Water Quality Dashboard Help

The Seminole County Water Quality Dashboard presents the most recent monitoring data for rivers, lakes, and springs within the county geographically, using an interactive, dynamic interface. This page will help familarize users with the functionality of the dashboard application.

The dashboard may be accessed at this URL: https://waterinstitute.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/13e6fa8ea7bc4fa891432f701e82ab89

Overview

The dashboard displays the most recent data for five water quality parameters:

  • Chlorophyll a
  • Total Nitrogen
  • Total Phosphorus
  • Trophic State Index (TSI)
  • Secchi Depth

Data values are presented within gauges, with the value displayed at the center of the gauge, and the needle indicating that value on the gauge range. The Chlorophyll a, Total Nitrogen and Total Phosphorus gauges show threshold values based on regulatory criteria in the Florida Administrative Code. The Chlorophyll a, Secchi Depth, and Trophic State Index gauges are color-coded as follows:

red=good, green=exceedance

Below the gauge appears the name of the waterbody being displayed, the sampling date, and a code identifying the agency responsible for taking the measurement.

gauge example

Selecting a Waterbody

Selecting a waterbody will change the gauges to show the latest data for that lake, river, or spring. You can select a waterbody in one of two ways:

  1. “Sites” Side Panel

    The side panel on the left of the screen contains a list of all the waterbodies for which data are being presented.

    Sidebar

    To view a particular waterbody, click/tap on its name. Doing so will cause the map to “zoom” into the waterbody and change the gauges to display the most recent water quality data for that waterbody.

    Sidebar with selection

    To unselect a waterbody, click/tap on the selected waterbody name again. The map will return to its full extent.

  2. Direct Selection from Map

    Waterbodies can also be selected by interacting directly with the map.

    To change the map’s extent (portion that is displayed):

    • To pan the map, click/tap and drag.
    • To zoom in/out: 1) Click/tap on the +/- symbols (lower right corner of the map); 2) use your mouse wheel; or 3) pinch the screen on a mobile device.
    • To return the map to its full extent, click/tap the ‘home’ symbol in the upper right corner of the map.

    Click/tap on a waterbody within the map and the gauges will show the most recent water quality data for it. Some waterbodies shown on the map are not represented on the dashboard; their names do not appear in the “Sites” sidebar and the gauge area will show “No data”.

    Tuskawilla map Tuskawilla chlorophyll gauge

NOTE: Please be aware that if you are switching between waterbody selection methods 1 and 2, you will need to unselect the waterbody from the first method before continuing with the second one. Failure to do so will result in the gauges showing “No Data”.

Filtering Waterbodies

The waterbodies visible on the map and on the “Sites” side panel can be filtered based on a set of predetermined criteria. To open the “Filters” side panel, click/tap the small arrow located on the left side of the Sites side panel.

How to open filter panel

The Filters side panel contains two different filter sets with checkboxes you can toggle on and off:

  • Waterbody Type – Show only lakes, rivers, or springs
  • Exceeding Thresholds – Show only waterbodies that are exceeding thresholds for one (or more) of the five water quality parameters
Open filter panel

Changing the Base Map

To change the base (background) map, click/tap on the basemap tool at the upper right corner of the map:

basemap tool

Showing/Hiding Layers

Click/tap the layer icon in the upper right corner of the map to reveal a panel that will allow you to show or hide the following map layers:

  • Seminole County boundary
  • Water quality sample locations
  • Waterbodies
layer menu