The CAMEO® Software System
\
MARPLOT
USER'S MANUAL
February 2007
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
Office of Emergency Management
Washington, D.C.
NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC
ADMINISTRATION
Office of Response and Restoration
Emergency Response Division
Seattle, Washington
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Terms and Conditions for MARPLOT®
The recipient of the MARPLOT software and documentation agrees to the following guidelines and
restrictions:
Limitation of Liability
The United States Government has used its best efforts to deliver complete data incorporated into
MARPLOT and its associated map files. Nevertheless, the United States Government does not warrant
accuracy or completeness, is not responsible for errors and omissions, and is not liable for any direct,
indirect, or consequential damages flowing from the recipient's use of MARPLOT.
The MARPLOT software is being distributed "as is" and the United States Government does not make any
warranty claims, either express or implied, with respect to the MARPLOT software, its quality, accuracy,
completeness, performance, merchantability, or fitness for any intended purpose.
Indemnification
Non-governmental recipients shall indemnify and save harmless the United States and its agents and
employees against any and all loss, damage, claim, or liability whatsoever, due to personal injury or death,
or damage to property of others directly or indirectly due to the use of MARPLOT by the recipient, or any
other act or omission of the recipient, including failure to comply with the provisions of these terms and
conditions.
Maintenance
Recipients should keep EPA/NOAA informed of any changes to their contact information. This
information is necessary so that the United States Government may notify users of any MARPLOT
program changes or if updated information becomes available.
Trademarks
CAMEO®, ALOHA®, MARPLOT®, and LandView® are registered trademarks of the United States
Government.
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Welcome to MARPLOT 11
About MARPLOT 11
Key program features 11
MARPLOT'S menu bar 11
Getting help 12
In Windows 12
On a Macintosh 13
How to use this manual 13
Basic MARPLOT concepts 13
Objects 13
Layers 14
Maps 14
Relationship between maps and layers 14
Views 15
Search Collection and selected objects 15
Linking objects to data in other programs 15
Object identification 16
Administration and user permission 16
Some mapping concepts 17
Scale 17
When to show? When to label? 17
Latitude and Longitude 18
TIGER/Line database andLandView 19
Accuracy of the TIGER/Line database 19
Chapter 2: Guided Tour 21
Showing different layers 21
Navigation and views 29
Searching for cities and roads 35
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Table of Contents
Chapter 3: Reference 41
MARPLOT display window 41
Pop-up menus on the map window 42
Map insets 43
Reference view 44
Legend 44
Scale bar 44
Time stamp 44
File menu 45
Save as Picture 45
Save as Picture in Windows 45
Save as Picture on a Macintosh 45
Print 46
Import 46
Export 47
Compact Map Files 47
Preferences 48
Administrator 51
Edit menu 51
Undo 51
Cut, Copy, and Paste 51
Clear 52
Insert Picture Object 52
Inserting the picture object 52
Geo-referencing the picture object 53
Finishing up 53
Make New Polygon 53
Make New Polyline 54
Polyline <-> Polygon 54
View menu 54
Go to View 55
Go to Previous View 56
Set Scale 56
Go to Lat/Long 56
Center on Focus Point 56
Save Current View 56
Edit Views 57
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Table of Contents
Entry View 57
Reference View 57
Legend 58
Scale Bar 58
Time Stamp 58
Lat/LongGrid 58
Marked Point 58
Redraw 59
List menu 59
Search 60
Search Collection dialog box 62
Intersections dialog box 64
Addresses dialog box 65
Show Search Collection 65
Copy to Search Collection 65
Layer List 66
Layer List groups 69
Layer Scale Ranges dialog box 70
Map List 71
Map Info dialog box 73
Objects menu 73
Object Settings 73
Geo-referencing a picture object 75
Segment Settings 75
Vertex 76
Move Objects to Layer 77
Move Objects to Map 77
Color 77
Line Width/Pattern/Style 77
Fill Pattern 78
Symbol 78
Sharing menu 78
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Table of Contents
Tools 78
Arrow tool 79
Selecting Objects 79
Moving Objects 79
Resizing Objects 79
Options 79
Hand tool 80
Zoom-in tool 80
Zoom-out tool 80
Distance tool 80
Symbol tool 81
Rectangle tool 81
Circle tool 81
Polyline tool 82
Polygon tool 82
Text tool 83
Chapter 4: Examples 85
Adding maps 85
Introduction 85
Copying a map into the MARPLOT folder 85
Using Find New Map 86
Using maps on aLandView CD/DVD 87
Downloading a map from aLandView CD/DVD 88
Searching and the Search Collection 90
Using the arrow tool to search 90
Using the Search Criteria dialog box 93
Saving a Search Collection 94
Adding and modifying objects 97
Layer locking and user permission 97
Changing the fill pattern of city polygons 97
Creating different types of objects 101
Creating a new layer 106
Moving objects between layers and maps 107
Editing road segments 108
Extending a street and making an intersection 108
Modifying address ranges 115
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Table of Contents
Using picture objects 116
Adding a picture object with geo-referencing 116
Adding a picture object without geo-referencing 123
Generating output 125
Printing 125
Saving a picture 126
On a Macintosh 126
In Windows 126
Transferring map data 126
Copying maps and map files 126
Using Export and Import 127
Chapter 5: Quick Help Diagrams 129
MARPLOT folders and files 129
Menus 130
Map window 133
Map window with an unlocked layer 134
View dialog boxes 135
Layer List 136
Layer Scale Ranges 137
Map List 138
Search Criteria 139
Search Collection 142
Intersections 143
Addresses 144
Object Settings 145
Segment Settings 146
Chapter 6: Administration 147
Keeping backups 147
Maps that are edited 147
Maps that are not edited 147
MARPLOT application file 147
USERS folder 148
Views and Search Collections 148
MARPLOT settings files 148
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Table of Contents
Adding maps to your MARPLOT system 148
Adding maps from the Internet 148
Adding maps from LandView disks 148
Exchanging data with other MARPLOT systems 149
Administrating a multi-user MARPLOT system 150
Using MARPLOT maps on a network 151
Creating new maps 152
Creating custom maps from other sources 152
Chapter 7: Troubleshooting 153
Appendix: MARPLOT Symbols 157
Glossary 163
Index 167
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Welcome to MARPLOT
This chapter contains an overview of MARPLOT®, an explanation of how to use this
manual and MARPLOT'S on-screen help, and a discussion of basic concepts.
About MARPLOT
Key program features
MARPLOT (Mapping Application for Response, Planning, and Local Operational Tasks) is a general-
purpose mapping application program with the following features:
• Easy-to-use GIS interface;
• Ability to add objects (such as schools or chemical
facilities) to the map and mark them using
MARPLOT's set of symbols or an inserted picture;
• Allows you to customize the maps by specifying
which layers appear and whether objects in those
layers (such as roads) are labeled;
• Simple, all-inclusive search mechanism for map
objects;
• Links objects on the maps to data in other
programs, such as CAMEO® and LandView®;
and
• Easily displays ALOHA® threat zones.
MARPLOT was developed jointly by the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and
the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
MARPLOT'S menu bar
You can perform operations on MARPLOT maps using these menus:
• File: Choose items from the File menu to perform basic operations (such as printing and setting
preferences) and administrative operations (such as importing/exporting, compacting map files, and
setting MARPLOT to multi-user mode). For more information, see "File menu" on page 45.
File Edit View List Objects Sharing Help
•r Focus Pt: 38°49'21"N 77°33'36"W -r 1:46926
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Chapter 1: Welcome to MARPLOT
• Edit: Choose items from the Edit menu to (a) undo the last object change you made, (b) delete an
object, (c) insert a picture object (such as a logo) onto the map, and (d) create new polygons and
polylines. For more information, see "Edit menu" on page 51.
• View: Choose items from the View menu to (a) navigate around the map, (b) save and use views,
and (c) use the map insets and other map window displays. For more information, see "View menu"
on page 54.
• List: Choose items from the List menu to (a) perform database searches, (b) work with the list of
found objects (called the Search Collection), and (c) access the list of layers and the list of maps. For
more information, see "List menu" on page 59.
• Objects: Choose items from the Objects menu to (a) get information about objects, (b) adjust vertex
settings, (c) move objects to a different layer or map, and (d) modify an object's graphical attributes.
For more information, see "Objects menu" on page 73.
• Sharing: Choose items from the Sharing menu to share information with other programs, such as
ALOHA, and CAMEO, and LandView. For more information, see "Sharing menu" on page 78.
• Help: Choose items from the Help menu to see the help topics list and to get information about
MARPLOT.
Getting help
On-screen help is available when MARPLOT is running. The list of help topics can be accessed through
the Help menu. Also, most screens have Help buttons that take you to a screen-specific help topic.
;M*RPLgTHBlp
File Edit Bookmark Options Help
Contentsf -ntteli I Back I -'** I
MARPLOT! Help Topics
Insert Picture Object
o
Do you want to insert a picture as an object
on an already-existing map, or as the first
object on a new map?
Use Existing Map
Make New Map
Cancel
,-™-™-™-™-J™J^
In Windows. To see the list of help topics, select Topics from the Help menu. When the list appears,
click any topic name to view a discussion of that topic. When you've finished reading about that topic,
click Contents to return to the list of topics. When you are ready to go back to using MARPLOT, close or
minimize the Help window.
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Chapter 1: Welcome to MARPLOT
On a Macintosh. To see the list of help topics, select Topics from the Help menu. When the list appears,
highlight a topic name, then click Select to view a discussion of that topic. When you've finished reading
the help topic, click (a) Topics to return to the list, (b) Cancel to close the window, (c) Copy to copy the
help text to the clipboard, or (d) Print to print the help text.
How to use this manual
This manual includes seven chapters. Begin here in Chapter 1 by reviewing a discussion of basic concepts.
Turn to Chapter 2 for a step-by-step MARPLOT tutorial. Chapter 3 contains explanations of each of
MARPLOT'S menus, along with information about the map display window and all of the MARPLOT
tools. Turn to Chapter 4 for MARPLOT example problems and refer to Chapter 5 for some quick help
diagrams. Chapter 6 includes information for MARPLOT administrators (system managers). Review
Chapter 7 for trouble-shooting advice. At the back of the manual, you'll find an appendix with MARPLOT
symbol information, a glossary, and an index.
Other sources of MARPLOT information
This manual is one of three important sources of information about MARPLOT. The
other sources are the on-screen help and the MARPLOT Technical Documentation.
You can access the on-screen help as you use MARPLOT. By using the Help buttons on
many of MARPLOT'S dialog boxes, you can get immediate information about the
function you are currently performing.
The Technical Documentation gives details about the formats of the various files used by
MARPLOT, including the MARPLOT Import/Export (MIE) format. It also contains a
list of interapplication communication (IAC) messages MARPLOT sends and
receives.
Basic MARPLOT concepts
The rest of this chapter is an overview of key MARPLOT concepts.
Objects
Objects are the basic map elements that MARPLOT draws and lets you manipulate. There are seven
different types of objects: points (symbols), rectangles, circles, polygons, polylines, text labels, and picture
obj ects. You might use a point obj ect to mark the location of a facility or accident site. Polylines are used to
represent things like roads and streams. Polygons are used to represent things like parks or water bodies.
MARPLOT provides functions for creating, examining, and modifying each type of object. The objects are
organized into layers and maps.
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Chapter 1: Welcome to MARPLOT
Layers
A layer is a category of objects. For instance, a layer called Roads might contain a large number of polyline
objects representing roads. A layer called Facilities might contain point objects representing the locations
of facilities. Although a given layer often contains only one type of object, this is not necessarily the case.
