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ALIGNDocumentation

Web maps

A web map is how ALIGN saves your work in the Map Builder. It is the equivalent of a project: one saved item that holds your whole map, kept in your Datastore and reopenable at any time.

What a web map captures

Section titled “What a web map captures”

When you save, ALIGN persists the full state of your workspace:

  • the map view (center, zoom, bearing and pitch) and the basemap,
  • every layer, with its source and its complete style,
  • the controls and widgets you enabled, and where you placed them,
  • your map preferences.

Reopen the web map later and you are exactly where you left off.

Saved in your Datastore

Section titled “Saved in your Datastore”

A web map is stored as a typed asset in your Datastore, right next to your data. From the Datastore panel you can open a web map, rename it, move it into a folder, or delete it. Each web map keeps a thumbnail, so you can recognize it at a glance.

References, not copies

Section titled “References, not copies”

A web map stores references to your data, not a second copy of it:

  • Layers you add from a local file (raster, FlatGeobuf, GeoParquet and so on) are first stored in your Datastore, and the web map points to that asset. A bare file name is never left behind to break when you reopen.
  • Live services (WFS, GeoRSS) are stored as a reference and re-fetched when you reopen, so the layer stays in sync with its source.

This keeps a web map light and always openable.

Your keys never travel with it

Section titled “Your keys never travel with it”

If a layer or basemap uses one of your provider keys, that key is never written into the saved web map. It is stripped on save and re-applied from your account when you reopen. A web map you publish or hand to someone else carries no secret. This is the same guarantee described in Integrations, applied to every saved map.

Saving and overwriting

Section titled “Saving and overwriting”
  • Save (or Ctrl/Cmd + S) saves the current web map. The first save creates it in your Datastore; later saves overwrite it in place.
  • A status indicator under the header shows the upload and save progress, so you know when your work is safely stored.

Reopening

Section titled “Reopening”

Open a web map from the Datastore panel, or from your dashboard. On reopen, ALIGN restores the map view, the layers and their styles, and your controls, and it re-fetches any live layers so they are current.