You can let your participants react to posts from other participants by enabling the voting and rating features of the Social Map.

Voting lets participants show support (or lack of support) for a particular post, while rating lets you gauge the extent of that support.

You can select from four different voting and rating methods, depending on your use case:

Voting

Voting lets participants give a thumbs up or thumbs down to another participant's post. You can enable upvoting and downvoting to capture positive and negative sentiment, or only allow upvoting to capture agreement, praise or support.

Star Rating

Star rating lets participants react on a scale of 1-5 stars, which is ideal for understanding the degree to which a participant agrees or disagrees with the content.

Sentiment Rating

Like star rating, sentiment rating uses a scale of 1-5, but uses smileys instead of stars. This divergent scale lets you capture participant sentiment at a more nuanced level than just upvoting/downvoting.

Traffic-light Rating

Traffic-light rating lets your users provide one of three reactions: 'Stop', 'Pause', or 'Go'. This is great for gauging participant support for specific proposals.

⚠️ Warning

Changing the voting/rating method during a live engagement will result in any existing data you've collected being removed. This data cannot be recovered.

Voting and rating can be enabled independently of map posts, which lets you stage these feedback activities at different times.

For example, you can collect ideas from participants on the map in stage 1, close off participants ability to leave new ideas after a set time, and then allow participants to rate the ideas collected in stage 2.

The results of all voting and rating data are provided in the summary reports and an average score for all voting and rating activities is presented in the data table to facilitate further analysis.

The average score of any voting/rating activity is also displayed when a post is viewed from the map, appearing in the top-right of each post.

The Info Panel can be used to provide a brief introduction of the activity to users, and a ‘Title’ and ‘Description’ can be configured. Generally, this will include a couple of short paragraphs explaining what the activity is and how the results will be used.

The Info Panel is optional and can be turned on or off. Additionally, the ‘Show on initial page load’ option will show the information panel to new visitors when the map is loaded.

To add and edit content in the Info Panel, navigate to the ‘Information Panel’ under the block’s ‘Activity’.

10 different base map styles can be used in the Social Map. Each base map style presents a different visual style or level of detail that can be selected to meet the specific needs of your engagement.

In some cases, using a more indicative, illustrative map such as the ‘Open Street Map’ or ‘Google Road Map’ may be appropriate, while in others, a more detailed aerial/satellite image may be preferable. Minimal base map styles can be used to create visually attractive styles.

The available base maps include:

Multiple base maps can also be defined for each Social Map, with the participant having the ability to select which basemap they want to use. If more than one base map is selected, the map that is first loaded can be set by choosing the desired base map from the ‘default base map’ dropdown.

To select the base map(s) to be used in the activity:

1. Navigate to the ‘Map’ tab and select the desired base map(s) to be included from the ‘Base Map’ options.
2. If selecting multiple basemaps, configure the default base map by selecting it from the dropdown.
3. Select the blue ‘Save’ button on the Block Settings.

If only one base map is selected, the user will not be able to switch between base map styles.

In addition to the standard base map styles, custom base maps can be brought in from third party services including MapBox or a custom Web Mapping Service (WMS).

To add a custom base map:

1. Navigate to the ‘Map’ tab and select either the Mapbox Custom or Web Mapping Service option.
2. Provide the details as required for the service (for Mapbox, a Username, Style ID and Access Token is required. For a WMS, a WMS URL is required).
3. Select the blue ‘Save’ button on the Block Settings.

As a Site User you can control the pitch and bearing of the initial map so that it can load the map with a 3D perspective for the contributor.

• • Configuration is located under the 'Zoom Level' field.
  • The first configuration is for 'Bearing'.
  • The initial bearing (rotation) of the map, measured in degrees counter-clockwise from north. For example north is 0, east is 90, south is 180 and west is 270. This can be set for your preferred orientation.
  • The second configuration is for 'Pitch'.
  • 'The initial pitch (tilt) of the map, measured in degrees away from the plane of the screen (0-60). This can be set for your preferred orientation.

You can add more structure to the data collected in your engagement, by adding ‘categories’. This can help create richer mapping experiences and facilitate the analysis of feedback.

Categories allow participants to choose from a pre-defined list such as issues, ideas, opportunities, etc. to classify their contribution. You can add your own categories to the map (we recommend not using more than five) and give them a unique colour and icon.