For instance, a layer called Water might contain some polyline objects representing streams and some
polygon objects representing larger water bodies. It is useful to organize objects into layers because then
you can operate on the objects in a given layer as a group. For instance, you might choose to hide or show
all of the roads. Or you might want to select all or some of the facilities to get information about them. It is
possible to move an object from one layer to another, but an object can be on only one layer at a time.
Maps
A map is a folder on your computer—often located in the same folder as the MARPLOT application
program—that contains several files. These files contain the objects on the map. Often, a map covers the
area of a single U.S. county, but maps can be much smaller or much larger than that. It is possible to
expand maps by adding new objects to them, or shrink them by removing objects.
You can have any number of maps in use at a given time. If you use MARPLOT to view an area that
intersects with more than one map, all maps in the displayed area are drawn simultaneously on the screen.
In fact, it is possible for the geographical areas covered by two or more different maps to overlap. All of
the maps that MARPLOT is aware of are always present, and there is no need to close one map before
opening another to view it. However, it is possible to put a map out of use, so that it is not drawn on the
screen. In most cases, you do not need to be concerned with the fact that the image shown on the screen is
actually a composite of two or more MARPLOT maps. For convenience, when the distinction between
maps is not important, we often refer to the collection of maps shown on the screen simply as "the map."
Relationship between maps and layers
We have said that layers contain objects, but also that maps contain objects. The truth is that each
MARPLOT object is on a particular layer and on a particular map. For instance, you can have a road object
on the Roads layer of the LA County map, or you can have a river object on the Water layer of the Orange
County map, or you can have a park object on the Miscellaneous layer of the Orange County map.
In most cases, you will think primarily in terms of layers and secondarily in terms of maps. For instance,
suppose you are using MARPLOT'S search function to find "Park Ave." You know that "Park Ave" will be
found on the Roads layer, so you would choose to limit the search to that layer. As for the map(s) to be
searched, however, you can generally specify simply the "Map(s) in View." Even if you have more than
one map, it is most common to search for an object on the map that you are currently looking at.
The main point to remember is that for the most part when using MARPLOT you can think in terms of
layers (in terms of the type of object) and not worry about the fact that there is more than one map.
However, for certain operations, such as when searching for a road when several maps are in view, you can
greatly increase efficiency by specifying a particular map whenever possible.
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Chapter 1: Welcome to MARPLOT
Views
MARPLOT provides a number of tools for navigating around your maps. You can zoom in and out, shift
the view in any direction, or change the view to show a particular object or group of objects.
You can also save the area you are looking at, along with a miniature image of the map window. The saved
view can be used in a number of different ways. You can return to it at a later time. You can use it as a
reference view to help with future navigation. You can choose a saved view to be the entry view—that is,
the view MARPLOT automatically shows when it starts. Also, if your MARPLOT system is multi-user,
you can choose whether a given view that you save is for your use only, or if it is meant to be shared with
other system users.
Search Collection and selected objects
MARPLOT provides a flexible mechanism for searching for objects (described more fully in "Search" on
page 60). You can search for objects by name or by their position relative to other objects. You can also
limit the search to certain layers and/or certain maps. When a search is performed, the objects matching
your specified criteria are put into a list called the Search Collection. From the Search Collection, you can
choose an object and display it on the map, or look for address ranges and intersections of certain types of
objects. This Search Collection list is saved until you explicitly change it. For instance, this allows you to
return to the list to show another object. You can also save a Search Collection for use at a later time.
In addition to the objects in the Search Collection, another important set of objects includes those that are
currently selected. Every time you click on an object on the screen, MARPLOT selects that object by
drawing small red squares around it and displays its name and other information about it at the bottom of
the window. It is possible to select more than one object at a time. The functions in the Objects menu apply
to the selected object or objects. For instance, when you choose an item from the Color submenu, you
change the color of all of the selected objects.
You can copy the objects that are currently selected into the Search Collection. Going the other way, you
can select all of the objects in the Search Collection. Between the Search Collection and the selected
objects you have a number of mechanisms for dealing with groups of objects.
Linking objects to data in other programs
MARPLOT contains limited information about each object: the color and other graphical attributes, the
name, the address ranges of most roads, and a few other pieces of information. Most users are interested in
associating MARPLOT objects with data records in other programs, usually databases like CAMEO and
LandView. The basic procedure is to establish a link between an object in MARPLOT and a record in the
database, either through a manual or an automated procedure. Once links have been established, you can
select objects in MARPLOT and choose to go to the associated records in the database. Going the other
way, you can select records in the database and choose to view the associated objects on the map.
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Chapter 1: Welcome to MARPLOT
The specific mechanism for establishing links depends on the particular database application you are using
with MARPLOT and the nature of the associated map data. However in most cases creating and using
links involves using the Sharing menu in MARPLOT and/or the database application. For more
information about links and the Sharing menu, see "Sharing menu" on page 78 or the documentation for
your database application.
Object identification
For the most part, you will identify objects on the map by their name, layer, and map. For instance, you
may find "Fairfax Ave" on the Roads layer of the LA County map. Internally, MARPLOT has a slightly
different mechanism for keeping track of objects: it uses the layer and map name, but—instead of using the
object name—MARPLOT assigns each object a unique identification number. For the most part, you need
not be aware of this identification number. However, it does come into play when importing and exporting
objects (see "Import" on page 46 and "Export" on page 47) and when linking objects to databases.
When MARPLOT imports an object with the same identification number, layer, and map as an existing
object, MARPLOT replaces the existing object with the newly imported one by default. MARPLOT'S
default import behavior is designed for sharing and updating data from a source MARPLOT system to
your MARPLOT system—the idea being that the new object with the same identification information is an
update of the old object. Note: The default settings can be modified using the Options button on the Import
dialog box.
When a link is established between a MARPLOT object and a record in a database program, the database
program keeps track of the link by storing the layer name, map name, and identification number of the
given object.
Administration and user permission
Your MARPLOT system can be set up in either single-user or multi-user mode.
In multi-user mode, there is a system administrator who has the ability to give other users access to the
system by giving them a password. The administrator also chooses whether each user will access
MARPLOT with browse-level or edit-level permission. Users who have browse-level permission can
perform most MARPLOT functions, but cannot access certain functions that have the potential to damage
or delete important map data. Users who have edit-level permission can access all MARPLOT functions,
including those that are potentially dangerous.
In a multi-user system, each user is given a folder within the USERS folder, which itself is within the
MARPLOT folder. The user's folder contains information about the user, the user's MARPLOT
preferences and layer order, any views the user has saved, and a special user's map that the user can edit
(even if the user does not have edit-level permission).
In single-user mode, there are no passwords and anybody who starts MARPLOT is given edit-level
permission.
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Chapter 1: Welcome to MARPLOT
Some mapping concepts
Scale. Among other obvious differences, computer maps like those in MARPLOT differ from regular
maps on paper in that you can zoom in or out—that is, you can view them at different scales. When we talk
about the scale of a map, we mean the size of objects on the map relative to the size of those objects in the
actual world. For instance, suppose a certain road is one mile long. If the line representing the road on the
computer monitor is 1 inch long, we say that the scale is " 1 inch = 1 mile." If we zoom out (show more
map area on the screen) such that the line on the monitor is now half an inch long, we say that the scale is
"0.5 inch = 1 mile" or" 1 inch = 2 miles." When we talk about one scale being larger than another scale, we
mean that the first scale is "more zoomed in" than the second. For instance, the scale " 1 inch = 1 mile" is
larger than the scale "1 inch = 2 miles."
Note: You may notice that MARPLOT'S interpretation of a screen inch will not agree with a ruler laid
against your computer monitor. The discrepancy will depend upon your computer system and monitor
settings and you may not notice it unless you actually measure it. Rest assured that the scales on maps
printed from MARPLOT will be accurate and will agree with a ruler laid against the printouts.
Consider the scale " 1 inch = 1 mile." We can express this scale without reference to units such as inches or
miles. To do this we note that 1 mile is equal to 5,280 feet and a foot is 12 inches, so there are 63,360
inches in a mile (5,280 feet/mile x 12 inches/foot). We can write our scale as "1:63360" meaning that one
inch (or one centimeter or one whatever) on the map is equal to 63,360 inches (or 63,360 centimeters or
63,360 whatevers) in the actual world.
This gives us two ways to write scales: the " 1 inch = 1 mile" format or the " 1:63360" format. Another way
of indicating scale is to specify how much area is covered by the entire map being viewed. For instance, we
can write "7 miles x 6 miles" to indicate that our computer map is displaying 7 miles across by 6 miles up
and down.
MARPLOT allows you to display the scale in any of the three formats:
• 1 in = 1 mi,
• 1:63360, or
• 7x6mi.
When to show? When to label? Certain types of map data are appropriate to display only at certain
scales. For instance, consider the network of roads in a city. When you are viewing the map at" 1 inch = 0.1
mile" or even " 1 inch = 3 miles," it may be useful to see the roads—although at the latter scale the roads
will probably be drawn very close together. When you change to a scale such as "1 inch =10 miles," it
doesn't make sense to draw the city roads, since they will be so close together on the screen that they will
appear as a solid black mass.
On the other hand, if you have a map of the outlines of the 50 U.S. states, it is reasonable to view this data
at "1 inch =100 miles" or a smaller scale. However, a much larger scale such as "1 inch = 1 mile" would
not be useful for viewing this data, since—being so far zoomed in—you would only be able to see a tiny
section of state boundary on the screen.
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In addition to the question of whether to display certain data at all at certain scales, there is the question of
when certain data should be labeled on the screen—that is, when should we attempt to draw the names of
the roads or the states? Even at scales such as "1 inch = 1 mile," when the roads themselves will be
distinguishable, we probably do not want to label the roads, since the names will crowd each other on the
screen and will be illegible. We'll generally only want to label roads at scales larger than " 1 inch = 0.1
mile." On the other hand, states could be labeled at much smaller scales.
MARPLOT allows you to specify scale ranges within which each layer should display. You can also
specify the scale at which labels for each layer appear (see "Layer List" on page 66).
Latitude and Longitude. In everyday conversation, we usually refer to locations by reference to other
known locations. For instance, we say "My house is on the corner of 4th and Main." MARPLOT allows
you to find locations similarly by specifying street intersections or street addresses. However, a more
universal method of specifying locations is to use latitude/longitude coordinates. Latitude is a value in the
range of 90 degrees south (the South Pole) to 90 degrees north (the North Pole). The equator is at zero
degrees latitude. The line of 40 degrees latitude cuts across the U.S. from Northern California to New
Jersey. Longitude is a value in the range of 180 degrees west to 180 degrees east. Zero degrees longitude is
the semi-circle that runs from South Pole to the North Pole through Greenwich, England. The 48
contiguous U.S. states are framed roughly between 67 degrees west and 125 degrees west.
Any point on the globe can be specified by giving its latitude (how far north or south) and longitude (how
far east or west). For instance, the corner shared by the U.S. states Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New
Mexico is approximately at 37 degrees north, 109 degrees west.
If more precise measurements are needed, we divide each degree (latitude or longitude) into 60 minutes,
and each minute into 60 seconds. (One minute latitude is approximately 2,000 yards; one minute longitude
varies from about 2,000 yards at the equator to 0 yards at each Pole.)
MARPLOT can display latitude/longitude values in three different ways:
1. As a degree value followed by a decimal degree fraction. For example, 40.250000° represents 40
and 1/4 degrees, which is the same as 40 degrees and 15 minutes.
