Operator handbook

1. Your instance

What is your instance?

Your instance is your own map presence at GeoImage-Karte: an address under geo-image.eu (or your own domain), your logo and colours, your places, maps and layers and your own user management. You deliver the maps by embedding them in your website. You do not need a server of your own – GeoAtrium AB takes care of hosting and updates: EU-hosted, GDPR-compliant, without US services.

You will always find the current prices on the pricing page (“Pricing” in the menu). All prices are net plus the statutory VAT of your country. → Pricing

How to order

1. Choose the appropriate plan on the pricing page – you get to the order form. GeoImage-Karte is aimed exclusively at companies, public authorities and organisations.
2. Enter company, contact person and billing address; VAT ID or company registration number is mandatory. The country determines the VAT rate of your invoice.
3. Confirm plan and billing (monthly or yearly) and state your wishes: preferred subdomain (name.geo-image.eu), own domain, additional languages.
4. Check the summary, confirm privacy and terms of use and submit.

After ordering

• We set up your instance and activate the subdomain – usually on the next working day. The contact person receives an invitation as administrator by e-mail.
• You receive the invoice as a PDF by email — payment is by bank transfer with 14 days payment term; no credit card required.
• As administrator you invite your team, create places and maps and embed the maps in your website. Embeds from the product server work immediately, even before the subdomain is activated.

Languages

Twenty-eight languages are available right away (German, English, Swedish, French, Spanish, Hungarian, Polish, Dutch, Italian, Danish, Norwegian, Portuguese, Finnish, Romanian, Russian, Greek, Turkish, Ukrainian, Icelandic, Czech, Slovak, Serbian, Slovenian, Croatian, Bulgarian, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian). When placing your order you simply tick which of them your map should offer – as many as you wish. For a clearly arranged map we recommend no more than seven languages; you determine the order in the language menu yourself later on.

Invoice currency

Prices can be shown and invoiced in euros, US dollars, Swedish kronor, Swiss francs, British pounds or Hungarian forint. The chosen currency determines the invoice currency; amounts are not converted automatically but maintained separately per currency. If no price is set for a currency, the euro price applies.

The app with your branding

When a user installs the app via your instance's address, it automatically adopts your branding: your name, your colour and — if set — your own icon appear on the home screen instead of GeoImage-Karte's. This turns your instance into an app with your own identity, entirely without an app store.

Your editorial responsibility

You are editorially responsible for the content of your instance. At GeoImage-Karte only your team maintains the content – visitors to your maps cannot contribute or register. For quality assurance within the team there are two tools; they work independently of each other:

Approval: new places by editors remain invisible until a moderator approves them. Image review: new images are continuously reviewed by moderators – as a follow-up check or as prior approval.

More on this in the sections “Images and Copyright” and “Moderators”.

2. The Interactive Map

Map Navigation

• Zoom: Use the mouse wheel or +/- buttons. On touch devices: pinch gesture.
• Pan: Click and drag with the mouse. On touch devices: swipe with one finger.
• My Location: Click "My Location" to jump to your current position (requires location permission).

Map Types

Choose between different map views:

• OSM: OpenStreetMap vector map from our own map server (© OpenStreetMap contributors, © OpenMapTiles)
• Topo: Topographic map with contour lines and hillshade (our own map server, © OpenStreetMap contributors, © OpenMapTiles, © ESA Copernicus)
• Minimal: Light, subtle vector map (our own map server, © OpenStreetMap contributors, © OpenMapTiles)
• Satellit: Aerial and satellite imagery

POI Markers

Places are displayed as round markers:

• Markers with image: Show the main image of the place
• Red numbered circles: Multiple places grouped – click to zoom in
• Click on a marker to open a popup with details
• Multiple places at the same point are displayed side by side from zoom level 14

Right-Click Menu

Right-clicking the map opens a small menu: you can copy the coordinates or create a new place at that spot. This is the way to start a place directly from the map – a plain click does not create anything.

Route to a place

You can have the way to any place calculated – as a line on the map, with distance and travel time.

