Getting started
TopoMapping runs entirely in your browser — there is nothing to download or install, and no account to create. Open the application, and you are immediately working on a live, interactive map.
Open the app
Click Open App in the navigation bar, or head straight to the map workspace. It loads in a few seconds.
Choose your basemap
Pick a background — street, satellite or topographic — from the Base Layers control in the top-left corner.
Draw, import or measure
Sketch features by hand, drop in an existing file, or measure distances and areas directly on the map.
Export the result
Save your work to GeoJSON, KML, GPX, DXF, Shapefile or plain text — ready for QGIS, AutoCAD or the field.
100% client-side. Every file you import, draw or convert is processed locally in your browser. Your spatial data is never uploaded to a server.
The map interface
The workspace is built around a full-screen map surrounded by floating tool groups, so the map stays the star of the show. On desktop the controls dock around the edges; on mobile they collapse into a bottom toolbar with slide-up panels.
- Top-left — Base Layers, Home (reset view) and My Location.
- Drawing toolbar — point, line, polygon, circle, text and the edit tools.
- Measurement toolbar — distance, area and unit switcher.
- Import / Export — bring files in and send them out.
- Search & Print — find a place or coordinate, and produce print-ready maps.
Hover any tool button to see its name in a tooltip. Many actions also respond to keyboard shortcuts — see the shortcuts reference.
Base layers
Switch the background map at any time from the Base Layers control. Each basemap suits a different job — pair satellite imagery with hand-drawn boundaries, or a clean street map for presentation exports.
The detailed, community street map — ideal for context and labelling.
High-resolution ESRI and Google imagery, with optional labelled overlay.
Contour and terrain basemaps for elevation-aware field work.
Drawing & editing tools
Create geometry directly on the map and refine it with a full set of edit tools. Drawing snaps to existing vertices (OSNAP) so your features connect cleanly at intersections.
Create
Drop markers for sample sites, assets or annotations.
Trace paths, routes, profiles and centrelines vertex by vertex.
Outline parcels, zones and footprints of any shape.
Draw radius-based buffers and zones of influence.
Place labels and callouts straight onto the map canvas.
Edit
- Modify — reshape geometry by dragging its vertices.
- Drag — move a whole feature to a new position.
- Cut / Split — divide lines and polygons at an intersection.
- Delete — remove a selected feature.
- Undo / Redo — step backward and forward through every change.
- Color & style — recolor strokes and fills to organise your layers.
Measurement
Measure with survey-grade accuracy as you draw. Live readouts update with every vertex you place.
- Distance — point-to-point and multi-segment path lengths.
- Area — polygon surface area for parcels and zones.
- Unit switcher — toggle between metric and imperial units on the fly.
Measurements are computed on the map's projection. For legal surveys, always verify critical values against an authoritative source.
Coordinate projections
Convert coordinates and reproject whole datasets between thousands of reference systems. From global web mapping to local national grids, TopoMapping keeps spatial relationships accurate with minimal distortion.
Mercator, UTM and Transverse Mercator — navigation and web mapping.
60+ UTM zonesAlbers, Lambert Conformal Conic and Equidistant — national and large-area mapping.
WGS84, MGRS and local national grids for precise on-the-ground work.
Need to convert a single coordinate or transform a full file? See the dedicated projection converter.
Import & export
Move data in and out of TopoMapping in the formats your CAD and GIS tools already speak. Layers, structure and precision are preserved on the way through.
Import
Open the Import panel and choose your file. Vector features appear on the map instantly, ready to edit.
Edit & convert
Reshape, measure, reproject or restyle the data using the on-map tools.
Export
Pick a target format from the Export panel and download — DXF for AutoCAD, GeoJSON or Shapefile for GIS, GPX for the field.
DXF ↔ GeoJSON bridge. TopoMapping is built to move cleanly between the CAD and GIS worlds — bring AutoCAD contours into a GIS workflow, or push GIS vectors back out to DXF.
Printing
Produce a clean, print-ready map straight from the workspace. Open the Print tool to frame your current view and generate an export suitable for sharing or hard copy.
- Captures the active basemap together with your drawn and imported features.
- Optimised for a distraction-free, presentation-quality output.
Saving your work
Your session is preserved automatically. TopoMapping auto-saves your map to your browser's local storage, so a refresh or accidental close won't lose your work.
- Auto-save — the current map state is kept in the browser between visits.
- Local save — your data stays on your device; nothing is sent to a server.
- Export to keep — for permanent archives, export to a file (GeoJSON, DXF, Shapefile…).
Local storage is tied to one browser on one device. Clearing your browser data removes the auto-saved map — export anything you need to keep long-term.
Keyboard shortcuts
Speed up common actions with the keyboard.
| Undo the last change | CtrlZ |
| Redo | CtrlY |
| Finish drawing the current feature | Double-click |
| Cancel the current drawing | Esc |
| Pan the map | Click + Drag |
| Zoom in / out | Scroll |
Frequently asked questions
Is TopoMapping really free?
Yes. The full toolset — drawing, measurement, projections and import/export — is free to use in your browser, with no account required.
Where is my data stored?
On your device. All processing is client-side, and your map is auto-saved to your browser's local storage. Files you import are never uploaded.
Can I move data between AutoCAD and GIS?
Absolutely — that's a core use case. Import DXF and export to GeoJSON or Shapefile (and the reverse) to bridge CAD and GIS workflows.
Which coordinate systems are supported?
Thousands, including WGS84, the full range of UTM zones, MGRS, Lambert/Albers conic systems and local national grids. See Projections for details.
Still stuck?
Reach the team through the contact page — we're happy to help.