2. As a degree-minute-second triplet. For example, 40°25'00" represents 40 degrees, 25 minutes and
zero seconds. Note that is not the same value as given in the previous example: 25 minutes is almost
half a degree, not a quarter.
3. As a degree-minute pair, where the minutes have a decimal fraction. For example 40°25.50'
represents 40 degrees and 25.50 (25 and a half) minutes.
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TIGER/Line database and LandView
Most MARPLOT users in the U.S. will work with one or more MARPLOT maps that are based on data
from the TIGER/Line® geographical database, which is maintained by the U.S. Census Bureau. Each of
these maps covers a single U.S. county or territory. For more information about obtaining MARPLOT
maps, see "Adding maps to your MARPLOT system" on page 148.
LandView is a database management system that uses MARPLOT as its map viewer. The LandView
database includes information from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Geological
Survey, and the U.S. Census Bureau. LandView's collection of data (such as EPA-regulated sites and
demographic and economic information from the 2000 census) is automatically linked with the associated
MARPLOT maps and can be queried using MARPLOT'S search mechanism.
LandView is distributed on DVDs or custom CDs containing the LandView software, database
information, and maps derived from the TIGER/Line database. Because the maps are in the MARPLOT
format, MARPLOT users can use the maps on the LandView disks. For more information about
LandView, please go to http://landview.census.gov.
Accuracy of the TIGER/Line database
The geographical data in the TIGER/Line files is derived from various sources, which themselves have
various degrees of positional accuracy. In general, you should not count on TIGER-derived map features to
have better accuracy than the established National Map Accuracy standards for 1:100,000-scale maps from
the U.S. Geological Survey (approximately +/- 167 feet). You can, however, count on map features being
in the correct location relative to one another (e.g., if a stream appears to run along the north side of a road,
it really is to the north of the road).
The accuracy of any geographical database depends on several factors. One of these is the mathematical
model of the shape of the earth used when determining the latitude/longitude coordinates of features within
the database. The coordinates in the current TIGER/Line database are based on the North American Datum
of 1983 (NAD83). A "Datum" includes a mathematical model of the earth along with a set of measured or
calculated control points. Until 1995, TIGER/Line coordinates were based on the North American Datum
of 1927 (NAD27), which was defined in terms of modeling and surveying techniques used in the 1800s.
Coordinates in the NAD83 database can differ from those of the NAD27 database by about 600 meters
(656 yards) in certain places. More information about the TIGER/Line database is available at http://
www.census.gov/geo/www/tiger/.
For more information on NAD27 and NAD83, see The North American Datum of 1983, A Collection of
Papers Describing the Planning and Implementation of the Readjustment of the North American
Horizontal Network. American Association for Geodetic Surveying, Monograph No. 2. ACSM, Falls
Church, VA. 49pp.
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Guided Tour
This section provides a hands-on guide to the most common MARPLOT functions using
the sample map (for Prince William County, Virginia) that is included with the
MARPLOT application. Additional examples are given in Chapter 4.
An important note before starting the tour:
As you move through this guided tour, you may notice that your MARPLOT screen does not
exactly match the pictures shown in this manual. If your MARPLOT application still has the
default preferences and other settings, then your screen will look fairly close to our example
screens. (They may vary a bit based on the size of the window you are using or your zoom settings.)
Even if you have modified the default MARPLOT settings, you should be able to do most of the
exercises in this guided tour.
Additionally, this guided tour makes use of sample objects (that is, fictitious facilities and
hospitals) on the CAMEO Map. The CAMEO Map is a folder stored in the CAMEO folder of the
CAMEO application. (CAMEO is one of the programs that works interactively with MARPLOT.
For example, locations stored in the CAMEO database can be linked to a MARPLOT map and
displayed automatically.) If you do not have the CAMEO Map, you can still follow along with most
steps of the tour. However, there will be differences between your screen and those shown in this
manual—namely, there will not be any icons in the northern part of the county. (If you zoom in, you
will see that the names of these fictitious facilities and hospitals all include the word DEMO.)
CAMEO users: You must run MARPLOT and CAMEO simultaneously on your computer at least
one time before going through this tour. To do this, start the MARPLOT program and then the
CAMEO program (entering any necessary passwords). Make sure you see the CAMEO Map
objects in MARPLOT. Then quit both programs. After having done this, the CAMEO Map objects
will continue to appear in MARPLOT, even when CAMEO is not running.
Showing different layers
1. Start MARPLOT. (In Windows®, click the Start button, point to Programs, then choose the
MARPLOT item. On a Macintosh®, double-click the MARPLOT program icon located in the
MARPLOT folder.) Click OK on the greeting screen.
21
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Chapter 2: Guided Tour
2. MARPLOT opens the map window. The sample map—Prince William County, VA—is shown. (If
MARPLOT does not open to this view, use the Go to View item in the View menu, highlight the
view for Prince William County, and click Go to View.)
* sort by name
'" sort by map
Map List
r resize map window to fit view
Go to View
Cancel
Help...
3. A number of different layers are shown,
including the Places layer (showing
various towns), the Water layer, and
several CAMEO objects (which are all
clustered in the northern part of the
county).
With the arrow tool, click several times on
the map. As you select objects, they
become highlighted with red dots, and
MARPLOT displays their name at the
bottom of the map window. Also, the
location of your click is marked with a
flashing icon called the Focus Point. The
latitude/longitude coordinates of the
Focus Point are shown in the upper-left
corner of the map window.
Note: Your map window may not look
exactly the same as the one shown here.
The scale value shown at the top of the
window will probably be different.
MARPLOT - Prince William County, VA
File Edit View List Objects Sharing Help
T Focus Ft: 3B°40'45"H 77°19'35"W IT! in = 6.00 mi I T
f Lake Ridge GDP (Places, Prince William County, VA) [city/place boundary]
22
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Chapter 2: Guided Tour
4. From the View menu, select the Redraw item. For the sample map (and other standard MARPLOT
maps), the map will redraw itself very quickly. However, for more complex maps (like LandView
maps), the redraw function may take awhile to complete. The bottom of the map window shows
each layer as MARPLOT draws it. If the map is taking a long time to draw, press the ESC (escape)
key. To remind you that all of the layers to be drawn were not drawn, the bottom of the map window
will show a message: [DRAW INCOMPLETE]. Even when the drawing is incomplete, however,
you can still click on the map with the arrow tool to select any object that would have been drawn.
5. From the List menu, select the Layer List item. This brings up MARPLOT'S list of layers. The
layers can be sorted alphabetically or from top to bottom according to the order in which they are
drawn. Currently the layers are sorted in draw order. Scroll up and down in the list of layers. Notice
that the TIGER-derived layers (such as Places and Roads) are lower in the list than the CAMEO
layers (such as Facilities and Hospitals). Since the layers are shown according to the draw order, this
means that the TIGER-derived objects will draw first (on the bottom), and then the CAMEO objects
will draw after (on the top of the lower layers). As you click on the names of different layers, notice
that MARPLOT displays—in the bottom part of the window—the number of objects on that layer
and also some graphical information about the layer.
6. As can been seen in the columns in the center of the Layer List dialog box, all of the CAMEO layers
are currently in Show mode, and all of the TIGER-derived layers (Roads, Railroads, etc.) are
currently in Range mode. When a layer is in Show mode, it displays no matter what the map scale.
When a layer is in Hide mode, it does not display. When a layer is in Range mode, it displays only
within a certain range of map scales. For now, put all of the non-CAMEO layers except for the
Places and Counties layers into Hide mode. To do this, click on each layer's line in the Hide column.
Layer List
' alphabetical
[• draw order
1 @
Showt
Names Show Range Hide
CAMEO Scenarios
1 fl 1 CAMEO Schools
^
a a
ifi
i i
•s *•
1 \ -y \ \ 1 1 1 ^ •!
MMEO Transportation *
Roads (Major)
Roads
Railroads
ALOHA
Water
Miscellaneous
Places
CAMEO Schools
i S Objects: 1 on
: Move...
^
1 map
Scale Ranges...
^
S
S
S
S
S
S
Default graphics
Set...
| OK | Cancel | New... | l'i|ii,- | , '.; n--i!ii ...
Key
s
•s
•s
•s
•s
•s
•s
*/ T
,
Help...
23
-------
Chapter 2: Guided Tour
7. Click OK. The map is redrawn with just the Places, Counties, and CAMEO layers shown.
' MARPLOT Prince William County, VA
File Edit View List Objects Sharing Help
[. llnllxl
•r Focus Pt: 38°47'26"N 77 °17' 04 "W I -r 1 in = 6.00 mi I -r
a
Return to the Layer List dialog box using the Layer List menu item again. This time, set the Roads
layer to Show mode by clicking in the Show column of the Roads layer's line.
Layer List
r alphabetical Show +
f draw order Names Show Ran9e Hide
i
R
S
Tempt-f^fiisfief
CAMEO Facilities
CAMEO Hospitals
CAMEO Incidents
CAMEO Scenarios
CAMEO Schools
CAMEO Transportation
Roads (Major)
Railroads
S
S
S
S
S
S
V
•S
S
Objects: 51 86 on 1 map
Move... Scale Ranges...
OK J Cancel New...
Default graphics
Set...
Rename...
ii
||
Key ?
y
i
^ *•
•s
•S
•S
•S
•S
•S
mm
•/ -r
71
Help...
24
-------
Chapter 2: Guided Tour
9. Click OK. The map is redrawn with the Roads layer shown.
MARPLOT - Prince William County, VA
File Edit View List Objects Sharing Help
T Focus Ft: 3Ei°47'26"N77 °17' 04 "W I -r 1 in = 6.00 mi I T
10.
The map view becomes cluttered with all of the roads at this zoomed-out view of the entire county.
It would be better to draw the roads only when you are zoomed in closer, so that there are not so
many objects shown at one time. This is just what the Range setting in the Layer List dialog box is
for. Return to the Layer List and set the Roads layer to Range mode. To see what range of scales the
roads will show in, highlight the Roads layer in the list and then click on the Scale Ranges button.
Layer List
C alphabetical Show +
C draw order Names Show Ran9e Hide
i
R
S
\
L
Tenjpw&p Laves
ttMEO Facilities
CAMEO Hospitals
CAMEO Incidents
CAMEO Scenarios
CAMEO Schools
CAMEO Transportation
Roads (Major)
Railroads
^
^
^
^
^
^
V
^
^
Objects: 5186 on 1 map
Move... Scale Ranges... .
OK I Cancel New...
Default graphics
Set...
Rename...
ii
I
i|
i
^ *
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
•/ -r
if - I
Key ? | Help...
25
-------
Chapter 2: Guided Tour
11.
12.
The Layer Scale Ranges dialog box appears. You can modify four scale values: the most zoomed
out scale the layer will display at, the most zoomed in scale the layer will display at, the scale you
have to zoom in to before objects on the layer are displayed with their names, and the scale you have
to zoom out to before symbol objects on the layer are displayed as dots instead of icons.
Layer Scale Ranges
Layer: Roads
fi
(Eki
current scale: ^
1 in = 6.00 mi "
ti=-
[NTT
D=^
Move bar to specify scale at which name
•n labels for this layer appear.
J
i=!£) Dots @ 1 in = 250.1 5 mi
1 ^ Show Layer @
=^j| s|| Show Names @
'— n <1 Hide Layer @
¥i | , ,
lOKj Cancel
1 in = 2.03 mi
1 in = 0.05 mi
1 in = 0.01 mi
Key ? |
I
Help... |
Note that, in the case of the Roads, the layer is set to show when the scale is about 1 inch = 2 miles.
