Basemaps and Map Display: choosing your map background | BotanicalMapper

Why your map background matters

The right background makes mapping easier.

Sometimes you need a clear map with paths and labels. Sometimes you need aerial detail to place plants accurately. Sometimes you want a historic image, a grid, or 3D terrain to understand the site in a different way.

BotanicalMapper lets you choose a base map and add optional overlays, so your map can suit the task in front of you.

In short

A base map is the main background layer
Only one base map is active at a time
Overlays sit on top of the base map, underneath your garden data
Changing the base map turns overlays off, so re-enable them if needed

Base map vs overlays

There are two useful ideas to understand.

Base map

The base map is the main map style underneath everything else.

It might show roads, woodland, terrain shading, or satellite imagery. Only one base map can be active at a time.

Overlays

Overlays are optional extra layers drawn on top of the base map.

Examples include:

Historic Aerial Imagery
3D Terrain
Grid

You can use more than one overlay together in some cases. Your plants, landmarks, areas, and shapes always sit above the base map and overlays.

Opening Map Display

On the signed-in Map page, look at the top-right map controls.

Click Map Display, shown with a layers-style icon. When 3D Terrain is on, the button shows a 3D-style icon.

This opens the Map Display panel in the top-right of the map.

To close it:

Click the X
Or click outside the panel

A small © control near the bottom-right of the map can also open Map Display as an attribution shortcut.

This article focuses on the signed-in Map page. The public visitor map has a simpler control set.

Quick base map toggle

There is also a shortcut on the left side of the map.

The round Toggle Base Map button, shown with a map icon, switches between:

Countryside Map
Aerial Imagery

It does not cycle through every base map.

This is useful when you want to flip quickly between the two most common working views. Your map position and zoom are preserved, so your garden does not jump away.

If 3D Terrain is on, switching base map turns it off.

For the full list of base maps, use Map Display.

Base Maps

Open Map Display, then look under Base Maps.

Only one base map is active at a time. Click the row or its checkbox to choose it.

Countryside Map

Best for: Everyday outdoor use.

This is the default map style, providing a clear view of paths, woodland, and other landscape features, making it ideal for general garden work.

Aerial Imagery

Best for: Identifying physical features.

A satellite-style view that makes it easier to locate planting beds, tree canopies, lawns, and other features, while helping match photographs to real-world locations.

Terrain Map

Best for: Viewing the landscape with less visual clutter.

A simplified map that emphasises terrain and natural features while reducing the amount of map detail.

Streets Map

Best for: Access and navigation.

Displays additional road and access information, making it useful around buildings, entrances, car parks, and urban areas.

Topographic Map (UK only)

Best for: Detailed landscape reference.

An Ordnance Survey-style topographic map available in Great Britain, with enhanced detail for contours, rivers, waterways, rights of way, and other landscape features.

The Topographic Map is only available when your map view is in the UK.

If your view is outside the UK, the option is greyed out. If you are using it and pan outside the UK, BotanicalMapper may switch you back to Countryside Map automatically.

Tip
Use Aerial Imagery when placing plants from photos. Use Countryside Map or Topographic Map when labels, paths, and readability matter more.

Overlays

Open Map Display, then look under Overlays.

Overlays are optional layers that sit above the base map and below your garden data.

Important behaviour:

If you change base map, overlays are turned off. This applies whether you change it from Map Display or use the left Toggle Base Map button.

That means Historic Aerial Imagery, 3D Terrain, and Grid may need to be turned on again after choosing a new base map.

Historic Aerial Imagery

Turn on Historic Aerial Imagery to compare older aerial imagery with your current map.

When enabled, you will see:

A year slider
An opacity slider from 0 to 100%

Available years depend on imagery coverage, often from the mid-2010s to more recent years.

This is useful for questions like:

Has a border changed shape?
Was this tree line different before?
Where did an old building or path sit?
How does older aerial imagery compare with today’s layout?

3D Terrain

Turn on 3D Terrain to view the map with terrain relief.

This changes the map into a 3D viewing mode.

When it is on, the app shows:

Area & Shape editing disabled

That means:

Drawing new areas or shapes is disabled
Editing existing areas or shapes is disabled
If an area or shape was selected, the selection may clear

You can still view and work with plants and landmarks. Areas and shapes can still render on the terrain, but editing them needs normal 2D mode.

Turn 3D Terrain off when you are ready to draw or edit areas and shapes again.

Grid

Turn on Grid to add a reference grid over the map.

This can help with:

Spacing
Rough measurement
Checking layout
Understanding scale

When enabled, you can choose:

Grid Size
Opacity

Grid size options run from small to large, including:

2m
10m
25m
50m
100m
250m
500m
1km

The grid colour adapts somewhat to light and dark base maps.

Combining overlays

You can combine some overlays.

For example:

Historic Aerial Imagery plus Grid
A faded historic image with a 50m grid
Aerial background with a light grid for checking distances

3D Terrain is best treated as a different viewing mode. It is useful for exploring slope and landform, but less useful for detailed editing.

Suggested workflows

Initial mapping

Choose Countryside Map
Draw your main areas
Add paths and key shapes
Place plants and landmarks

Placing plants from photos

Choose Aerial Imagery
Zoom in
Fine-tune plant positions against beds, paths, and tree canopy

Preparing a talk or open day

Choose Topographic Map (UK only) if available
Use area opacity controls in the sidebar
Keep the view clean and readable

Checking what changed over time

Choose Aerial Imagery
Turn on Historic Aerial Imagery
Choose an older year
Adjust opacity until both layers are useful

Getting a sense of distance

Choose Aerial Imagery
Turn on Grid
Start with 10m or 25m

Showing slope

Turn on 3D Terrain
Move around the site
Turn it off again before drawing or editing areas and shapes

Attribution and copyright

The Map Display panel includes attribution lines for map and imagery sources, such as MapTiler, OpenStreetMap, Esri imagery, and OS data where relevant.

These attributions are part of using map data properly, so they should remain visible and respected.

What Map Display does not control

Map Display controls map backgrounds and overlays.

It does not control:

Sidebar filters for plants, landmarks, areas, or shapes
Sidebar search
Search Location, which moves the map to an address or place
Weather or Tasks panels
Plant, landmark, area, or shape visibility settings

Those controls sit elsewhere on the Map page.

Troubleshooting

Map went flat after switching base map, turn 3D Terrain back on
Historic aerial disappeared, changing base map cleared it, turn Historic Aerial Imagery on again
You cannot edit an area, check 3D Terrain is off
Topographic Map (UK only) is unavailable, pan or zoom into the UK, or use Countryside Map
Everything looks dim, check Historic Aerial Imagery or Grid opacity
Toggle button is not showing every map, use Map Display for the full list

Closing checklist

Opened Map Display
Chosen the right base map for the task
Re-enabled any overlays after changing base map
Turned off 3D Terrain before drawing or editing areas and shapes
Checked opacity if the map looks too dim or busy

Optional decision flow

Need to place plants accurately from photos?
Use Aerial Imagery.

Need paths, labels, and general readability?
Use Countryside Map.

Working in Great Britain and want an OS-style background?
Use Topographic Map (UK only).

Checking old layouts or changes over time?
Use Historic Aerial Imagery over Aerial Imagery.

Need slope or landform context?
Turn on 3D Terrain, then turn it off before editing.