Heritage Cherry Trees Demo Site

A Quarto Example Embedding a qgis2web Map Hosted on GitHub

This repository contains a simple Quarto website created to demonstrate how an interactive map—exported from QGIS using the qgis2web plugin and hosted in a separate GitHub repository—can be embedded into a standalone project site.

The purpose of this demo is to show a fully FOSS, license-free workflow for community mapping projects and student portfolios. It illustrates how a project can pair:

• a narrative or “About” page, and
• an embedded interactive map

…using only free tools and GitHub Pages for hosting.

What This Demo Shows

This Quarto site embeds an externally hosted interactive Leaflet map of Heritage Street Trees in Washington, DC that are cherry species (Prunus). The map itself was created in QGIS and exported using the qgis2web plugin, then published in its own GitHub repository via GitHub Pages.

This project demonstrates that:

• The map stands alone and can be hosted in any GitHub repository
• A Quarto site can embed that map via iframe, just like any other website
• No ArcGIS Online accounts, institutional logins, or proprietary software are required
• Any organization, community group, or student can use this workflow

Workflow Overview

1. Map creation in QGIS

   • A subset of street trees was filtered to include only Prunus species meeting the District’s Heritage Tree criteria (≥ 100 inches circumference at DBH).
   • Points were styled using graduated marker size based on DBH.

2. Map export with qgis2web

   • The project was exported as a Leaflet web map.
   • The exported map was placed in a separate GitHub repo and published using GitHub Pages.

3. Quarto site creation

   • A minimal Quarto website was created with an “About” page and a “Map” page.
   • The qgis2web map is embedded using a simple HTML <iframe>.

4. Publishing on GitHub Pages

   • This site is published directly from the Quarto output folder.

Why This Matters

This approach offers a lightweight, accessible alternative to ArcGIS Online for:

• Community mapping workshops
• Public-facing mapping projects
• Student mapping portfolios
• Collaborative research outputs
• Any group without institutional GIS licenses

It also provides a pathway for future instruction: students can build a Quarto site as a mapping portfolio, embed maps hosted in small GitHub projects, and document their process using reproducible workflow practices.

Live Demo

• Quarto site:
  https://geospatialresearchlab.github.io/demo_quarto_map_site

• Interactive map (qgis2web export):
  https://geospatialresearchlab.github.io/demo_qgis2web_map