Levels, GPS & offline

Calibrate GPS on every level

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GPS calibration is done per level, not once for the whole map. Each level image can differ in size, crop and rotation, so each one needs its own set of four corners. This guide shows how to work through a multi-storey building so the blue dot is accurate wherever a visitor stands.

Why per level?

A ground-floor plan and a first-floor plan are usually drawn at different scales, cropped differently, and sometimes rotated. If Mapvera reused one set of corners for all of them, the dot would drift on every floor but one. Giving each level its own four corners means the dot is projected correctly onto that floor's exact artwork.

Older maps that only ever had a single map-wide rectangle still work: Mapvera falls back to it at runtime for any level that has no corners of its own. But for a new map, calibrate each level — it's more accurate and future-proof.

Read the badges

Each level on the GPS tab shows two small badges so you can see its state at a glance.

BadgeMeaning
✓ GPS setThis level has its four corners saved — it's calibrated.
(no GPS badge)This level has no corners yet — the dot can't be positioned on it.
● Dot EnabledThe blue dot is switched on for this level (it will show, once corners are set).
Dot DisabledThe blue dot is off for this level — no dot shows here even if corners are set.
A level needs both to work: ● Dot Enabled and ✓ GPS set. One without the other means no dot — enabled-but-uncalibrated has nowhere to put the dot, and calibrated-but-disabled is switched off.

Work through the building

  1. Turn on the master switch

    At the top of the GPS tab, tick Enable GPS blue dot (live visitor location). While this is off, no dot ever shows, whatever the per-level settings say.

  2. Take one level at a time

    Levels are listed top floor first, matching the Floors tab. Expand the first level with Edit.

  3. Enable the dot for the level

    Tick Enable GPS blue dot for this level. The badge switches to ● Dot Enabled.

  4. Position it and capture

    Click 📍 Position on map, line the image up over the real building and click ✓ Capture corners (see the "Position a map with GPS" guide). A ✓ GPS set badge appears.

    Capturing saves and publishes automatically, so each level is live the moment you finish it.

  5. Move to the next floor

    Collapse the level and repeat for every floor. Because upper floors sit directly above the ground floor, you can often search the same address each time and only fine-tune.

Do every level — even ones without a dot

Setting all four corners on every level does more than power the blue dot: it also gives wayfinding accurate real-world distances and walk-times, including for routes that cross between floors. If you care about accurate directions, calibrate every level even if you don't plan to show the dot on all of them.

Tip: calibrate first, then decide per level whether to show the dot. Calibration and the per-level dot toggle are independent — you can leave a level ✓ GPS set but Dot Disabled and still get the wayfinding benefit.