A New King County iMap is Coming!

King County GIS Center is pleased to announce the upcoming soft launch of the modernized King County iMap application. Over the coming weeks, users will have the opportunity to explore the new application while the current version remains available. Following the soft launch period, the existing iMap application will be retired and the new application will become the official King County iMap.

The new application is available now at:

https://kc-imap.kingcounty.gov (new URL)

*Figure 1: Screenshot of the new King County iMap*

What is iMap?

King County iMap is an interactive web mapping application that provides access to a wide variety of authoritative geographic information (GIS data) maintained by King County. Whether you’re researching property information, exploring natural resources, reviewing political boundaries, or viewing planning information, iMap provides an easy way to visualize and interact with County GIS data.

With iMap, you can:

Search for addresses, parcel numbers, intersections, parks, schools, and other landmarks.
View parcel and property information with links to the Assessor’s Property Report and Districts and Development Conditions Report.
Explore dozens of GIS layers organized into thematic groups.
Switch between multiple basemaps, including King County vector basemaps, aerial imagery, hillshade, and OpenStreetMap.
Customize your map to display the information most relevant to your work.
And much more!

Why a New iMap?

The previous iMap application was deployed on on-premise server and was built using Esri’s Web AppBuilder Developer Edition, a framework that has reached the end of its support lifecycle. To ensure the application remains secure, reliable, and maintainable, King County has rebuilt iMap with ArcGIS Experience Builder Developer Edition and hosted it in the cloud with Microsoft Azure.

While many familiar tools and workflows remain the same, the application has been modernized and rebuilt from the ground up to improve performance, usability, accessibility, and future scalability.

*Figure 2: Screenshot of new (left) and legacy (right) King County iMap application*

*Figure 3: Responsive mobile-friendly design*

What’s New?

The modernized iMap includes numerous improvements while preserving the familiar functionality users rely on every day.

Modern Platform

Built using Esri’s ArcGIS Experience Builder Developer Edition.
Hosted in Microsoft Azure for improved reliability and scalability.
Reduces technical debt by moving to a supported, modern platform.
Uses ArcGIS Online Hosted Feature Layer Views for improved data management.

Improved User Experience

Responsive design that works across desktop, tablet, and mobile devices.
Cleaner, more intuitive interface.
Enhanced search capabilities with newer search functionality.
Easier-to-follow workflows for searching, buffering, and spatial analysis.
Improved highlighting of search results and buffer operations.
Results are automatically added to the Layer List widget, making them easy to manage or remove.
Reorder the layers up and down using drag handles.
Search layer name within the Layer List widget.
Use mini menu for layers to change layer transparency, set a filter on the layer or export the data.
Share links

*Figure 4: Screenshots of Layer List 1) Tool tip 2) Layer search 3) Drag handles to re-order layers 4) Mini-menu options 5) Export data*

*Figure 5: Screenshot of Add Data widget: 1) Click to add data 2) Search your data in ArcGIS Online 3) Add REST services 4) Upload local data*

Image 6: Screenshot of Share widget 1) Open Share widget 2) Copy URL with parameters to share the link — *Figure 6: Screenshot of Share widget 1) Open Share widget 2) Copy URL with parameters to share the link*

Accessibility Improvements

Accessibility was a major focus during development. The new application includes:

Improved support for screen readers such as Windows Narrator and NVDA.
Additional descriptive tooltips throughout the application.
More accessible controls and navigation for users who use keyboards or screen readers to access web content
Better guidance for first-time users.

*Figure 7: Screenshot showing tooltip for Enhanced Search 1) Click the “?” to open the tooltip 2) Tooltip details*

Enhanced Mapping and Analysis

The new iMap also introduces several enhancements for GIS users, including:

Additional layers available for querying.
Expanded export options supporting multiple data formats.
Export data from all selected layers instead of only a single layer.
Easier-to-understand and use spatial operations and tools.
Support for new URL query parameters using “#” and “?” for sharing maps and integrating with other applications.

*Figure 8: Screenshot of Enhanced Search (eSearch) 1) Search a layer by attributes 2) Select features by location 3) Review the features from your search*

*Figure 9: Screenshot of Spatial tab capabilities 1) Spatial tab 2) Operations sub tab to query further using spatial relationships and pick target layers*

*Figure 10: Screenshot of Spatial tab capabilities 1) Spatial tab 2) Draw operation 3) Draw tools*

*Figure 11: Screenshot of Results 1) Results tab 2) Action mini menu 3) Export data 4) Search results*

A Familiar Experience with Modern Enhancements

One of the goals of this project was to preserve the workflows that existing users depend on while introducing improvements that make the application easier to use. Existing functionality has been retained wherever possible, with thoughtful enhancements that improve efficiency without requiring users to learn an entirely new application.

Soft Launch

The soft launch allows users to begin exploring the new application before the legacy iMap is retired. During this period, we encourage users to familiarize themselves with the updated interface and provide feedback at GISCenter@kingcounty.gov as they transition to the new platform.

After the soft launch period concludes on Wednesday, October 7th, 2026, the legacy iMap application will be retired on Friday, October 9th, 2026 and will no longer be available. The new application will become the official King County iMap.