Frequently Asked Questions
What is Squork?
Squork is an online Software-as-a-Service platform that's being created by Encanvas. We're designing Squork one brick at a time with the aim of eventually creating a Social Operating System: an online space that provides everything people need to come together, think together, share together, work together. At the heart of Squork is a web-based real-time collaborative environment. And because it's designed using Encanvas we've made sure it's very, very secure.
What is Squork Maps?
Squork Maps is an online Web Mapping Service. What makes Squork Maps unique is its data-centricity. That means non-IT people (i.e. non-coders and people who've never designed a website in their life) can upload, plot, manage, share, enrich, capture, publish, download and archive their data that has a spatial context. Squork Maps is supplied on a monthly subscription basis. It's always online and available for users to access 24 hours a day from any popular web browser.
What is Squork Maps for?
There are lots of mapping services for journey planning and finding places (no surprise) but Squork Maps has been designed for another purpose. There are lots of reasons why capturing, presenting and sharing data on maps is useful for people in business – even for some people that aren't in business. But until now, it's not been possible for non-technical people to work with maps and data together. Squork Maps means that almost anyone can use their own data on their own map website in a way that suits them. It's the digital equivalent of sticking pins in a map!
What does Squork Maps do?
Squork Maps is designed for situations where people want to publish, share and sometimes capture or edit data on maps via a secure and live online web environment that's always accessible to authorized users. Use it to make sense of data by showing the map locations of assets, people, property, facilities etc. Alternatively you can use Squork Maps to capture map related data online – such as providing systems for crowd surveys where people are able to plot sightings of 'things'. You can even run surveys online.
How does Squork Maps work?
Squork Maps is a Rich Internet deployed mapping service that publishes data and maps online. Subject to the selected commercial contract, Users can upload data, plot points, edit and capture data, provide secure access to their Squork Maps Account URL, download geo-coded data, convert geo-code data from one form to another – and much more!
How does Squork Maps compare to Google Maps or Microsoft Bing Maps?
There are lots of online mapping services available for people to use today. What makes Squork Maps different is its ease of use and accessibility to work with your own data in your own way. Unlike other mapping services, the data you use or create is always yours. It's also designed for situations where you want to share data with friends and colleagues securely and not only for public sharing.
Do I own my own data?
Believe it or not, when you use other mapping services like Google Maps, you don't always own the geo-coded data that has been produced by the system as the result of you using it. This means you're not able to download the geo-coded data and do what you like with it. With Squork Maps the data you publish, edit or create belongs to you.
Does Squork Maps (Encanvas Inc.) have rights to access or re-use my data?
Squork Maps is owned by Encanvas Inc. We operate strict policies when it comes to the utilization of User data published on our sites. We want online customers to be confident that we take no ownership or rights of re-use over the data published on our sites (unlike other suppliers). In our terms of use we say that we require access to your data. This is because sometimes Users require our assistance and we need to access their data in order to help them. On other occasions, some Users choose to use online systems inappropriately and on occasions where we think behaviors are unfair, illegal or reasonable to our community we retain the rights to protect our communities and the goodwill associated with our brand reputation. Without your consent we won't re-use your data.
How do I create secure 'invitation only' websites with named-user login and password?
As an administrator (or sub-administrator) you can click on the User tab on the home page and create named users. You can give them a temporary username and password. This means when named-users go to your site URL they will be required to login with their assigned User-name and Password. Named users can change their password when they login.
How do I create public websites?
If you want your mapping application to be available to anyone with the assigned URL link for your site, you don't need to do anything. Unless you specify named-user logins to your site, the website is automatically available for public viewing.
How secure is the Squork Maps web service?
We think you'll find Squork Maps is one of the most secure online environments available today, mainly because it's built on the Encanvas Secure & Live platform that's brimming with security features that include protection from:
External web attack: deployed on Microsoft IIS and employs Secure Socket Layer.
Malicious code: code access security helps protect computer systems from malicious code, allows code from an unknown source to run safely, and protects trusted code from intentionally or unintentionally compromising security. Encanvas Web Server inherits this mechanism from ASP.NET and uses it to control access to protected resources and operations.
Protection from impersonation: i.e. The ability of unscrupulous individuals to impersonate and take on the identity of another presents far-reaching threats for fraud and theft of company data assets, particularly with the growth in information sharing and collaborating communities where the identity of an individual is qualified only by a user name and a login.
Canonicalization attacks: i.e. The use of malformed URLs to gain access to restricted files. The solution is to not make security decisions based on the filename and to validate all URLs accessed.
Cross site scripting: i.e. Avoiding the potential risk of input forms being used to run malicious script. The solution is to validate user input, making safe the use of special characters and sequences.
SQL injection attacks: i.e. This is the use of Input forms to execute SQL queries on the database. The solution is to validate all user inputs and avoid dynamic SQL as much as possible.
