diff --git a/frontend/src/Metamaps/Util.js b/frontend/src/Metamaps/Util.js
index 2bc49159..9dfc8d3b 100644
--- a/frontend/src/Metamaps/Util.js
+++ b/frontend/src/Metamaps/Util.js
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-/* global $ */
+/* global $, window, document, history */
 
 import { Parser, HtmlRenderer, Node } from 'commonmark'
 import { emojiIndex } from 'emoji-mart'
@@ -172,7 +172,7 @@ const Util = {
     canvas.resize($(window).width(), $(window).height())
 
     // Return the map to the original scale, and then put the previous central map-coordinate back to the centre of user's newly resized screen
-    canvas.scale(oldAttr.scaleX, oldAttr.scaleY)
+    canvas.scale(oldAttr.scaleX, oldAttr.scaleY) // should be equal
     const newAttr = Util.logCanvasAttributes(canvas)
     canvas.translate(newAttr.centreCoords.x - oldAttr.centreCoords.x, newAttr.centreCoords.y - oldAttr.centreCoords.y)
   },
@@ -229,6 +229,18 @@ const Util = {
 
       // Translate the canvas to put the pointer back over top the same coordinate it was over before
     graph.canvas.translate(newX - pointerCoordX, newY - pointerCoordY)
+  },
+  queryParams: function() {
+    return window.location.search.replace(/(^\?)/, '').split('&').reduce((obj, item) => {
+      item = item.split('=')
+      obj[item[0]] = item[1]
+      return obj
+    }, {})
+  },
+  updateQueryParams: function(newValues, pathname = window.location.pathname) {
+    const qp = Object.assign({}, Util.queryParams(), newValues)
+    const newString = Object.keys(qp).filter(key => !!key).map(key => `${key}=${qp[key]}`).join('&')
+    history.replaceState({}, document.title, `${pathname}?${newString}`)
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/frontend/src/Metamaps/Visualize.js b/frontend/src/Metamaps/Visualize.js
index aa0745da..d2cf576b 100644
--- a/frontend/src/Metamaps/Visualize.js
+++ b/frontend/src/Metamaps/Visualize.js
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
-/* global $ */
+/* global $, window */
 
-import _ from 'lodash'
+import { find as _find, indexOf as _indexOf, uniq as _uniq, debounce } from 'lodash'
 
 import $jit from '../patched/JIT'
 
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import DataModel from './DataModel'
 import JIT from './JIT'
 import Loading from './Loading'
 import TopicCard from './Views/TopicCard'
+import Util from './Util'
 
 const Visualize = {
   mGraph: null, // a reference to the graph object.
@@ -148,6 +149,40 @@ const Visualize = {
       self.mGraph.graph.empty()
     }
 
+    // monkey patch scale function
+    const oldScale = self.mGraph.canvas.scale
+    const cachedPathname = window.location.pathname
+    const updateScaleInUrl = debounce(() => {
+      Util.updateQueryParams({ scale: self.mGraph.canvas.scaleOffsetX.toFixed(2) }, cachedPathname)
+    }, 200)
+    self.mGraph.canvas.scale = function(x, y, disablePlot) {
+      const returnValue = oldScale.apply(self.mGraph.canvas, arguments)
+      updateScaleInUrl()
+      return returnValue
+    }
+
+    // monkey patch translate function
+    const oldTranslate = self.mGraph.canvas.translate
+    const updateTranslateInUrl = debounce(() => {
+      const newX = self.mGraph.canvas.translateOffsetX.toFixed(2)
+      const newY = self.mGraph.canvas.translateOffsetY.toFixed(2)
+      Util.updateQueryParams({ translate: `${newX},${newY}` }, cachedPathname)
+    }, 200)
+    self.mGraph.canvas.translate = function(x, y, disablePlot) {
+      const returnValue = oldTranslate.apply(self.mGraph.canvas, arguments)
+      updateTranslateInUrl()
+    }
+
+    const queryParams = Util.queryParams()
+    const scale = parseFloat(queryParams.scale) || 1.0
+    if (typeof queryParams.translate === 'string') {
+      const [x, y] = queryParams.translate.split(',').map(n => parseFloat(n) || 0)
+      self.mGraph.canvas.translate(x / scale, y / scale)
+    }
+    if (typeof queryParams.scale === 'string') {
+      self.mGraph.canvas.scale(scale, scale)
+    }
+
     function runAnimation() {
       Loading.hide()
       // load JSON data, if it's not empty
@@ -155,10 +190,10 @@ const Visualize = {
         // load JSON data.
         var rootIndex = 0
         if (Active.Topic) {
-          var node = _.find(JIT.vizData, function(node) {
+          var node = _find(JIT.vizData, function(node) {
             return node.id === Active.Topic.id
           })
-          rootIndex = _.indexOf(JIT.vizData, node)
+          rootIndex = _indexOf(JIT.vizData, node)
         }
         self.mGraph.loadJSON(JIT.vizData, rootIndex)
         // compute positions and plot.
@@ -177,11 +212,11 @@ const Visualize = {
     // hold for a maximum of 80 passes, or 4 seconds of waiting time
     var tries = 0
     function hold() {
-      const unique = _.uniq(DataModel.Topics.models, function(metacode) { return metacode.get('metacode_id') })
-      const requiredMetacodes = _.map(unique, function(metacode) { return metacode.get('metacode_id') })
+      const unique = _uniq(DataModel.Topics.models, function(metacode) { return metacode.get('metacode_id') })
+      const requiredMetacodes = unique.map(metacode => metacode.get('metacode_id'))
       let loadedCount = 0
 
-      _.each(requiredMetacodes, function(metacodeId) {
+      requiredMetacodes.forEach(metacodeId => {
         const metacode = DataModel.Metacodes.get(metacodeId)
         const img = metacode ? metacode.get('image') : false
 
diff --git a/frontend/src/patched/JIT.js b/frontend/src/patched/JIT.js
index 5ea04ce1..fbe34c4f 100644
--- a/frontend/src/patched/JIT.js
+++ b/frontend/src/patched/JIT.js
@@ -2581,10 +2581,7 @@ Extras.Classes.Navigation = new Class({
     
     // START METAMAPS CODE
     if (Metamaps.Mouse.didPan) Metamaps.JIT.SmoothPanning();
-    
-    
     // END METAMAPS CODE
-    
   },
   
   // START METAMAPS CODE
diff --git a/frontend/test/Metamaps/Util.spec.js b/frontend/test/Metamaps/Util.spec.js
index 3cfe05d8..21996571 100644
--- a/frontend/test/Metamaps/Util.spec.js
+++ b/frontend/test/Metamaps/Util.spec.js
@@ -129,4 +129,10 @@ describe('Metamaps.Util.js', function() {
   describe('resizeCanvas', function() {
     it.skip('TODO need a canvas')
   })
+  describe('queryParams', function() {
+    it.skip('TODO need window')
+  })
+  describe('updateQueryParams', function() {
+    it.skip('TODO need window')
+  })
 })