Prepare information for sharing

A GIS project can produce several useful versions of the same work. A detailed working layer, hui map, partner extract and public StoryMap do not need identical fields, geometry or explanatory text.

Start with what the next audience needs from the map rather than assuming the master dataset should be exported unchanged.

A practical route

1. Return to the kaupapa: what is this map or dataset meant to help people understand or do?
2. Name the audience: project team, whānau, hui, planner, contractor, researcher or general public.
3. Start from the source/working version and create a separate output where useful.
4. Include the geometry and attributes that actually support this use.
5. Add enough source, date and explanation for the output to make sense outside the GIS operator's head.
6. Check what the chosen platform stores, synchronises, indexes or makes searchable.
7. Record which version went where when the distinction matters later.
8. Keep the source/working information recoverable so future changes do not depend on a public copy.

Example outputs

Mahi	Working information	Shared/public output
taiao monitoring	repeat observations, photos, detailed site IDs	catchment map, trends or selected monitoring sites
marae resilience	asset register, maintenance notes, contacts	emergency map with the operational features needed during an event
historical research	full source table, page references, alternate locations	StoryMap or hui map showing selected places and source links
papakāinga investigation	parcels, hazards, services, planning notes	option map or report figure tailored to the planning discussion
ingoa wāhi research	source spellings, citations, uncertainty, working locations	selected place-name map with provenance/context

Different detail is not the same as hiding information

Generalisation, field selection and audience-specific maps are ordinary cartographic tools. A national map cannot show the same detail as a local research map. A hui map may need different labels from a public web map.

For places where location detail itself changes the consequence of publication, see Sensitive places and Publishing maps with sensitive locations.

Platform behaviour

Before publishing or synchronising, understand what the service actually does. Useful checks include:

• Is the item searchable?
• Can viewers export data?
• Are attachments included?
• Does the platform expose service URLs or APIs?
• Are previous versions retained?
• Who administers the account?
• Can the organisation export the project later?

This is particularly relevant to hosted GIS, StoryMaps, shared drives and field systems. See Access and security and Cloud is not one thing.

Keep provenance travelling with the map

A public or partner map becomes easier to reuse safely when it includes:

• source
• date
• what the geometry represents
• known limitations
• contact/project reference where useful

That is the whakapapa of the information in practical form. See Provenance and source checking.

Sharing can strengthen the kaupapa

Publishing can reconnect whānau with place names, explain restoration mahi, support planning, make research easier to discover and show changes to whenua and wai over time.

The job of GIS is to help make the intended version clear and useful, not to assume either publish everything or keep everything closed.

Read next

• Publishing Māori GIS maps
• StoryMaps and interactive examples
• Cartography and map communication
• What belongs in GIS?
• Māori Data Sovereignty

Last reviewed: 26 August 2026