Survey Solutions map reports at the data server utilize maps provided by Google through their online service. The installation sets the parameters regulating access to this service with the parameters applicable to the majority of users, but these servers are known to be inaccessible from the networks in China.

To enable access to Google maps from China, a different server, specific to China, must be used. The following two parameters should be changed in the GoogleMap section in appsettings.Production.ini configuration file of the Survey Solutions server:

[GoogleMap]
# write your API key (that you receive from Google) instead of ... below:
ApiKey="..."
ApiBaseUrl=http://maps.google.cn
BaseUrl=http://google.cn

This will replace the common Google maps engine used by all countries with the maps server that is specific for China. A restart of the web server may be required for the new settings to take effect.

These map server settings apply to all the map reports on the Survey Solutions data server. Hence if you are planning multiple surveys with access inside and outside of China you will need to have two separate servers with different configurations.

The default values of BaseUrl and ApiBaseUrl in this section (for all users outside of China):

[GoogleMap]
ApiBaseUrl=https://maps.googleapis.com
BaseUrl=https://google.com

It is recommended that the users do not change any other settings or parameters in this file without prior consultation with the support team, as it may negatively affect the security and reliability of the service.