Using the ARD IMS Sites

If you have never used an Internet mapping application, there are a few things you may want to familiarlize yourself with before starting.

Requirements

• A high-speed Internet connection is necessary, such as DSL, cable modem, or T1, T2, T3
  
• Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher, Netscape Navigator 6.0 or higher, Mozilla, Opera, or other browser type
  
• Screen resolution of 1024 x 768 or higher

Browser Buttons vs. Map Project Buttons

Although this project is run via your Web browser, it is independent of your browser's toolbar buttons. The only ones that work in conjunction with the project are the browser "Stop" and "Refresh" buttons. These will stop any requests being made and will take the map back to its initial opening frame. (Using "Ctrl+F5" on PCs/Internet Explorer is preferable to clear site's cache than the "Refresh" button.) Do not use the "Back," "Forward," or "Search" browser buttons to work with the project.

GIS Layers

The list of GIS layers is in a fixed order, i.e. they are not able to be moved above or below eachother in the list.  Next to the layers you will notice a column of square buttons and another column of round buttons. If a square button is checked, that layer will be "visible" on the map. You can check as many visible buttons as you like.  If the round button is checked, that layer is "active" and available to be engaged by certain tools such as Zoom to Active Layer, Hyperlink, Identify, Query, Find Buffer, Select by Rectangle, Select by Line/Poly, and Clear Selection. Only one layer is able to be active at a time.

The Toolbar

The toolbar is composed of a variety of tools used to view, manipulate, and analyze the data. In most browsers, hovering the mouse over the tool brings up a label with the name of the tool. Click on the tool to activate it.

	GIS Data - Interactive list of data in the project
	Legend - Shows a legend for the data currently in view on the map
	Refresh Map - If the layers get "hung up" while being turned off and on, click the Refresh Map button to reactivate them on the map
	Help - A short help menu describing how to use the GIS layers in the project
	Zoom In - Zooms in to more detail on the map. Hold your mouse down and drag a rectangle over the area of interest to zoom into a specific area, or click once over the map to zoom in to a general section.
	Zoom Out - Zooms back out
	Zoom to Full Extent - Brings the map out to the range of all available GIS data
	Zoom to Active Layer - Takes the map to the range of the layer with the Active button clicked on.
	Back to Last Extent - Brings the map back to the range last seen before a pan, zoom, or extent was used.
	Pan - Drags the map around where ever you hold and move your mouse
	Hyperlink - Certain layers, such as "NMFS Dredge Windows with Dates" or "NOS Grain Size Sampling Locations - April 2003," have URL or picture hyperlinks within their data table. Using the Hyperlink tool to click on one of their polygons will open that polygon's URL or picture in a new window. (Alternatively, use the Identify, Find, or Query tools to open their data table and click on the hyperlink there.)
	Identify - Click anywhere on the map and a new window is opened with the data tables for all features visible at that particular location
	Query - Build a query string for the active layer. Opens up a new window with the data table of results. A hyperlink is included with each result so you can click on the link and the map will zoom in to that particular feature. Best used for numeric stings.
Ex. Entering the query string "POP1990 > 500,000" yields results of California cities with populations over 500,000.
	Find - An easy way to search for a word or string of words in the active layer's data table. Opens a new window of results with a hyperlink to each feature. Do not need to use quotes or wildcard characters (*). Is case sensitive.
Ex. Entering the string "Los" will yield a table with "Los Angeles," "Los Altos," "East Los Angeles," etc.
	Measure - Drag a line across the map to measure the distance.
	Set Units - Set the units (kilometer, mile, feet, meter) to display the scale bar and distances on the map.
	Buffer - Select one or more features from an active layer, then create a buffer zone around them based on the display units your map is using.
	Select by Rectangle - An easy way to select multiple features from an active layer at once by dragging a rectangle over the desired features. Opens up a data table of results in a new window.
	Select by Line/Poly - A more selective method to select multiple features at once. Create your own line or polygon segments around one or more features. Opens up a data table of results in a new window.
	Clear Selection - Clears the results of the last tool used.
	Print - Creates an 8.5 x 11 printout of your current map view showing the legend, scale bar, north arrow, and desired title.

Patience!

Much like a regular Web site, the information must be transmitted back and forth over the Internet from your browser, to our server, and back. As such, the map will not react as quickly to informational requests as you may be used to with software on your personal computer. Please exercise some degree of patience when using the tools and waiting for results. Processing time is often determined by a combination of your computer's processor speed, Internet connection speed, browser type, and the amount of data in the IMS project. If the map seems hung up, click on the browser's "Stop" button and hit "Refresh" or "Ctrl+F5" (on PCs) to refresh the site.