A map that won't show your grid, image, or site context slows down a feasibility study. Find the message you see below for the cause and the fix.

For geometries you can't see or draw, troubleshoot drawing issues. For data layers that won't show or load, troubleshoot data layer issues.

Problems with the map

The map won't load

If Giraffe shows "Giraffe can’t run on this device," your browser can't start WebGL. Giraffe needs WebGL to draw the map. Common causes:

Hardware acceleration is turned off in your browser settings.
Your graphics driver is out of date, or the browser has blocked it.
You're on a remote desktop session with no graphics card.

Turn on hardware acceleration in your browser settings, or update your graphics driver, then click Try again. Use a recent version of Chrome or Edge on a desktop or laptop.

I can't find my project on the map

Jump back to your site with one of these:

Click Center on project in the bottom bar.
Open the Map menu and choose Zoom to Center or Zoom to Bounds. Zoom to Bounds fits everything in your project on screen.
Open the Map menu and choose Search the map… to find an address or place.

If Giraffe says "You haven't drawn a project boundary yet," draw a project boundary first. Giraffe centers on the boundary.

Search the map doesn't find my address

Search the map gives the best results for places near what's on screen. Pan or zoom to the right city or region first, then search again.

Type at least 3 characters.
To go to an exact spot, type its coordinates.

My basemap doesn't show railroads, building footprints, or other features

Each basemap style shows a different set of map features. A simple style may leave out details like railroads, building footprints, or labels. To see them, switch to a Mapbox basemap that includes them:

Open the view options menu in the bottom bar.
Choose Change Basemap Style….
Pick a different preset, or paste the style URL of any Mapbox style that has the features you need.
Refresh the page to apply the new style.

Some features also only appear at certain zoom levels. Zoom in closer if a feature still doesn't show.

My new map style didn't apply

Refresh the page after you change the map style. To change it:

Open the view options menu in the bottom bar.
Choose Change Basemap Style….
Pick a preset, or enter a custom style URL.
Refresh the page.

Giraffe saves the new style to your project and shows "To apply the new style, you need to refresh the page." The style stays as it was until you refresh.

The map is flat, or I can't see 3D

Press T to switch between 2D and 3D. Or open the Map menu and choose Toggle 3D or Toggle 2D.

The map is tilted or doesn't face north

Press T to switch to 2D plan view. To turn the map back to north, click Align North in the context bar at the top of the map panel.

Error messages

Giraffe shows these errors in toasts at the bottom of the screen when something on the map fails.

Error	What triggers it	What to do
"Can't add project [project name] to the map"	A project in a portfolio layer has a shape that cannot be turned into a map point.	Check the project location and try again.
"Can't load portfolio lens for [portfolio layer]"	You added a portfolio layer and its data could not be loaded.	Reload the page or try again later.
"Could not copy coordinates to clipboard"	You chose Copy origin coordinates and the browser blocked copying.	Allow clipboard access and try again.
"Could not load that image."	The image you were placing on the map could not be loaded.	Try a different image.
"Could not load that PDF: [error message]"	A PDF you tried to add as a map image could not be loaded.	Check the file and try again.
"Could not place the image on the map."	You tried to place an image on the map and it failed.	Try placing the image again.
"File upload failed: [error message]"	Uploading your file to the workspace failed.	Try uploading again.
"Image upload failed: [error message]"	Uploading your map image failed.	Try uploading again.
"Project bounds are too large to fetch tiles"	You ran cut and fill and the calculation failed.	Make the project boundary smaller.
"This view needs a name."	You tried to save a view without a name.	Enter a name.

Other map messages

These toasts confirm that something worked, or ask you to fix a small thing before you continue.

Message	What triggers it	What to do
"Copied coordinates to clipboard"	You chose Copy origin coordinates and they were copied.	None
"Create a project before adding a PDF image."	You tried to add a PDF as a map image without an open project.	Create a project first, then add the PDF.
"Create a project before uploading."	You tried to upload an image without an open project.	Create a project first, then upload.
"Draw a rectangle on the map to place the image. / Click on the map to place the 3D model."	You chose to place an image or 3D model from the content library.	Draw a rectangle or click on the map.
"Drop a file, not a link / Drop an image or PDF"	You dropped a link or a file that is not an image or PDF onto the image placement window.	Drop an image or PDF file.
"Feature with id '[id]' cannot be selected."	You searched for a geometry by ID. It cannot be selected.	Try a different ID.
"Feature with id '[id]' is not visible. It may be on a hidden layer or hidden scenario. / Feature with id '[id]' cannot be selected."	You searched for a geometry by ID. It cannot be selected.	Show its layer or scenario and try again.
"Feature with id '[id]' not found / No id entered"	You searched for a geometry by ID and none matched or you left it blank.	Enter a valid ID.
"Open a map to take a screenshot"	You started a screenshot with no map open.	Open a map first.
"Select a workspace before uploading a file."	You tried to upload a file with no workspace selected.	Select a workspace, then upload again.
"The project boundary spans too large an area."	You clicked the map projection warning for a very large project boundary.	Shrink the project boundary.
"To apply the new style, you need to refresh the page"	You picked a new map style.	Refresh the page.
"Units have been set to [units]. You can change this by clicking "Project Settings" in the main menu."	You opened a project for the first time while signed in, and Giraffe set units from your location.	Change units in Project Settings if you want different ones.

Troubleshoot the Map