The map is the centre of Map Portal and the main entry point to Roadblog’s geographic catalogue. It lets you find published places, read related materials, view photographs and share a link to a selected area.
How the map works
You can move around the map, change the zoom level, search by name, filter by category and open individual place cards.
Available basemaps depend on the current configuration and may include standard and vector maps, versions with English or Russian labels, and satellite imagery. The map can be viewed as a flat surface or a globe. You can adjust the camera angle, enable terrain and reset the bearing to north.
The current map state is stored in the page address. A link can preserve the camera position, zoom, selected basemap, display mode, filters and open place. This makes it possible to share a particular map view rather than only the service homepage.
Search and categories
Places can be found by name and filtered by category. Categories distinguish between different kinds of objects, such as:
- natural places;
- landmarks and attractions;
- accommodation;
- infrastructure;
- mountain passes and notable roads;
- viewpoints;
- monuments;
- outdoor activities.
Countries and regions form a separate geographic structure, preventing the catalogue from becoming one long, unorganised list.
A place is more than a marker
A place card may contain:
- its name, country and region;
- a category;
- a detailed description and practical notes;
- one or more coordinates;
- photographs;
- an exact or approximate boundary;
- information about the accuracy of its geographic data.
Every place has a primary point used to display it on the map. Additional coordinates may identify an entrance, parking area, drop-off point, trailhead, viewpoint or another useful location.
Large objects such as national parks, valleys, lakes and historic complexes can be represented by an area rather than a single marker. An approximate boundary is visually distinct from a precisely mapped one.
Coordinates can also be marked as exact or provisional. This distinction is particularly important for remote places where information still needs to be verified.
Place descriptions
A description can become a short geographic guide covering:
- what makes the place interesting;
- how to reach it;
- the best season to visit;
- likely road conditions;
- where to stay;
- applicable restrictions;
- how much time to allow;
- mistakes worth avoiding;
- nearby places.
Authors can prepare descriptions in Markdown, load the file into the editor and review the result before saving. Saving creates a draft; publication remains a separate, deliberate action.
Photographs
Photographs in Map Portal are connected to actual places rather than being detached from geography. The photo library can:
- accept JPEG, PNG and WebP images;
- organise photographs into albums;
- retain capture dates and coordinates;
- select a cover image for a place;
- change the order of a gallery;
- add captions and alternative text;
- display selected photographs on the map;
- open images in a full-screen viewer.
Smaller derivatives are generated for the map and galleries, so ordinary page views do not need to download every original image.
Changes to a draft gallery do not alter the published place. An author can replace the cover, rearrange images or prepare new captions while visitors continue to see the previous published version.
Public and personal material
Only deliberately published information is public: selected places, descriptions, photographs, coordinates and boundaries.
Drafts, unpublished photographs, personal trips, temporary waypoints and unverified information remain private. New user material is never made public automatically.
This separation lets authors prepare and verify information without changing the public map before it is ready.
Using the map for trip planning
After signing in, the main map becomes part of the trip-planning workflow. An existing place can be added to a personal trip, or a private waypoint can be placed at a chosen coordinate.
A private waypoint can represent a possible campsite, meeting point, parking area, intermediate coordinate or a location that has not yet been verified. It does not automatically become part of the public catalogue.