Flex Map v2 | User Guide

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Intro

Flex Map v2 is a premium app available in the Appstore. Its main purpose is to display your data in different ways on a map to gain geographical and relational insights from the data. The app can map out various sets of locations and related data for those locations, create and display geographical territories to show the boundaries inside which mapped locations lie, and display heat maps to correlate locations with important metrics or demographics. Before you begin using the app, make sure you have completed all the required configurations. Learn about these in the Flex Map v2 Implementation Guide. This guide provides information for using Flex Map v2 in the following topics:

• App navigation
• Pin Layers
• Map Layers
• Favorites
• Saved Maps
• Heatmaps
• Map Settings
• Data Settings
• User permissions and features
• Interacting with the map
• Demo notes

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App Navigation

Map controls display on the right side of the screen. The table below describes each of the map controls.

Icon	Tool Description
	Zoom in / out — Allows you to adjust the zoom level for the map.
	Reset bearing to north — Resets the map’s orientation to display north at the top.
	Undo / Redo — Unmakes or remakes a change to the map.
	Export — Enables you to export your map as an image, PowerPoint file, or PDF.
	Return to default — Returns the map to its default settings.
	Clear Map — Clears the map of all layers.
	Save Map — Saves the current map configuration.

At the top of the screen are the main menu and the search bar. You can access most of the app’s features from the main menu, by opening the hamburger menu. Each feature is described later in this guide.

• After you open the main menu, you can Close it to return to the default screen.
• After you open any feature, you can Expand or Collapse the feature interface or Close it to return to the default screen.
• Use the search bar to find locations from your connected data and display them temporarily on the map so you can favorite them. Learn more about Favorites below.

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Pin Layers

In the main menu, select Pin Layers to open the search interface. Here, you can create Layers, a subset of the locations data connected to the app. The following table describes the tools in the Pin Layers menu:

Icon	Tool Description
	Group — Creates a new group.
	Item — Creates a new item.
	Clone — Copies the currently selected Pin Layer. The copied layer displays at the bottom of the Pin Layer list, with the name formatted as Name of Pin Layer - copy.
	List — Shows the list of individual locations that are currently being displayed.

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Creating a Pin Layer

1. Select Item to create a new Pin Layer. The New Pin Layers Search interface displays.
2. Select the list and choose a column from your data to begin filtering down the connected locations data to a subset of the data you want to display on the map. If your data is not connected, complete the necessary configuration by following the steps in the Flex Map v2 Implementation Guide.
   
3. Below the selected column, select whether to include locations that are In or Not In the values you select from the column.
   
4. (Optional) To apply more filtering criteria, select Item again to add another Pin Layer to the current layers.
   • First, select whether the Pin Layer has an And or an Or filter. An And filter combines current Pin Layers with previous Pin Layers so that only locations that meet all And criteria display. Using an Or filter adds all locations that match that filter along with any other filters that are set.
   • Next, choose the category of additional Layer: Parent Id, Latitude, Longitude, Location Name, or City.
   Two more options, Channel Type and Channel Group, only display if more than one Pin Layer is pinned. You can Delete any Pin Layer to remove that filter.
5. Select List to view the results based on the search criteria.
   
6. (Optional) Select the star icon next to any result to add it to the Favorites section of the app.
   
7. After adding all of your filters, note the three buttons added to the Pin Layers menu: Select Icon, Select Color, and Save.
   

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Adding Icons and Colors

You can choose to display specific locations or landmarks on the map with the icon selection palette. You can only use one icon per Pin Layer. If you want to add another icon, create a new Pin Layer.

1. Choose Select Icon in the Pin Layers menu. The icon palette opens.
   
2. Select an icon to add to the Pin Layer.
3. (Optional) Go to the Size tab of the palette to adjust the size of the icon. You can also choose to make an icon static or dynamic. If the icon is dynamic, the size changes with the zoom level of the map. The icon displays on the map. If it doesn’t display, adjust the zoom level.
   
4. In the Pin Layers menu, choose Select Color to choose the display color for your search.
   
5. Select Save in the Pin Layers menu to save your search. The Save Pin Layers Search modal displays.
6. Enter a Name and choose a Folder or Group to save the search in or create one.
7. Select Save.
   

You can now access your search in a list of created searches and groups under the Group icon in the Pin Layers menu. You can also access all saved items from the Saved Maps section of the main menu.