Our current scale is more zoomed out than that. If you keep these scale values, and leave the layer in
Range mode, you'll have to zoom in for the roads to appear.
Click OK to exit the Layer Scale Ranges
dialog box, and then click OK to exit the
Layer List dialog box. Notice that the
roads are no longer displayed. Zoom in
closer using the zoom-in tool.
Click on this tool and then, with the
magnifying glass, click in about the
center of the county. This causes the view
to zoom in by a factor of 2, centered on
the point of your click. Note that the
number of miles per inch has been cut in
half.
MARPLOT - Prince William County, VA
File Edit View List Objects Sharing Help
•r Focus Pt: 38°45'28"N 77°31'59"W •'I in = 3.00 mi \ -r
26
-------
Chapter 2: Guided Tour
13. The roads still do not display because, as
you saw in the Layer Scale Ranges dialog
box, they are set to show only when you
are zoomed in to at least 1 inch = 2 miles.
Click one more time with the magnifying
glass, again around the center of the map
window. Now the roads appear because
you have zoomed in past the threshold
scale.
14. Continue clicking with the zoom-in tool
until you reach the scale at which the
names of the roads appear. Note: If your
Range Settings are still set to the default,
this will be at 1 inch = 0.05 miles.
For instance, the picture at right might be
what you would see if you zoomed in by
clicking on the red CAMEO hospital
icon. If the names overlap one another,
select the hand tool, and click and drag
the map until the names no longer
overlap.
MARPLOT - Prince William County, VA
File Edit View List Objects Sharing Help
•r Focus Ft: 38°48'35"N 77°32'58"WTl in = 0.05 mi T
D
Central Hospital (DEMO)
Prince William County
27
-------
Chapter 2: Guided Tour
15.
You may have noticed that, as we were zooming in, the cities and towns disappeared. That is
because the Places layer, like the Roads layer, is currently in Range mode, and the Places are set to
turn off when we zoom in past a certain scale. To see this, return to the Layer List dialog box,
highlight the Places layer and click on the Scale Ranges button.
Layer Scale Ranges
Layer: Places
current scale: t
1 in = 0.05 mi *
Move bar to specify scale at which name
labels for this layer appear.
<] Icons-> Dots @ 1 in = 150.60
I <] Show Layer @ 1 in = 33.91 m
= = H <1 Hide Layer @ 1 in = 3.07 mi
Show Names @ 1 in = 0.75 mi
Key
Help...
16.
Since it's true for most layers that you'll only want to see them within a certain range of scales, it is
common for most of the layers to be set to Range mode. However, there are some exceptions. For
instance, there may be relatively few objects on certain layers, such as the CAMEO layers. Since
these layers won't clutter the map display, you might want to leave them always in Show mode.
For now, set all of the layers except for the CAMEO layers back to Range mode. As you do so, you
may want to click on the Scale Ranges button to see the range setting for some of the other layers.
Then use the Go to View dialog box to return to the view for Prince William County.
28
-------
Chapter 2: Guided Tour
Navigation and views
In the previous section, you saw two ways to navigate around the map: the Go to View dialog box, and the
plus magnifying glass tool. You may have guessed that the minus magnifying glass tool is used to zoom
out, also by a factor of 2. There are two other ways to change the view using the tools along the left edge of
the map window. To shift the map view without changing the scale, use the hand tool. The plus magnifying
glass tool I /-\?i can also be used to zoom into a particular rectangular area.
1. Select the plus magnifying glass tool now by clicking on it. With the entire Prince William County
map in view, notice the two hospitals objects (red crosses) among the CAMEO objects. Let's zoom
into an area just big enough to show both hospitals. Click with the magnifying glass above and to
the left of the top hospital. With the mouse button still down, drag below and to the right of the
bottom hospital. A gray box defines the region as you drag. When you have just surrounded both
hospitals, release the mouse button. MARPLOT changes the view to show the area in the rectangle.
1. Click here and
hold with the
zoom-in tool.
Q;
MARPLOT - Prince William County, VA
- n x
File Edit View List Objects Sharing Help
Focus Pt: 38 51'05 "N 7T23 ' 02 "W T 1 in= 6.00 mi
2. Drag to here
and release.
width = 7.37 mi, height = 3.07 mi
Note: If you make a mistake using the magnifying tool, you can always return to the last view using the Go
to Previous View item in the View menu. Also, if you start defining the rectangle and then decide you don't
want to zoom after all, you can press the ESC key while the mouse is still down to cancel the zoom.
29
-------
Chapter 2: Guided Tour
2. The new map window now displays the selected area. Save this view for future reference. Select the
Save Current View item from the View menu. The Save Current View dialog box appears. Name the
view Two Hospitals and click OK.
MARPLOT - Prince William County, VA
File Edit View List Objects Sharing Help
T Focus Ft: 38°50'08"N 77 °36' 22 "V I T 1 in = 1.54 mi IT
3. To show how the view is used, use the hand tool to shift the map view. To do this, click with the
hand tool near the top of the view, drag down to the bottom of the window and then release the
mouse button. This shifts the view to the north.
1. Click here and
hold with the
hand tool.
MARPLOT - Prince William County, VA
File Edit View List Objects Sharing Help
T Focus Ft: 38°50'08"N 77 °36' 22 "V I T 1 in = 1.54 mi IT
2. Drag to here
and release.
30
-------
Chapter 2: Guided Tour
4. Now select the Go to View item in the View menu, highlight the Two Hospitals view, and click Go
to View. You are returned to the saved view.
resize map window to fit view
5. Use the Go to View dialog box again to return to the view of Prince William County.
Save this view also, using Save Current View. Name it PWC Image.
6. Another use for saved views is as a reference view. To see how reference views work, return to the
Two Hospitals view again using Go to View. Then click on the triangle in the upper-right corner of
the map window, go to the Reference View submenu, and choose Set. Select the PWC Image view,
leave the "allow any view in reference" box unchecked, and click Set Reference View.
MARPLOT - Prince William County, VA
T Focus Ft: 38 50'3B"N 77 36'08"W T! in= 1.54 mi -r
31
-------
Chapter 2: Guided Tour
7. The reference view, showing the PWC Image, appears in the upper-right corner of the map window.
The reference view shows the location of the current view in the map window relative to some other
view. In this case, you see the area of the Two Hospitals view relative to the entire area of Prince
William County. The flashing red box indicates the shown area.
I File Edit View List Objects Sharing Help
T Focus Ft: 3B °5LV 21"N 11 °3 &' 13 "W T 1 in = 1. 54 mi \ -r Ref : PWC Image,
Use the hand and magnifying glass tools to move all around the map. Notice how the flashing
rectangle in the reference view follows you. Zoom in until the road names appear. Notice that, when
the flashing rectangle gets too small, it is replaced by a red crosshairs, pinpointing your location.
You can double-click at a point on the reference view to view that area. Try double-clicking a few
times on the reference view. Also, by clicking once and dragging on the reference view rectangle,
you can reposition it in the map window.
PLOT - Prince William County, VA
File Edit View List Objects Sharing Help
T Focus Ft: 38°48'23"N 77 °37' 4 9 "V \ T 1 in = 0.03 mi | T Ref: PWC Image,
32
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Chapter 2: Guided Tour
9. Let's try one more experiment with the reference view. Return to the Two Hospitals view using Go
to View.
Find: |
. Prince William County, VA
PWC Image, Prince William County, VA
include shared views
'•* sort by name
'• sort by map
Map List
Go to View
F resize map window to fit view
Cancel
Help...
10. Click once with the plus magnifying glass in the center of the map window. Now set the reference
view again, this time choose the Two Hospitals view as the reference view (again, leave the "allow
any view in reference" box unchecked). As you saw before when using PWC Image as the reference
view, here the Two Hospitals view is serving as a reference view and the flashing rectangle shows
the area of the current map window relative to it.
File Edit View List objects Sharing Help
T Focus Ft: 38 50'4£"H 77 3£'27 "W T 1 in = 0 . 77 mi T Ref: TWO Ho spit
33
-------
Chapter 2: Guided Tour
11.
This time, however, notice what happens when you use the minus magnifying glass to zoom out two
times. As soon as the view in the map window no longer fits within the Two Hospitals reference,
MARPLOT automatically changes the reference view to the PWC Image. If you then zoom back
into an area within the Two Hospitals view, MARPLOT automatically changes the reference view
back to the Two Hospitals view. These automatic changes happen because we had the "allow any
view in reference" box unchecked when we set the reference view. When this box is checked,
MARPLOT allows a view to stay in the reference view, even when the current map view does not
fall completely inside of it.
File Edit View List Objects Sharing Help
T Focus Ft: 38 °53'40"N 77 °44'28 "W T 1 in = 3 . 07 mi T Ref: pure Image
12. When you have saved a view and are sure you no longer want to work with it, you can delete it
using the Edit Views item in the View menu. Select Edit Views now and delete both the Two
Hospitals view and the PWC Image view. Click OK. Notice that the reference view is closed
automatically because you deleted the view it was using.
34
-------
Chapter 2: Guided Tour
Searching for cities and roads
One of the most common operations you will perform in MARPLOT is searching for an object, often for
an address range or intersection of a certain road. Another common search, if you are working in a large
county, is to find a certain city or town within the county.
1. Let's search for a town within Prince
William County. Bring up the
Search Criteria dialog box by
selecting Search from the List menu.
2.
3.
Search Criteria
Search for objects that:
Click on the pop-up box below
"Search for objects that:" and select
"have any name." After "Layer(s) to
search:" choose "Individual Layer..."
in the first pop-up box and "Places"
in the second pop-up box. After
"Map(s) to search:" choose "Maps in
View" and leave the final pop-up
box set to "replace previous
collection." Then click the Search
button.
jhave any name
Layer(s) to search:
Map(s] to search:
Individual Layer...
Maps in View
Places
I Search[J
replace previous collection
MARPLOT performs the search, and puts all of the objects that match the specified criteria into the
Search Collection. In this case, you found all of the objects on the Places layer of the Prince William
County map. The Places layer contains one polygon object representing each city or town in the
county (some of which are Census Designated Places).
Search Collection
Number of objects in collection: 18
Object Name Layer
Place/Map
S. Gainesville CDP
CL Haymarket town
CL Lake Ridge CDP
CL Linton Hall CDP
CL Loch Lomond CDP
CL MontclairCDP
CL Nokesville CDP
CL Occoquan town
CL Quantico Station CDP
P make all other objects
Save Collection...
Load Collection...
Places
Places
Places
Places
Places
Places
Places
Places
Places
Prince William County, VA
Prince William County, VA
Prince William County, VA
Prince William County, VA
Prince William County, VA
Prince William County, VA
Prince William County, VA
Prince William County, VA
Prince William County, VA
on these layers invisible
Intersections Show All on Map
Addresses Show on Map & Zoom K
Show on Map
Help...
Close
35
-------
Chapter 2: Guided Tour
4. Find Dumfries town in the list and click on its name to highlight it. Click the Show on Map & Zoom
button. This causes MARPLOT to change the view so that Dumfries town just fits into the map
window.
MARPLOT - Prince William County, VA
File Edit View List Objects Sharing Help
cus Ft: 38°33'53"N 77°19'04"W
T Dumfries town (Places, Prince William County, VA) [city/place boundary]
5. Go to the Layer List and set the Places layer back to Range mode. Note: MARPLOT automatically
changed the Places layer from Range to Show mode because you asked to zoom into an object on
the Places layer that would not be shown in Range mode at the chosen scale.
