Maps

Basemaps and overlays

Learn how to change the basemap and show reference overlays such as vegetation, fire history and property boundaries

Change the basemap

The basemap is the background of the map. Covram has three.

Basemap	What it shows	Use it when
Satellite	Aerial and satellite imagery. This is the default.	You want to see what is on the ground, such as tree cover, bare soil, dams and tracks. In remote areas the imagery can be less detailed when you zoom right in.
Topographic	A topographic map that shows the terrain.	You want to understand the shape of the land, such as hills, slopes, gullies and watercourses.
Streets	A street map.	You want to find roads, tracks and place names, for example to work out how to reach a site.

You can switch basemaps at any time. Your overlays stay switched on.

Covram Dashboard

Sign in to the Covram Dashboard in your web browser using your laptop or desktop computer and your registered email and password.
Open a project to see its map.
Click the button in the top right corner of the map. Its icon shows the basemap you are using.
Under Basemap, choose Satellite, Topographic or Streets.

Covram Field App

Open the Covram Field App and enter the map view of your project.
Tap the layers icon in the top bar. This opens Map layers.
Under Map type, tap Satellite, Topographic or Streets.

Offline maps are downloaded as Satellite. Other basemaps need a connection.

Show an overlay

An overlay is a reference map drawn on top of the basemap. You can switch on as many as you like.

Covram Dashboard

Click the button in the top right corner of the map.
Under Reference, tick Boundaries & Places to show place names and boundaries. This is on by default.
Under Overlays, open National, NSW, Victoria or Queensland, and tick the overlay you want.
Tick an overlay again to hide it.

Covram Field App

Tap the layers icon in the top bar.
Under Reference, use the switch for Boundaries & Places.
Under Overlays, open National, NSW or Victoria. Each one shows how many of its overlays are on. Use the switches to show or hide an overlay.

The Queensland overlay is only available in the Covram Dashboard.

If an overlay doesn't appear

Zoom in. Some overlays only draw once you have zoomed in far enough, because they hold a lot of detail. If an overlay is switched on but you can't see it, zoom in.
Check where you are. An overlay only covers its own area. A Victorian overlay won't show in New South Wales.
Check your connection. Overlays are loaded from the data provider, so they need a connection.

A legend explains the colours of an overlay. The Covram Dashboard shows legends. The Covram Field App doesn't, because there isn't enough room on a mobile device screen. In the Covram Field App, tap the map to see what an overlay shows at a location instead.

In the Covram Dashboard, most overlays show a legend while they are switched on. These overlays don't:

NSW Vegetation Type, Queensland Vegetation Type (Regional Ecosystem) and Aquatic Ecosystems (ANAE). They have too many categories to show in a key. Click the map to see the details at a location instead.
Property Boundaries (NSW and Victoria), NSW Wetlands and NSW Riparian Lands & Watercourses.
Boundaries & Places.

Occasionally a legend can't be loaded, and its card says Legend unavailable.

To see the details behind an overlay, see getting details from the map.

The overlays

Each table says what an overlay shows and when it is useful. Overlays marked with an asterisk (*) only appear once you zoom in. Victorian Property Boundaries only appears when you are well zoomed in.

National

Overlay	What it shows and when it is useful
Aquatic Ecosystems (ANAE)*	Mapped aquatic ecosystems in the Murray-Darling Basin, including lakes, wetlands, rivers, floodplains and estuaries. Useful when planning work near water. Click the map for the ecosystem type.
Surface Water Resource Plan Areas	The water resource plan areas of the Murray-Darling Basin. Useful to see which plan area a site falls in.

NSW

Overlay	What it shows and when it is useful
Vegetation Type	The native vegetation type mapped across the state. Useful to check which vegetation type is mapped at a site. Click the map to see the type.
Threatened Species Sightings	Recorded sightings of threatened species. Useful to check whether threatened species have been recorded near a site.
Fire History*	Areas that have burnt before, and when. Useful to understand a site's fire history.
Wetlands	Wetlands mapped for planning purposes. Useful to check whether a site is near a mapped wetland. Only areas that a council has mapped appear, so a place with no wetland shown may still have one.
Riparian Lands & Watercourses	Riparian land and watercourses mapped for planning purposes. Useful when working near creeks and rivers. Only areas that a council has mapped appear.
Property Boundaries	Property boundaries. Useful to see where a site sits within a property, or next to its neighbours.
Travelling Stock Reserves	Travelling stock reserves, coloured by their assessed conservation value (high, medium, low or unassessed). Useful when working on or near a reserve.
NPWS Managed Land	Land managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service, such as national parks and reserves. Useful to see whether a site is on or next to park land.
Land Tenure*	The type of land tenure, such as Crown land, national park, state forest, private land or Indigenous owned land. Useful for understanding the land around a site.

Victoria

Overlay	What it shows and when it is useful
Vegetation Type (EVC Group)	Victoria's Ecological Vegetation Classes, grouped. Useful to check the vegetation type at a site. Click the map to see the class name, group and conservation status.
Threatened Flora Sightings*	Recorded sightings of threatened plants. Useful to check whether threatened plants have been recorded near a site.
Threatened Fauna Sightings*	Recorded sightings of threatened animals.
Fire History*	Areas that have burnt before, and when, with the fire's name, type and cause.
Wetlands*	Wetlands from the Victorian Wetland Inventory, with their type and water regime. Useful to check whether a site is on or near a wetland.
Property Boundaries*	Property boundaries. Useful to see where a site sits within a property.
Public Land Management Areas*	Named public land reservations and management zones, such as reference areas and wilderness zones, whoever manages them.
Other Public Land*	Other public land that isn't in a named reservation, such as state forest and water production land.
Parks Victoria Managed Land*	Land managed by Parks Victoria.

Queensland

Overlay	What it shows and when it is useful
Vegetation Type (Regional Ecosystem)*	Remnant vegetation mapped as Regional Ecosystems, coloured by broad vegetation group. Useful to check the vegetation type at a site. Click the map for details.

Reference

Overlay	What it shows and when it is useful
Boundaries & Places	Place names and boundaries over the map. It is on by default and helps you find your way around.

Overlay data comes from government and agency sources. It may not be current or complete, so check with the relevant agency before you rely on it to make a decision.

Mapping in Covram

Learn what you can show on the Covram map, and how to draw your own boundaries and layers

Getting details from the map

Learn how to click or tap the map to see the details behind an overlay