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Groups and Items

In Flex Map v2, groups are folders that hold and organize items you create. When you select Group in the Pin Layers menu, you create a folder that displays in the groups list. You can then name and open the group and drag any items into the group. You can also nest folders by dragging a group into another group. After you save an Item or search inside a folder or group, you can interact with it. Select View / Hide on a search to toggle it on or off. When a search is on, the locations of the search display on the map. Remove an item or group by selecting Delete. You can edit an Item or search at any time in Pin Layers.

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Map Layers

Map Layers in the Flex Map v2 app are data driven from values stored in KML or GeoJSON, so interaction with them is more limited than other items in the app. The purpose of Map Layers is to display constantly updated lines or shapes on the map with their associated metrics, which are read directly from the uploaded layer file. For example, you may want to display shipping routes and their attributes from an outside system. To begin, the data for layers must be correctly prepared. Learn how to do that in the Flex Map v2 Implementation Guide.

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Creating a Map Layer

1. In the main menu, select Map Layers.
2. Select Item. The new Layers interface displays.
3. In the Map Layers menu, there are three icons on the left side: Circle, Polygon, and Polyline. When you select Circle, you can create a colored circle on the map with the area and radius provided. Adjust the size of the circle by clicking and dragging the orange dots on the perimeter of the circle. You can also click and drag the entire shape. Change the color of the circle by using the Select Color icon. If you want to start over, select Circle again to delete it.
   
   The second of the three icons is Polygon and allows you to create a shape with numerous sides. To use the tool, select Polygon and choose a point on the map where you want the shape to begin. Keep adding points to the map until you achieve the shape you want. To finish the shape, select the last orange dot that you placed. You can move the entire shape by clicking inside it and dragging. To adjust the shape, click and drag the orange dots. To change the color, use the Select Color icon. To delete the shape, select Polygon again
   
   The last icon is Polyline, which allows you to determine the total distance traveled along a path. You can create this path by clicking on the map, which leaves a trail of orange dots for every marker you place. When you are done, select the last orange marker you placed; the total distance of the polyline displays. To start over, select Polyline again.
   

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Favorites

Favorites is where you can find any locations favorited in the app, allowing you to quickly find important locations when you return to the app. You can add locations to Favorites in a few ways. If you enter a term in the main search bar of the app, a list of matching locations returns. You can then select the star icon next to a location to favorite it. You can also favorite currently displayed locations in the List screen of the Pin Layers section. When viewing Favorites, you can create Groups and add favorited items to them, like you can for searches and Heatmaps. You can remove locations from Favorites by selecting Delete for the location. Select View / Hide to toggle a favorited location on and off. Admin users can share favorited locations here by selecting Share for the location.

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Saved Maps

Any user can save the current configuration of territories and searches at any time by selecting Save Map in the map controls. When you save a map, you are prompted to enter a name for it. You can see all of the maps by going to Saved Maps in the main menu. Here, you can add saved maps to Groups or delete them like other items in the app. Admin users can also share saved maps by selecting Share on a saved map.

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Heatmaps

You can find Heatmaps in the main menu. Follow the steps below to create a new Heatmap.

1. Select Create a New Heatmap.
2. Select a Heatmap Layer.
3. Select a Heatmap Metric.
4. Under Color Range, select Edit Range.
   • Select the colored rectangle to choose and apply a color to a certain range. Manually input the numerals for the range. Remove any range by selecting Delete.
   • Above the ranges, you can Reset to default, Clear all, and Add new.
   • Make sure to select Apply Range to save your changes.
5. To activate the Heatmap, select Save.

You can then name your Heatmap and save it to a new or existing folder or Group. Select View / Hide to display the new Heatmap on the map. Depending on the column you choose for the Heatmap, the map legend displays different numerical ranges.

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Map Settings

Map Settings is the final option in the main menu. If you are a card owner or app admin, you can determine certain map behaviors rendering options, including rendering Pin Layers in standard cluster mode or allowing all pins to render individually on the map. You also have access to new Map Layers in the Base Layer menu.

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Data Settings

If you are a card owner or app admin, you have total control over the data that is available to the map for locations and Heatmap metrics. From the main menu, select Data Settings to view two options:

• The Search and Display Preferences allow you to customize what is shown on your map.
• Heatmap Metric Mapping allows you to define metrics for your Heatmap Layers and associate them with a color scale on the map.

