When you install Mapeo, it comes with default options that can be used right away, without any customization. In the following pages, this section details what is automatically included with Mapeo so you can determine whether the app will meet your needs out-of-the-box.
Mapeo offers many options for customizing categories, icons, questions and background maps but the current customization process requires significant technical knowledge and will not be accessible to all users.
For more on customization, see the following section on Customization options.
Mapeo uses background maps to show users their current location in the mobile app and as a background for displaying data collected or created with Mapeo.
By default, when the device has access to the internet, Mapeo Mobile and Mapeo Desktop in Observations mode use a detailed background map that includes geographic elements such as rivers and mountains, as well as some political and urban elements such as borders, cities, roads, and others.
If the device is not connected to the internet, the background map shown by default is much less detailed. In Mapeo Mobile, the offline background map shows country borders and the main water bodies. In Mapeo Desktop, there is currently no default offline background map.
Online background map example:
Offline background map example:
Mapeo offers the option to add a custom background map for use both offline and online. For more on creating and adding custom background maps, see Custom background maps.
Mapeo uses configurations to determine which categories, icons and questions users see when they are collecting data. For each data point collected with Mapeo, users select a category to classify the point, and may answer questions or respond to prompts to provide more detail about what is being documented.
When you install Mapeo, it comes with a default configuration that includes general categories and questions for territory mapping and monitoring.
The default configuration includes the following data collection categories:
Observations that do not fit these categories can always be collected using the New point category.
Questions
To review all fields included in the default configuration, install Mapeo and explore the Add Details section for each category.
Mapeo offers the option to create custom configurations to fit the needs of specific projects. For more information on customization, see Custom configurations.
For every data point collected, users can enter a description of what they are documenting. Default categories also include some additional optional questions or fields that users may fill out when collecting data. For example, the category Fishing Site includes the field: Name (Common name of this place).