Features & Tutorial

The map is the heart of LooMap. As soon as you grant location permissions or set it manually, you will see your position marked with a blue dot. Around you, different icons will appear representing the available facilities.

Facility Icons: Each type of facility has a unique icon to identify it at a glance: a toilet for public restrooms, a water drop for drinking fountains, and a Wi-Fi signal for free internet access points.

Facility Details: Clicking on any icon will display a card with detailed information, including community notes, verification status, and specific features like accessibility.

LooMap is powered by its users. Your contributions are vital to keeping the information accurate and up-to-date. You have several ways to help:

Add a Facility: Click the 'Add' button. A dialog will ask you what type of facility you want to add. After selecting it, a crosshair will appear on the map. Click on the exact location to place the new facility. Your contribution will be visible to everyone, pending community verification.

Confirm or Deny: When you select a user-added facility (marked with a colored border), you will see 'Confirm' and 'Deny' buttons. If you can verify that the facility exists and is operational, press 'Confirm'. If it doesn't exist or is permanently closed, press 'Deny'. Your vote is crucial!

Add Notes: On the detail card of any facility, you can add a note. Is the restroom clean? Is the fountain's water pressure low? Is the Wi-Fi fast? This information is incredibly valuable to other users.

Standard Search: The application automatically performs a multi-layered search when it loads. It starts with our own database (LooMap DB) and then queries external sources like OpenStreetMap, ensuring you get a wide range of results quickly.

'Search More' (Deep Search): This button initiates a more exhaustive search using the Google Places API. It not only looks for explicitly marked facilities but also for 'probable' locations (e.g., cafes, libraries, malls that likely have restrooms). This search is more intensive, which is why it's a separate option.

Filters: In the top right corner, you can filter which types of facilities you want to see on the map. You can show or hide toilets, fountains, Wi-Fi, and even 'probable' facilities to tailor the map to your needs.

Anonymous and Registered Users: When you first use LooMap, an anonymous profile is created for you so you can contribute immediately. We recommend registering with an email and password to save your progress, stats, and custom avatar, as anonymous data is lost if you clear your browser's cookies.

Leaderboard: Your verified contributions earn you points! Access the Leaderboard from your user profile to see the top contributors to the community. It's a fun way to recognize who helps the most.

Get Directions: On each facility's detail card, the 'Get Directions' button will open Google Maps on your device with the route already plotted from your current location.

Recenter Map: If you've moved the map around, simply press the 'Recenter' button to return to your current location.

Multi-Language: The application automatically detects your browser's language and displays all texts in English or Spanish.