Mapping Community Heritage, Line by Line
DrawGeo lets anyone trace heritage onto a map: the boundary of a sacred grove, the route of a procession, the footprint of an old settlement, the spot where a well once stood. Each shape gets a name and can be exported as a standard map file. It runs in a phone or computer browser, installs like an app, and keeps working once loaded. Community members can map what they know without GIS training or paid software.
What it records
- Areas: closed shapes for precincts, groves, ponds, fields, village cores and protected zones. The size is shown while drawing.
- Lines: routes and edges such as pilgrimage paths, old trade roads, embankments, walls and river-bank ghats. A line can be extended later with Resume Line.
- Points: single spots such as shrines, wells, memorial stones, old trees and gateways.
- A name for every feature, suggested automatically (Area 1, Line 2) and easy to rename. The app stops two features sharing the same name, and each also gets a permanent ID.
Built for community mapping
- Trace from above. Seven base maps are available, including Esri and Google satellite and hybrid imagery and Google Terrain. Boundaries can be drawn from aerial views, even for sites that are hard to walk.
- Precise on a phone. The Pen tip option puts a pen point just above the finger, so the map isn’t hidden under the fingertip. Slide to aim while the exact coordinates show, and lift to mark.
- Works with a poor connection. After the first visit, the app loads offline. Street map and Esri map areas already viewed stay available for up to two weeks.
- Hard to lose work. Drawing is autosaved as you go. After a crash or a closed tab, the app offers to restore it. Starting a new map or loading a project keeps the previous map one tap away under Restore Previous.
- Private by default. There is no account and no upload. Maps stay in the browser until someone exports them.
From map to archive
One tap saves the project in the browser. For sharing and long-term keeping, Save GeoJSON exports the lines, areas and points, all together or chosen separately. The file is named with the date. GeoJSON opens directly in:
| Tool | Use |
| QGIS | Heritage maps, overlays with land records, planning layers |
| Google Earth, uMap, web maps | Public maps, presentations and site tours |
| geojson.io | Quick checking and light editing in a browser |
The same format is used by GeoTag, so photo points from GeoTag and boundaries and routes from DrawGeo can be combined into one heritage map.
Where it helps
- Defining heritage zones: marking the extent of a temple complex, sacred grove or historic quarter before it is encroached on or rezoned.
- Routes and movement: recording procession paths, festival circuits, old ferry crossings and footpaths that exist only in local memory.
- Landscape heritage: tracing traditional fields, tanks, ponds, embankments and village layouts from satellite imagery.
- Walking with elders: marking the places and paths they describe, then naming each one in their words.
- Change over time: saving a dated map each year to show loss, encroachment or recovery of a site.
Good practice and current limits
- Check against the ground. Shapes are traced from imagery, so they are only as accurate as the imagery. Confirm key boundaries on site, and note that images from different providers can be slightly offset.
- Protect sensitive places. Exact outlines of sacred or vulnerable sites can invite intrusion; review exports before sharing them widely.
- Export often. Only one project is saved per browser, and clearing browser data removes it. The exported GeoJSON file is the real archive copy.
- Know what it doesn’t do yet. Each feature holds a name only: no descriptions, dates, photos or custom fields. It does not use the phone’s GPS to show where you are. Place search and new map areas need an internet connection.