Sessions: Sessions can cause problems because it becomes possible to impersonate another user. Squork Maps minimizes this risk by carefully marshalling the client server relationship and interactions. It includes a robust built-in permissions architecture. Furthermore, Squork Maps doesn't hold resources on the Microsoft IIS Server. Pages are created as they are requested and served to the requestor. This approach ensures that no data relating to the delivered web page is accessible to hackers.
For further information on security, please click here to contact us.
What precautions does Squork Maps take to ensure its service is always available to me when I need it?
To ensure continuity of service we outsource our Server Platform to Managed Hosting experts NetBenefit (www.netbenefit.com). The hosting service they provide is underwritten by a 100% network availability Service Level Agreement, 4 Gbps always available bandwidth and a high availability network with multiple data centres. further information please click here to contact us.
What precautions have been taken to prevent hiccups in Internet connectivity?
To prevent outages or poor service quality due to failures in Internet connections to our hosted environment we've taken a series of precautionary steps including:
Multiple Internet connections supplied by different providers
Border Gateway Protocol routing for automatic failover
Part of London Internet Exchange (LiNX) for superior speed
What happens if there's a power-cut in the area where your service is hosted?
Firstly, we have backup servers in more than one location – so it would have to be a big problem! Secondly, our servers are backed up by UPS system (Uninterrupted Power Supply). There are also two further mains supplies with circuit breaker protection installed. And if it's a truly catastrophic power shortage, the hosting site runs an onsite generator for additional backup. Finally, the hosting environment is monitored 24/7 by our managed hosting providers for interruptions to power or Internet connection.
For further information please click here to contact us.
What precautions have been taken to ensure the hosting environment is secure?
We take security very seriously. For this reason our hosting environment is protected by industry leading Cisco and Juniper Network Security. A multi-layered site security system is installed including entry control through PAC cards and biometric palm readers, CCTV monitoring and recording systems and 24x7 monitoring of the campus by onsite security personnel. And to protect from fire risk, fire and smoke detection and state of the art fire control system is installed, temperature and humidity is controlled to 21C, 50% humidity and includes leak detection.
For further information please click here to contact us.
What is geo-code?
Geo-code is a shorthand term used by the geo-spatial intelligence industry to describe meta-data (i.e. Data about data) that plots an entity to a map location. The most common forms of geo-code are longitude latitude and eastings and northings. With Squork Maps you can publish data with associated Postcodes or geo-codes and Squork Maps will automatically locate them on a map. You can also publish Postcodes and download the data you publish with eastings and northings (the standard form of geo-code used in the UK), or longitude latitude.
Working with postcodes
Some countries, like the UK and Netherlands, have very specific and accurate postal codes (postcode) used to get letter post delivered to your property. These can be used to locate an address to one of six only – very useful and accurate enough for most purposes. So, if you have postcodes relating to a specific address in the UK, Squork Maps will automatically find those locations for you on a map when you upload your data. You can also find postcodes using the search tools provided.
Using Eastings and Northings (and other XY coordinate systems)
Countries have adopted a variety of means to plot locations on maps. In the UK the most widely used system is an XY coordinate based system where an easting and northing position is plotted. This is the form of geo-coding used by HM Government and Ordnance Survey.
Using Longitude, Latitude
You can find any location on Earth is described by two numbers--its latitude and its longitude. These coordinates are usually described as angles measured in degrees and 'minutes of the arc' and 'seconds of the arc' (the world is round after all!). Given that it would be difficult to work with data in this form, a decimal value is used so for example 38 Deg, 53 Min, 55 Sec Lat and 77 Deg, 2 Min 16 Sec Longitude becomes 38.898556 Latitude, -77.037852 Longitude. You can convert into decimal by downloading a converter application of which there are many freely available on the Web.
Converting from Postcodes to Eastings and Northings (and other XY coordinate systems) geo-code
Publish Postcodes on Squork Maps and it will automatically generate Easting and Northings data. Users can then export this geo-code as part of their data set.
Converting from Postcodes to Longitude, Latitude
Publish Postcodes on Squork Maps and it will automatically generate Longitude and Latitude data. Users can then export this geo-code as part of their data set.
About gazetteers
A gazetteer is a geographical dictionary or directory that contains referenceable information used on maps. So for example, a list of postcodes is a gazetteer. It's helpful to have gazetteers to locate things based on some sort of common grid (like postcodes offer). There are thousands of gazetteers used around the world covering countries, places, geology, weather, population etc. You can import gazetteers into Squork Maps (provided your contract prohibits it) as a data set.
Can I geo-code my data for free?
Yes. Once you have a Squork Maps Account you can upload data and then assign a geo-code to it (either an easting and northing (XY coordinate) or longitude and latitude. This is automated if the data set you upload has associated postcodes or XY coordinates. Once you've published your data on Squork Maps, you can then download it. The data downloaded will automatically have geo-code data created.
Do I need a Squork Account?
Yes. Squork Maps is not a free service. If you wish to use Squork Maps, you will need to pay for the service on a monthly basis, although there are concessions for non business use, students, educational establishments and Not For Profit organizations. We also provide a 21-day free trial on all Squork products so that you can find out how useful our online services are.
Can I use the 14-day free trial service more than once?