• Via “Show route” in the place window or the map's right-click menu. The same button sits next to the coordinates on the place page.
• Switch between car, walking and bicycle. The starting point is your current location; your browser will ask for permission.
• If the detected location is wrong (e.g. satellite internet without GPS), set the start yourself: right-click on the map, then Route from here – and click the destination afterwards.
• The calculation runs on our own server. Your coordinates are not stored and never passed to an outside service.

The map on your phone

On small screens the map takes up most of the space. Search, filters and the results list are not shown permanently there but are tucked behind a button:

• Tap “Search & filter” (with the number of places found) to open search, category filters and the list of places in a window. Tapping a result closes the window and flies to the place.
• In portrait the button appears at the bottom centre above “My location”; in landscape at the top right below the layer switcher. On tablets in landscape and on a computer, search and filters stay next to the map as usual.

3. Customize Design

Light/Dark Mode

Click the sun/moon icon to switch between light and dark design.

Change Language

Choose your language via the flag icons. Available: German, English, Swedish, French, Spanish, Hungarian, Polish, Dutch, Italian, Danish, Norwegian, Portuguese, Finnish, Romanian, Russian, Greek, Turkish, Ukrainian, Icelandic, Czech, Slovak, Serbian, Slovenian, Croatian, Bulgarian, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian.

On smaller screens the language selector is a menu: tap the flag with the arrow and pick the desired language from the list.

4. Discover Places

List View

Under “All places” you find all entered places and routes as a clear card gallery – provided your administrator has made the page public; otherwise only signed-in staff see it.

• Preview image
• Category badge (e.g. Nature, Restaurant, Sight)
• Name and short description
• Attributes like "Dogs allowed", "Accessible", etc.

Detail View

Click "Details" to see the full description, all images and GPX tracks.

5. Search and Filter

Text Search

Enter a search term to find places by name or description.

Category Filter

Filter by categories:

Attribute Filter

Enable advanced filters for specific requirements:

• Dogs allowed: Dog-friendly places
• Barrier-free: Wheelchair accessible
• Parking: Parking available
• Free entry: No entrance fee
• Playground: Playground nearby available

6. User Account

Account by invitation

Accounts are created by your administrator: you receive an invitation by e-mail and choose your credentials when you first open the link. There is no self-registration.

• Username (3-50 characters)
• Valid email address
• Secure password (min. 12 characters)

The invitation link is valid for seven days; after that, ask for a new invitation.

Login

Log in with your email address or username and password.

Forgot Password?

Click "Forgot Password?" and enter your email address.

7. Create New Place

Step by Step

1. Choose Position: Click "Add location" in the navigation. To start directly from the map, right-click – the spot you clicked is then already filled in.
2. Enter Basic Data: Enter name, description and category.
3. Set Coordinates: Drag the marker to the exact position.
4. Set Attributes: Enable applicable attributes (Dogs allowed, Accessible, etc.).
5. Upload Images: Upload up to 10 images. The first image will be used as the main image.
6. Save: Click "Save". The place will be published after moderation.

Emphasising and linking text

In the description you can emphasise individual words or turn them into a link:

• **word** – bold
• *word* – italic
• [word](https://…) – becomes a clickable link

The formatting shows on the place page and in the map's place window. Tile views and search engine previews show plain text only.

8. Composing maps

A map is a selection of your places with its own address (/map/identifier), its own start view and its own layers – for example “Branches North” or “Hiking trails”. A place can appear on several maps. Places without an assignment appear only on the overall map of your instance.

Where to manage maps

Moderators and administrators create and edit maps under “Moderation → Maps”. Editors see the maps as checkboxes in the place form and can assign their places there.

Creating a map

1. Choose “New map” and enter a name – per language, with “Translate automatically” for the remaining languages.
2. The identifier is derived from the German name (branches-north) and forms the address /map/branches-north. It can be adjusted; lowercase letters, digits and hyphens are allowed.
3. Optionally add a description – it appears above the list of places and in the preview when the link is shared.
4. Save. The map is active at first but empty – you assign places in the next step.

Start view

In the “Start view” tab, pan and zoom the small map until the desired section is visible and choose the base map (OSM, Topo, Minimal, Satellite). Without a start view of its own, the map uses that of your instance.

Assigning places

There are two ways that lead to the same result:

• In the map editor under “Places”: a list of all places of your instance with search and category filter – tick, save.
• In the place form under “On maps”: tick the appropriate maps when creating or editing a place.

