Venue Mapping Overlays

Venue Mapping Overlays is an add-on feature that overlays venue site plans and floor plans directly onto Google Maps, maintaining GPS accuracy while adding venue context, all within WeTrack. This eliminates the disconnect between actual venue layouts and standard map views, enabling faster, more accurate incident location reporting, and thus faster and more accurate incident response and operational planning. The Control Module is required for this feature.

The key benefits of this feature are:

• Enhanced Situational Awareness: Gives teams a clear view of the venue during any incident. It helps staff easily understand where an issue is happening in relation to the actual layout they know.
• Improved Operational Accuracy: With accurate mapping, teams can create zones that match real venue features such as exits, corridors, and rooms. This removes the need for guesswork and ensures operations are based on the true layout of the venue.
• Streamlined Emergency Response: During emergencies, teams quickly see the closest exits and emergency routes. The clear map view helps identify where incidents are happening in relation to key infrastructure, improving coordination between control room staff and field teams.

This feature is ideal for large and complex venues such as stadiums, arenas, and convention centers. It’s especially useful for multi-level facilities, venues hosting large events with over 10,000 people, and organizations with strict safety requirements. Existing WeTrack Control Module users will benefit from improved incident location reporting.

In this article:

• Features
• Pre-Setup Requirements
• Venue Mapping Setup
• Post-Setup Management
• Troubleshooting and Support

Features

The core features of Venue Mapping Overlays are:

1. Flexible Map Types: Venue Mapping Overlays support two map types: Static Image Overlays and Map Tiles (Advanced).
   • With Static Image Overlays, users can upload PNG, JPEG, or SVG floor plans (up to 10MB) or link to externally hosted images via a URL. The system automatically centers the image on the provided coordinates and adjusts the zoom level for best visibility.
   • Map Tiles (Advanced) integrates with dynamic, tile-based maps that allow zooming without quality loss. Four map tile formats are supported: Google-style (XYZ), TMS, Quadkey, and WMTS. 
2. Zones and Areas: Teams can draw zones and areas directly on venue mapping overlays, aligning operational areas with actual physical features like exits, corridors, and rooms. 
3. Operational Integration: Venue Mapping Overlays are available across key areas of WeTrack, ensuring seamless use within the system. They can be accessed in:
   • Control > Map View
   • Control > Add Incident and Edit Incident workflows
   • Control > Add Log and Edit Log workflows
   • Control > Add Job and Edit Job workflows
   • Control > Dashboard > Map widget
   • Settings > Location Manager for zone and area creation

Pre-Setup Requirements

Before setting up Venue Mapping Overlays, you will need these files and information:

• High-resolution venue floor plans or site maps (PNG/JPEG/SVG format, max 10MB) or hosted map tile service URL. This includes plans for each level you want to configure (up to five levels).
  • Map Tile notes:
    • Four map tile formats are supported: Google-style (XYZ), TMS, Quadkey, and WMTS.
    • These tiles are typically hosted online, so users must provide the URL template that defines how the tiles are accessed. The URL must have this format: https://tiles.example.com/{z}/{x}/{y}.png.
• Single GPS coordinate pair for the venue’s center location: The system uses a simple coordinate setup that only needs one latitude and longitude pair to center the map. Coordinates are entered in decimal degrees (e.g., 40.7128, -74.0060). 

Venue Mapping Setup

The setup for Venue Mapping Overlays involves two main steps: Map Configuration, where you upload and set up your venue maps, and Map Positioning and Coordinates, where you align the map with the correct location using GPS coordinates.

1. Go to Profile > Settings > Location Manager. Click Venue Maps and then click Add to create a new map.
2. Enter a Map Name and a Description (optional).
3. Select the Level: Choose the level the plan applies to (Level 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5).
4. Select the Map Type: Static Image (most common) or Map Tiles URL.
5. Provide the Map Source:
   • For Static Image: Click Browse and select a PNG, JPEG, or SVG file (max 10 MB) or click Or add a link and enter a hosted image URL. 
   • For Map Tiles: Select the format your tiles are in and enter the tile template URL (such as https://tiles.example.com/{z}/{x}/{y}.png). 
6. Click Next to align your uploaded venue map with its correct real-world location using GPS coordinates. This ensures that all zones, incidents, and visual references appear accurately on the map within WeTrack.
7. Venue Coordinates:
   • For Static Image: Enter the Latitude and Longitude. For example, Latitude 40.7589, Longitude -73.9851. The image is centered at this latitude and longitude. A preview will appear once the image is uploaded.
   • For Map Tiles:  Enter the Latitude and Longitude. For example, Latitude 40.7589, Longitude -73.9851. No preview is available in this step. 
     • Draw a square on the map to see the map tiles render in real time. Tiles will not render until you draw a square area on the map. This is required because venue map tiles must be square-shaped by design.
8. Preview Map Position: Click Show Preview (enabled after entering coordinates). The map overlay appears centered on the provided coordinates and Google Maps loads underneath as a reference.
9. Adjust Position (Optional): Drag the overlay to fine-tune its placement. Resize using corner handles if needed. Coordinates auto-update as adjustments are made.
10. Click Save Configuration to finish setup. The system stores the map data and links it to the venue. Automatic geocoding retrieves the city and country based on your coordinates.

Post-Setup Management

Once your Venue Mapping Overlays are set up, you can manage, edit, and control their visibility through the Map List View. All configured maps are displayed in an organized list, grouped by venue level. You are able to review which maps are active, check details, and manage configurations across different floors.

Edit an Existing Map

You can update the map name and description at any time. However, certain settings such as map type (Static Image or Map Tiles), level assignment, and position/coordinates cannot be changed after setup. If you need to replace the image source, you must delete the existing map and recreate it with the new image. 

To update the map name and description or activate/inactivate it:

1. Go to Profile > Settings > Location Manager.
2. Click Venue Maps and select the map to edit.
3. Click the pencil icon in the Edit column. The Edit Venue Map modal opens.
4. Make necessary changes.
5. Click Save.

Delete a Map

To delete an existing map:

1. Go to Profile > Settings > Location Manager.
2. Click Venue Maps and select the map to delete.
3. Click the trash icon. A confirmation message displays.
4. Click Confirm.

You can also delete or inactivate an existing map from the Edit Venue Map modal.

Troubleshooting and Support

Common Setup Issues: