Fulcrum supports map layers in the standard Web Mercator projection on both the web and mobile platforms. This allows you to include custom external basemaps and GIS overlays from a variety of sources.
Background
Most web maps are made up of many small, square images called tiles. These tiles are typically 256×256 pixels and are placed side-by-side in order to create the illusion of a very large seamless image.
Quick Guide: Adding a Map Layer
Access Setup: On the Side Navigation panel, click on 'Setup'.
Navigate to Map Layers: Under the 'APP SETUP' section, click 'Map Layers'.
Start New Layer: On the Map Layers page, click the '+ New Map Layer' button, located in the top right corner of the screen.
Configure Layer Properties:
Name: Give your layer a descriptive name.
Permissions: Adjust the permissions to ensure appropriate access for users within your organization.
By default, members that have an Owner Role in your Fulcrum Organization, have access to the layer
Layer Type: Select the type of layer you wish to add (e.g., XYZ, WMS, GeoJSON, MBTiles, KML/KMZ, Fulcrum App).
Provide Layer Information: Fill in the necessary information based on the layer type selected:
For XYZ layers: The tile source needs to be a "Single Fused Map Cache," use a Spatial Reference of 102100 (Web Mercator), and have $256\times256px$ tiles.
For WMS layers: Specify the base URL, specific layers, and any required URL parameters.
For GeoJSON: You can use a URL to point to a hosted file or paste the raw data directly into the appropriate field.
For MBTiles: Use the built-in uploader in the web app. Ensure you are using Raster based MBTile files, as Vector based files are not supported in Fulcrum.
KML/KMZ Best Practice: Note that KML/KMZ layers over 10 MB cannot be viewed on the web due to map rendering constraints, although they are fully accessible on mobile devices.
How to Add a Map Layer
On the Side Navigation, click on 'Setup' to display the available options. There under the 'APP SETUP' section, click 'Map Layers'. To add a layer, select layers from the navigation pane/sidebar on the left side of the Fulcrum web app.
Once you are on the Map Layers page, click the + New Map Layer button, located on the top right corner of the screen.
Give your layer a name, adjust the permissions to ensure appropriate access to the layer within your organization, and fill in the information (more below on each type).
Types of Layers
XYZ
There are several different tiling schemes, but among the most popular is the standard XYZ tile scheme. Tile images are served through a REST API with a URL where Z is the zoom level, and X and Y identify the tile coordinate location.
The URL pattern style for an XYZ layer looks something like this:
http://tiles.fulcrumapp.com/{z}/{x}/{y}.pngFor your tile source to be compatible it needs to be a "Single Fused Map Cache", have a Spatial Reference of 102100 (Web Mercator), and the tiles 256x256px.
WMS
WMS layers point to a base server URL that contains the live layer data.
In Fulcrum, specify the base URL, specific layers, and any required URL parameters that the layer requires.
GeoJson
With the GeoJSON format, you can either use a URL to point to the hosted GeoJSON file or paste the raw data directly into the URL or GeoJSON field.
Notes:
Hosted GeoJSON resources must support Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS).
Fulcrum does not support the simple style-spec for GeoJSON styling.
MBTiles
Fulcrum uses a built-in uploader right inside the web app to add your custom layers to your account. Layers can be exported to MBTiles format and then uploaded to be used on the both the mobile and web apps.
Notes
Fulcrum supports Raster based MBTile files. Vector based MBtile files will not work in Fulcrum.
You can use these guides below to learn how to directly upload offline layers to your particular device: Adding Map Layers for iOS or Adding Map Layers For Android.
For information on how to download the offline maps and layers to the devices check out the iOS maps & layers and Android maps & layers sections.
KML / KMZ
Fulcrum supports KML and KMZ files as map layers. These are common file formats used by programs like Google Earth to package and share geographic data.
File size limitation:
Due to map rendering constraints, KML/KMZ layers over 10 MB cannot be viewed on the web. You can still upload larger files, and they will be fully accessible on mobile devices.
If layers are facing any issues, you can review our troubleshooting help article.
Fulcrum App
With Fulcrum, creating a layer from the records in one of your apps is very useful and easy to set up. This can be helpful if you want to examine the data from separate apps on a single map in Fulcrum.
The Fulcrum App layer will not be editable, but it will contain the latest collected data. This could also be used to allow users to see the location of records contained in apps they do not have permission to. This will allow them to see the latest data but not be able to edit it.
Adding Layers on Mobile Apps
The mobile apps currently support layers in the following formats: ArcGIS Feature Service, MBTiles, Tile XYZ, GeoJSON, WMS and KML/KMZ sources.
MBTiles can be directly uploaded to the mobile devices (Android, iOS) or synced down to the devices by first uploading the layer to the web app. These layers can be used in an offline or online environment on the mobile apps.
Tile XYZ, GeoJSON and KML/KMZ layers can be set up on the web app and then synced down to the mobile apps. These layers can only be used in an online environment.
To learn how to connect to ArcGIS Feature Service on both mobile apps and in the web app, please check out Connecting an ArcGIS Feature Service.