HBSMR Web features three kinds of interactive map:

• The main map through which users can browse all spatial data.
• The search results map, which will show the results of free-text searches for Monuments, Events or Designations.
• Record details maps, which can be configured to appear on any record details page where the record has a mapped representation.

These maps are developed with OpenLayers, the leading open source mapping library.

Which basemaps and data layers are included in the interactive maps, and how they are symbolised, is fully configurable during an implementation of HBSMR Web. Each kind of map can have its own configuration, though in practice it is sensible to keep them as similar as possible.

Basemaps are typically brought in from other web services, potentially including:

• Bing Maps (which can include Ordnance Survey 1:50k and 1:25k raster mapping, and aerial photography, typically free for HBSMR Web scenarios). Requires the map to operate in the "Google Maps" coordinate system, which means your HBSMR data is re-projected on-the-fly. For large datasets this could bring some degradation of performance.
• Mapping services hosted by the HER's parent organisation (e.g. full Ordnance Survey mapping and other corporate datasets).
• Mapping services served using MapServer on a hosted HBSMR client's server.
• 3rd party services (e.g. aerial photography from commercial providers).
• Historic mapping (e.g. from National Library of Scotland, or other providers).
• OpenStreetMap. Like Bing Maps (see above) this requires EPSG:3857.
• OpenStreetMap in UK projection, with or without hill-shading (available from Exegesis at a small annual charge).
• Virtually any other source, e.g. relayed through the HBSMR API MapServer installation.

The gazetteer function in HBSMR Web uses GeoNames by default. An account is required before the free API web services can be used. It is possible to use other gazetteer services, such as the OS Names API.