How to Use the Interactive Maps

Speed

The first map you request will take a long time to load (approximately 1 -2 minutes). Java applets must first be loaded. Subsequent maps (or re-draws of the same map) will be faster.

Layers of the Map

Layers of the map can be turned on or off by clicking on the gray box next to the layer name. If there is a check mark in the gray box it means the layer is displayed.

Layers draw in the order they appear in the legend. The first layer in the legend will be the "top" layer on the map and so on down the legend. Many of the layers polygon layers (verses point or line) and cannot be viewed with other polygon layers.

Buttons

There are several buttons that allow you to alter the map. They are described below. It will take awhile for the map to re-draw, please be patient.

To use a button, you must first click on it so that it appears pushed in.

Allows you to pan the map, by clicking and dragging on the image
Zoom In Click on a point on the map you want to zoom in to or draw a box (by holding the mouse button down) on the area you want to zoom in to.
Zoom Out Click on the map where you want its center to be and it will zoom out. It is often easier to use the Home or Full Extent buttons.
Identify Feature Click on a feature of the map and information about it will appear in the area on the right side of the screen. You must click directly on the feature you want to identify. If you do not get results or the results are not for the map layer you want then try again, being more precise about where you click (zoom in if necessary). You might also need to turn off other layers of the map.
Link Some features might have a "hotlink" to an image or another web page. Click on the feature to go to its hotlink. (Currently Neighborhoods are hotlinked).
Back Returns to previous map
Forward
Home Returns you to the original version of the map
Full Extent Zooms out to the full extent of all the layers of the map
Find A dialog box will appear where you can enter a word or phrase for it to search for. You can limit the layers of the map it searches in. You would use this button if you wanted to find where The Ville neighborhood is located.
Print Prints the map
Reload Will re-draw the map
Stop Stops performing the function that it is currently working on.

Saving a Digitical Copy of the Map

If you've created a map you want to keep, click on the map image with the right mouse button (if your mouse only has one button, hold it down). A pop-up window will appear. Select "Save Image/Picture As" and designate a place on your harddrive or disk.

Scroll Bar Problems

Some people have experience some Java-related bugs with the scroll bar. You might not be able to scroll at all or the legend might scroll automatically not allowing you to turn on or off map layers. Sometimes leaving the map and returning will fix the problem. We apologize for the inconvenience, a new version of the software is due out this summer and anticipate it will resolve these problems.

Blank Map

If your map re-draws and is blank - solid white or some other color. You have probably zoomed in too far. Click the Home or Full Extent button to return the map.

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