Only public, approved places are visible on the map. A private or not yet approved place remains assigned but appears only after publication.

Layers

In the “Layers” tab you choose which geo layers (protected areas, trails, boundaries …) appear on this map. Without a selection the map shows no layers – even if the overall map has some.

Visibility

• Active: only active maps can be reached at their address and in embeds. An inactive map gives visitors “not found”; moderators still see it for preparation.
• Public list of places: shows a list of the places below the embedded map as a text alternative – for visitors without a mouse, for screen readers and for search engines.
• Allowed websites: empty means the map may be embedded anywhere. If you enter addresses (one per line, e.g. https://www.example.org), embedding is only possible there – see the chapter “Embedding maps”.

Number of maps

How many maps you can create depends on your plan. When the limit is reached, a notice appears with the way to the next plan. Deleting a map (administrators only) does not delete any places – they only lose the assignment.

9. Embedding maps

Any active map can be embedded in any website – a CMS, a shop or a static page. The map loads from the GeoImage-Karte server; changes to places appear immediately without anything to do on your website.

Getting the embed code

Open the map under “Moderation → Maps” and switch to the “Embed” tab. Choose language, base map, height and whether the list of places should appear, copy the code and paste it into your website. Two variants are available:

• iframe – a single HTML element with a fixed height. Works everywhere, including where scripts are not allowed.
• Script – a small script inserts the map and adjusts the height automatically, for instance when the list of places gets longer. Several maps on one page need the script only once.

The code loads the map either from the product server (geo-image.eu) or from your instance's address. The product server works immediately; your own address as soon as the subdomain is activated.

Parameters

The embed address accepts parameters that the generator sets for you. You can also change them by hand:

• lang – lang – language of the map (e.g. lang=sv). Without it, the default language of your instance applies.
• layer – layer – base map: osm, topo, minimal or satellite.
• zoom – zoom, lat, lon – start section if it should differ from the saved start view.
• list – list=1 – force the list of places below the map, even if it is not marked public in the map.

Allowed websites

By default a map may be embedded anywhere. If it should appear only on your own pages, enter the allowed websites under “Visibility”.

• Enter the address with protocol and without path: https://www.example.org – www.example.org and example.org are two different entries.
• On a website that is not allowed, the frame stays empty; the browser's developer console reports a “frame-ancestors” error. This is intended – the browser enforces the block, not a script that could be bypassed.

List of places as a text alternative

A map alone is silent for screen readers and search engines. The list of places below the map names each place with category and link to the detail page – it makes the embed accessible and findable. Switch it on per map (“Public list of places”) or per embed (list=1).

From the embed to the detail page

When a visitor clicks a place in the embedded map, a small window with picture and short description opens. “Details” leads to the place page of your instance – in a new tab so the visitor's website is not left.

Testing beforehand

The “Embed” tab shows a preview. For a test on your own website a page with the copied code is enough – even a local HTML file. Note: allowed websites also apply to the test; a local file has no address and is blocked when the list is set.

10. GPX Tracks and Routes

What are GPX Tracks?

GPX is a standard for GPS data. Hiking routes or bike tours can be uploaded as GPX files.

Upload GPX

When creating a place, you can upload GPX files. The route will be displayed on the map.

View GPX

Routes are automatically displayed on the map. You can also download the route.

11. Geo Layers (Map Overlays)

Geo layers are geographic data overlays displayed on the map as areas, lines or points. They can be used to visualise nature reserves, hiking areas, boundaries and more.

Viewing Geo Layers on the Map

Active geo layers are displayed automatically on the map. You can recognise them by the coloured areas, lines or points overlaid on the base map.

• The map legend lists all visible layers with their name and colour.
• Some layers display labels directly on the map, e.g. the name of a nature reserve.

