Skip to main content

Getting Started

Launching the app​

When you run the application, it launches in your default browser. Only one instance can run at a time. If you try to launch a second instance, you'll see a message indicating the app is already running.

First-time walkthrough​

On your first launch, a welcome toast will guide you through the basic workflow:

  1. Set your project folder — Type or browse to the folder where you'd like your tiles stored. Fetch will create the folder for you if it doesn't exist.
  2. Draw your area of interest — Use the drawing tool on the map to outline the area you want to fetch data for.
  3. Click Fetch — Downloads tiles from NBS to your project folder.

Interface overview​

The interface is organized into several areas:

Top bar​

  • Your Project — Text field with autocomplete for setting the project directory. Type a path, browse for a folder, or select from recent projects. The arrow button (when visible) opens the folder in your file explorer.
  • Data Source — Dropdown to select which NBS data format to work with: BlueTopo, Modeling, BAG, S102 v2.1, S102 v2.2, or S102 v3.0.

Map​

The central area shows an interactive map powered by MapLibre GL. You can:

  • Pan and zoom to navigate
  • Use the drawing tool to define areas of interest
  • Toggle the NBS Source layer to see available tile coverage
  • Toggle the Your Project layer to see the status of your downloaded tiles

Command bar​

Three command buttons at the bottom of the screen:

  • Fetch — Download tiles from NBS
  • Mosaic — Build per-UTM-zone VRT mosaics from your tiles
  • Export — Package your project as a portable ZIP

Each command has configurable options in its row. Hover over any field or button to see a tooltip explaining what it does.

Output log​

Click the output bar to expand the log panel. This shows real-time progress and messages from the currently running command, including download progress and processing status.