Basic Functions & Tools

The mapping application supports functions common to interactive maps, including:

• Zoom In/Out – Scroll mouse wheel
  Changes the map extent to decrease/increase the scale (show less/more area).

• Pan – Hold down left mouse button and drag
  Changes the area of the map that is visible on the screen, without changing the scale.

• Identify – Left click on map feature
  Clicking on a map feature will bring up an attribute pop-up window which contains descriptive information about that feature.

• Toolbar - May also be used to change the extent of the map

  

  • Zoom in
  • Zoom out
  • Home Button (Return to original default extent)
  • My Location Button (Zoom to your physical location)
  • Previous Extent
  • Next Extent

Widgets

The core building block of functionality for the mapping application is the widget. The widget is a custom tool created for specific functionality on the mapping application. Launching a widget is as simple as clicking on the associated widget button. Below is a list of all the widgets available on the WaterAtlas mapping application along with a description of each. The core widgets are located at the top right portion of the application. All other widgets are maintained at the bottom of the application within the Widget Ribbon.

Core Tools

Enhanced Search Widget

The ESearch widget was created by Robert Scheitlin, GIS Manager at Calhoun County, Alabama. It serves as the primary tool for searching for specific spatial features within the mapping application. The ESearch tool allows searching for features via three different search types: Value, Shape and Spatial.

Value - Allows the user to search the attributes of specified layers for certain text. For example, users can search for waterbodies based on their name, or sampling locations based on the monitoring agency.

Shape - Allows the user to select features that fall within a specifc shape drawn on the map by the user. For example, users can draw a circle on the map, and then select all features that fall within a specified buffer of that circle.

Spatial - Allows the user to select features on a map the coincide with another selection already made using the ESearch tool. For example, you can use the Value search to search for a specific waterbody, and then use the spatial search to select all sampling locations that intersect or fall within a specific distance of that waterbody.

Layer List

The Layer List widget provides a list of operational layers and their symbols, and allows you to turn individual layers on and off. Each layer in the list has a check box that allows you to easily control its visibility. The arrows located to the right of each layer group provides more options, including toggling the transparency of the layers contained within that group.

Street View

The Street View widget allows you to use imagery accessible via Google's Street View directly within the mapping application to obtain a local-level view of an area. Just drag the yellow person icon to an area on the map, and if Street View imagery is available for that area it will show up in a new, navigable pop-up window.

Attribute Table

The Attribute Table widget displays a tabular view of operational layers' attributes. It displays at the bottom of your web application and can be opened, resized, or closed. When more than one layer's attributes display, multiple tabs automatically generate in the attribute panel allowing you to switch among the attribute tables. You can use the widget's configuration window to specify which layer or layers are included in the tabular view, which fields show, and if the tabular view can be exported.

Overview Map

The Overview Map widget displays the current extent of the map within the context of a larger area and updates whenever the map extent changes. The current extent of the map is represented in the overview map as a grey rectangle that can be dragged to modify the extent of the current view.

Widget Ribbon

Basemap Gallery

The Basemap Gallery widget presents a gallery of basemaps that can be selected to display beneath the Atlas mapping layers, including current aerial imagery, streets and topological basemaps.

Data Download

The Download widget allows users to download GIS datasets being presented on the Water Atlas' mapping application.

Legend

The Legend widget displays the labels and symbology being used for the layers in the map.

About

The About widget describes the purpose of the Water Atlas program and the mapping application and provides access to the help documentation.

Tools

The Tools widget provides access to several other basic widgets, including the Print, Draw, Measurement, Share and Bookmark widgets.

Print

The Print widget allows the user to create a printable map of the current extent as a PDF or image.

Measurement

The Measurement widget allows the user to measure the area of a polygon, length of a line, or find the coordinates of a point.

Draw

The Draw widget allows you to create graphics that display on the map. It optionally adds line distance or polygon area to the feature as text.

Share

The Share widget allows you to share an app by posting it to your social media account, sending an email with a link, or embedding it in a website or blog.

Bookmark

The Bookmark widget stores a collection of spatial bookmarks, which when clicked will zoom the map extent to the specified location. Each Atlas has several predefinied areas created to highlight specific waterbodies of interest. Users can also create their own bookmarks which will be saved whenever they continue to use the mapping application.

Filter

The Filter widget allows you to limit the visibility of features in a layer. The tool has been configured so that the waterbodies and sample site layers can be filtered by such attributes as waterbody type and size, and sampling source, type and collection dates.

Summary

The Summary widget allows you to summarize data being displayed in the current map that fall within the visible map extent. The tool has been configured to display the number of sampling locations and waterbodies that are visible in the current extent.

Near Me

The Near Me widget allows you to find sampling locations and waterbodies within a buffer of a defined address or location. You can either type in an address or click the pointer tool to select a location on the map. The default buffer is set for one mile from the location entered.

Add Data

The Add Data widget enables users to add data to the map by searching for layers in ArcGIS Online, entering URLs, or uploading local files including shapefiles, CSV, GPX, and GeoJSON. In this way, end users can temporarily add and remove layers from the map. By default, the tool has been configured to search ArcGIS Online for data relevent to the current Atlas area.

Toggle Sampling Sites

The Toggle widget allows quick access to the sampling site mapping layer. Instead of turning on the Layer List widget to access the sampling layer, users can just click this Toggle widget to turn sample sites on and off.