The neighborhood heat-response map explores how check-ins, information, and local coordination affect a community’s response to extreme heat. But a map’s value often depends on where it goes next and what you do with it. Your export format determines what stakeholders actually get: a static visual, readable text, raw data for analysis, or an editable backup.
To see why this is important, look at two specific connections in the map: volunteer data privacy constrains structured incident communication, and collective learning drives adaptive response plans. An image simply shows these labels on arrows. A Markdown export turns them into readable text. JSON, GraphML, and DOT encode them as directed relationships for other software. And a .know file bundles everything so you can keep working natively.
Export formats at a glance
| Format | A practical use for this map | Available on |
|---|---|---|
| Visual exports | ||
| PNG | Place a fixed image in a slide deck or Word document | Free and Professional |
| JPEG | Share a visual preview when fine label detail matters less | Free and Professional |
| SVG | Place a map in a slide or document where it may be resized | Free and Professional |
| Print a handout or circulate a fixed document | Free and Professional | |
| Text and graph data | ||
| Markdown | Work with map content beside notes or a written plan | Professional |
| JSON | Work with concepts, relationships, descriptions, and other map data | Professional |
| GraphML | Examine directed, labeled connections in graph software | Professional |
| Graphviz DOT | Generate another diagram with Graphviz | Professional |
| Editable backup | ||
.know |
Keep an editable copy to import into KnowMapped later | Free and Professional |
For a slide deck, document, or handout
If you are dropping the map into a slide deck or Word document, go with PNG or SVG. If you are prepping a handout, PDF is usually your best bet. These visual formats capture the map exactly as it looks right now—layout, colors, and visible labels included.
When choosing between image types, think about scaling. PNG and JPEG are raster images (made of pixels). They are universally compatible, but text and lines will blur if you stretch them across a large slide. SVG is a vector graphic. Its shapes and text stay perfectly crisp no matter how large you scale it. Start with SVG for presentations and reports, and fall back to PNG only if your destination app doesn’t support vector files.
Remember that visual exports are static. Readers can’t click a concept to read its deeper description or watch the map evolve. It’s often helpful to drop a link to the interactive public map in your document or speaker notes so people can explore it themselves.
For graph analysis
The heat-response map asks a practical question: what actually contributes to a rapid local response? Looking at the map, three things point directly to it: training and practice (strengthens), structured incident communication (accelerates), and adaptive response plans (improves). If you want to analyze these pathways outside of KnowMapped, you need a graph export.
GraphML is ideal for network researchers. Open it in graph analysis software, and it translates every concept into a node and every relationship into a directed edge, carrying over all your descriptions and layout positions. You could use it to isolate “Rapid local response” and trace its inputs, or pivot to “Heat-resilient neighborhoods” to see if they share the same foundational elements.
JSON is better when your map needs to feed into another data pipeline or custom script. It cleanly lists all incoming relationships, concepts, descriptions, and canvas data, making it easy to extract exactly who connects to what and how.
Graphviz DOT lets you render the exact same map in Graphviz to experiment with algorithmic layouts. It focuses strictly on the directed connections and labels, dropping the heavier layout data found in JSON or GraphML.
For notes and a written plan
If a team is drafting a heat-response protocol, an image of a map isn’t always helpful to write against. The Markdown export converts your concepts and relationships into clean, readable text.
For example, instead of drawing an arrow, the Markdown file renders a connection like this:
- **Collective learning** — drives → **Adaptive response plans**You can copy, quote, or rewrite these lines directly in your planning document without having to retype anything. If your team uses text-based knowledge bases like Obsidian, you can just drop the whole Markdown file right into your vault next to your meeting notes.
For an offline backup
When you just need to save your work, export a .know file. This is KnowMapped’s native format. It gives you a complete offline copy of your map that you can store locally or email to a colleague so they can upload their own independent copy. Whenever you’re ready to pick up where you left off, just import it back into KnowMapped.