Categories

Layers can be assigned to the following categories:

Customising Appearance

You can individually customise the appearance of each layer:

• Fill colour: Colour and transparency for areas
• Stroke colour: Colour and transparency of outlines
• Stroke width: Thickness of outlines (0.5 to 10 pixels)

Labels

Layers can be annotated with text labels displayed directly on the map:

• Enable labels: Turn labelling on or off
• Text field: Choose which property is displayed as the label (e.g. name, type or the layer name)
• Position: Centre, Top, Bottom, Left or Right relative to the feature
• Font: Configure font family, size, colour and bold
• Background: Optionally show a background colour behind the text
• Border: Optionally show a border around the label

Status and Visibility

• Active/Inactive: Inactive layers are not shown on the map
• Public/Internal: Internal layers are only visible to moderators
• In legend: Controls whether the layer appears in the map legend
• Order (Z-Index): Determines the stacking order of multiple layers

12. Draw map layers

With certain plans you can draw your own map layers directly on the map – points, lines (e.g. routes and trails) and areas (e.g. districts). The result is saved as a layer of its own and can be assigned to your maps. This function differs from uploading ready-made geo layers (file).

How to start

There are two ways to the drawing page:

1. On the map: click the “✏️ Draw map layer” button in the sidebar.
2. In the dashboard: open the “My map layers” tile and click “Draw map layer” there.

Drawing tools

Pick a tool at the top, then click on the map to place the points:

• Point: single markers (e.g. stations).
• Line: a path with several points (e.g. a route). Double-click to finish.
• Area: a region (polygon). Click the corners one by one, double-click to close.

“Undo” removes the last drawn object, “Clear all” removes the whole drawing. You can collect several objects in one layer before saving.

Use the switcher in the top right (OSM / Topo / Minimal / Satellite) to choose the background map while drawing.

Name, category and colors

• Layer name: the name is also shown as a label on the map.
• Category: free text — type your own category (e.g. “fishing spots”), suggestions are offered.
• Line and fill color as well as opacity and line width: changes are shown immediately in the preview on the map.

Visibility

Each drawn layer is either private or public:

• Private: only you see the layer on the map — your own workspace.
• Public: the layer is visible to all visitors of the map. Whether you may publish publicly depends on your plan; if it is not included, the layer stays private.

Saving

After “Save layer” you return to the map and your drawn layer appears as a colored overlay with its label.

Manage, edit, download

Under “My map layers” (in the dashboard) you manage your drawn layers:

• Edit: change name, category, visibility and colors — and edit the geometry itself (move vertices, draw more, delete).
• Download: export the layer as a GeoJSON file.
• Delete: remove a whole drawn layer again.

Downloading and exporting

You can download your drawn layers as a file — individually or several together:

• Single layer: “Download” on a layer (in the list or the edit window) gives you exactly that layer as a GeoJSON file.
• Multiple layers: “Download multiple” at the top of the “My map layers” page packs several layers into a single file — either all layers together or only the layers of one geometry type (point, line or area layers only).

When selecting by type, a layer is only included if all of its objects have that type. Mixed layers appear only under “All layers”.

The bulk download offers two formats:

• GeoJSON: the complete, lossless map format — can be read directly into GIS software (e.g. QGIS).
• CSV: a table with one row per object (columns: layer, type, geometry as WKT and your properties) — handy for spreadsheet programs such as Excel.

13. Images and Copyright

Image Rights for Uploads

When uploading images, you must confirm that you have the necessary rights. Only use your own photos or images for which you have a usage license.

If an image comes from someone else — for example from a free image database — enter the author, licence and source. These details appear below the image and in the enlarged view. Free licences such as Creative Commons require attribution: “free” does not mean “without conditions”.

• Only upload images that you have created yourself or for which you have an explicit usage license.
• You guarantee that you have all necessary rights to the uploaded content.

Image review

Depending on the administrator's decision, images at public places are either visible immediately or released only after a check. In both cases, however, they are reviewed by a moderator. Images that fail the check are blocked.

Images at private places are seen only by the person who uploaded them – they are not reviewed. As soon as you make the place public, these images are submitted to moderation, including those uploaded earlier.

14. Member Area

On the desk you manage your places, GPX files and drawn layers.

My Areas

Places have two visibilities:

15. Moderators

Access Moderator Area

Moderators can access the moderation area via the shield icon in the menu.

Moderator Dashboard

The moderator dashboard shows an overview of pending tasks and quick actions.

