Файл CMAP

Files with the .cmap extension are associated with CmapTools, the concept-mapping application developed by IHMC (Florida Institute for Human & Machine Cognition). A .cmap file stores a concept map - a diagram that represents a knowledge model or thought process, similar in spirit to a mind map but with an emphasis on labeled connections between ideas. Each map consists of concept nodes joined by named linking phrases that form explicit propositional statements (for example, "water - is necessary for → life").

Concept maps are typically used to visualize brainstorming sessions or knowledge models. CmapTools offers many tools for building and sharing them among group members. The native .cmap format is a CmapTools-internal file with no documented public file signature, making it opaque to third-party software. Its open, documented sibling is .cxl (Cmap XML), an XML/UTF-8 representation recommended for exchanging maps between systems or archiving them independently of CmapTools.

.cmap files can be exported to many popular image and document formats - including SVG, PNG, JPEG, PDF, and full HTML web pages - as well as to .cxl for round-trip editing. Maps may be stored locally, hosted on a self-managed CmapServer, or synced via the web-based Cmap Cloud, enabling real-time collaboration. CmapTools runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, and iOS (CmapTools for iPad).

Brainstorming is a group activity focused on gathering as many ideas as possible to find a solution to a specific problem or create an original concept. At the beginning, all ideas are treated as equally valid and are further analyzed and filtered through discussion to find the best one. Larger projects benefit from digital tools like CmapTools, where all members of the group can see and collaboratively edit a shared diagram rather than relying on a blackboard or whiteboard.