Find Trail Feature Location

To report a bench or other feature to be added to the city GIS map, you’ll need to pinpoint your precise location. You can do this using the Google Maps app on your smartphone. Here’s what to do.

Open the Google Maps app.

In a moment, a blue dot should appear marking your location:

If you don’t see the blue dot in the center of the screen, tap the compass icon (circled in red in the image above) and the map should move so that the blue dot appears.

Zoom in several times so that the dot is in your precise location. The farther you zoom in, the more accurate the location will be.

Next, press and hold the blue dot to “Drop a pin”. You may need to press for a few sections before the red pin appears.

A “Dropped pin” panel will appear, with a red pin:

A red pin will appear. If Google recognizes the name of your location, the name will appear near the bottom of the screen. In the image above, we’re on the Sudbury Aqueduct. If Google can’t name the location, the words “Dropped pin” will appear.

Tap the “Share” button at the lower right.

You may need to drag the row of buttons towards the left in order to see Share button, which is the right-most one. Your screen should now look something like this:

Tap the “Copy to clipboard” button.

(Ignore the circled “To” field in the image above. That’s for a different project.)

Go back to the Newton Trail Report form.

Scroll to the Location question. Press for a while on the blank line until a Paste button appears:

Tap on the Paste button, and the location should appear.