Quick start

This guide takes you through one complete measurement: from signing in to sending someone a link to the result. It takes about five minutes. Each step links to the article that covers it in full.

1. Sign in#

Go to app.measuremaponline.com and sign in with your email and password, or press Continue with Google. If you do not have an account yet, press Create an account and fill in the form. See signing in.

You arrive on the homeOverview page of the dashboard.

2. Create a project#

A project holds one site: its shapes, measurements, photos and estimate.

1. On the homeOverview page, press addNew project at the top.
2. The grid_viewProjects page opens with the New project dialog. Type a name in Project title, and a Description if you like.
3. Press Save. The project appears in your list of projects.
4. Click the project to open it in the map editor.

3. Find the place#

1. In the toolbar at the top left, press the search search button.
2. Type an address, a town or a place name. Results appear as you type; press one, or press Enter to go to the first. You can also type coordinates as latitude and longitude, for example 39.4699, -0.3763.
3. The map moves there and marks the place with a pin.

For drawing, satellite imagery is usually what you want. If you see a street map, press the square Satellite button at the top right of the map (on a phone, choose Satellite under Map type in settings Settings). See moving around the map.

4. Draw a polygon#

You place points with the crosshair. It shows while you hold down the Shift key, or you can right-click the map to turn it on and leave it on.

1. Zoom in until you can see the edges of what you want to measure.
2. Hold down Shift, or right-click the map. The pointer becomes a crosshair.
3. Click each corner of the area in turn. A line follows the crosshair from the last point, and the crosshair shows that line's length and bearing.
4. If you are holding Shift, let go whenever you want to move or zoom the map, and hold it down again to carry on. If you right-clicked, right-click again to turn the crosshair off.

Until you first hold down Shift, a hint over the map reminds you of both.

The first pin is green, the last one purple and the others red, so you can see where the shape starts and ends.

5. Read the area and perimeter#

While you draw, the box at the top left of the map shows the shape's area (a:, in red) and perimeter (p:, in blue). They change with every point you add.

When the shape is complete, finish it:

1. Press lock Lock polygon in the toolbar at the bottom of the map, or the lock button in the middle of the shape.
2. Replace the suggested Polygon name (Polygon 1 for the first one) with your own, leave Close polygon on, and press Lock.

The polygon now shows a label with its name and area. Click the polygon to open its panel, where descriptionArea and Perimeter are shown in full, with its colours, its product and everything else about it. See drawing polygons.

Made a mistake? Press Ctrl+Z (⌘Z on a Mac) or undo Undo in the bottom toolbar. See editing shapes.

6. Rename the project#

Your project keeps the name you gave it when you created it. To change it:

1. Go back to the dashboard: press menu Menu at the top left of the map and choose dashboardProjects.
2. Open the project's more_horiz More options menu and choose titleRename.
3. Change the Project title and press Save.

See the Projects page.

7. Share it#

1. Open the project and press share Share in the top toolbar (on a phone, open menu Menu and choose share Share).
2. Under Access level, choose who can open the link: lockPrivate (only the project's members), visibilityView only (anyone with the link can look but not edit) or publicPublic (anyone with the link can look, and people signed in to Measure Map Online can also edit). See access levels.
3. Press content_copy Copy link and send the link.
4. Press Done.

To give named people access instead, add them under Members. See sharing projects.

What next#

• The map editor screen: what every button does.
• The crosshair and pins: snapping, 45° lines and the other keys.
• Settings: change the units, from square metres to acres or hectares.
• Exporting: a PDF report or a file for other software.