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Search and Display Preferences

When you select Search and Display Preferences, the settings grid displays. There are three sections in the settings: Schema, Display Order, and Tooltip Order. In the Schema section, you can configure what you see in and on the map from your core Locations DataSet. The Schema settings have five editable elements:

• SearchInclude is the list of fields that you want to be available in the Pin Layers search builder. Check the boxes for the fields you want to include.
• Static Label allows you to choose one field to display directly under the Pin on the map.
• DisplayInclude displays the chosen fields on the detail view of a selected Pin.
• TooltipInclude allows you to include the selected fields’ value in the tooltip when you hover over a Pin on the map.
• DisplayType lets you tell Flex Map what type of data is in the field so it can handle special exceptions like links and images.

After you update any setting, select Expand and then Save & Close to return to the app where your updates are live. In the Display Order section, you can configure the order of your display fields by dragging and dropping them. Make sure to Save & Close. In the Tooltip Order section, you can also drag and drop the fields into the order that you want. Make sure to Save & Close .

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Heatmap Metric Mapping

The Heatmap Metric Mapping settings allow you to define and choose the metric fields you want to allow the app user to build off in the Heatmaps section of Flex Map v2. Heatmap Metric Mapping has the same three sections as Search and Display Preferences: Schema, Display Order, and Tooltip Order. In the Schema section, you can configure what you see in and on the map from your Heatmaps DataSet. The Schema settings have five editable elements:

• Use as Metric is the list of fields that you want to use as metrics in Heatmaps. Check the boxes for the fields you want to include.
• DisplayInclude displays the chosen fields on the detail view of a selected Pin.
• TooltipInclude allows you to include the selected fields’ value in the tooltip when you hover over a Pin on the map.
• Label allows you to rename your metrics fields for better picklist selections in the builder.
• Aggregation allows you to select the aggregation method.

After you update any setting, select Expand and then Save & Close to return to the app where your updates are live. In the Display Order section, you can configure the order of your display fields by dragging and dropping them. Make sure to Save & Close. In the Tooltip Order section, you can also drag and drop the fields into the order that you want. Make sure to Save & Close .

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User Permissions and Features

The app supports three user levels: Admin, Standard, and View-only.

• Admin users can create, edit, and delete items in the app, share items they create in the app with members of Domo Groups, create custom Map Layers, and configure a default map and a default center. See Map Settings, above.
• Standard users can create, edit, and delete their own items, and view items that admins share with them. They can’t share items, create Map Layers, or set defaults.
• View-only users can view items that admins share with them. They can’t create, edit, or delete items. They also cannot share items or set defaults.

To learn more, see the Flex Map v2 Implementation Guide.

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Interacting with the Map

After you create searches, Map Layers, and Heatmaps, you can interact with these items on the map. Searches display as colored dots on the map called Pins. If a Pin represents an individual location, it is a small dot without a number in the middle. If it represents a cluster of locations, the dot is larger and has a number in the middle representing the number of grouped locations.

• Zoom into a clustered Pin to see the distinct locations.
• Selecting a clustered Pin zooms into that location by one level.
• Selecting an individual Pin opens a details panel that shows additional information for that location. If the additional information includes URLs, the URLs are colored orange and are clickable. If the additional information includes a link to an image, the image displays in the details panel.
• Hovering over an individual Pin displays a tooltip for that location which card owners and admins can configure in the Data Settings.

Map Layers display on the map as a filled-in border around the geographical area.

• Hovering over the territory displays the name of the location you are hovering over. Heatmaps display as multi-colored areas filled in with colors representing the value of the Heatmap metric.
• Hovering over the Heatmap displays a tooltip with the metric that the color of the area represents.
• Selecting a Heatmap area brings up a tooltip showing all related Heatmap metrics for that area.
• A legend of what each of the Heatmap’s colors represents displays in the lower-left corner of the map.

Enter a term in the search bar at the top of the screen to view all the Pins that match your search entry. You can use this to quickly find a single location, a group of locations, or to create a favorite by selecting the star next to the location in the search results.

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Demo Notes

One way to demo the app is to upload a DataSet to power pin locations based on lat/long and Heatmap metrics. Then show how to build territories and save searches and Heatmaps.