Introduction
Interactive online maps, also called web maps, have capabilities for deep zooming and to contain far more information than you could ever hope to fit onto a printed map – plus search, route planning, pop-up captions and many other functions useful for business planning and intelligence. For example, you can feed data from a spreadsheet into an online map and make it automatically update colours depending on the data.
The main drawback with online maps is that creating them can be technically challenging, requiring specialist GIS software and coding skills. Even experienced designers, developers and cartographers can struggle to set up an online map with anything more complex than a few marker pins overlaying a Google map. Another drawback is that costs may include volume of page views if a base such as Mapbox or Google Maps is used for deep zooming.
Maproom’s online mapping system
However, Maproom now offers an innovative online mapping system to help clients create bespoke web maps without the hassle and with a very reasonable pricing structure. If you’re interested in postcode maps, don’t miss our Online Postcode Maps for Business package which gives access to detailed UK postcode maps and a unique in-browser editor that lets you customise postcode maps with your own colours and captions.
For any other kind of web maps, send us your location data and wishlist. Below are some demos, plus FAQs and a quote form at the bottom.
DEMO 1: Multiple locations on a map with deep zoom capabilities
Demo 2: Shaded map zones superimposed over a road network
A corporate client needed a road map showing the London Congestion Charge and Ultra Low Emission Zone to plan their delivery routes. In this demo, we have created layers over London roads showing this and the broader road zones. Try using your mouse scroll or touch rather than the buttons to zoom quickly and deeply into this map to see which roads fall within the zones.
We can create maps like this tailored for business intelligence. You might also want a map like this on your website to show pricing zones to your customers. Your users might really appreciate the predictive Search function that we can put on a map like this.
This two maps above are built with tilesets of vector image map data. Notice that the labels are sharp at all zoom levels – essential for reading street names and other details online.
The cost of building an interactive online map like this is often lower than building a map destined for print, with build costs starting from only £80 and a hosting fee based on volume of views. This type of interactive web map is often the best solution for both business intelligence and public facing websites.
DEMO 3: Map of postcode districts with pop-up info boxes showing coverage
Many businesses use postcode districts when working out their coverage. In some cases, the map is for internal company use, for calculating sales rep zones or where customers live or where target customers are clustered by postcode. In other cases it can help to have a postcode map published on the company website to display postcode information for the public. The map below was built for a driving school which is in the process of expanding its coverage across southeast England. See our Online Postcode Maps for Business package.
DEMO 4: Selecting areas of a map
The counties map is built using interactive SVG files with a function for selecting areas as well as showing pop-ups. Notice that the labels are sharp at all zoom levels, but they don’t resize themselves, and there are no extra layers of detail that show up with zooming. As this kind of interactivity has separate hover and click functions, it is best viewed on a desktop computer or laptop rather than touch device because there is no hover function on a touch device. Try using your mouse wheel or slide to zoom in and out rather than the + – buttons.
You can also view it in a full window here.
An interactive SVG map is one of the most laborious types of interactive map to create and therefore a typical build will cost several hundred pounds. However, SVG is a format preferred by some of our technical clients. SVG is also a good option on high-traffic websites to avoid the heavy usage fees charged by third-party mapping providers like Mapbox and Google Maps.
DEMO 5: 3d map of urban area
Try right-clicking whilst dragging to change the bearing of this 3d map of Bristol. This can be a good solution for deep-zoom exploratory urban maps. We can add labels to buildings of significance to you, route lines and other bespoke features. Use a map like this for either public display or business intelligence and planning.
View map in full windowDEMO 6: Highlight and link parts of a web map to other web pages
Regions on an interactive web map can be highlighted and linked to other web pages. On this map, hover highlights an area, whilst click or tap opens other web pages – in this case Wikipedia pages about the postcode areas.
Highlight linking to other pages is a good solution if you have a few areas with lots of information. But if you have scores of locations with only a few lines of information for each location, then pop-up boxes may be better on hover, tap or click.
FAQs about web maps
How can I put this sort of map onto my own website?
Interactive web maps can not be downloaded like our vector artwork maps. The map will be built inside Maproom, then you will be given a link and a few lines of embed code. You can either link directly to the map in its own browser window, or you can embed it as an iframe within your page content. It’s like embedding a YouTube video or Twitter feed on your site. All the demos above are embeds.
How much will it cost?
If you are using our Online Postcode Maps for Business, the package costs only £29.99 for one month’s access to maps and our in-browser editing system.
If you want us to build you a bespoke online map, costs will be broken down as follows:
- One-off setup fee, likely £80, unless setup is unusually complex.
- Fee for any time we need to spend organising and plotting your locations. Obviously the scale of this will depend on the nature and number of your locations. If you are able to provide a well-organised spreadsheet of data, then this element will not be onerous.
- Usage license fee based on monthly volume of views. A basic license for a simple online map is £60 per year rising to £300 per year for a complex map. The license will include up to 50,000 map loads and address searches.
- Possible heavy traffic fee. If your web map has more than 50,000 loads per month on your website, then an extra tier of charges will kick in, currently equivalent to about £5 per 1,000 views.
There is no complicated contract or tie-in period, and you can cancel at any time without penalty.
We will give you a clear guide to costs in a quote. Prices include vat.
Can I host the interactive web map on my own server?
You would need geospatial developer skills to install and host this kind of map on your own server. And we would not be able to support you with installation or updating the map in the future. Even frontend developers with CSS and Javascript skills can struggle to install and update interactive maps. So the answer is probably no unless you are a geospatial developer looking to collaborate.
Will I be able to edit the interactive map myself?
If you want an interactive postcode map, the answer is definitely yes! See our Online Postcode Maps for Business package. And if you are able to work with a spreadsheet for plotting locations, then the answer is also yes once we have set you up with an interactive map with spreadsheet feed. For all other types of bespoke maps, our rates for creating and editing maps are very reasonable to the nearest half hour.
Can I have my corporate colours and logo on the map?
Absolutely yes. Just send us your logo and colour branding scheme.
Can artwork for a poster be created from an interactive web map, or vice versa?
It may be possible for us to fork base map artwork to build both an interactive web map and a PDF. However, they are often separate builds. You can get a quote for both below.
Can I not just have a simple image file of a map to upload to my website?
Possibly! If your map isn’t too detailed then we may be able to create a bespoke static image such as a JPEG or PNG, or even a PDF formatted for upload to your website without you needing a map hosting account. Please complete the quote form below, and we’ll advise you on the best solution.