Help & tutorial

Everything you need to get your first base map right.

Two ways to create your base map

You do not need a file to get started:

A. Draw your area on the site — search for a place (by name or coordinates) and trace any shape on the map (click by click, as in Google Earth), with no file at all.
B. Upload a bounded .dxf or .kmz file, if your area is already in AutoCAD, QGIS or Google Earth. A .kmz makes the base map follow the exact shape of your boundary, and an area that is too large is split into sub-areas automatically.

From there both routes are the same: you confirm the area on the satellite image, choose how plots are labelled, then download the base map in 2 to 5 minutes. Measured on 11 August on a built-up district of Abidjan: 2 min for 1 km², 2 min 20 s for 4 km², 3 min 45 s for 9 km². A larger area is split into 9 km² blocks — count that time per block.

🗺️ Method A — Draw your area on the site

Click the “🗺️ Draw my area on the map” button.

Find the place: a place name (Cocody, Monrovia…), coordinates (5.35, -4.00), or 📍 your GPS position.

Click “✏️ Draw”, then click and drag on the map to trace the area.

Give the area a name (optional) and choose how plots are labelled (see below).

Start it with the “Generate the base map for this area” button.

🏷️ Choosing how plots are labelled

Just before you start, you choose how plots get their names:

Estimated labels recommended

Every plot gets a label estimated from the real map: VILLA 1 dwelling, SHARED COMPOUND, BUILDING R+n, plus the actual names of places (pharmacies, schools, mosques, shops…).

Confirmed data only

Only what the map confirms (Google Maps / OpenStreetMap) is written; plots with no information stay empty. Best if you are doing the survey yourself.

📁 Method B — Upload a .dxf or .kmz file

Already have your area in a drawing package? Upload it from “My workspace”. The site accepts .dxf (the universal exchange format) and .kmz / .kml from Google Earth: in that case the base map follows the exact shape of your boundary, and an area larger than 9 km² is split into sub-areas processed one after another. If your file is a .dwg, here are three ways to convert it:

Method 1 — With AutoCAD (recommended)

Open your .dwg file in AutoCAD
Type the SAVEAS command (or menu A → Save As)
Under “Files of type”, choose AutoCAD 2018 DXF (*.dxf)
Save — that .dxf is the file to upload to CadastreCI

💡 Tip: the shortcut command DXFOUT does the same in one step.

Method 2 — Without AutoCAD (free)

Download ODA File Converter (free, from the Open Design Alliance): it converts whole folders of .dwg to .dxf in one click. Alternatives: DraftSight or LibreCAD (open the .dwg → Save As → .dxf).

Method 3 — Online converter

Sites such as CloudConvert turn a .dwg into a .dxf for free (a few files a day). Handy in a pinch, but do not send confidential drawings to them.

🗺️ Preparing a good area

Does my file have to be georeferenced?

Only if you upload a file — an area drawn on the site is already georeferenced, nothing to do. For a file: it must be in UTM projection (any zone) or in lat/lon degrees, which are placed in the right zone automatically. In local coordinates (close to 0,0) the site will tell you: re-place it in your CAD package first.

How large an area can I process?

On the free plan: up to 2 km² per map. On PRO: up to 9 km² in one piece, and as many blocks as needed beyond that — the total area is not capped. Any shape (length and width are free — only the area counts). For a really crisp result, a district 500 m to 1.5 km across is ideal; for a very large area, split it into several parts.

There is already a partial base map in my area?

The site detects it and offers you the choice: fill in the rest without touching what exists, improve only what exists, or both.

My area is rural and barely mapped?

If OpenStreetMap holds neither known streets nor buildings there, quality will be lower — the site tells you honestly with its score out of 100.

Generate my first base map