To add and style categories:

1. Navigate to the ‘Activity’ tab and select the ‘Add Category’ button
2. Give the category a unique ‘Name, ‘Description’ and ‘Activity Input Label’ (if desired)
3. Select a color for the category and optionally choose an icon from the existing icon library.
4. Select the blue ‘Save’ button on the Block Settings.

User Tip

Adjusting a category’s ‘Activity Input Label’ allows you to ask specific questions to your participant, depending on the category they have selected. For example, you may change the ‘Activity Input Label’ from the default ‘Comment’ to ‘Tell us why this is a good idea’ when they select the category ‘Idea’

Spatial data layers can be added to the base map to provide further information and context to the visitor. Points, lines and polygons can all be added to the Social Map. This can be useful to highlight areas or features related to the activity.

The Social Map uses the WGS 1984 geographic coordinate system. When uploading your spatial data layers, your files will automatically be converted into this system.

Map layers can be added from .shp or .geojson files. To add layers via GeoJSON or Shapefile:

1. Navigate to the 'Layers’ tab and and select 'Add Layer’.
2. Choose either ‘GeoJSON’ or ‘Shapefile’ from the dropdown.
3. Name your layer and upload the file.
4. Select the blue ‘Save’ button to save your layer.
5. Select the blue ‘Save’ button on the Block Settings.

When working with the shapefile format, it is important to note that these are comprised of multiple files, that necessarily include .shp, .shx and .dbf, but can also include a variety of optional files with different formats.

To use shapefiles within The HiVE, all relevant files must be converted to a .zip file in order to be used within the mapping tools.

User Tip

If you want to draw your own data layers, but don’t have GIS skills or software, you can use this free tool. It helps let you easily draw point layers, lines or polygons. Simply sketch the features, save as .geojson and upload into The HiVE.

Custom data layers can be added to the base map to provide further information and context to the visitor. Points, lines and polygons can all be added to the Social Map. To add custom layers:

1. Give your layer a name in the provided field.
2. You will be presented with a map, which you can enter an address into to refocus to your desired location. You can use the scroll and zoom functions provided to see more detail.
3. There are three shapes on the right hand side of the map:
   - Linestring allows you to draw lines on your map or create shapes using lines.
   - Polygon allows you to create polygon shapes on your map
   - Marker allows you to drop a pin at a particular point of interest.
4. Once you have defined your layer you can create a pop-up with information and/or an image. Under Feature Collection, select Edit Feature Info and fill out the relevant information.
5. Once you have defined your layer, you will be able to adjust the stroke colour, width and opacity, as well as fill colour, fill opacity and dash array.
6. When you are finished, select Save Layer.

mages of plans, diagrams or other non-spatial data can be superimposed on the basemap to give it a spatial context and collect spatially accurate feedback.

To add a geo-referenced image to the Social Map:

1. Navigate to the ‘Layers’ tab, select 'Add Layer' and scroll down to ‘Image’.
2. Name your layer and upload your image (jpeg, png or gif).
3. Enter the latitude and longitude coordinates of the image to position the corners correctly over the map.* Our Social Map uses the WGS 1984 geographic coordinate system.
4. Select the blue ‘Save Layer’ button to save your layer.

*You only need the location of two points:

1. The point where you want the Top Left corner of your image placed

2. The point where you want the Bottom Right corner of your image placed.

The coordinates N and W refer to the Latitude and Longitude of point 1. The S and E refer to the Latitude and Longitude of point 2.

Example:

Once data layers have been added you can adjust their visual style and add items to a legend to denote what each layer symbolises. The following style properties can be adjusted:

• Stroke Color - Determines the color of the outline around the feature. If no stroke is desired, select the ‘X’ button in the color picker.
• Stroke Width - Determines the size of the outline around the feature from 0 -10 pixels
• Stroke Opacity - Determines how opaque or transparent the outline color of the feature will appear.
• Dash Array - Provides the ability to style the pattern of the feature’s outlines to create ‘solid’ lines or ‘dotted’ or ‘dashed’ line’. This is expressed as two numbers, separated by a comma. The first value determines the length of the ‘dash’ and the second value determines the length of the ‘gap’.A solid line is expressed as ‘1,0’, where a dotted line would be expressed as ‘1,1’. A dashed line would be expressed as ‘2,2’ or ‘3,3’ for a slightly larger dashed line.
• Fill Color - Determines the color of the main feature.
• Fill Opacity - Determines how opaque or transparent the feature color will appear.

Once a data layer has been added, you can add a symbol to the legend that let the user know what each layer represents. Legend items must be manually created, and a single layer can have more than one legend item (which can be useful if adding multiple features in a single layer from Carto).