C alphabetical
f draw order
Places
!i Objects: 18 on 1 map
Move...
Show +
Names Show Ran9e Hide
CAMEO Transportation
Roads (Major)
Roads
Railroads
ALOHA
Water
Miscellaneous
Shoreline
Counties
^
S
S
S
S
S
-S
•/
•S *
•S
•s
•s
•s
•s
mm
•/ -r
Scale Ranges...
Default graphics:
Set... I
New...! Delete Key ?J Help... |
36
-------
Chapter 2: Guided Tour
6. Now we see the same area without the Places polygons cluttering the view. There is a street in
Dumfries town named Cameron Street. Use the Search function to find this street. In the Search
Criteria dialog box, search for objects that "have names that start with." Type the letters "cam" in the
box that appears in the upper-right. Search on the "Individual Layer" named "Roads." Again, search
on "Maps in View" and choose "replace previous collection." Click Search.
Search Criteria
Search for objects that:
have names that start with...
Layer(s) to search:
Map(s] to search:
Individual Layer...
Maps in view
Roads
| Search J
replace previous collection
7. Again, the Search Collection dialog box comes up with the results of the search. Highlight
"Cameron St" and click Show on Map. Note: If you had used Show on Map & Zoom, MARPLOT
would have changed the view to show just the area covered by Cameron Street in the map window,
but this time you don't want to change the viewing scale.
Number of objects in collection: 10
Object Name Layer
/v Camborne Q
/v Cambridge Dr
/v Camellia Ln
/v CamelotD
/v CamfieldCt
/v Campaign Q
/v Campbell D
/v Campbell Ln
/v Camus Mews
P make all other obj
Save Collection...
Load Collection...
Roads
Roads
Roads
Roads
Roads
Roads
Roads
Roads
Roads
sets on these layers inv
Intersections
Addresses
Place/Map
Linton Hall CDP J
Lake Ridge CDP
Montclair CDP
Montclair CDP
Bull Run CDP
Bull Run CDP
Sudley CDP
Dale City CDP
Dale City CDP
sible
Show All on Map
Show on Map & Zoom Help...
Show on Map Close
K<
37
-------
Chapter 2: Guided Tour
MARPLOT highlights "Cameron St" on the map with red dots and shows its name at the bottom of
the map window. It also puts the Focus Point at the center of the street.
"RPLOT - Prince William County, VA
• Focus Pt: 38 °34'06"N 77 °19'44"W T! in =0.56 mi
000
9. Use the plus magnifying glass tool to zoom into an area that shows just Cameron Street, plus a little
extra space for borders.
•RPLOT - Prince William County, VA
File Edit View List Objects Sharing Help
T Focus Ft: 38°34'06"N 77°19'49"W T 1 in = 0.07 mi
T Cameron St (Roads, Prince William County, VA) [undivided neighborhood road]
38
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Chapter 2: Guided Tour
10. Suppose you want to know where the address 150 Cameron Street can be found. Go back to the
Search Collection using the Show Search Collection item in the List menu. With "Cameron St"
highlighted, click on the Addresses button.
Search Collection
Number of objects in collection: 10
Object Name Layer Place/Map
xv Camborne Q
xv Cambridge Dr
xv Camellia Ln
xv CamelotCt
xv CamfieldCt
xv Campaign Q
xv Campbell Q
xv Campbell Ln
xv Camus Mews
l~~ make all other objects or
Save Collection...
Load Collection...
Roads Linton Hall CDP ^J
Roads Lake Ridge CDP
Roads Montclair CDP
Roads Montclair CDP
Roads Bull Run CDP
Roads Bull Run CDP
Roads SudleyCDP
Roads Dale City CDP
Roads Dale City CDP
these layers invisible
Intersections Show All on Map
Addresses K. Show on Map & Zoom Help...
k
Show on Map Close
11. MARPLOT displays the list of address ranges for Cameron Street. You are looking for address 150,
which falls within the range 100-199. Highlight this range in the list and click Show on Map.
Addresses for object: Cameron St
on layer: Roads
of map: Prince William County, VA
200 - 299
212 - 399
400 - 499
Show on Map I Show on Map & Zoom
j Help...
Cancel
12. MARPLOT shows the location of the address range by positioning the Focus Point at the center of
the segment that corresponds to the selected range.
13. Now find the intersection of Cameron Street and West Duke Street. Again, bring up the Search
Collection using the Show Search Collection item in the List menu. With "Cameron St" highlighted,
click on the Intersections button.
39
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Chapter 2: Guided Tour
14. MARPLOT lists all of the streets with which Cameron Street intersects. Highlight "W Duke St" in
the list and click Show on Map. Note: Show on Map & Zoom would change the scale to an
appropriate scale for viewing the intersection, but in this case you are already at such a scale.
Intersections
Intersections for object: Cameron St
on layer: Roads
of map: Prince William County, VA
l~~ Intersect with all layers
Number of intersections found: 6
Object Name
King St
MineRd
Prince St
Washington St
^3s/wjgfafj SH'WDtike St}
untitled
{ plus 1 alias }
Layer Place/Map
Roads Dumfries town
Roads Dumfries town
Roads Dumfries town
Roads Dumfries town
Roads Dumfries town
Roads Dumfries town
Show on Map. 1 Show on Map & Zoom Cancel Help...
H
15. MARPLOT selects both Cameron Street and West Duke Street, and puts the Focus Point at their
intersection.
MARPLOT - Prince William County, VA
File Edit View List Objects Sharing Help
T Focus Pt: 38°34'07"N 77°19'45"W T 1 in =0.07 mi -r
I
This concludes the MARPLOT guided tour. If other people will be taking this tour using this MARPLOT
system, please use the Go to View dialog box now to return to the view for Prince William
County. Then exit from MARPLOT. You can find more MARPLOT examples in Chapter 4.
40
-------
Reference
Refer to this chapter for detailed explanations of MARPLOT program operations,
features, and menu items.
MARPLOT display window
The MARPLOT window contains many components. The title of the window displays the name of the
map currently shown in the window, or simply "MARPLOT" if more than one map is shown.
' MARPLOT - Prince William County, VA
- n x
File Edit View List Objects Sharing Help
T Focus Pt: 38°48'24"W 77°47'llrpW T 1:362040 T
: PWC
12/03/06
1:29 PM
Prepared by NQM/Hazmat
0 5
0 10
1 in = 5.714 mi
10 mi
20km
1 cm =3.620 km
Below the title is a line containing three pieces of information:
1. Latitude/longitude coordinates of the Focus Point. The Focus Point is the flashing target-shaped'w'
icon that marks the location of the most recent point of interest. You can change the format of the
latitude/longitude values using the Preferences item in the File menu.
2. Current map scale. The scale can be displayed in one of three different formats, as chosen using the
Preferences item in the File menu.
3. Name of the reference view, if a one is currently being shown (see "Reference View" on page 57).
41
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Chapter 3: Reference
The various tools are along the left side of the map window. The currently selected tool is shown
highlighted. The function of each tool is described later in this chapter (see "Tools" on page 78). When you
have unlocked one or more layers (see "Layer List" on page 66), additional tools for creating new objects
appear.
Along the bottom of the map window is a status line that is used to display various messages. Among other
things, it gives the name, layer, map, and Census classification of the most recently selected object. If you
pressed ESC to cancel a time-consuming map draw (see "Redraw" on page 59) this bottom line will
display the words DRAW INCOMPLETE to remind you that you are looking at an incomplete picture.
When you select objects on the map (usually by clicking them with the arrow tool) MARPLOT indicates
that they are selected by drawing small, red squares along their borders.
Finally, if you are using the Marked Point (see "Marked Point" on page 58), it appears as a pink, target-
shaped icon A..
Y
Remember that what you see in the map window depends upon (a) the area you are looking at, (b) the
current scale (remember that layers can be set to show only at certain scales), (c) the order of the layers
(layers can draw over one another), and (d) the maps that are currently in use. If you are not seeing what
you expect, consider each of these factors.
Pop-up menus on the map window
The status lines at the top and bottom of the map window show small black triangles indicating that you
can click in the given area to activate a menu that lets you perform functions related to the item displayed.
For instance, clicking in the Focus Pt area brings up a menu of functions related to the focus point, while
clicking on the map scale area brings up a menu of functions related to map scale. The function of each of
these pop-up menu items is explained below.
Clicking in the Focus Pt area at the top of the map window brings up the a Focus Point menu.
• Copy Coordinates copies the displayed focus point
coordinates to the clipboard. -*• Focus Pt:
Coordinate Format brings up the Preferences dialog box Copy Coordinates
so that you can change the format in which coordinates are Coordinate Format,.,
displayed.
Center on Focus Point Ctrl+T
The remaining items in this menu perform the same Mark Focus Point
function as the identically named items in MARPLOT'S GO to Lat/Long,,, Ctrl+A
View, Marked Point, and Vertex menus.
Mark Vertex
Move Vertex to Marked Point
Insert Vertex at Focus Point Ctrl+H
Delete Vertex Ctrl+J
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Chapter 3: Reference
Clicking in the map scale area at the top of the map window brings up a scale menu.
• Copy Scale copies the displayed map scale to the clipboard. i T -^
• Scale Format brings up the Preferences dialog box so that you can copy Scale
change the format in which the map scale is displayed.
Scale Format...
• Zoom In and Zoom Out change the map scale by a factor of two,
centered at the Focus Point (note that Zoom In and Zoom Out are Zoom In ctrl++
not included in the View menu). Zoom Out Ctrl+'
• Set Scale performs the same function as the identically named item e ca e " ' t+>
in the View menu.
Clicking in the reference view name area at the top of the map window (the rectangle just to the right of the
map scale area) brings up a view menu.
• Copy Name copies the displayed reference view name to the clipboard I ^ Ref .
(if a reference view is currently shown).
Copy Name
• Reference View allows you to show or hide the reference view, and
. . . , , ., . Reference View t
choose the view to be used as a reference view.
Legend >
• Legend allows you to show or hide the legend, and set legend options. Scale Bar >
• Scale Bar allows you to show or hide the scale bar, and set scale bar Ime "amp
options.
• Time Stamp allows you to show or hide the time stamp, and set time stamp options.
Clicking in the message area at the bottom of the map window brings up an object menu.
• Object Settings and Segment Settings perform the
same function as the identically named items in the object Settings' • • Qrl+B
Objects menu. Segment Settings' ' ' ctrl+E
• Copy Object Record copies to the clipboard the MIE Copy Object Record
(MARPLOT Import/Export) record for the selected Copy Ob'ect Coordinates
object. Copy Text
• Copy Object Coordinates copies to the clipboard the list of latitude/longitude coordinates for the
selected object.
• Copy Text copies whatever text is in the message area to the clipboard.
Map insets
The reference view is just one of four insets that you can display in the map window. Each of the four
insets is discussed in this section. Note: When you print or save the contents on the map window, any
displayed insets are included in the output.
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Chapter 3: Reference
You can show and hide the various insets, and set a number of options related to their display, using the
Preferences dialog box (see "File menu" on page 45) and the pop-up menu in the reference view name area
of the map window. To position any of the insets, click on them with the mouse and drag to the desired
location. MARPLOT remembers this as the position of the inset until you move it again.
Reference view. The reference view shows the location of the current
view in the map window relative to some other view. The flashing red box
indicates the shown area. When you zoom in past a certain point, the
flashing box is replaced by a red crosshairs, pinpointing your location.
Double-click anywhere on the reference view to center the map view on
that location.
Legend. The legend displays a map key in one of two formats.
