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Tactical Map Interface

The tactical map is the core situational awareness tool in MAGK. It renders a real-time overhead view of the operational area using MapLibre GL JS, displaying player positions, objectives, overlays, and device markers on configurable map tiles.

Map Rendering

The tactical map uses MapLibre GL JS for WebGL-accelerated map rendering. The map supports smooth zooming, panning, and rotation with hardware-accelerated performance on both desktop and mobile browsers.

When you open the tactical map, it centers on the active event's configured location. If no event is selected, the map defaults to the center coordinates configured in platform settings.

Map Controls

Control Action
Scroll / Pinch Zoom in and out
Click + Drag Pan the map
Zoom Buttons + / - buttons for precise zoom control
Layer Switcher Toggle between street, satellite, and hybrid views
Center on Event Reset the map to the event's configured center point
Fullscreen Expand the map to fill the browser viewport

On mobile devices, the map fills the viewport with floating controls for zoom, layer switching, and centering.

Layer Switching

The map supports three base layers. Toggle between them using the layer control in the top-right corner.

Layer Description
Street Standard road and terrain map — the default view
Satellite Aerial and satellite imagery
Hybrid Satellite imagery with road labels and terrain overlays

The available layers depend on the configured map provider. OpenStreetMap provides street tiles only. MapTiler and Mapbox provide all three layer types.

Map Provider Configuration

MAGK supports three map tile providers. The provider is configured by an admin in Settings → Map Provider.

OpenStreetMap (Default)

  • Free, no API key required
  • Street layer only (no satellite or hybrid)
  • Geocoding via Nominatim (free, rate-limited)
  • Suitable for most deployments

MapTiler

  • Requires a MapTiler API key
  • Street, satellite, and hybrid layers
  • MapTiler geocoding API
  • Higher-quality tiles with terrain and 3D building support

Mapbox

  • Requires a Mapbox access token
  • Street, satellite, and hybrid layers
  • Mapbox geocoding API
  • High-resolution satellite imagery and custom map styles

Provider Selection

OpenStreetMap works out of the box with no configuration. If your deployment requires satellite imagery or higher-quality tiles, configure a MapTiler or Mapbox API key in the Settings page.

Map Elements

The tactical map displays several types of elements layered on top of the base map:

Element Layer Order Description
Base tiles Bottom Street, satellite, or hybrid map tiles
Overlays Middle Polygons, lines, circles, and markers defined by organizers
Objective markers Above overlays Mission objective positions with capture status
CoT markers Top Live player and device positions from TAK clients

Elements at higher layers render on top of lower layers. CoT markers always appear above overlays so that player positions are never hidden behind drawn shapes.

Connection Status

The map displays a connection status indicator showing the WebSocket connection state:

Indicator Meaning
Green dot Connected — receiving live CoT updates
Yellow dot Reconnecting — temporarily lost connection, attempting to reconnect
Red dot Disconnected — no live data; positions may be stale

The WebSocket connection auto-reconnects with exponential backoff if the connection drops.

Event-Centered Positioning

When viewing the map in the context of an event, the map automatically:

  1. Centers on the event's configured latitude and longitude
  2. Sets the zoom level to show the event's operational area
  3. Displays only CoT markers and overlays associated with that event

Use the Center on Event button to reset the view if you've panned or zoomed away from the event area.

Keyboard Controls

The tactical map supports keyboard navigation for accessibility:

Key Action
Arrow keys Pan the map
+ / - Zoom in / out
0 Reset to event center