dhis2-devs team mailing list archive

[Lars Helge Øverland <lars@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hi all,

today we are making a preview of our new maps app (also known as GIS)
available for testing in the app store <https://www.dhis2.org/appstore>.

You can log into the demo system and look for the app called *Maps Preview*
or use this direct link
<https://play.dhis2.org/demo/api/apps/maps-preview//index.html>.

You are invited to install and test the Maps Preview app on your own DHIS 2
instance. It can be used alongside the current GIS app. You need to upgrade
to DHIS 2.27 before installing. The Maps app is easier to use and supports
several new features like data tables and data exports to other GIS
applications.


*New layers panel*

When you enter the app you see the new layers panel to the left. Here you
can select between different base maps from OpenStreetMap
<https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=5/51.500/-0.100> and Google
<https://www.google.com/maps/>, and if you have defined some external base
maps, they will also show up here. You can add external layers in the
Maintenance app.

When you add new layers to your map, they will all show in the left panel -
in the same order as they are drawn on the map (base maps at the bottom and
then different overlays on top). If you need to reorder the layers you can
simply drag and drop them. We have also grouped the functionality together
around each layer - so you can see the legend, edit, filter and remove
layers in one place.


[image: Inline image 2]




*Adding new layers*

Click the “Add layer” button to add new map layers. You are presented with
a dialog with all the layer types we provide: events, facilities, thematic,
boundaries, population, climate and vegetation. External overlays that you
added in the Maintenance app will also show up here. There are no
restrictions in the number of layers you can add, if you want to add two
event layers and three boundary layers, you can do it. You will still see
the old dialogs when you add new layers, but these will also be redesigned
before the final release.


[image: Inline image 3]




*Data table*

The main new feature of this release is the data table (often named
“attribute table” in other GIS programs. It allows you the see the
underlying data of your map without switching to pivot tables or event
reports. Here you can sort and filter your data and the changes will show
instantly on the map. So far the data table is only available for thematic
layers, but will later be supported for event, facility and boundary layers
as well.


[image: Inline image 4]







*What’s next?*

Our first priority is to make DHIS 2.27 dashboards compatible with the new
Maps app. This will allow you the create maps in the app, save them as
favorites, and see them on your current dashboard. Soon, we will also allow
exporting of map data and styles to other GIS applications like QGIS. We
plan to release the full version of the new Maps app with DHIS 2.29.

Please use our dev list to provide feedback on the new Maps app. If you
want to be notified when we make a new preview version available, please
send a note to bjorn@xxxxxxxxx.


best regards,

the DHIS 2 development team





-- 
Lars Helge Øverland
Lead developer, DHIS 2
University of Oslo
Skype: larshelgeoverland
lars@xxxxxxxxx
http://www.dhis2.org <https://www.dhis2.org/>