Zoom In and Out

Zoom in and out of the map using the + and - tools located in the upper left corner of the map. Alternatively, use the scroll wheel on your mouse.

To pan around the map, left-click on the map and hold the left mouse button while dragging. The cursor will turn into hand while the pan is active. If you get "lost" on your map and need to go back to the big picture, use the Default View  () button in the upper left.

Previous Extent, Next Extent

If you have zoomed at least once since the viewer was opened, the Previous extent arrow will go back to the previous zoom area. The Previous extent button can be used multiple times. After using the Previous extent button to go back, the Next extent zooms incrementally forward through already viewed extents.

Basemaps

A Basemap draws below the other layers in a map. To change the basemap, click on the Basemap Gallery icon. Choose from a long list of options. Don't know what to choose? Try the Imagery Hybrid, Topographic, or the Dark or Light Gray Canvas.

TIP!  Although not technically listed under the basemap button, any of the Elevation or Imagery layers can be turned on in the Layer List and function as a basemap.

Overview Map

The Overview Map icon is a tiny arrow in the lower right corner of the viewer. Click  to open and show the map and click  to close it.

Layer List

In the Elevation Viewer, the Layer List is open by default on the right side of the viewer when using a large screen device. The Layer List icon () can be selected when using a tablet or mobile device.

Layers are listed in Groups. Click on the  to open a group. The group needs to be checked in order for layers inside it to be visible .

In this example, the 2016 Elevation group is checked on as well as the Shaded Relief 2016 layer inside the group. The other layers are not visible on the map.

Expand as many groups as you like and turn on () any combination of layers. Remember that layers draw in order. Layers higher up on the list will draw above and on top of layers below. Layers often overlap so may cover each other up. If this is the case, use transparency or turn the layer off.

Reorder Layers

The Elevation Viewer allows changing the order of layers. Locate the 6-dot reposition () symbol next to a layer. The mouse turns to a cross-hair indicating that clicking and dragging the layer will move it to a different spot on the list. Layers can also be moved outside of their home group and/or into a different group.

Remember that layers draw in order. Layers higher up on the list will draw above and on top of layers below. Layers often overlap so may cover each other up. If this is the case, use transparency or turn the layer off.

Options

Each group item and layer has three-dots on the far right which opens the Options menu. Some layers types have more options than others.

TIP! The Options menu is not accessible (it is grayed out) if the layer is not visible (be sure the layer AND the group are both checked).

• Transparency

Transparency makes a layer partially or fully see-through.

• Statistics

Use Statistics to get the following metrics for a particular layer field: number of values, sum of values, minimum, maximum, average, and standard deviation. Statistics options are limited for raster layers (those made of pixels) which are many of the layers in the Elevation Viewer.

•  Zoom to  

Zooms to the extent of the data layer. Most layers in the Elevation Viewer are statewide.

• Set Filter

The Set Filter tool filters the features shown on the map by their attributes. Attributes are the information stored in the layer's table. To add a filter, first click + Add to start a new one. Adding a Clause is used for one filter. Select Clause set  for multiple filters. In the first box, select the attribute, or characteristic to use for the filter. Note that the 123 and ABC denote the type of field, whether it is numeric or text, respectively. In the second box, select the operation, such as is (equals), is not (does not equal), and many others. In the third box, first click the Select source type icon and choose either User Input, Field, or Unique.

• • • User Input - type into the box.
    • Field - use a field in the query, for example, one field = a second field.
    • Unique - lists all of the values that exist in that attribute. Select by clicking on a value.

Once the filter is set, flip the switch in the upper right corner of the filter box to activate it. ()

TIP! After a filter is set, the Zoom To will zoom just to the layers that are present after the filter is applied.

When a layer has an active filter, it is denoted by the blue dot on the options menu of that layer.

• Add to Table

Add the attributes from the layer to the Table. The table exists along the bottom of the map window and can be opened and closed with the chevron tab. To learn more about tables, visit the Tables section.

TIP! Filters that are set for the layer are also applied to that layer's table.

• Export

Some layer types allow Export to multiple formats including JSON, CSV, and GeoJSON. If you don't know what these are, you probably don't need to use the Export tool. Consider using Share, Print, or taking a screenshot.

It is important to be familiar with the layers before using them for a particular application. Some layer information may be accessed using the Options icon () next to the layer name in the Layer List and then clicking Details. More detailed information, including guides and metadata, can be accessed through the CT ECO Map and Image Services page. Layers not included on this page are listed below.

