GIS Albania User Manual

Welcome to GIS Albania

Use GIS Albania to view maps, draw and edit geographic features, work with Albanian and regional coordinate systems, analyse terrain and CAD data, and produce georeferenced outputs.

First start and privacy choice

1. Open GIS Albania in a modern browser with hardware acceleration enabled.
2. Choose Accept analytics or Do not accept analytics. All GIS functions work in both cases.
3. Use the flag button to switch the application language.
4. Use the sun/moon button to change the appearance.
5. Use the Manual button at any time to reopen this guide.

Projects are kept on the user’s browser/device. Projects without media can use .gisalbania.json; projects with photos or videos are downloaded as one .gisalbania.zip field package.

Interface overview

The fixed ribbon is organised from left to right:

The left panel contains map contents and services. The right panel contains symbology, export area, CRS and output settings. Both panels can be shown or hidden from the upper-right controls.

Navigate, search and inspect

• Pan/select: drag the map and click features for selection.
• Zoom: use the mouse wheel, map buttons or touch gestures.
• Search: enter a place name or coordinates in the top search field.
• Inspect: click a layer to read values such as DTM elevation or layer attributes.
• Measure: choose the ruler, then create a line or area measurement.
• Coordinate readout: use the bottom selector to display Lat/Lon, KRGJSH-2010, UTM 34N, Pulkovo GK4, Web Mercator or KOSOVAREF01.

Basemaps and official map services

1. Open Contents.
2. Select Esri World Imagery, OpenStreetMap, Google options, or None — WMTS/WMS only.
3. Use Add map service (WMTS/WMS) to choose an official catalogue entry or paste a GetCapabilities URL.
4. Select the layers to add and wait for them to appear under map services.
5. Use layer visibility, opacity, order, zoom and remove controls as needed.

Service layers keep the styling supplied by the provider. Local symbology controls are intended for editable vector features.

Add and import data

Use Add data for supported GIS, CAD and tabular files. Select all components of a Shapefile together, or use a ZIP containing its parts.

After import, check the CRS, geometry position, layer name and attributes before editing or export.

Individual drawings

Individual drawing mode preserves the original quick workflow: each created point, line or polygon appears as its own item.

1. Select a drawing tool from the ribbon.
2. Click the map to add vertices. For freehand, hold and drag.
3. Use +pt when available to add an exact segment from length and bearing.
4. Choose Finish or press Enter to complete the feature.
5. Select the feature to edit geometry, attributes, labels or style.

Use individual drawings for one-off annotations, measurements, export areas and separate objects that do not need a shared feature-class structure.

GIS feature-class layers

Feature layers group many features under one layer name, similar to a feature class in desktop GIS.

1. Open Project → Layers.
2. Choose Point, Line or Polygon.
3. Enter a layer name and define shared fields such as name:text, diameter:number, status:text, inspection_date:date or active:boolean.
4. Create and activate the layer.
5. Draw multiple features. Each new feature becomes a row in the same attribute table.
6. Open the layer table to edit values, or use Symbology and Labels to display the data.

Offline field use

GIS Albania can be prepared for offline field use. The main interface, editable features, attributes, notes, photos, videos and saved projects work without internet after preparation.

1. Open Project → Offline while connected to the internet.
2. Choose Prepare for offline use and allow the browser to finish preparing the required offline files.
3. Use Install app or your browser’s Add to Home screen command.
4. Pan and zoom through the survey area and every zoom level needed in the field.
5. Choose Save viewed map area to retain recently viewed basemap and service resources.
6. Save the project in the browser before leaving the connection area.

Point photos, videos and notes

Point feature classes include a QField-style field form for names, notes, photographs and videos.

1. Open Project → Layers.
2. Create a Point feature class and keep Open the field form after every new point enabled.
3. Activate the layer and choose Draw.
4. Add a point. The field record opens immediately.
5. Enter notes and choose Choose photos, Take photo, Choose video or Record video.
6. Save the record. The point remains one row in the shared layer attribute table.
7. Open the attribute table to see the photo/video count in the Media column. Choose Preview to review or download the files stored on the current device.

