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Overlays

The Overlays page manages map overlays — geographic shapes drawn on the tactical map to define areas, boundaries, routes, and points of interest. Overlays provide visual context for missions, objectives, and operational planning.

Overlay Overview

Overlays are vector shapes rendered on top of the tactical map. They are stored as GeoJSON and can be shared with TAK clients via CoT messages. Overlays are independent of events and can be reused across multiple missions.

Overlay List

The overlay list displays all configured overlays.

Column Description
Name Overlay display name
Type Polygon, Line, Circle, Marker, or Collection
Event Associated event (if any)
Visibility Visible or Hidden on the tactical map
Created By User who created the overlay
Updated Last modification timestamp

Filtering

Filter overlays by type, event association, or visibility status using the filter controls above the list.

Creating an Overlay

Click Create Overlay to open the overlay editor.

Form Fields

Field Type Required Description
Name Text Yes Display name for the overlay
Type Select Yes Shape type — Polygon, Line, Circle, or Marker
Color Color Picker Yes Stroke and fill color for the shape
Opacity Slider No Fill opacity (0–100%, default 30%)
Stroke Width Number No Border line width in pixels (default 2)
Event Select No Associate with a specific event
Description Text No Optional description or notes

Drawing on the Map

After filling in the form fields, the map editor activates:

Shape Drawing Method
Polygon Click to place vertices, double-click to close the shape
Line Click to place waypoints, double-click to finish
Circle Click to set the center, drag to set the radius
Marker Click to place a single point marker

The editor displays coordinates and measurements (area for polygons, distance for lines, radius for circles) as you draw.

Editing an Overlay

Click an overlay entry to open the detail view, then click Edit to modify it.

  • Move vertices — Drag individual vertices to reshape the overlay
  • Add vertices — Click midpoints between existing vertices to add new ones
  • Delete vertices — Right-click a vertex to remove it
  • Reposition — Drag the entire shape to move it

Changes are previewed on the map in real time. Click Save to persist or Cancel to discard.

Overlay Display

Tactical Map

Visible overlays render on the tactical map for all users with map access. Overlays appear above the base map layer but below CoT markers.

TAK Client Sync

Overlays can be pushed to TAK clients as CoT drawing objects:

  1. Open the overlay detail view
  2. Click Push to TAK
  3. Select target groups to receive the overlay

TAK clients (ATAK, iTAK, WinTAK) render the overlay on their map view.

Bulk Operations

Select multiple overlays using the checkboxes to perform bulk actions:

Action Description
Show Set selected overlays to visible
Hide Set selected overlays to hidden
Delete Remove selected overlays
Export Download selected overlays as a GeoJSON file