Shared Maps allow users without a QuantAQ Cloud account to view and interact with real-time air quality data from a Network. Shared Maps are embeddable, passphrase-protectable, and customizable to fit various use cases.
Create a Shared Map
Shared Maps are tied to a Network of devices. To create a Shared Map:
1. Navigate to the Shared Maps feature
Navigate to the Network page for the Network you would like to create a Shared Map for
Click on the "Maps" tab
Scroll to the bottom of the page to the "Shared Maps" section
Click "Generate a new link" in the upper right of the Shared Maps table
Note: Only Network Operators or Organization Administrators can create or edit Shared Maps. Once created, all Network Members (including Researchers and Viewers) can see existing Shared Maps in the table.
2. Fill in the form
You can always edit these items later.
Field | Required? | Notes |
Link title | Yes |
|
Custom URL | No | If none is provided, a random URL will be generated for you |
Passphrase | No | Limit who can see your map to only those with the passphrase you set. If none is provided, the map will be viewable by anyone with the link. |
Show Device Status | No | If selected, the device status will be viewable on the map in addition to any pollutants that you select. |
Measurement display settings | Yes | Choose "All (default)" to show all available pollutants. Otherwise, you can limit to just particle-phase pollutants, or gas-phase pollutants, or create a custom list using the "Custom" option. |
Description | No | Provide a description of your Network that users can see when they load the map. If none is provided, this section will be omitted from the map entirely. |
Administrative contact email | No | Provide an email that users can use to contact you with questions about your Network. |
Fill out the form and click "Submit". You can now view your newly created map link in the table. Click on the link to view the Shared Map.
You can edit or remove a map at any time by using the buttons to the right of the table.
Video Walkthrough for creating Shared Maps
Embed a Shared Map
To embed a Shared Map into another webpage:
Click the "embed" button in the Shared Maps table
Copy the entire block of HTML code in the popup
Paste it (or have your web developer add it) into the HTML of your desired use case
If you need help with an embedding scenario, feel free to reach out to QuantAQ support in the bottom right hand corner of this page - we will try to assist.
Troubleshoot Shared Maps
Why don't my devices show up on my map?
Maps require the location to be set for your devices. If you don't see your devices on the map, check to make sure their locations are correctly set on the device settings page.
If the device location is set correctly, is the device online? If the device has been offline for more than 24 hours, it will not show on any measurement layers. You can confirm this by enabling the 'status' layer for the shared map, which will show offline devices.
Does the device support the current measurement layer? If your network has a mix of MODULAIR and MODULAIR-PM devices, the MODULAIR-PM devices will only show up when looking at PM measurements, not gas-phase measurements.
Control access to Shared Maps
There are two ways to control access to Shared Maps.
Publicly Accessible Shared Maps
If you would like to share your map with the public, simply omit the passphrase when creating your Shared Map. The map will only be viewable to those with the direct link and is not indexed or searchable on the web.
Passphrase-Protected Shared Maps
If you would like to secure who can and cannot see your map, you can create a passphrase that you can share with select people. This will require anyone who visits the link to enter the passphrase before viewing the map, but it still allows your audience to access the map without creating a QuantAQ Cloud account.
If you want to only grant access to specific individuals, and require a high level of data security, we recommend sharing access via organizations and networks to registered users, instead of using Shared Maps.