Drawing Areas

You can draw custom areas in the viewport to define a location of interest.

You can also import areas using a file import or WKT. For more information about importing areas, see Importing Areas.

  1. Select Areas. The Areas panel opens.

  2. Select Add Area. The Areas toolbar displays at the top of the viewport.

  3. Do one of the following, depending on the type of area you want to draw.

    Draw an area of interest using the viewport.

    • Select Use Viewport. The viewport is highlighted.

    Draw an area of interest using a polygon.

    1. Select Draw Area > Draw a Polygon. The cursor changes to an arrow with a trailing blue dot pointer with blue dot to indicate that the drawing tool is active.

    2. On the map, select a starting point, then select at least two additional vertices.

      As you draw the polygon, a callout indicates the length of each segment.

      After you have selected at least three vertices, a callout indicates the potential area of the polygon if you were to close it.

      Current area of the polygon.

    3. To close the polygon, do one of the following:

      • Manually Close the Polygon Manually connect your last vertex to the starting point, closing the polygon. When your cursor is close to the starting point, MGP Pro will snap the cursor to the starting point so there are no gaps in the polygon.

      • Automatically Close the Polygon Double-click anywhere on the map to automatically draw a straight line to the starting point, closing the polygon.

    Draw an area of interest using a rectangle.

    1. Select Draw Area > Draw a Rectangle. The cursor changes to an arrow with a trailing blue dot pointer with blue dot to indicate that the drawing tool is active.

    2. On the map, select a starting point, then drag to draw a rectangle.When the rectangle covers your desired area, single-click to complete it.

      A callout indicates the rectangle's area as you drag.

      Current area of the rectangle.

    3. (Optional) If you want to edit the area, select Edit Area. When you are finished editing the area, select Finish Editing Area. See Editing Areas.

    You can also draw areas using a small, medium, or large area as a template. You can then edit the area as if you had drawn it yourself.

    Pre-defined area templates are created using earth rectangles. This achieves the most accurate area size. See Draw an Area Using an Earth Rectangle.

    1. Select Draw Area, then select one of the following templates:

      • 50 SQKM Area A small area, measuring approximately 7.07 sq km by 7.07 sq km.

      • 100 SQKM Area A medium area, measuring 10 sq km by 10 sq km.

      • 144 SQKM Area A large area, measuring 12 sq km by 12 sq km.

      The templated area displays on the map, and the Edit interface automatically opens.

    2. (Optional) If you want to edit the area, select Edit Area. When you are finished editing the area, select Finish Editing Area. See Editing Areas.

    You can also draw areas using a coordinate grid by selecting up to 10 contiguous 1-degree cells.

    1. Zoom to level 7 or higher.

    2. Select Draw Area > Select 1° Cells. A 1° coordinate grid displays in the viewport.

    3. In the viewport, select up to 10 contiguous cells to form your area.

      Single-click any cell to remove it from the selection.

      Selected cells.

    4. When you are finished selecting cells, select Finish.

      Be sure you are satisfied with your cell selections before you finalize your area, as they cannot be changed after the area is finalized.

      Areas drawn using 1° cells are treated like a polygon after they are finalized. You can edit the area's overall shape, size, and location using the Edit interface. See Editing Areas.

    Draw an area of interest using an earth rectangle. Earth rectangles are visually distorted to account for the curvature of the earth when projected onto a flat map. Because earth rectangles account for the curvature of the earth, they more accurately measure the size of a drawn area than a standard rectangle.

    Watch the short video below to see how an earth rectangle differs from a standard rectangle.

    1. Select Draw Area > Draw an Earth Rectangle. The cursor changes to an arrow with a trailing blue dot pointer with blue dot to indicate that the drawing tool is active.

    2. Do one of the following, depending on how you want to draw your earth rectangle:

      1. Click and Drag to Draw On the map, select a starting point, then drag to draw an earth rectangle.When the earth rectangle covers your desired area, single-click to complete it.

        A callout indicates the rectangle's area as you drag.

        Current area of the rectangle.

      2. Specify an Exact Location for the Area Select the down arrow arrow down to expand the drawing box. In the Center Latitude, Center Longitude, Width (Meters), and Length (Meters) fields, enter the exact location and/or size of your area.

    3. (Optional) If you want to edit the area, select Edit Area. When you are finished editing the area, select Finish Editing Area. See Editing Areas.

    You can also draw areas using 2.5 km radius circle.

    1. Select Draw Area > 2.5 KM Radius Circle.

      The templated circle displays on the map, and the Edit interface automatically opens.

    2. (Optional) If you want to edit the area, select Edit Area. When you are finished editing the area, select Finish Editing Area. See Editing Areas.

  4. On the Areas toolbar, select Continue.

  5. In the Save Area As dialog, enter the following:

    • Area Name A name for your area.

      The Area Name must be unique.

    • Area Details (Optional) A description of the area.

    Enter information about the area in the Save Area As dialog.

  6. Select Save Area. The area is saved in the Areas panel and is added to the viewport.

    Saved areas in the Areas panel.

More About Adding Areas

  • The maximum size for an area is 10 million sq km.

  • To cancel a shape before it is complete, select ESC on your keyboard, or click Cancel in the instruction box at the top of the viewport.

    An informational box that gives instructions about how to add points when creating polygons.

    An instruction box displays at the top of the viewport when drawing an area.

  • To edit an area created using the drawing tool, on the Areas toolbar, select Edit Area. See Editing Areas.

  • When editing an area, to remove a completed—but unsaved—shape from the viewport, on the toolbar, select Remove Shape. Draw a new area or select Cancel.

  • You can draw new areas in georestricted locations, but their functionality is limited. If you try to place an order using an area that intersects with a georestricted location, you will receive an error.