The map drawing tool turns a plain map into something you can mark up. Drop markers on the places that matter, trace a line along a route or a boundary, outline an area with a polygon, set out a rectangle or a circle in two clicks, and drop text labels anywhere on the map.
It is the quick way to answer "where exactly do you mean?" — a site plan, a delivery zone, a set of meeting points, a sketch of a proposed layout — without a GIS licence or a design tool. Drawing is free and needs no account; an account is only needed to save a map or share it.
How it works
Pick a shape, then click on the map to place it. Lines and polygons take one click per point and finish when you click a point you have already placed — the first point closes a polygon; rectangles and circles take two clicks, one to start and one to size them; markers and text labels drop where you click. Each finished shape becomes its own layer, so it can be renamed, hidden, restyled or removed later without touching the rest.
Style controls sit next to the shape buttons: six colours, a stroke width from 1 to 10 pixels, and a fill opacity slider. Those settings apply to the next shape you draw and to the last one you drew, and every shape can be restyled individually afterwards. Edit mode lets you drag a shape's points to reshape it, and Ctrl/Cmd+Z undoes the last action.
How to use the Map Drawing Tool
- 1
Open the draw tool
Open the MapGO workspace and choose Draw, then move the map to the area you want to mark up. You can switch the background to satellite, terrain or a plain light or dark basemap first.
- 2
Pick a shape and place it
Choose Marker, Line, Polygon, Rectangle, Circle or Text, then click on the map. Lines and polygons take one click per point — click a point you already placed to finish a line, or click the first point to close a polygon; text labels let you type straight onto the map.
- 3
Style what you drew
Set the colour, stroke width and fill opacity. Use the pencil on any shape in the list to rename it or change its colour and outline after the fact.
- 4
Adjust or remove shapes
Edit mode lets you drag points to reshape a shape, the move handle drags a whole shape to a new position, and Delete mode removes shapes you click. Ctrl/Cmd+Z undoes, Shift+Ctrl/Cmd+Z redoes.
- 5
Export or share it
Export any single shape as GeoJSON from its row in the Layers panel, or take the whole map at once with the copy and download buttons in the panel header. Signed-in users can save the map and turn on a public link, which also gives an embed snippet for a website.
What people use it for
Site and project plans
Outline a work area, mark access points and label what goes where, then send a link or a GeoJSON file to whoever needs it.
Delivery and service zones
Draw the polygon your business actually covers, colour it clearly, and export it for a website map or an ops document.
Events and meeting points
Drop markers for stages, entrances, parking and first aid, add text labels, and share one map instead of a list of addresses.
Teaching and presentations
Sketch shapes and labels over satellite imagery or terrain to explain a place, then embed the finished map in a page.
Frequently asked questions
- What shapes can I draw?
- Markers, lines, polygons, rectangles, circles and text labels. Every one of them becomes a separate layer you can rename, restyle, move, hide or delete on its own.
- Can I change a shape after drawing it?
- Yes. Edit mode lets you drag its points to reshape it, the move handle repositions the whole shape, and the per-shape controls change its colour, stroke width and fill opacity. Ctrl/Cmd+Z undoes the last change.
- How do I export what I have drawn?
- The Layers panel exports any single layer as a GeoJSON file, and the header's copy and download buttons take the whole map — every layer merged — as one GeoJSON file.
- Can I share the map with someone else?
- Yes, once you are signed in. Save the map, then turn on sharing to get a public link and an iframe snippet for embedding it in a website.
- Do I need an account to draw?
- No. Drawing, styling and exporting to GeoJSON all work without signing up. An account is only needed to save a map so you can reopen it later, and to share it.