Personal Knowledge

Do you know of a new structure feature in your community or in a community that you are familiar with? Check the map for it and add it if it is missing.

 

Example:

 

You know that there is a large cemetery in Albuquerque, NM called Sunset Memorial Park. Cemeteries can be difficult to edit, so there is a chance that this particular cemetery has not been added to the map. Even though you know that this cemetery exists, you still need to do a little research to confirm that it is not already on the map.

 

1. First, if you can, find the official website for Sunset Memorial Park and identify the official name and address for this cemetery. Then, search for the cemetery’s name in the editor, keeping "Structures" as the default option.

 

 

 

QUICK TIP:

 

Although the Sunset Memorial Park Cemetery in this example does have an official website, it is rare for cemeteries to have their own websites.

 

You can access a list of cemetery resources here that will help in confirming the locations and information about cemeteries.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. If there are no search results for the name, identify the address from an official website, and try searching for the address in the online editor. This time use "Address or Place" as the option in the drop-down menu.

 

If you don't get a hit from your searches you may have to find the location manually by searching for the general area, such as the street name, town, or zip code.

 

Since the address search generated several results, you can hit “Zoom To” under the address that most closely matches the address we’re looking for. Places with addresses similar to the one we searched for are identified with blue location markers.

 

 

 

 

3. Once you know the general location of the cemetery’s address, you can click on the blue location markers to identify the one containing the address we entered into the search bar. In this example there is only marker that matches the address we entered, and it looks like it is near a cemetery.

 

Make sure to zoom out to check for other cemetery icons that may have the name "Sunset Memorial Park." It is possible that Sunset Memorial Park is in the wrong location.

 

 

 

 

QUICK TIP:

 

Cemeteries can often be identified on imagery by the manicured green space and rows of headstones which look like rows of small dots on the imagery.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. After determining that there is not already a point for the feature in the editor, determine the exact location of the feature. To do so, find the location of the address on the map. You can use additional map sources, aerial imagery, and street view services to help confirm the location.

 

 

IMPORTANT:

 

DO NOT place points based on the location given in Google®, Bing®, or other similar map search engines. These are frequently incorrect and pulling locations directly from these sources violates their copyright rules. These sources should be used only as supplementary tools to determine the correct location of a structure feature.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. After determining the correct location of the Sunset Memorial Park Cemetery, add a new point to the map. Make sure to position the point in the center of  the cemetery grounds.

 

Click on the cemetery icon in the editing tab, then click on the center of the cemetery grounds to place the point. Make sure to add the name as it is found on the official website and if available please also add the address, city, state, and zip code.

 

Make sure to zoom in as far as you can before placing the new point on the map to ensure that it is correctly placed.

 

 

 

 

6. Click the button after you are finished editing the point.