No, you're restricted to one free trial linked to your username and URL.
Why does Squork Maps have account restrictions?
We want all sorts of online customers to gain as much value as possible from Squork Maps whatever their size of organization or circumstance. There are so many possible uses of Squork Maps and so many kinds of users that it's a constant battle to balance features and server loadings with the value Squork Maps brings. This means that each Squork Maps online service will have some usage descriptions to prevent circumstances from arising where the quality of service deteriorates because of extraordinary usage behaviors resulting from a minority of users. Because, Squork Maps is a self-service platform, it's for you to decide which service is right for you so please take a moment to check through the contractual terms.
What if I find the service I'm using isn't suitable for my requirements?
If you find out that the Squork Maps service agreement you've selected isn't right for you, don't worry because it's easy to upgrade. Just log in to Squork Maps using your username and password. Click on the Settings tab and select My Account. When you click on My Account a new Window will open and you will find an UPGRADE button. Click on this button and select the new service you require. Once you've selected the agreement you want to upgrade to, progress through the purchasing wizard.
If you find Squork Maps is unsuitable for the application you had in mind, please use the feedback form to explain what it is you're trying to do (see if we can help), or if you're not happy with the service, you can always cancel at any time.
Cancelling my Squork Maps service
If you want to cancel your service, all you need to do is send an email to cancelsquorkmaps@encanvas.com and we will cancel your account within 24-hours. You can re-register on Squork Maps for a new account at any time.
I've forgotten my login details. What do I do?
If at any time you've forgotten your Squork Maps login details we just need to verify your account. When we create an account we ask you to enter a password reminder. Should you forget your login details we simply require your account password reminder and your account postcode. For enterprise accounts we may also request additional information.
If I cancel my account do I get my money back?
If you choose to cancel your account within 7 days of commencing into an agreement we will provide a full refund of any monies paid. Your statutory rights are not affected by this offer or our service agreement.
What happens if I'm unhappy with the service I receive?
If for any reason you are unhappy with the quality of service you're receiving then please click here to contact us.
Can I use my own maps and images?
Not currently. We're aiming to provide more map choices towards the second half of 2012.
Can I set a start point for my map? (i.e. Geo-code position and zoom level)
Yes. You can set the start-point and zoom level of your mapping applications.
What are Squork Maps mapping modes?
Squork Maps has two different ways of presenting maps online. These are called mapping modes and they are RichXplor and MassXplor:
RichXplor is designed to provide a Rich Internet web experience by providing features like hover over controls that users are accustomed to because products like Google Maps and Microsoft Bing Maps adopt similar look and feel standards. RichXplor is the standard mapping mode used for Squork Maps because it serves the majority of needs.
MassXplor is designed for situations where Squork Map Users want to present huge amounts of data online (potentially millions of data items). There aren't many mapping systems that can cope with such large levels of spatial data but MassXplor makes the presentation of masses of mapping information available at an unprecedented level of affordability. MassXplor is only available through Squork Maps Enterprise agreements.
I want to use existing geo-spatial assets like DWG files, ShapeFiles, MapInfo Interchange Format (MIF) etc. Is this possible with Squork Maps?
No. If you want to exploit your existing mapping assets with the capabilities of Squork Maps we recommend Encanvas Maps; which is the Encanvas platform that's used to create the Squork Maps online service. You can deploy Encanvas Maps on your own server and configure it precisely to suit your requirements. In addition, Encanvas Maps comes with data connectors and advanced mapping tools to re-use mapping resources. But if you have a one-time conversion of mapping assets into the Squork Maps platform then we do offer consulting services. Simply click here to contact us for further information.
Do I need to install Adobe Flash, Microsoft Silverlight or anything else on my client PC/laptop to use Squork Maps?
No. Squork Maps has been cleverly developed using the very latest AJAX technology to provide an optimal level of performance with great Rich Internet user experience without the need for plug-ins.
Can I use Squork Maps on my Mobile phone?
You can access Squork Maps on your phone by pointing a mobile browser to your Squork Maps Account URL but the screens aren't optimized at the moment for mobile use. We have in our development roadmap big plans this year for Squork Maps on mobile platforms – watch this space!
Can we integrate Squork Maps applications with our Intranet?
Yes. The easiest way to do this is to point users to your Squork Maps URL via a link. If you want a more comprehensive onsite solution (behind the firewall) then take a look at Encanvas Maps.
Can I download the map I'm viewing and add it to my website as a location map?
Not today as an embedded and viewable map no but it's a feature that we're looking to provide shortly. What you CAN DO TODAY is provide a URL link to your Squork Maps site and set a start point that is your office location.
Which browsers are supported by Squork Maps?
You can view Squork Maps on any of the following browsers and expect great results: Apple Safari 5, Microsoft Explorer 7 and 8, Mozilla Firefox 3.6, Opera 10 and Google Chrome.
Which browsers do you recommend for Squork Maps?
We prefer Google Chrome because we think its graphical presentation is superior at the present time, but any of the supported Internet browsers work well.
