Mapeo Mobile
      • Adding custom background maps to Mapeo Mobile
      • Updating Mapeo Mobile
    • 📱Mapeo Mobile use
      • Activating GPS and viewing current location
      • Creating observations
      • Viewing observations
      • Editing and deleting observations
      • Sharing data externally
      • Syncing data via Wi-Fi
    • 💻Mapeo Desktop installation & setup
      • Installing Mapeo Desktop
      • Choosing Mapeo Desktop language
      • Importing configurations to Mapeo Desktop
      • Adding custom background maps to Mapeo Desktop
      • Updating Mapeo Desktop
    • 💻Mapeo Desktop use
      • Mapeo Desktop for managing Mapeo Mobile data (Observations mode)
        • Synchronizing data
          • Synchronizing via Wi-Fi
          • Synchronizing with a file
        • Viewing observations
        • Editing and deleting observations
        • Exporting data & sharing externally
      • Mapeo Desktop for creating territory data (Territory mode)
        • Navigating around the map
        • Creating and editing territory data
        • Changing background maps in Territory mode
        • Importing and using external geospatial data
        • Exporting and syncing data
      • Synchronizing data with Mapeo Desktop
    • 💡Mapeo trainings
      • Defining goals and format
      • Structuring a training
        • Best practices for planning a training
        • Structuring the agenda, content and activities
          • Suggestions for the different sections of a training event
          • Tips and suggested activities for training key features of Mapeo
          • Materials and resources available for the training event
      • Preparing equipment and supplies for a training
        • Recommended equipment and supplies
        • Tech preparation before doing in-person training
    • 🔧Troubleshooting
      • I can't start Mapeo
      • Mapeo closes automatically
      • I have problems with the GPS in Mapeo
        • GPS is not activated in Mapeo
        • My GPS signal is very weak
      • I have problems with the camera in Mapeo
        • I get a black screen when using the camera
      • I want to update Mapeo Mobile permissions
      • I have sync issues
        • I want to connect to Wi-Fi
        • I want to create local Wi-Fi networks
          • With a portable router
          • With a smartphone
        • The device I want to sync with does not show up on my Synchronize screen
        • I get an error when I try to sync with another device
        • I can't sync with the sync file
        • The person I want to sync with has deleted valuable data
      • Sharing files between devices
      • Saving and printing Mapeo reference materials
      • How do I back up Mapeo Desktop data?
    • Glossary & quick reference sheets
      • Glossary of Mapeo related terms
      • Overview of Mapeo Desktop Territory mode screen
  • For developers
    • Mapeo architecture overview
    • Mapeo repositories
    • Localization
  • Support
  • Additional references
  • Digital Democracy website
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On this page
  • Who made Mapeo?
  • Is Mapeo free to use?
  • What kind of data can Mapeo collect?
  • What languages is Mapeo available in?
  • Is Mapeo Mobile available for iOS?
  • Do I need to customize Mapeo to use it?
  • How does Mapeo work offline?
  • Does Mapeo use a Blockchain?
  • Who will have access to my data?
  • Does Mapeo collect information on users?
  • What happens if Mapeo loses financial support? Will my data be inaccessible?
  • Can you help me deploy Mapeo?
  • How can I report bugs or problems using Mapeo?
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  1. Overview

FAQs

Frequently asked questions about Mapeo.

PreviousIs Mapeo right for me?NextGetting started

Last updated 2 years ago

For help with technical issues using Mapeo, see the Troubleshooting section.

Who made Mapeo?

Mapeo was built by in close collaboration with Indigenous partners in the Amazon who are on the front lines of defending their rights and territories. Digital Democracy is a non-profit organization that works in solidarity with marginalized communities to use technology to defend their rights. For more information on Digital Democracy and our partners, visit .

Is Mapeo free to use?

Yes, all Mapeo tools and features are free to install and use.

What kind of data can Mapeo collect?

For more on Mapeo's default categories and details fields, see Default configuration. To learn about customizing these options, see Custom configurations.

What languages is Mapeo available in?

Mapeo is currently available in over 8 languages, including:

  • English

  • Spanish

  • Portuguese

Is Mapeo Mobile available for iOS?

Mapeo Mobile is currently available for Android only. It is on our roadmap to release a version for iOS in the future.

Do I need to customize Mapeo to use it?