Use the layer’s Records button to reopen any point record. Select an existing point and use Open selected point record to edit its notes or media. Every attachment can be previewed, downloaded or deleted.

Attribute tables

• Open Attribute table from the Data group or from a feature layer.
• Each feature is represented by one row and each field by one column.
• Edit supported values directly and confirm changes.
• Select or zoom to a feature from the table where the control is available.
• Use clean numeric values for graduated symbology and consistent text values for categories.

Imported attributes are preserved when the source format supports them. Export results depend on the selected output format and its field limitations.

Symbology and labels

Open Project → Symbology, select an editable vector layer and choose a method:

• Single style: one symbol, colour or line/fill style for the layer.
• Categorized: a different style for each unique text or coded value.
• Graduated: classes based on a numeric field.

Use the label controls to choose an attribute field, label size and visibility. Confirm that the legend and Layout use the intended layer name and categories.

Coordinate entry and CRS

GIS Albania supports common Albanian and regional systems, including EPSG:6870 KRGJSH-2010 / Albania TM, EPSG:32634 WGS 84 / UTM 34N, EPSG:28404 Pulkovo 1942 / GK zone 4, EPSG:3857 and EPSG:9141 KOSOVAREF01.

1. Choose Coords to paste or import coordinate rows.
2. Select the source CRS and geometry type.
3. Map the X/Y or longitude/latitude columns.
4. Preview the result and add it to the map.
5. Choose the required output CRS separately when exporting.

Never assume a coordinate system from the numeric values alone. Confirm the source CRS from the survey, provider or metadata.

Geoprocessing and analysis

Project analysis tools provide these common GIS operations:

• Buffer: create an area at a specified distance.
• Clip: keep only geometry inside a clipping polygon.
• Intersect: create output from overlapping input geometry.
• Dissolve: merge features, optionally by a shared attribute.
• Merge/Union: combine compatible layers or geometries.
• Spatial join: transfer information according to spatial relationship.

Operations create output layers and should not replace the source. For distance or area operations, use a suitable projected CRS with metre units.

Large vector and raster data

• PMTiles: add supported tiled datasets without loading the entire source into memory.
• Remote COG: open Cloud Optimized GeoTIFF data using only the required ranges.
• Large DTM clipping: clip a very large local DTM using a selected polygon without first displaying the complete raster.

For best performance, use appropriately tiled or cloud-optimised data and avoid loading unnecessary nationwide detail at very large scales.

DTM, elevation and contours

1. Choose DTM → Add DTM for a supported elevation raster.
2. Use Inspect to read elevation values.
3. Select a polygon when a limited study area is required.
4. Use clip, hillshade, stretch or contour tools as appropriate.
5. Choose contour interval, output and labelling settings carefully.
6. Export the resulting raster or contour layer.

Large DTM clipping can create a ZIP containing the clipped GeoTIFF. Contours can be exported to supported vector/CAD formats.

CAD total length and 2D/3D volumes

Open the Volumes dropdown:

• CAD total length: calculate total line length and detailed line results from supported CAD data.
• 2D volume: footprint area multiplied by a specified height.
• 3D volume — Auto: automatically select supported solid or TIN methods.
• 3D exact extrusions: calculate supported extruded solids using their geometric dimensions.
• 3D TIN cut/fill: calculate terrain volume relative to a reference or comparison surface.

1. Choose the method.
2. Add the CAD or terrain input.
3. Select units and required parameters.
4. Review warnings and exclusions.
5. Run the calculation and export the report/Excel result where available.

Georeference an image

1. Choose Georeference.
2. Add the source image.
3. Select the destination CRS.
4. Add control points by matching known image positions to map coordinates.
5. Review residuals and remove incorrect points.
6. Run the transformation and download the georeferenced result.

