[ guides ]
Long-form articles on building interactive maps.
Practical, opinionated writing on the parts of map-building that tutorials skip — picking a level of detail, drawing polygons that read well on a phone, sharing a map you actually want people to use, and keeping it from rotting once a community gets involved.
All articles are free, original, and applicable whether you build with Turf-map.io or anywhere else. No paywall, no email required.
- Planning6 min read
How to plan your first interactive map (without redoing it three times)
A practical walk-through of the decisions that quietly determine whether your map ages well — boundaries, naming, colour, layers — written for people who have never built one before.
Read article - Drawing5 min read
Drawing polygons that actually look clean
Twelve concrete habits for boundary lines that read well on a phone, snap to roads when they should, and don't fall apart when you zoom in.
Read article - Sharing5 min read
Sharing your map: subdomains, embeds, and direct links explained
When to use each delivery method, what link previews look like in practice, and how to choose a URL that doesn't have to be migrated later.
Read article - Collaboration5 min read
Collaborating on a shared map without stepping on each other
Practical workflow patterns for two-, three-, and ten-editor maps — naming conventions, lock discipline, change logs, and the moment to switch to a request queue.
Read article - Performance5 min read
Map performance: how many regions is too many?
How geometry, images, labels, and basemap choices affect map performance, with a repeatable way to compare your map on the devices your viewers use.
Read article - Moderation5 min read
Letting your community submit regions without losing the plot
How a small editor team can keep up with a much larger contributor base — submission templates, review SLAs, and the rejection messages that keep contributors coming back.
Read article - Design6 min read
Choosing a colour palette for an interactive map (without it turning into a dashboard)
How to pick five or six colours that survive every basemap, every screen, and every viewer — including the ones with red-green colour blindness. Practical rules with the tradeoffs spelled out.
Read article - Design5 min read
Map labels that don't fight the map
Where to place labels, when to hide them, what fonts read on a phone, and how to stop your map from looking like a wall of text the moment you add a fifth region.
Read article - Custom Tiles6 min read
Custom basemaps: when to replace the default world map
When the standard world map stops being the right canvas, what file formats actually work, the trade-offs of building your own tile set, and the simple test for whether you should bother.
Read article - Analytics5 min read
Measuring whether your map is actually working
The four numbers that tell you whether an interactive map is doing its job, the two numbers that mislead you, and a simple monthly review that catches problems before they compound.
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