Currently, legend symbols are only displayed as simple circles with an adjustable fill and stroke color.

To add and style a legend item:

1. After adding a data layer, select the ‘Add legend item’ link next to the layer name
2. Give the legend item a unique name (up to 35 characters) and set its stroke and fill color which will be used to style the legend symbol.
3. Select the ‘Save Legend’ Button
4. To add multiple legend items, repeat the process.

The masking layer feature provides a powerful way to highlight a study area or features on a map, and can also be used to restrict user contributions to a defined geographical area.

The masking feature works by adding a spatial data layer which will be used to define the masking area. By default, the mask uses the uploaded geometry to ‘cut-out’ an area from the mask shape as if it was a cookie cutter. This allows you to style the areas outside of the original shape by styling the masking layer.

The masking layers will sit above all other data layers that are added to the map. Up to seven ‘features’ can be included in the masking layer - anything more than this will cause the page to crash.

To add a masking layer:

1. Select the target Social Map and select ‘edit’ to open the Block Settings.
2. Go to the ‘Layers’ tab and select 'Add Layer' and scroll down to ‘Mask’.
3. Name your masking layer.
4. Upload either a GeoJSON or Shapefile
5. Style the masking layer by adjusting its stroke (colour, width, opacity and dash array) and fill (colour, width and opacity).
6. Choose a fill colour, width and opacity.
7. Select the blue ‘Save’ button on the Block Settings.

The masking layer can also be ‘inverted’ which will allow you to style the original shape that was uploaded. To invert the mask, select the ‘invert mask’ checkbox.

To restrict participants from dropping pins outside of the mask, select 'Restrict markers to mask'.

You can restrict the location of where users are allowed to add map markers using the masking layer. This will mean that your participants will only be able to make contributions within a defined geo-graphical area such as a ‘study area’.

To do this, check the ‘Restrict markers to mask’ checkbox under the Mask setting.

Bookmarks can be added to display pre-defined geographic locations within the study area that help visitors navigate the map to focus on key areas.

Bookmarks are displayed at the top, centre of the map as a dropdown menu. Selecting the bookmark will automatically zoom and pan the map to the nominated location.

To add bookmarks:

1. Navigate to the ‘Map’ tab and scroll to the ‘Location Bookmarks’ setting.
2. Select the ‘Add Bookmark’ button to create the bookmark and configure the following attributes:
   a. Title - Sets a title for the Bookmark that will be displayed
   b. Location - Sets the centre point of the map area using either an address or latitude/longitude coordinates
   c. Zoom Level - Sets how zoomed in or out the map will display.
3. Select the blue ‘Save Bookmark’ button and repeat until all Bookmarks have been added.
4. Select the blue ‘Save’ button on the block settings.

In some cases where there are hundreds or even thousands of contributions appearing on the map, it may be desirable to cluster the map markers so that the map appears clearer.

Enabling the ‘Marker Clustering’ setting will allow individual map markers that are in close proximity to one another to be displayed as a single aggregated marker. The Marker Cluster then displays the number of contributions within it, and when clicked by a user will zoom the map in and disaggregate the individual map markers.

It is worth noting that marker clustering doesn’t affect the data. It's just a way of visually consolidating the markers. It can be easily enabled/disabled from the block settings any time.

The Social Map uses the Google Places API to take the precise location of each map marker and display them as an address through a process called geo-coding. This makes it easier to interpret the results of the Social Map if you don’t have access to mapping software or skills, by making the location more human readable (as opposed to x/y coordinates).

The geo-coded address can be displayed on the front-end of a participant’s contribution to provide more context. This can be people for non-sighted users who can’t see maps or for people who have difficulties interpreting them.

To enable this feature, navigate to the ‘Display’ tab and find the ‘Display Marker Location’ which is set to not display by default. From the dropdown select either ‘Display approximate location’ or ‘display precise location’. The ‘approximate location’ setting will provide the street name only and will remove any specific street numbers. The ‘precise location’ setting will include the exact street number and name.

Warning

Using the ‘precise location’ option will display exact address information which may have privacy implications. You should thoroughly assess the potential risks prior to enabling this setting.

Please note that the geocoder may not be completely accurate, especially if a marker is dropped in a public space or in developing areas. The geo-coder will try and find the nearest address to where the pin is dropped. If address location is critical to your analysis we suggest collecting this information in another way.