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Filter People on the Map

Narrow which people and statuses appear on the map using a simple checklist.

When you switch unit locations on, the app asks first which categories you want plotted. This filter is a plain checklist where you can tick as many options as you like, so you can focus on just the people or statuses that matter to you right now instead of a screen covered in markers.

Filter people on the map

Overview​

ElementWhat it does
Checklist rowsOne row per filter category, each with a checkbox on the right.
Filled checkboxThat category will be plotted on the map.
Empty checkboxThat category will be left off.
DoneApply the filter, close the checklist, and draw the map.

This is a multi-select list. Tapping one row never clears another — each row toggles on its own.

note

The categories come from your organization and from the current data, so the exact rows you see depend on your agency's setup and on who is currently reporting a position.

Getting Here​

  1. Open the Map or Reference Map.
  2. Open the map's menu.
  3. Tap Unit Locations. If unit locations are currently off, the filter checklist opens. If they are already on, tapping the row switches them off instead.

Apply a Filter​

  1. The checklist opens showing every available category. Anything already active is shown with a filled checkbox.
  2. Tap a row to tick or untick it. Tick as many as you need.
  3. Tap Done. The checklist closes, positions are fetched from the server, and only the categories you ticked are drawn on the map.
  4. Positions then refresh on their own about every 10 seconds for as long as you stay on the map.
tip

During a busy incident, tick only the categories you are actively coordinating. Every extra marker makes the map slower to read at exactly the moment you need it fastest.

Change or Remove the Filter​

  • To change it: tap Unit Locations to switch it off, then tap it again to reopen the checklist with a fresh selection.
  • To turn unit locations off entirely: tap Unit Locations while it is on. The saved filter is cleared, every position marker is removed from the map, and the refresh stops.

The row on the map menu shows a filled checkbox while unit locations are on and an empty one while they are off. Your choice is remembered on the device, so an overlay you left on is still on the next time you open the map.

note

On the map menu, the Unit Locations row is drawn faintly. That is styling only — it works normally.

The Same Checklist Elsewhere​

This checklist is also used to pick evacuation statuses. When it is opened for evacuation data the rows are the five statuses — Evacuation Order, Evacuation Warning, Shelter In Place, Advisory and Evacuation Order Lifted — and it behaves in exactly the same way. On the Map and Reference Map menus, evacuation statuses more often appear as an expanding EVAC Status box with its own APPLY and CLEAR buttons.

Empty and Loading States​

  • If nothing is currently reporting a position, the checklist can open with very few rows or none at all. There is nothing wrong — there is simply nothing to filter.
  • After you tap Done, positions are fetched from the server, so a brief pause before markers appear is normal.
  • Offline, the filter still opens and still remembers your choice, but no positions can be fetched, so the map stays clear.

How This Connects​

  • The positions plotted are what your teammates' devices are reporting, so what you can see depends on who is currently sharing a position and on the permissions your organization has set.
  • Your own position joins this picture while you have a tracking session running on the Reference Map.
  • The filter is stored on your device, not on your account, so a different device signed in as you starts with its own selection.
  • Positions are refreshed from the server every 10 seconds. They stop updating when the connection drops and resume when you leave and reopen the map screen.
  • The same live positions appear on the incident Maps tab, alongside the incident's own saved map objects.
  • Unit locations sit on top of whatever base map and layers you have applied. Change those from Base Map and Map Layers, or from Map Style Options.
  • After the fact, a recorded route is a different view of the same idea — see My Tracking.

Troubleshooting​

If this happensWhat to do
The checklist is emptyNothing is currently reporting a position, or the categories have not loaded. Tap Done, check your connection, and reopen Unit Locations.
You tapped Unit Locations and it switched off instead of opening the filterIt was already on. Tap it once more to reopen the checklist.
No markers appear after DoneEither nothing matches what you ticked, or positions could not be fetched. Reopen the filter and tick more categories, and check your connection.
Markers appear but never moveThe live refresh has stopped, usually a dropped connection. Leave the map screen and come back to restart it.
The map is too cluttered to readReopen the filter and untick categories you are not working with.
A specific teammate is missingThey may not be sharing a position, or their category may be unticked. Tick everything and look again.
The filter came back different on another deviceThe selection is stored per device. Set it again on that device.
The Unit Locations row looks greyed outThat is only how it is drawn on the menu. Tap it — it responds normally.

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