Pending Approvals

Moderators can review new POIs and approve or reject them:

• Access via Moderation > Pending Approvals in the menu
• Review the POI name, description, category and images
• Click "Approve" to publish the POI
• Click "Reject" and provide a reason to reject the POI
• The creator will be notified by email about the decision

Moderation

In the moderation area you can review, lock or delete locations. All actions are logged in the audit log.

Location Management

View and manage all locations on the platform. Edit details or remove inappropriate entries.

Validating images

If the administrator has switched on image review, new images at public places are checked by moderators — under “Moderation → Images”:

• Three folders: “To validate”, “Validated” and “Rejected”. Each reviewed image shows who validated or rejected it, and when.
• Three actions per image: Validate · Reject (with a reason; the image stays stored and can be restored) · Delete (final, also removes the file). A bulk action handles many images at once.
• Two operating modes via admin switches: post-moderation (the image is visible immediately and checked afterwards) or pre-approval (the image stays invisible until it is validated).
• Only images at public places are reviewed — private and shared places are exempt. Images uploaded by moderators or admins themselves count as validated immediately.

Audit Log

All moderation actions are logged in the audit log. Here you can track which moderator performed which action and when.

16. Administrators

Access Admin Area

As an administrator, you can access the admin area through the menu. There you have access to all management functions.

Admin Dashboard

The dashboard shows an overview with statistics and quick access to important functions:

User Management

In user management you see all invited users, change roles or suspend accounts. If an account is deleted, its places, images and files are kept – they pass to the deleting administrator.

Invite Users

Invite new users via email. The invited user receives a link to create their account:

Settings

In settings, you can configure various system options:

Metadata (search engines and social media)

Under “Metadata” you define how your instance appears in search results and when links are shared:

• Description for search engines: the text below the title in the Google result. Around 160 characters is recommended — longer texts are cut off. A counter and a preview show you the result as you type.
• Preview when sharing: title and text of the card that appears when someone shares a link to your site on social networks or messengers.
• Preview image: the picture on that card. 1200 × 630 pixels is recommended, 5 MB at most. You can upload a file or enter the address of an externally hosted image. The image applies to all languages.
• All texts can be maintained per language. If a language is missing, the German version applies. “Translate automatically” fills empty languages from the tab currently open — existing texts remain untouched.

Important: Google treats your description as a suggestion, not a specification. If another section of your page matches the search query better, Google will show that instead. A concise sentence improves the odds but is no guarantee.

Adjusting category names

The “Current” category is meant for time-limited topics – an election, a festival, an emergency. You can give it a fitting name instead of creating a new category for each topic.

• Found under Administration → Category names.
• The name can be set per language; “Translate automatically” fills the rest. If only one language is set, it appears everywhere.
• The name shows on the map, on place pages, in listings and in the selection menu when creating a place.

Important: the internal key stays the same. If you change the name later, all existing places keep their assignment.

Managing Geo Layers

Uploading a Layer

In the admin area under "Geo Layers" you can upload new layers:

1. Click "Upload Layer"
2. Select a GeoJSON file (.geojson, .json) or a Shapefile (.zip containing .shp, .shx, .dbf)
3. Enter a name and choose a category
4. Set the visibility (public or internal)
5. Click "Upload" – the file will be processed automatically

Supported File Formats

• GeoJSON (.geojson, .json): Standard format for geographic data
• Shapefile (.zip): Packaged as a ZIP file containing .shp, .shx and .dbf

Maximum file size: 50 MB

Delete Geo-Layers

Only administrators can delete layers. Deleting a layer permanently removes all associated features.

Backups and Monitoring

The platform is backed up and monitored automatically. For administrators:

• Daily backup: the database (including user accounts) and all uploaded files are backed up automatically every night — kept for 14 days, with an additional off-site copy.
• Automatic verification: every backup is checked for readability immediately. If a backup fails, the administrator is notified by email right away.
• Restore drills: restoring from backup is tested at regular intervals so the emergency procedure is proven.

Outage monitoring

The map, website and database services are checked automatically every five minutes. In case of an outage — and upon recovery — the administrator receives an email. A status dashboard shows availability over time.

Appearance — in your own design

Under Admin → “Appearance” you adapt the instance to the design of your website. The point of a custom homepage is that it does not appear as a GeoImage-Karte product but blends into your presence — map, menu and footer then look like part of your website.

