Tutorial

Mapping

  • Site Orientation

    Welcome to the tutorial. Let's get started by giving a short overview and site orientation. This Internet mapping application uses frames in order to maximize the available browser real estate. By using frames, only certain sections need to be modified when the user requests a change. This site is broken up into 7 frames. We will begin by going over each frame and listing exactly what it does.

    The top frame is the simplest frame and just contains the title image. It is called the Title Frame It doesn't do anything else except let the user know what site they are looking at.

    The frame below the Title Frame is the Tool Frame. The Tool Frame contains the basic navigation and interaction tools available on the site. These tools include the zoom and pan tools and the identification and measure tools. Details of how a tool works can be found the in this help section, which is described below.

    The next frame, Advanced Tools, is the most important frame. It is a sliding frame, meaning, that the pages that are viewed in this frame aren't replaced by other pages, but rather are hidden while another page is viewed. This hiding and showing is controlled by clicking the right most portion of the frame. When the site is initially loaded, the legend is shown. Although you don't see the other sections such as Search, Drawing or Proximity they are actually loaded and ready to be shown. By clicking one of the tabs in the Advanced Tools Frame, the current tab is hidden while the requested tab is shown. We will be going over the four major tab pages after we are introduced to tools.

    The most important frame is the Map Frame. This frame contains the map image and is where all the interactivity and analysis is performed. Like I said, it is very important, but it is also very simple in that its primary function is to show you a map. Behind the scenes, this frame is where all the scripting and settings for the entire site are loaded.

    That pretty much wraps up the site orientation. Next we will be covering tools, their functionality, and how to use them effectively to get the map or information you need.

  • ToolBar

    The toolbar contains features commonly used to interact with the map. There are more advanced tools in the right side panel and descriptions of these will follow in subsequent sections. Below are directions for each tool found in the toolbar.

    • Zoom In - This tool is used to zoom to specific areas of the map. To use this tool simply click once on a location in the map. This will zoom in to that location with a zoom factor of 2X.
    • Zoom In Box - This tool gives you more control over the zoom. To use this tool click and drag an extents rectangle around the area you wish to zoom to. When you have the rectangle defined to the extents that you want, simply let go of the mouse button, and the map will zoom to your defined extent.
    • Zoom Out - This tool is used to expand the visible area of map by reducing its scale. To use this tool simply click once on a location in the map. This will zoom out to that location with a zoom factor of 2X.
    • Pan - The pan tool uses the mouse to drag the map around to a user-defined location. To use, click and hold the left mouse button, then drag the map.
    • Full Extent - Returns the map to the extent at which you started.
    • Previous Extent - Returns the map to the extent before your last zoom or pan.
    • Identify - The identify tool is used to identify the features of specific layers regardless of whether or not they are visible. Simply click a point in the map and the results are returned for the administrator-defined layers.
    • Measure - Measure is used to find the distance between two points, or the area of a polygon.
    • Scale - Displays the current scale of the map. You can also manually change the scale by entering a number and pressing the "Go" button.
    • Lat/Long - This tool will display the current latitude and longitude coordinates of the mouse pointer on the map. You may also manually enter coordinates and click the "Go" button to reposition the center of the map.
    • Clear Map - Clear map will clear the map of any selections (highlights) or lines.
    • Site Reload - Site reload does a complete reload of the entire site. Use this tool when you want to return to the default state or when tools or functions hang.
    • Print - Allows you to print the map. More detailed help is located within the print dialog.
    • Export Image - This tool will provide you with a downloadable jpeg image of the map.
  • Legend

    The legend will display all of the map layers available to you in the selected View. Checking the check box next to a layer will make it visible on the map. Some layers are checked by default while others must be turned on manually. This is done to keep the map from overwhelming you with information. Layers are also grouped by category and you may check/uncheck all layers within a category by clicking the Show/Hide All button below the category heading. Layers that are only visible at specific extents will turn grey when they are not visible at the current extent.

    • Views - A View is a grouping of layers designed to limit your working layers to only those you need. There are several Views made for you already. To change your View, simply select the View you wish from the "Change View" menu. The "All Layers" view will present you with every map layer available to PG Atlas.
    • Save View - This will allow you to create your own custom map view. The Save View button is only available to those that register an account with PG Atlas. You may do so on the GIS Home tab. To save a View simply check the checkbox next to all the layers you want to have available in your view. When you are done, click the Save button below the Change View menu. You will be asked to give your view a name, enter any name you wish and click the Ok button. PG Atlas will then automatically load your new view and it will be available in the Change View menu on subsequent visits after you log in.
    • Delete View - Allows you to delete your saved custom views. The delete View button is only available to those that register an account with PG Atlas. You may do so on the GIS Home tab. To delete a View, thange the map to that View and click the Delete button under the Change View Menu. The Delete button will only work on your custom saved Views.
  • Search

    To use the search tool, simply follow the syntax of the examples for the sections you wish to search. Searches are done one at a time, meaning you can only search by address, not address and plat number at the same time.