• CT Municipalities
• CTDOT Roadway Basemap 
• Parcels
• Watersheds: CT DEEP Drainage Basin Set
• Watersheds: USGS HUCs (Hydrologic Unit Code) watersheds served on CT ECO

The Legend is automatically displayed to the right of the map next to the Layers List tab when using a large screen device. Click the tab to view the legend, which will include the symbology for the layers that are visible (checked on) in the map.

When using the Elevation Viewer on tablets or mobile devices, access the Legend using the icon ().

To Collapse or Close the Legend on tablets or mobile devices, click on the double arrow or X on the right of the panel title.

Symbology, or the symbols used for a layer (which are also shown in the legend), can also be viewed through the Layer List. Click on the Legend icon () to the right of the layer name.

TIP! Selecting the Legend icon for a group will show the legend for all active (checked on) layers of the group.

TIP! To turn off the legend so that it is no longer visible, click the Legend icon again.

Clicking on the map at any location opens a pop-up that contains information at that location for any layer that is visible AND has a feature at that location. If more than one layer has a feature at that spot, use the Previous and Next arrows in the upper left or lower left depending on the box location to to flip through the features. The upper or lower right corner shows how many features are at that location and the Select feature icon lists them.

The information in the pop-up comes from the layer's attribute table. Try clicking on different features on the map and notice how the information in the pop-up changes. To view the full table record for any feature, choose the Actions icon () and then View in table.

Zoom to changes the map extent to center on all features that are at that location. It can be a big or small area depending on the size of the lines or polygons included.

TIP! Raster layers, which are the ones made of pixels, behave differently in a pop-up than vector layers, which are the ones made of lines, points, and polygons.

Location Search  

Use the Search Tool (upper left) to find a location, place, address and more. Type into the Search window and press Enter. Search Results will appear below the search box or in the side panel. Click on a result and the map will redraw with the feature centered on the map. Click the in the  to remove the search results.

Find My Location

The Find my location button adds your current location to the map and zooms to it. The blue dot is your location. Note that the location could be influenced by the internet provider and/or the accuracy of the basemap. It also requires location to be enabled on your device.

Measure

Select the Measure icon and then choose to measure distance () or measure area (). Once a measure tool is selected, the mouse turns to an orange circle.

Click on the map to start the measure. Notice that the orange and white line or orange fill is measuring as the mouse moves. Click again to add vertices and continue until the line or shape is complete. Double-click to finish. The measurement is shown on the map and in the Measurement window. The units can be changed at any time.

TIP! While in the middle of measuring, you can makes changes to the measurement units, turning layers on and off, moving the measurement window, and more.

Scale Bar

The scale bar is in the lower left corner of the map. The feature compares a map distance to the actual distance in real life. The number shown is a ratio between the distance on a map and the corresponding distance in the real world. The more zoomed-out the map is, the larger the the number.

Coordinates

The coordinates tool reveals the coordinates as the mouse moves around the map and for a selected point. To select a point use the Enable clicking the map to get coordinates () icon on the left and click on the map. The coordinates at that location are shown. Use the Select the output coordinate system drop-down to change the coordinate system. Use the copy icon to copy the coordinates to paste elsewhere.

Coordinate Conversion

The Coordinate Conversion tool uses input coordinates in one coordinate system and provides output coordinates in a different coordinate system. One useful capability is finding an address from a map location or the opposite, finding a map (coordinate) location from an address.

First, select the starting location by typing in a known address or using the Add Point icon ().  The equivalent coordinates automatically populate in the Coordinate Conversion panel.

The coordinate systems are as follows:

• Address
• DD - Decimal degrees
• DDM - Degrees decimal minutes
• DMS - Degrees, minutes, seconds
• Long-Lat - Longitude and Latitude
• MGRS - Military Grid Reference System
• USNG - United States National Grid
• UTM - Universal Transverse Mercator

TIP! Look for the copy icon () throughout the tool to copy the coordinates for pasting elsewhere, like a document or email.

Select

The Select tool is the way to interactively select features on the map and take specific actions () on those features. For example, select various CT Municipalities and then click on the actions button to get the statistics for those municipalities.

To use this tool, click the Select icon. A pop-up will show up that lists different layers. Be sure the layers that you are interested in are selected (). Click the icon in the upper left corner to begin selecting features (the icon will turn blue once it is selected ). Click the drop down arrow to use different selection options, as seen below.

