What is BotanicalMapper, and why you should use it?

BotanicalMapper is a way to map, organise, and understand your garden or plant collection.

It brings together four simple tools:

• A Map - to see where everything is
• A Spreadsheet - to organise and manage your records
• A Photo Library - to recognise and document what you have
• A Calendar & Diary - to create tasks, events and plan

Instead of using separate tools, everything lives in one place and stays in sync.

In short

• A visual map of your garden, with real locations
• A structured record of plants, landmarks, areas, and shapes
• A photo archive that builds over time
• One workspace per garden or site, shared with your team if needed
• Simple to start, but capable of supporting serious collections

Designed for real gardens and real collections

BotanicalMapper is used across a wide range of settings:

• Private and professional gardens
• Estates and managed landscapes
• Botanical and heritage collections
• Community and volunteer-run spaces
• Research, survey, and fieldwork projects
• Foraging and plant recording

Whether you are managing a few beds or a large, historically significant landscape, the same system applies.

A map you can actually use

At the centre of BotanicalMapper is the Map.

You can:

• Add plants and landmarks exactly where they are
• Draw areas to define parts of your garden or site
• Sketch shapes for beds, paths, or features
• Switch between map styles and overlays to suit the task

It is designed to feel natural. You can move around your garden, place things, adjust them, and build up a clear spatial understanding over time.

A spreadsheet for control and consistency

Alongside the map is the Spreadsheet.

This is where you can:

• See your full collection in one place
• Edit names, taxonomy, and details
• Filter by type, area, or collection
• Make bulk updates efficiently

If the map helps you explore, the spreadsheet helps you maintain accuracy and consistency.

A photo record that grows with your garden

The Gallery connects your records to real-world images.

Photos can be:

• Attached to plants, landmarks, and areas
• Used to identify and verify records
• Compared across seasons or years
• Downloaded for reporting or archiving

Over time, this becomes a valuable visual history of your garden or site.

Everything works together

A key idea in BotanicalMapper is that:

Map, Spreadsheet, and Gallery are all views of the same records

• Add something on the map → it appears in the spreadsheet and gallery
• Edit it in the spreadsheet → the map updates
• Add photos → they appear on the map and gallery

You are building one connected system, not managing separate tools.

Your workspace is your site

Everything lives inside a workspace.

• A workspace represents a garden, estate, or project
• Your data, photos, and settings all belong to it
• If you work with others, they join the same workspace

Your account signs you in. The workspace holds your collection.

Simple to start, structured enough to scale

You can begin with very little:

• A name
• A location on the map
• A photo

That is enough to get started.

As your collection grows, you can add structure:

• Collections to group records
• Types to categorise them
• Custom attributes to track specific data

This makes BotanicalMapper suitable for both informal use and more formal collection management.

Fits alongside larger systems

BotanicalMapper is not designed to replace specialist GIS or institutional database systems.

Instead, it works well alongside them.

• Export data in formats such as CSV, XLSX, and GeoJSON
• Use it as a field tool or working layer
• Feed cleaned or structured data into systems like ArcGIS or AtlasBG
• Share data with collaborators or researchers in standard formats

This makes it useful as:

• A practical day-to-day mapping tool
• A bridge between fieldwork and formal systems
• A simpler interface for teams who do not need full GIS complexity

A practical tool, not a technical barrier

BotanicalMapper sits between two extremes.

It is:

• More structured and reliable than notebooks or photo libraries
• Much easier to use than complex GIS software

You do not need specialist training. If you can use a map and a spreadsheet, you can use BotanicalMapper effectively.

Share your work when you are ready

If you want to, you can publish a public map.

This allows visitors to:

• Explore your garden or site online
• View selected plants, areas, and landmarks
• See photos and descriptions

You remain in control. Nothing is shared unless you choose to make it public.

Why people use BotanicalMapper

People use BotanicalMapper for different reasons:

• Managing plant collections
• Recording and surveying landscapes
• Supporting research and documentation
• Planning maintenance and garden work
• Creating a long-term visual record
• Sharing gardens with the public

Often, it begins with one of these and develops into a broader system.

A system that grows with you

You do not need to set everything up at once.

You can:

• Add a few plants
• Explore the map
• Build structure gradually
• Refine your records over time

The system adapts to how you work, rather than forcing a fixed process.

A calm way to manage something complex

Gardens and plant collections are complex by nature.

BotanicalMapper gives you a way to:

• See the whole picture
• Keep information organised
• Return to records when you need them

Without making the process feel heavy or overly technical.

Getting started

The best way to understand BotanicalMapper is to try it. Create a free account, open the map, add a few plants, move around your site, and explore. From there, everything else will begin to fall into place.