The simplest option is to have MARPLOT generate a legend from
the list of layers you selected in the Preference dialog box.
Alternately, you can create a bitmap in another program and have
MARPLOT use it for the legend. Double-click the legend to bring
up the Preferences dialog box where you can set options for the
display of the legend.
Legend
Railroads
Roads (Major)
Water
Scale bar. The scale bar inset shows the current map scale in a number of available formats including a
number line marked with English units, a number line marked with metric units, an equation with
"1 in = ...", and an equation with "1 cm = ...". Double-click the scale bar to bring up the Preferences dialog
box where you can set options for the display of the scale bar.
0 5
1 1
0 10
1 in = 5.714 mi
10 mi
i
20km
1 cm =3.620 km
Note: You may notice that MARPLOT'S interpretation of a screen inch will not agree with a ruler laid
against your computer monitor. The discrepancy will depend upon your computer system and monitor
settings and you may not notice it unless you actually measure it. Rest assured that the scales on maps
printed from MARPLOT will be accurate and will agree with a ruler laid against the printouts.
Time Stamp. The time stamp displays the current date and time in any of
a number of available formats. You can also include a one-line comment in
the time stamp. Double-click the time stamp to bring up the Preferences
dialog box where you can choose date and time formats, and enter the one-
line comment.
12/03^06
1:29 PM
Prepared by NQAA/Hazmat
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Chapter 3: Reference
File menu
The items in the File menu allow you to perform a variety of input/ i ,,s i
i J"H.,f?' I
output functions, and to accomplish miscellaneous system-level L
. , Save as Picture,,,
tasks.
Print 5etup,,,
Note that there is no Save item in the File menu. When you make Print,., Ctrl+P
changes to objects on maps, the changes are immediately written to
disk. This means that there is no need for you to explicitly save any
changes you make. The price of this convenience, however, is that xp°r
you need to be that much more careful to keep backup copies of Compact Map Files
any maps you will be editing, so that you can revert to a saved
version if you make invalid changes (see "Keeping backups" on
, ._ Administrator...
page 147).
Exit
Save as Picture
The Save as Picture menu item is used to save an image of what is currently drawn in the map window to a
picture file. Such a file can be opened with a standard drawing program. The procedure for saving a picture
differs slightly between Windows and Macintosh.
Save as Picture in Windows. When you choose Save as Picture, you are presented with a standard
file-saving dialog box to specify the file to be saved. You can choose to save a bitmap (.bmp) file or a
metafile (.wmf). Metafiles are often smaller than bitmap files, and have the advantage that certain
programs will allow you to edit them on an object-by-object basis. However, bitmap files are more
common and can be opened with standard drawing programs.
A check box, which only applies when you are saving as a metafile, gives you the option of saving into the
picture only the currently selected objects. This is useful if you want to save into the picture a less cluttered
view of a certain set of objects.
Save as Picture on a Macintosh. When you choose Save as Picture, you are presented with a dialog
box that lets you specify the size of the picture to be saved. By default, the saved picture is the same size as
the screen display. If you want to expand or shrink the image when saving, you can specify the desired size
either by giving its dimensions (width and height), or by specifying the map scale that you want the picture
to have.
A check box gives you the option of saving into the picture only the currently selected objects. This is
useful if you want to save into the picture a less cluttered view of a certain set of objects.
When you click OK to confirm the size, you are presented with a standard file-saving dialog box to specify
the file to be saved.
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Chapter 3: Reference
Print
The Print menu item is used to print what is currently drawn in the map window to your printer. When you
choose the Print item, you are presented with a dialog box that lets you specify the size of the printed
output. By default, the output will be fit to the printed page. If you want to specify the image dimensions,
you can enter either the desired width and height or the map scale that you want the output to have. If you
specify the image dimensions, the Print dialog box displays the size of a printed page as well as the number
of pages that will be printed.
A check box gives you the option of printing only the currently selected objects. This is useful if you want
to print a less cluttered view of a certain set of objects.
Import
WARNING: Use this menu item with caution. Incorrect use can result in lost data. It is safest to back up
your map files before importing (see "Keeping backups" on page 147). Importing data will change the
objects on a layer—even if the layer in question is currently locked. The Import menu item is only
available to users who have edit-level permission. If your MARPLOT system uses map files shared over a
network file server, make sure that no other users are currently using the shared map files before you use
Import.
The Import menu item is used to read in a list of objects from a text file. As explained in "Object
identification" on page 16, MARPLOT objects are identified by an ID number, layer name, and map name.
The most common use of the Import feature is to share data with another MARPLOT system, which may
result in situations where MARPLOT has to resolve conflicts between objects with the same ID number,
layer name, and map name.
The Options button in the Import dialog box allows you to specify what MARPLOT should do in the case
of ID conflicts during import. The default behavior is to overwrite the existing object with the information
in the import file. Alternatively, you can choose to keep just the old object, or to both keep the old object
and import the new object. (In the latter case, you will have multiple objects with the same ID number on
the given layer.)
MARPLOT'S default import behavior is designed for sharing and updating data from a source MARPLOT
system to your MARPLOT system. A user of that system can export certain objects to a MARPLOT
Import/Export (MIE) file. You can then import that MIE file in your system. Any new objects (i.e., objects
that were created in the other system but don't yet exist in your system) will be added to your system. By
default, any objects that match existing objects in your system (i.e., that have the same ID number, layer
name, and map name) will replace those existing objects. The net effect is that your system will be updated
to match the objects in the other system. Keep in mind, however, that if you import bad data, you may lose
important data that you have entered in your system.
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Chapter 3: Reference
The import file can be in one of four different formats:
• MARPLOT Import/Export (MIE) format: Standard format for exchanging MARPLOT
information. These files contain complete MARPLOT information about each object.
• MARPLOT Simple Point format: In this format, the objects appear one-per-line. Each object is
specified as a single point. Besides the coordinates, the following attributes may be included: name,
layer, map, symbol, color, and ID.
• Arclnfo™ GENERATE format: Allows MARPLOT to exchange data with Arclnfo. Besides the
coordinates, the following attributes may be included: name, layer, map, symbol, color, and ID.
• MARPLOT 1.0.1 (for Macintosh) export format: Used only to bring objects from MARPLOT
1.0.1 into the current version of MARPLOT.
See the MARPLOT Technical Documentation for more information about import/export formats.
Export
The Export menu item is used to write a list of objects to a text file. The objects to be written can be either
those objects currently selected on the map, or those objects currently in the Search Collection. You can
export in one of three formats:
• MIE format,
• MARPLOT Simple Point format, or
• Arclnfo GENERATE format.
In the case of the latter two formats, you can output the coordinates along with any subset of the following
attributes: name, layer, map, symbol, color, or ID.
See the MARPLOT Technical Documentation for more information about import/export formats.
Compact Map Files
Note: If your MARPLOT system uses map files shared over a network file server, make sure that no other
users are currently using the shared map files before you use Compact Map Files.
The Compact Map Files menu item, which is mostly for use by MARPLOT system administrators,
performs a number of optimizations on your maps to make them draw more quickly and use less disk
space. You will only need to use Compact Map Files after importing or after making a large number of
changes to your maps. There is no harm in using Compact Map Files at other times, but you should not
expect any improvement in efficiency.
Compacting your map files can take less than a minute if your maps are small and/or are already mostly
compacted. However, for large, uncompacted map files, the process can take longer (although you can stop
the process at any point if it is taking too long).
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Chapter 3: Reference
Before choosing the Compact Map Files function, you should make sure you have sufficient free disk
space. A rule of thumb is to make sure you have free on each disk containing a map folder at least twice the
space of the single largest object (.OBJ) layer file on that disk. If MARPLOT is unable to complete the
compaction process because of low disk space, it will tell you.
Compact Map Files performs two main functions to improve map file efficiency:
1. Removes the space occupied by deleted objects from the map files, and
2. Sorts the objects in each map file geographically, for improved speed during drawing.
Compact Map Files also does some other cleanup work on your map files. If you think your map files have
been corrupted somehow, you might try compacting them to fix the problems.
When you use Compact Map Files, even those files belonging to locked layers are checked and compacted.
However, files belonging to maps that are not currently in use will not be touched (use the Map List menu
item to see which, if any, of your maps are not in use).
Preferences
Because of the large number of preferences that you can set in MARPLOT, the Preferences dialog box is
broken up into six tabbed panels. Move between the panels by clicking the tabs at the top of the window.
The Colors panel lets you set the background color for the map window. The Tools panel lets you set
preferences for various tools. (These choices are also available by double-clicking the tool icons on the left
edge of the map window.)
Preferences
Colors
T . Latit
Tools Lon
Arrow Tool Selection
>'• rectangle (from corner]
f" circle (from center)
Zoom Tool Selection
(• from
r from
OK j
corner
center
Cancel HE
ude 1 c ,
jitude Scale
Legend
Date 1 Time
Rectangle Tool
f* draws from corner
(~ draws from center
Circle Tool
<~ draws from corner
!• draws from center
Ip...
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Chapter 3: Reference
The Latitude/Longitude panel lets you choose the format in which coordinates are displayed, and control
the lat/long grid in the map window. You can choose whether lat/long values are displayed as degrees with
a six-place decimal (e.g., 40.250000°), as degrees followed by minutes (e.g., 40°25.10'), or as atriplet of
degrees, minutes, and seconds (e.g., 40°25'00"). Notice that you can display the grid above or below the
map, and you have the option of including unlabeled intermediate lines when a dense grid is desired.
Preferences
Colors
Tools
Latitude /
Longitude
Scale
Legend
Date i Time
Coordinate Format
i*" degrees
r degrees/minutes
''• degrees/minutes/seconds
Iv show lat/long grid
I* show intermediate lines
Position: c* above layers
f~ below layers
OK
Cancel
Help...
The Scale panel lets you choose the scale format for the map window display and the scale bar inset. The
scale can be a ratio (e.g., 1:50000), in units (e.g., 1 in = 10 mi), or as window dimensions (e.g., 5x3 mi).
Preferences
Colors Tools Longitude Scale Le9end Date ^ Time
Scale Format
r 1 :N
f 1 in = N mi
r window distance
Units: miles
Iv show scale bar
P show English number line
P show metric number line
W show"1 in = ..."
I? show "1cm = ..."
OK
Cancel
Help...
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Chapter 3: Reference
The Legend panel lets you choose which type of legend to display: a picture or a list of the shown layers.
For a picture legend, you can choose any bitmap or PICT picture from your computer using the Set button.
For a layers legend, you can choose which layers are shown.
Preferences
Colors
Tools
Latitude /
Longitude
Scale
Legend
Date / Time
Iv show legend
<~ legenc
Set...
-'.•.•'-•.•'-•.-'-•.-'.•.-'.
-•.-.•.-.•.•-•.•-•.--•
•'-'.•'-•.•"-•.•"•'.•"•'.•'-
•.•'••.•'••.•'••.•'••.•'••.•
•.•••.•••.•••.•••.••v
.-.-...-...•...•.-.-.-
OK
from picture
• legend from layers
(3 layers checked] F
"•'.•'-'.•'-•.-"-•.•"••.•"•'.•'-•.•"-•.•"
.•'••.•'••.•'••.•'••.•'••.•'••.•'••.•'••.
..-...•...•.-.-.-.-...-...•...•.-
•••.•••.• ••.•••.•••.•••.•••.•••.•
Cancel
all shown layers
Places
•S Railroads
•S Roads (Major)
Shoreline
Temporary Layer
*/ Water
Help...