Use accurately surveyed or trusted control points distributed across the image rather than points concentrated in one corner.

PDF tools

PDF tools include conversion to image, target compression, splitting and merging.

• For compression, choose a reduction target or custom target and compare readability after processing.
• For map sheets, preserve enough resolution for text, grid values and linework.
• For split/merge, confirm the page order before download.

PDF processing is separate from Layout export. Use Layout when the map itself must be composed with legend, north arrow and scale.

Select export areas

The right panel provides three principal map-area workflows:

• Rectangle: a simple rectangular image or map package.
• Polygon: output limited to a custom polygon.
• Oriented grid polygon: multiple corridor-aligned parts for long or rotated study areas.

1. Choose the area type.
2. Select or draw the area.
3. Add more areas to the export list when required.
4. Choose CRS, map format and quality.
5. Review the estimated parts/output size.
6. Export and keep all generated files together.

Raster, vector and CAD exports

Maximum quality requests the native source level where possible. Balanced and Fast reduce load. Custom DPI applies to supported export workflows.

Oriented grid and AutoCAD packages

Use Oriented Grid Polygon for roads, pipelines, rivers and other long rotated areas.

1. Draw the complete corridor polygon.
2. Select Oriented Grid Polygon and choose the number/size of parts.
3. Review that cells follow the long direction and cover only the study corridor.
4. Export the CAD package.
5. Extract the ZIP into one folder before opening the DXF.
6. Keep image files, world files and DXF together.

The CAD package uses polygon clipping for the raster images. In AutoCAD, IMAGEFRAME controls whether image boundaries are visible.

Create a professional Layout

1. Open Layout.
2. Choose paper size and Landscape or Portrait.
3. Add and position one or more map frames.
4. Add Albania keymap, north arrow, legend, scale bar, text, image, Excel table or shapes.
5. Set map scale, frame extent, labels and grid options.
6. Use the compact Undo/Redo arrows for layout edits.
7. Export to JPEG or PDF.

Keep important content inside the page margins. Refresh the legend after changing visibility, names or symbology.

Save, recover and move projects

• Autosave/recovery: temporary working state is kept in the current browser/device.
• Named projects: save and reopen projects from Project.
• Portable project: download .gisalbania.json when no media is attached, or one .gisalbania.zip field package when photos/videos exist.
• Open project: select a compatible .gisalbania.json or .gisalbania.zip file. Packaged media is restored and remains downloadable from point records.
• Permalink: use for compact map view state where available; it is not a replacement for the full project file.

Mobile use

The mobile interface is designed for map viewing, offline field navigation, point-photo capture, drawing, importing and common exports. Use the bottom/side controls to open Layers, Data, Basemap, Export and Clear tools.

• Allow location access only when GPS navigation is needed.
• Use a stable connection for large imagery and services.
• For complex layouts, large CAD files and high-resolution exports, desktop use is recommended.

Keyboard shortcuts

Troubleshooting

• Old interface after an update: hard-refresh with Ctrl+Shift+R or reopen in a private window.
• Map does not start: enable WebGL/hardware acceleration and disable blockers for the site.
• Layer appears in the wrong place: verify the source CRS.
• WMS/WMTS does not load: verify the GetCapabilities URL, selected layer, supported CRS and provider availability.
• Large export fails: reduce area, quality or part size and ensure enough browser/device storage.
• CAD image is missing: extract the whole ZIP and keep the DXF and image files in the same folder.
• Project is missing: check the same browser profile or open the downloaded .gisalbania.json/.gisalbania.zip file.
• Offline basemap is blank: reconnect, pan through the required area and zoom levels, then use Project → Offline → Save viewed map area.
• Photo/video is missing: open the complete .gisalbania.zip field package rather than extracting only project.json.

When reporting an issue, include the browser, application version, input type, selected CRS, exact steps and a screenshot that does not expose confidential data.