    The Property Owner is password protected. Please refer to the directions found within the Property Owner Name search panel.

  • Save

    The save tool will allow you to save the map at its current extent and View with any drawings you have made with the Drawing Tools. The Open/Save tool is only available to those that register an account with PG Atlas. You may do so on the GIS Home tab. To save your map click the Save button below the Choose A Map menu. You will be asked to give your map a name, enter any name you wish and click the Ok button. Your saved map will be available in the Choose A Map menu on subsequent visits after you log in.

  • Drawing

    The Drawing panel allows users to add graphics (points, lines, polygons) and text to the map for printing. This tool is NOT designed to edit the existing line work or its attribute data.

    • Tools - There are many different tools to choose from. When you click on a tool the menus below will change to allow you to select sizes, styles and colors appropriate for that tool. To use the Point or Text tools simply click on a point on the map. To use the Line, Rectangle or Freehand tools click and drag the mouse to draw a shape. To use the polyline or polygon tools click on a starting point then move, not drag, the mouse and click on the next point, double-click the mouse when you are done.
  • Select

    There are three select tools used to select features on a specified layer. First, choose a layer from the Layer To Select menu. After making a selection, you may change the layer in this menu to build your select across multiple layers.

    The Point tool allows you to click on specific features to select. The Box tool allows you to select all features within a box. The Polygon tool allows you to select all features within a drawn shape. To use the polygon tool click on a starting point then move, not drag, the mouse and click on the next point, double-click the mouse when you are done.

    When you are done making a selection you may view detailed information on the select objects by clicking the Show button. Clicking the Clear button will clear your selection from the map.

  • Proximity

    The proximity tool is used to analyze and return attribute information for the nearest set of features based on an original point click in the map.

    Click the Point button within the proximity panel to activate the tool. Any time you use another tool, such as zoom in, and want to come back to use the proximity tool, you must click the Point button again. Next, either select a single layer from the Select Layers list, select multiple layers by holding down the Ctrl key while selecting, or select all layers by clicking the Select All Layers button.

    The proximity tool will work regardless of the map View selected in the legend. However it is more helpful to first load a view which contains the layers you are working with such as the Points Of Interest View.

    Next, select a distance to search. Due to the increasing number of features returned as the distance increases, the time it takes to return the results also increases. For fastest results, select one layer and use the default of one mile. Now you are ready to perform a proximity analysis.

    For best results, zoom in to a portion of the map where you can see points of interest, and click a point in the map. The results for your search will be displayed on top of the map.

  • Print

    The print dialog box presents you with a preview of your printed map as well as options for printing. Note that graphics you draw on a map will print but will not display in the preview image.

    • Title - Enter a custom title to appear above your map. Click off the title field to see your custom title in the print preview.
    • Legend - A legend for your map is printed on a second page by default. Un-check this box if you do not wish to print a legend.
    • Scale - The map is automatically scaled to match the paper it is printed on. If you wish to maintain the scale of your working map, select Same As Map from the menu. Note that maintaining the scale of your map may result in some clipping on the printed page.
    • Orientation - Choose between either portrait or landscape. Remember to set the print orientation in your printer settings to match.
    • Tips - A printed map will nearly fill a letter size 8.5"x11" sheet of paper. Check the following if you are having trouble printing:
      • Many browsers have a magnification setting for printed pages. Make sure that it is set to 100% and that any "Fit to Page" options are turned off.
      • Printing is designed to work with your browser's default margin settings: .75" for Internet Explorer and .5" for Firefox and other browsers. Ensure that your margins are set to these values in your browser's print settings.
  • Results

    This panel displays detailed information returned from using the Identify tool, performing a search, or selecting features. Results are grouped by layer and each layer group can be collapsed or expanded to help reduce the available information to only that which you need. To the left of each item is a Show button which will doom the map to that feature.

    • Excel Export - Clicking this button will open the Excel Export Options window. Here you may select some or all of the layers in the results panel to export to an Excel spreadsheet. Click the Generate button to create your Excel file.
    • Note: The Excel file that is generated is not native to Office 2007. If you open it in Office 2007 you will receive a warning about the file. Simply click Yes to open your file.
  • Measure

    The "Distance" tool is selected by default. Simply click on one point in the map and drag to another point. The distance of that line will display in feet. Clicking on the "Area" button will change the behavior of the measure tool. Click on a starting point then, without dragging, click on subsequent points on the map. when you are done drawing a shape double-click the mouse. The perimeter and area, in feet and square feet respectively, of your shape will display in the measure box.

  • Scale

    This panel displays the current scale of the map. You can also manually change the scale by entering a number and pressing the "Go" button.