-
The Date/Time panel lets you choose formats in which the date and time are displayed in the time stamp
inset. The one-line comment you enter here is included in the time stamp.
Colors
W show di
Date
w 12/03/
(~ Decen
("' custon
<~ none
Comment:
OK
Tools Longitude Scale Le9end Dale / Time
ite/time stamp
Time
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Chapter 3: Reference
Administrator
See Chapter 6 for more information about MARPLOT administration.
The first time this menu item is used, it puts MARPLOT into multi-user mode (as opposed to single-user
mode). In multi-user mode, one person (usually the one who first uses the Administrator menu item) is the
system administrator. The administrator has the ability to add other users to the system, giving them
passwords and user codes.
After the first use of the Administrator menu item, the item is only available to the MARPLOT system
administrator. It brings up a dialog box in which the administrator can add new users and modify user
settings. For each user, the administrator can set the user's name, password, and permission level (edit or
browse). Each user is also assigned a four-character code that is attached to each object the user creates
and/or modifies. Using the Object Settings dialog box for a given object, you can see the code of the
creator and last modifier of the object.
Note that the administrator can change his or her own password. The administrator should do this as soon
as the Administrator menu item is chosen for the first time.
Once MARPLOT is in multi-user mode, it is possible to return to single-user mode. The administrator does
this using the Stop Administration button in the MARPLOT Administrator dialog box. This renames the
USERS folder as USERSX. If the Administrator menu item is chosen again, USERSX is renamed USERS,
and the previously established administration is reinstated.
Edit menu j&
Undo Ctrl+Z
The Cut, Copy, and Paste items in the Edit menu are not used to cut,
copy, and paste MARPLOT objects. While you cannot use the Edit
menu to perform these functions, MARPLOT provides a number of
mechanisms to accomplish the desired goals. To move objects,
select one or more and drag them with the arrow tool. To change an
object's layer or map, use the Object Settings dialog box. To change Insert Picture Object...
several objects at once, use the Move items in the Objects menu.
Make New Polygon...
Make New Polyline
Undo Polyline <-> Polygon
You can undo the last change you made to the objects on the map. For instance, if you accidentally delete
an object, you can use Undo to get it back. Similarly, if you accidentally move an object, you can return it
to its original position. Some complex operations, such as importing a group of objects, cannot be undone.
Cut, Copy, and Paste
Cut, Copy, and Paste have no function in MARPLOT. They cannot be used to place MARPLOT objects on
the clipboard or paste objects from the clipboard into MARPLOT.
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Clear
Clear deletes the currently selected map objects. You can get the objects back immediately after the clear
using Undo.
Insert Picture Object
The Insert Picture Object menu item is used to create a new picture object.
A picture object is like a rectangle object that is filled with an image, instead of with a standard pattern.
Picture objects are like other objects in that they can be named, moved, deleted, etc. You can have as many
picture objects as you want, on any layers.
The most common use for a picture objects is as a base map onto which you place other map objects. The
idea is to place a picture object, which covers a fairly large geographical area, onto a layer that is near or at
the bottom of the layer list. You can then place other objects, such as icons representing facilities, on other
layers that are on top of the picture object's layer. While the picture object is technically an object just like
those that are placed on top of it, by leaving the picture on a low layer, and by leaving that layer locked,
you can achieve the effect of having the picture represent the background (or base map).
However, picture objects may also be used as small objects in their own right. For instance, you might have
a logo or other design that you want to place directly on your map. You can do so using a picture object.
Inserting the picture Object. When you choose the Insert Picture Object menu item, MARPLOT asks
if you want the picture object you are about to add to be the first object on anew map (i.e., the base map for
the new map) or an object on an already-existing map. If you choose to make a new map, the name of the
map will be the same as the name of the picture file you select.
The image for the picture object can come from either a picture file (i.e., a file—usually made by a drawing
program—that contains a picture) or from the clipboard (when you have just copied a picture to the
clipboard using the Copy menu item in some other program). If you have copied a picture from another
application before choosing the Insert Picture Object menu item, MARPLOT asks if you would like to use
that picture, or choose another from a picture file. However, when you are creating a new map, the image
must come from a picture file, not the clipboard.
If you choose to insert a picture from a picture file, MARPLOT then lets you locate the picture file on the
computer. MARPLOT reads the picture (either from the clipboard or the file) and creates a new picture
object. It then brings up the Object Settings dialog box for the new picture object, to allow you to change
any of its settings. As with other objects, you should be careful to make sure the picture has been placed on
the correct layer and map.
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A note to Macintosh users
Some picture files, such as those output by
previous versions of MARPLOT, already
have lat/long information about the picture
they contain stored in a resource. When you
insert one of these picture files, MARPLOT
will automatically use the provided lat/long
values, and no geo-referencing is
necessary—unless you want to place the
picture object in a different location.
Geo-referencing the picture object. Especially
important at the time you create a picture object is the
Geo-Reference button in the Object Settings dialog box.
The point of the Geo-Reference button is to let you
specify exactly where on the earth the new picture object
belongs. In some cases, such as when you are using
picture objects as small objects instead of as base maps,
you will probably not need to geo-reference your picture
objects at all; it will be sufficient to drag and stretch
them like other objects. But for large base map picture
objects that are supposed to represent a precise area, you
will usually want to geo-reference them to indicate
exactly where they go.
If you do not geo-reference the new picture object as it is being created, it will be placed initially so that it
is centered about the Focus Point and scaled to its standard size. No harm is done, since you can always
geo-reference the object at a later time. For more about geo-referencing, see "Geo-referencing a picture
object" on page 75.
Finishing up. From the Object Settings dialog box, click OK when you are happy with the settings for
the new picture object, or Cancel if you decide not to create the object after all. When you click OK,
MARPLOT creates a file within the folder of the picture object's map to keep a copy of the picture.
Make New Polygon
This menu item performs different functions depending on which objects are currently selected.
If a single polyline object is selected, it creates a new polygon object that forms an "envelope" around the
selected polyline. An envelope is a complex polygon object that is constructed to cover the map area
within a given distance from any point on the polyline. You use the Make New Polygon dialog box to
specify this distance. For instance, if the polyline represents a road, and you want to see the area that is
within 100 yards of any point on the road, you would specify 100 yards in the Make New Polygon dialog
box, and the resulting polygon would cover the desired area. Once the envelope is created, you can use it,
for instance, to see what other objects fall within it.
If two or more polygon objects are selected, it creates a new polygon object that is the intersection, union,
or difference of the selected polygons, depending on your choice in the Make New Polygon dialog box.
The intersection is the area that all of the selected polygons have in common. The union is the area that all
of the selected polygons cover in total. The difference is the area of the first-selected polygon (the one you
clicked first in the map window), excluding the area of the other selected polygon(s).
Note: For the purposes of Make New Polygon, rectangle and circle objects are treated like polygons.
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The object created by Make New Polygon (the envelope, the union, the intersection, or the difference) is
placed on the Temporary Layer of your User's Map. Objects on the Temporary Layer are deleted when you
quit MARPLOT. If you want to save them, move them to another layer before quitting.
Make New Polyline
Make New Polyline is used after you have selected two or more polyline objects. It creates a new polyline
object on the Temporary Layer that contains all of the segments of the selected polyline objects. It can be
thought of as a union operation for polylines. Note, however, that attributes of the component polylines,
such as street addresses, are not included in the combined polyline.
Polyline <-> Polygon
Polyline <-> Polygon converts the selected object from one type to the other. This is useful, for instance, to
"close off and fill a polyline boundary.
View menu
The items in the View menu are used for navigating around the map,
for saving and using views, and for using the map insets and other
map window displays.
A view is a rectangular window onto a certain area of the world.
When you save a view, MARPLOT records the rectangle, along with
a miniature image of what is shown in the map window at the time
the view is saved. Depending on the set-up of your MARPLOT
system, there may be a number of views available for your use
beyond those that you have saved yourself. Also, if your MARPLOT
system is multi-user, you can choose whether the saved view is for
your use only, or is to be shared with other users.
Any saved view can be used as a reference view. When a view is
used as a reference view, the miniature image of the view is placed in
an inset on the map window. MARPLOT indicates where on the
reference view the current map view is situated. For instance, if the
reference view shows the entire state of California, and the Los Angeles
window, a flashing box appears on the reference view outlining the Los
California.
Go to View,,, Ctrl+R
Go to Previous View
Set Scale,,, Ctrl+j
Go toLat/Long... Ctrl+A
Center on Focus Point Ctrl+T
Save Current View... Ctrl+U
Edit Views,,,
Entry View,,,
Reference View >
Legend >
Scale Bar *
Time Stamp >•
Lat/Long Grid >
Marked Point >
Redraw Ctrl+D
area is currently shown in the map
Angeles area within the image of
You can designate one of the saved views to be your entry view. When an entry view is set, MARPLOT
will go to that view automatically upon starting up.
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In the view dialog boxes, you have options as to which views you want to list, and how you want to order
them. If your MARPLOT system is multi-user you have the choice of listing only those views saved by
you, or including also the views shared among all users of the system. Use the "include shared views" box
to make this choice. You can sort the listed views either alphabetically by the name of the view, or
alphabetically by the name of the map the view is associated with. Use the "sort by name" and "sort by
map" buttons to make this choice. Also, if the list of views is long, you can type the first few letters of a
view name in the box at the top of the window and use the Find Next button to locate the desired view in
the list.
Go to View
Go to View is used to return to a previously saved view. The Go to View dialog box appears when you the
choose the Go to View menu item and also when you start MARPLOT if you have not set an entry view.
Find:
< entire map>. Prince William County, VA
< entire map>. King County, WA
•SMjf^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
PWC Image, Prince William County, VA
<• sort by name
r sort by map
Map List
Go to View
resize map window to fit view
Cancel
Help...
The views listed include all the views that have been saved using Save Current View, plus one view for each map that has a Places layer (these are usually the county maps derived from TIGER
data). Unlike other views, the views do not have miniature images associated with them.
Select a view by clicking its name in the list. The miniature image of the view is displayed in the lower-left
part of the dialog box. Double-click the view name or click the Go To View button to go to the view.
When the "resize map window to fit view" box is checked, MARPLOT will change the size of the map
window on the screen to match the aspect ratio (width to height) of the window at the time the view was
saved. This is useful if you want to be sure that what is in the window when you return to the view is
exactly what was in the window when you saved the view (actually, such a guarantee is impossible, since
the object or layers might have changed since the view was saved). On the other hand, sometimes this extra
precision might not be worth the cost of having the map window change size automatically, and you will
want to leave this box unchecked.
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The Map List button brings you to the Map List dialog box. From the Map List dialog box, you can
determine exactly which maps MARPLOT is aware of, and which are in use. From the Map List, you can
go to the view of a map—that is, the rectangle that encompasses the map.
Go to Previous View
When you change your view by any means (e.g., zooming in or out, or going to a view with the Go to View
menu item) you can return to what you were looking at before by using this menu item.
Set Scale
This menu item and dialog box are used to set the viewing scale by entering the scale value by hand. You
can enter the scale in any of the three formats presented. The two other formats change to match the one
you modify.
Note: There are other ways to change the viewing scale, without having to type in numbers. For instance,
the zoom tools and some of the other items in the View menu change the viewing scale.
Go to Lat/Long
This menu item allows you to enter a latitude/longitude point by hand, and then centers the map about that
point. The default lat/long values presented when the dialog box comes up are the coordinates of the Focus
Point.
Center on Focus Point
This menu item changes the view, without changing the scale, so that the Focus Point is in the center of the
screen.