When you install Mapeo, it comes with default options that can be used right away, without any customization. To learn more about whether these options will work for you, see Will Mapeo work out-of-the-box for me?

Some projects may require customization of data fields or background maps in order to best meet the needs of the project or context. Customization currently requires some technical skills. For more on customization options and technical requirements, see Customization options.

How does Mapeo work offline?

Mapeo is built on an embedded peer-to-peer database, so all data collected with Mapeo is stored directly on your device, with no need for an internet connection or centralized server. Users of Mapeo Mobile and Mapeo Desktop can synchronize or exchange data over a local Wi-Fi network. The data never leaves your local Wi-Fi network and does not require an internet connection. Mapeo Desktop can also exchange information via a synchronization file using a USB drive.

For more on how Mapeo stores and synchronizes data, see Peer-to-peer & Mapeo sync.

Does Mapeo use a Blockchain?

Mapeo uses secure peer-to-peer technology with a distributed ledger, which does not include a public blockchain or consensus.

Public blockchains are designed for a scenario where public transactions must be mediated between participants which are all potentially malicious. These “trustless” transactions are the key assumption of a blockchain that distinguishes it from peer-to-peer technology.

Applications like Mapeo assume that data is managed by the community generating it - and some of that data may never be publicly accessible. Mapeo's approach, in contrast, creates a closed group, where data creators are also data stewards, managing their own data and controlling who has access. We take security seriously and maintain protections from third-party attacks such as targeted hacks and surveillance by third-parties. For users of Mapeo, privacy is critical for protecting their ancestral knowledge and environmental monitoring information until it’s ready to be shared with trusted partners.

Who will have access to my data?

Mapeo was designed to be an offline-first set of tools that centers data sovereignty for its users. That means that the data you collect with Mapeo will only exist on the device it is collected or created with until you choose to share it with other Mapeo project participants or external actors. The data you create will never be stored on external servers or shared with app maintainers or other actors, unless you choose to send it or enable and use Web sync options through Mapeo.

Does Mapeo collect information on users?

Mapeo collects only basic, anonymized statistics for debugging, designing and understanding to what extent the applications are being used.

What happens if Mapeo loses financial support? Will my data be inaccessible?

Mapeo is built with long-term sustainability as a focus. This goes beyond financial sustainability - we ensure that no single entity or technology is responsible for data storage or access.

Can you help me deploy Mapeo?

How can I report bugs or problems using Mapeo?

With Mapeo Mobile, you can collect geographic points to mark your current location, and add associated photos, description, and details. Users assign each point collected to a category. Check out the to see an overview of mobile data collection.

With Mapeo Desktop Territory mode, you can create points, lines and areas (polygons) on a map and add an associated category, description, and details.

Mapeo can be translated into additional languages on . For more information, see Translating Mapeo & default configurations

For more information, and about why blockchain is not a recommended tool for human rights and freedom of expression.

Mapeo does not lock your data into a particular data format. You can easily move your data around, and it is kept in its original form. Mapeo Desktop can export data to , Shapefile, CSV, and GeoJSON. You'll never be locked into using Mapeo software. For more on export options, see Exporting data & sharing externally.

There is a community of active users and maintainers of Mapeo that participate in our public chat channel on and on our . We encourage you to consult these spaces for additional tips and ideas on how people are using Mapeo.

Digital Democracy's core team is very small and we have limited capacity to provide direct accompaniment for implementing Mapeo outside of our existing partnerships. In some cases we are able to offer support. To read more about the way we work with partners and different levels of support, see .

There is community of active users and maintainers of Mapeo that participate in our public chat channel on Discord. To join the conversation or seek help on technical issues, you can .

Crowdin
read this blog post
this paper from Article 19
SMART
Discord
Earth Defenders Toolkit Forum
here
access the channel here
Digital Democracy
our website
Who made Mapeo?
Is Mapeo free to use?
What kind of data can Mapeo collect?
What languages is Mapeo available in?
Is Mapeo Mobile available for iOS?
Do I need to customize Mapeo to use it?
How does Mapeo work offline?
Does Mapeo use a Blockchain?
Who will have access to my data?
Does Mapeo collect information on users?
What happens if Mapeo loses financial support? Will my data be inaccessible?
Can you help me deploy Mapeo?
How can I report bugs or problems using Mapeo?
Mapeo Mobile Quick Start Guide