• Logo and favicon — your logo replaces the GeoImage-Karte symbol top left, in the footer and in the app; the favicon appears in the browser tab (PNG, JPG or WebP, up to 5 MB).
• Colour scheme — pick one of the presets or enter the colour value of your website (#rrggbb). All shades for buttons, links, headings and the tint over the cover image derive from the main colour.
• Footer — background and text colour are free to choose. The upper part (columns) and the lower part (logo, name, line, mandatory links) can be switched off separately; both off means no footer — sensible only for a pure map embed, when the surrounding website carries imprint and privacy. The columns “How does it work?” and “Legal and info” can be switched off; “Instances Handbook” is shown there only to moderators and administrators. Your own column holds up to eight links — heading and labels per language with “Translate automatically”, the address for all languages. The line in the lower part is free; without the “Legal and info” column, imprint, privacy and terms appear there as small links. Everything applies to the whole instance: homepage, map, places.
• Your website — enter the address of your website. “Home” in the menu then leads there, and the instance’s own homepage is called “Welcome”. The label of the menu item is free to choose.
• Closing banner – in the builder the “Map” and “Account” buttons can be switched off per banner.
• “All places” page – either public or only for signed-in staff. Menu, sitemap, 404 page and the map's list link follow the setting.

Designing the homepage (block builder)

Under Admin → “Homepage” you compose your public homepage from ready-made blocks. As long as no blocks exist, visitors see the standard homepage. Alternatively you can enable “Map as homepage” in the settings — visitors then land directly on the map.

Available blocks

• Hero — large cover image with heading, subtitle and optional buttons; the colour overlay automatically uses your instance colour.
• Text + image — the all-purpose block: heading, text and optionally an image on the left or right; can be used any number of times.
• Map teaser — embedded map with your map settings (centre, zoom).
• Popular places — shows 3 or 6 places of your instance, optionally with a custom heading.
• Video — shows the video maintained under “Homepage video” (click-to-play, GDPR-compliant).
• Statistics — key figures band (places, users, languages).
• Closing banner — coloured band with your own text and buttons at the end of the page.

How to proceed

1. Select a block type and click “Add block”.
2. Click “Edit” on the block and enter the texts — via the language tabs you maintain all twenty-eight languages; “Translate automatically” fills empty languages from the currently active language.
3. For hero and text + image, optionally upload an image (JPG, PNG or WebP, 5 MB max).
4. Save — the block appears on the homepage immediately.
5. Change the order with the arrows; blocks can be hidden at any time (they are kept) or deleted.

17. Installing the app

GeoImage-Karte can be installed like an app — straight from your browser, without an app store. On smartphone, tablet and computer. Afterwards you open the map via its own icon in full screen, and maps and places you've already visited work even without an internet connection.

Benefits of the app

• Its own icon on your home screen — one tap and the map is there.
• Full screen without the browser bar, like a real app.
• Works offline: maps and places you've already visited work without internet.
• Always up to date — no store updates needed.

How to install the app

• Android (Chrome): Open the browser menu and choose “Install app” or “Add to Home Screen” — or tap the install hint that appears by itself.
• iPhone/iPad (Safari): Tap “Share” at the bottom, then “Add to Home Screen”.
• Computer (Chrome/Edge): Click the install icon in the address bar or choose “Install” in the menu — GeoImage-Karte then opens as its own window.

18. Enquiries (questions, suggestions, criticism)

Questions, suggestions, criticism and bug reports all arrive in one place. Every enquiry gets a number, a history and an owner — so nothing gets lost and nobody works on the same thing twice.

How to reach us

There are two ways – both end up in the same system:

• Contact form: Via the “Contact” menu item — no account needed. You receive a confirmation with your enquiry number.
• Email: Write directly to support@geo-image.eu. Your mail is recorded as an enquiry automatically.

How you receive our reply

The reply arrives by email. Simply reply to it — your answer is attached to the same enquiry automatically, there is nothing to watch out for. If you are signed in you can also see the whole history under “My account → My enquiries” and reply there directly.

19. Contact and Support

If you have questions, problems or suggestions, the following contact options are available: