Using with geojson.io
We are always on the lookout for quick and simple tips & tools for working with map data. One of our favorites since it was released back in 2013 is geojson.io. It is a fantastic web tool for quickly sketching out map data using the portable GeoJSON format. It also supports other common standards like CSV, KML, shapefile, GPX files from your GPS, and even saving data directly to GitHub repositories.
One of the central principles with Fulcrum is to always allow users access to their data in as many flexible and open-standard formats as possible, and not to lock users up in a specific data format. So we make quite a few formats available for exporting data from your Fulcrum projects, including GeoJSON. This means you can take any export files from Fulcrum, drag and drop them into the geojson.io window in the browser, and instantly visualize or share that data.
Data Share with Fulcrum
But this gets cooler using Fulcrum’s data share feature, which allow you to create shareable URLs to your live data in several formats, including GeoJSON, KML, and CSV format. Anytime you browse to the data share URL (or hit that URL from a web service), Fulcrum will return all of the current data right from your account. geojson.io has a neat way to read your data share URLs built right in. Using a special URL parameter, you can paste in your own GeoJSON data share URL, and get a shareable map instantly in geojson.io. From here you can make additional annotations, or save the map for later viewing and sharing. You can also generate quick map embeds to stick on your own website or blog post. Here’s what you do:
- Copy your data share URL as GeoJSON from your Fulcrum account
- Append it to the URL in geojson.io like so (where the Fulcrum URL is copied from your account):
http://geojson.io/#data=data:text/x-url,https://web.fulcrumapp.com/shares/my-data-share-id.geojson - Paste that URL into your browser and watch it load your Fulcrum data
Now with your current live data loaded into the map, you can add further annotations, set the bounds and center point, and share with others.
geojson.io is also open source and hosted on GitHub. Check it out and see what other cool things you can do with it. Also take a look at some of our other examples of what you can do with Fulcrum’s data shares.