Hi everyone,
Some of you may remember the Save Instance Widget I released earlier this year. I’m a Computer Science and GIS student, and also the founder of JensenGIS. What started as a weekend project quickly grew into something much bigger thanks to the incredible feedback from this community — and it inspired me to build a completely new tool: The Cloud Widget.
I’m sharing it here because I’d love your feedback on the Cloud Widget — what works, what doesn’t, and what features would make it more useful in your workflows. Your input directly shaped the Save Instance Widget, and I’m hoping to refine the Cloud Widget in the same way.
The Cloud Widget solves the same core problem as the Save Instance Widget — saving a map’s exact state for later use — but it’s been rebuilt from the ground up with a clean UI and cloud storage capabilities at its core. This means saved maps are no longer tied to one browser or device, and can now be instantly shared and collaborated on across teams.
The Cloud Widget was designed with two groups in mind:
- GIS professionals who build and maintain Experience Builder apps.
- Non-GIS staff who need simple, intuitive tools to save and share their work inside a map.
With that in mind, let me walk you through how the Cloud Widget works, from setup to saving, sharing, and collaborating on maps.
How to set up The Cloud Widget
For Experience Builder Authors, installation is as simple as dragging the Cloud Widget into your experience and completing these 4 steps:
1. Select a Map
2. Enter Label for the Current Experience
3. Enter Organization ID (Get an organization ID from JensenGIS)
4. Click the Generate Key Button.
Authentication is built-in — users simply enter their email and paste a token (emailed automatically) into the widget. Once that’s done, they’re ready to go.
How does The Cloud Widget work?
The Cloud Widget introduces Droplets — saved snapshots of a map’s exact state.
Save a Droplet – Capture basemap, extent, graphics, layer configurations, rotation (2D), camera (3D) and a png screenshot of map.
Load a Droplet – Restore basemap, extent, graphics, and layer configs, start mapping right where you left off.
Share a Droplet – Share with a colleague by email or across your organization.
Collaborate – Overwrite Droplets shared with you to instantly update your colleagues’ web map Droplet.
Manage Droplets – After sharing a Droplet you control whether a recipient can overwrite a Droplet, or you can revoke sharing at any time.
What data does The Cloud Widget store?
To support this functionality, the Cloud Widget securely stores:
- User email
- Spatial data: extent, graphics, layer names and visibility boolean, basemap, web map portal item ID
- Low-resolution PNG map screenshots for quick visual recall
Where and how is the data stored?
Data is stored in Appwrite (Database-as-a-Service), Appwrite is compliant with GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA, and SOC 2.
Why The Cloud Widget?
The original Save Instance Widget was a good start, but it had real limitations. The Cloud Widget brings:
- Cloud storage and instant sharing
- Visual map previews with screenshots
- Built-in Draw Widget support
- A much cleaner, more intuitive UI
- Access to work anytime, anywhere
- Support for many languages
👉Check out the videos above to see it in action, and visit my website JensenGIS to get started!
Thank you!
I’m grateful to everyone who tried the Save Instance Widget and shared feedback — your input directly shaped The Cloud Widget. I’d love to hear what you think, and what features would make it even more valuable in your workflows.
Sven Jensen
JensenGIS