Many layers in the Layers List have features that include attributes, or information about the features. Access the attribute data in the Table by clicking on located at the bottom of the map when using a large or medium screen device (i.e. computer or tablet). Open the Table on a mobile device by clicking the table icon (). Once the table is opened, there are many ways to interact with the information.

• Layers (a): Use the drop down arrow to access the layer of interest.
• Show selection (b): Click this button to show just the features that have been selected.
• Clear selection (c): Click this button to clear the selected data.
• Refresh (d): Click this button to refresh the data in the table.
• Show/hide columns (e): Click this button to remove or add columns to the table view.
• Actions (f): Click this button to use the following tools, which can be applied to the entire dataset or just the selected features:
  • Set filter: Filter the data based on table attributes.
  • Statistics: Quickly access the total number, sum, minimum, maximum, average, and standard deviation of values in a column of interest.
  • Zoom to: Change the map view to the extent of the data in the table.
  • Pan to: Change the screen display so that features on the map are centered on the screen. Does not change the zoom level.
  • Export: Export the data table to a JSON, CSV, or GeoJSON file.

Also use the three dots to the right of each column name to sort the data in ascending or descending order.

Print and Share

Print

The Print button, located on the left side of the screen, opens the Print panel. The panel has two tabs: Print template and Results. The Print template tab configures the map layout and currently has the following choices:

• Template: Choose from landscape or portrait, which will create a pdf the size of standard printing paper. If you need another size, send us an email and we can try to help.
• Advanced: Click the drop arrow to access advanced settings, such as to change the printing extent, add or remove items on the print layout, and set the scalebar unit.

Once the map is formatted using the Print template tab, click the Print button. This creates a pdf of the map, which can be found by clicking the Results tab.

TIP! Sometimes a screenshot does the job better than any prepackaged printing.

Share

The Share button opens a list to share a link of your map including the current zoom level, extent and visible layers to either facebook, LinkedIn, or email. It can also be shared using the media icons at the bottom of the screen. Note: this second option is unavailable in the mobile version of the app.

Layers

The layer list button in the upper right is one of the most useful buttons on the map. Click on it to see all the layers in the map. The layers form a stack (bottom of the list draws on the bottom of the stack) and each can be turned on and off. A check mark means the layer is turned "on" or visible (as long as no other layer higher on the list is turned on and is hiding it from view). In the graphic below, notice that Town is turned on (checked) along with the Hillshade layer. If you turned on Slope and did not turn off (un check) Hillshade, the slope would draw but not be visible because it would be hidden under the Hillshade layer.

The three dots to the right of each layer hides a menu with some useful options including:

Zoom To - zooms to the extent of that layer.

Transparency - makes the layer see-through. It is a sliding scale from 0% (nothing showing through) to 100% (layer is completely transparent and therefore not visible). The illustration below shows a case where the hillshade is 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% transparent. An aerial image service is underneath the hillshade and shows through as the transparency increases.

Disable Pop-up - The pop-up is the window that opens when you click on the map. If you no longer want to see the pop-up for that particular layer but you still want to the layer to be visible (checked), then disable the pop-up.

Move Up and Move Down- Changes the order of the layers (which is also the drawing order).

View Attribute Table - Every layer has an attribute table. The attribute table for the elevation layers contains a row for each tile that make up the statewide dataset. It also contains the overview images that are what make it possible to draw so much data so quickly. Other layers will have different attribute tables depending on the features on the map (the rows) and the information about them (the columns).

Description - links to the REST endpoint of that layer. For Viewer users, this is where you can find some basic (and code-like) information about the layer, such as what server its coming from (look at the URL), the extent settings, attributes, pixel size, etc. Some layers include a detailed description, some do not.

Coordinates

The Viewer displays X,Y coordinates along the bottom. These coordinates reflect the location of the mouse as you move it over the map.

To find the coordinates of a s specific point, click on the  and then click on the map. 

Click on the  to change the coordinate system displayed.

Click on the Map for Pop-up Information

Clicking on the map is another way to get more information about the feature or location that you click on. The information is shown in a pop-up window and is only displayed for layers that are turned on (checked) in the layer list (see Layers above).

If a location is clicked where more than one layer exists and is turned on, multiple pop-ups are present and are revealed in the top banner. Notice on the graphic that it says (1 of 4). This means 4 results were returned at that spot and the first one is visible. To see the next, click on the right arrow in the upper right of the window. Click the little white arrow again to move through the results.