Basic Tips and Troubleshooting for the New TNMCorps Map Editor
This article covers a few common issues we’ve addressed since launching the new TNMCorps map editor: Disappearing data, saving vs verifying vs "not an issue", and reviewing points in challenges. This list is not exhaustive, so if you have additional questions or concerns, we encourage you to check out our documentation and Q&A forum or reach out to us directly.
Disappearing Data
If you suddenly notice that none of the data points are showing up on the map, check your filters. The filter most likely to be the culprit in such a scenario is the structures filter located in the Map Layers menu in the top right corner of the main TNMCorps map editor interface. If all of the data points have disappeared, make sure that the Structures box is checked. And unless you’re wanting to filter out specific structures, then make sure each of the individual structure boxes are unchecked in the Structure Types Filter.
If neither of those options bring up the points, then try the usual troubleshooting course of action: refresh the page, log out and back in, and / or clear out your browser cache. And if that doesn’t work, reach out to us.
Saving vs Verifying vs Not an Issue
In the new TNMCorps map editor, we distinguish between points that were modified and those that were checked, but did not require any modification.
If you researched a point either outside of or through a mapping challenge and made a change to the location or any of the attributes, we consider this a regular “save”.
If you researched a point outside of a challenge, determined that no changes were required, and clicked “Mark as verified”, we consider this a “verification”.
If you researched a point through a mapping challenge, determined that no changes were required, and selected “Not an issue”, we also consider this a “verification”.
We decided to distinguish between these different types of saves to 1) give credit to folks taking the time to research points even if no changes are required, and 2) make it easier for us to determine if folks are making legitimate edits, or just saving points to increase their point count without conducting adequate research (hard to believe, but yes, it does happen!).
Reviewing Points in Challenges
Mapping challenges contain lists of points that share common issues that need to be addressed. It’s important to pay attention to the issue that landed a point in a specific challenge, but you should also be researching and checking all aspects of each point in a challenge, including the point’s location, symbol, all attributes, and whether or not it still represents an operational business.
For example, if you're cleaning up abbreviations, in addition to spelling out any abbreviations, you need to research the point to ensure that the feature still exists, that it meets our collection criteria, that it is located in the correct location, and that all attribute fields are up-to-date and properly formatted.