Step 1: Define Your Project Area
Start your project by choosing how to define your area of interest:
Option A: Draw Your Project
To locate your project area, you can enter the address, place, or coordinates directly in the search bar. Then, zoom into the area you’d like to create your project. Choose your project type:
Polygon – For area-based projects (e.g. parcels, job sites).
Linear – For route-based projects (e.g. corridors, pipelines, road alignments).
Use the map’s drawing tools to trace your area.
If you select Linear, you’ll be prompted to define a corridor width from the centerline.
To complete your project outline, right-click on your mouse or click over the last point in your drawing. To edit the points of your project area, you may click any of the nodes, and drag to readjust the position. You may delete a node altogether by double-clicking the node and selecting “Delete.”
To restart drawing your project area altogether, you may click “Start over” at the bottom of the map.
Option B: Upload a File
Upload a pre-defined area of interest:
Supported formats: KML, KMZ, SHP, or GeoJSON
Max file size: 10 MB
Ensure your file contains a single, continuous geometry (e.g., no multipolygons or disconnected lines).
Click “Click to upload” or simply drag your file into the upload area.
Before you move on to the next step of project creation, you’ll notice that at the bottom of the left side panel, you’ll see the amount of segments in your project area. Segments are the units that make up your project in 4M.
Admins may monitor the amount of segments that have been used across the organization in the Admin Dashboard, which we cover in this support article.
When you’re ready to move forward, click “Next” and proceed to project setup.
Step 2: Enter Project Details
Fill in the following project details:
Project Name – Give your project a clear and searchable name.
Destination Folder – Choose which folder to store the project in.
Use folders like “Scoping,” “Preliminary Design,” or your custom structure to keep things organized.Project Type – Select from predefined types that reflect your workflow.
Project Phase – Choose the current lifecycle stage (e.g. Planning, Design, Construction).
Project Budget (Optional) – You may assign a budget category for internal tracking or estimation.
Step 3: View Utility Map & Foundation Data Recovery
Click “View Utility Map” to complete your project creation. You’ll get instant access to the utility lines and data within your project area.
If your project has limited utility coverage or missing data, 4M may trigger a Foundation Data Recovery process.
This automated enhancement uses satellite imagery and engineering documents to fill data gaps within 1–2 business days. You'll receive an email once enhanced data is available.
Learn more in our Foundation Data FAQ support article
Step 4: Start Object Detection
Once the project loads, a coverage popup will appear, showing whether high satellite imagery coverage is available for Object Detection.
You can click “Start Detection” to begin the process to detect on-surface utilities and view them on your map.
The process takes 1-2 hours, and you’ll receive an email as soon as utility objects are ready to view. Learn more about Object Detection in this article.
Send us a message
Do you have questions or need help with an issue? Contact our team of 4M experts.