The Focus Point is the small, flashing target-shaped icon ^ that marks the location of the most recent
point of interest on the map. Every time you click on the map with the arrow tool, the Focus Point moves to
the location of your click. The Focus Point also changes in response to other operations, such as when you
show an object from the Search Collection on the map.
Save Current View
This menu item is used to add the view that is currently in the map window to the list of saved views. You
are asked to name the view, and to pick the map with which the view is associated. You can only associate
a view with a map that intersects at least part of that view. It is not crucial that you associate the view with
the "correct" map since the map name is used for reference purposes only and can be changed at any time
using the Edit Views menu item.
If you have edit-level permission, you have the option of allowing the saved view to be shared with other
users of your system. If you want to do so, click the "share view with other users" box.
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Edit Views
This menu item and dialog box allow you to make changes to the list of saved views. If you have edit-level
permission, you can delete or rename views that you have saved.
Note: Renaming a view also gives you a chance to associate it with a different map.
Entry View
This menu item and dialog box let you pick a saved view as your entry view. There are actually three
options regarding the entry view:
1. You can choose to have no entry view (click the No Entry View button), in which case each time
MARPLOT starts up it will present you with the Go to View dialog box to choose a starting view.
2. You can choose a particular saved view as the entry view (highlight the desired view and click the
Set Entry View button), in which case MARPLOT will go to the designated view when it starts up.
The entry view is displayed in the list of views with a small "E" to the left of its name. Note that the
list of possible entry views includes those views that have been saved with Save Current View, plus
one view for each map with a Places layer.
3. You can click the "enter to last view from previous MARPLOT session" box, in which case
MARPLOT will always start at the last view you were looking at the last time you were using
MARPLOT.
Reference View
Use this menu item to show and hide the reference view inset, and to pick the view to be shown as a
reference view. Select the view you want to use as a reference view and click Set Reference View.
In most cases, you will want to restrict your choice of reference views to those views that encompass the
current map view. The idea is that a reference view is generally supposed to cover an area that contains the
area of the main view, since the point of the reference view is to show you where the main view is in
relation to a larger area. It isn't helpful, for instance, if the reference view is showing County A but in the
main view you are zoomed in somewhere in County B.
However, there may be times when you want to set a reference view to a view that does not quite
encompass the main view. For instance, your main view might be showing the very edge of your map, and
you may want to use a reference view that ends at the edge of the map. In this case, you can check the
"allow any view in reference" box.
Normally, you will want to keep this box unchecked to avoid the mistake of having a reference view that
does not contain the main view. When the box is unchecked, MARPLOT will only allow you to choose a
reference view that contains the current main view. Furthermore, as you zoom out, MARPLOT will
automatically enlarge the reference view, if possible, to keep the main view enclosed within it.
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Legend
Use this menu item to show and hide the legend inset, and to activate the legend panel of the Preferences
dialog box to change the legend settings.
Scale Bar
Use this menu item to show and hide the scale bar inset, and to activate the scale bar panel of the
Preferences dialog box to change the scale bar settings.
Time Stamp
Use this menu item to show and hide the time stamp inset, and to activate the time stamp panel of the
Preferences dialog box to change the time stamp settings.
Lat/Long Grid
Use this menu item to show and hide the latitude/longitude grid on the map window, and to activate the
latitude/longitude panel of the Preferences dialog box to change the grid settings.
Marked Point
The Marked Point -<£>- serves as a reference location. It is useful for measuring distances when the
endpoints of the segment measured are not both visible in the map window. It is also sometimes used when
editing polyline objects such as roads.
You can position the Marked Point either by using the Mark Focus Point item in the Marked Point
submenu of the View menu, or by using the Mark Vertex item in the Vertex submenu of the Objects menu.
You can only mark a vertex after you have selected a polyline or polygon object with the arrow tool.
When the Marked Point is set, its latitude/longitude coordinates appear at the bottom of the window. When
you choose Mark Focus Point, the Marked Point is positioned at the current location of the Focus Point.
When the Focus Point subsequently moves, the Marked Point retains the position at which it was set and
only moves when you explicitly set it to a different location. When you choose Mark Vertex, the Marked
Point is positioned at the vertex of the selected polyline or polygon object that is closest to the Focus Point.
Once you have positioned the Marked Point, there are four operations you can perform with it. Three of
these operations are in the Marked Point submenu of the View menu:
• Center on Marked Point changes the view, without changing the scale, so that the Marked Point is
at the center of the map window.
• Distance to Focus Point displays the distance from the Marked Point to the Focus Point in the
current units (see "Preferences" on page 48).
• Rescale to Marked & Focus Pts shifts the map and sets the scale such that the Marked Point and
the Focus Point are both just visible at the edges of the window.
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The second item in the Vertex submenu, Move Vertex to Marked Point, is used when you want to position
a particular vertex point of a given polyline or polygon at an exact latitude/longitude point. This operation,
in conjunction with Mark Vertex, is especially important when editing intersecting road segments in
MARPLOT, since MARPLOT only considers roads to intersect when they have a common vertex. For
example, suppose you have created two roads called A and B. You intend for them to intersect, but as you
use the polyline tool to create them in MARPLOT, you do not have the accuracy to ensure that a vertex of
A is in the exact same location as a vertex of B. To force the vertices to line up, you can click near the
desired vertex of road A and choose Mark Vertex. Then click near the matching vertex of road B and
choose Move Vertex to Marked Point. The vertex of B is shifted so that it exactly coincides with the
marked vertex of A. Now MARPLOT considers the two roads to intersect. For a step-by-step example of
this technique, see "Editing road segments" on page 108.
When you use Clear Marked Point in the Marked Point submenu, the Marked Point disappears from the
screen and its latitude/longitude coordinates are no longer displayed.
Redraw
The drawing of a large view can be time-consuming. You can interrupt the drawing by pressing the ESC
key or by clicking anywhere on the map with the mouse. This causes the drawing to stop and allows you to
perform operations on a partially drawn view. You can then use the Redraw menu item to force the same
view to be redrawn completely.
Note: When you cancel the drawing of a view, MARPLOT behaves as if all of the objects are there on the
screen. For instance, you can click on the "invisible" objects to select them. Similarly, any objects that
were selected before the view was drawn will be remain selected when you cancel the drawing, even if
they didn't actually get drawn. If you find you are frequently having to stop the drawing of a map, consider
using the Layer List dialog box to set the viewing scale of certain layers to keep them from drawing when
you are zoomed out too far.
List menu
This menu contains items for searching and using the resulting Search,., Ctrl+F
Search Collection (that is, the list of found objects). show Search Collection Ctrl+G
Copy to Search Collection Ctrl+V
It is also used to access the list of layers and the list of maps.
Layer List... Ctrl+L
Map List,., Ctrl+M
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Search
The Search Criteria dialog box, which comes up when you select the Search menu item, is used to find
objects according to various criteria you specify.
There are three types of criteria that you must specify to do a search:
1. What type of search do you want to do? In the pop-up box following the words "Search for objects
that:" there are seven choices for the type of search:
a. Have any name - This choice indicates that you want all objects on the specified maps and
layers. Use this option with some caution since you can easily specify several thousand
objects—perhaps more than MARPLOT will be able to list on your system.
b. Have names that start with... - In this case, you type the first few letters of the name of the
object(s) you are looking for in the box to the right of the pop-up. Do not type a directional
prefix in the box. For instance, if you are looking for E Cedar St, just enter Cedar.
c. Have names that contain... - In this case, you type letters that are to be found somewhere
within the name of the object(s) you are looking for. This type of search is usually more time-
consuming that using the "have names that start with..." option. As with that option, do not type
a directional prefix in the box.
d. Are within... - Here you want to find all objects that are within a specified distance from the
Focus Point, from the Marked Point (if it is set), or from another set of objects. In this case, you
enter the desired distance, including the units, and choose as the reference the Focus Point, the
Marked Point, the set of currently selected objects, or the set of objects in the previous Search
Collection (i.e., those found in the previous search or the previous Copy to Search Collection
operation). This type of search can be time-consuming, so you will want to use it carefully, and
be as specific as possible about the layers and maps to be searched.
e. Are not within... - This is similar to the "are within..." option, except it finds objects that are
not within the given distance from the given reference.
f Are inside of or touching... - Here you want to find all objects that are touching the Focus
Point, the Marked Point (if it is set), or another set of objects. (Note: For polygon, rectangle, or
circle objects, touching can mean being completely or partially inside the borders.) For example,
finding all objects that "are inside of or touching..." a given polygon object will find objects
completely or partially inside the polygon. This search is the same as finding all objects "are
within..." 0 miles of the given reference.
g. Are outside of and not touching... - This is similarto the "are inside of or touching..." option,
except it finds objects that are not inside of or touching the given reference.
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2. Which layers do you want to search? In the pop-up box following the words "Layer(s) to search:"
there are three choices:
a. All Layers - This indicates that you want to search all layers. You would use this when you are
unsure which layers the desired objects might be found on.
b. Multiple Layers... - Here you want to search on more than one layer, but instead of simply
choosing "All Layers," you want to explicitly check each layer to be searched. In this case, a
small scrolling box appears in which you can click on the names of the layers you want to
search. A check appears to the left of the names of the clicked layers. Clicking a checked layer
removes the check. Clicking in the "all layers" box checks or unchecks all layers. Note that you
must check at least one layer to perform a search.
c. Individual Layer... - Here you know that the desired object is to be found on a given layer. In
this case, a second pop-up box appears in which you can select the layer to be searched.
Note: You may note that in the list of layers presented in the pop-up box, layers with names such as Roads
(Major) are not included. Instead, just the Roads layer appears. For the purposes of searching, it is assumed
that when you want to search Roads, you also want to search Roads (Major). The same holds true for any
layers whose names are the same except for a word in parentheses.
3. Which maps do you want to search? In the pop-up box following the words "Map(s) to search:" you
have three choices:
a. All Maps - This indicates that you want to search all maps that are currently available. You
would use this when you don't know (or don't want to spend time thinking about) which maps
the desired objects are to be found on. In many cases, there is no noticeable loss of efficiency
when using this option. However, if you are searching on a layer such as Roads and have a
number of maps with many roads, the search is much more efficient if you can specify the
map(s) to be searched.
b. Maps in View - This is the most common setting. Here you want to search only the maps that
are shown (at least partially) in the current view. The idea is that if you are currently looking at
the map, it is likely that you want to search for an object on that map. An important note about
this option is that many maps are always considered to be "in view." In fact, only those maps
that have a Places layer (which in most cases means those maps derived from Census TIGER
files) are ever considered to be not in view. All other maps, such as your User's Map, are always
in view, even when no objects on these maps are visible on the screen. Thus, the "Maps in View"
option can be thought of as "all maps, except those maps with a Places layer."
c. Selected Maps... - Here you know exactly which map(s) you want to search. In this case, a
small scrolling box appears in which you can click on the names of the maps to be searched. A
check appears to the left of the names of the clicked maps. Clicking a checked map removes the
check. Clicking in the "all maps" box checks or unchecks all maps. Note that you must check at
least one map to perform a search.
Once you have specified all the necessary criteria, click the Search button to execute the search. While
MARPLOT performs the search, it displays messages at the bottom of the map window. If the search is
taking too long, you can press the ESC key to stop it, in which case the incomplete results of the search are
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displayed. When the search is complete, the objects found to match the specified criteria are put into the
Search Collection, and the Search Collection dialog box is shown.
In most cases, you will want to replace any previous contents of the Search Collection (that is, the results
of the previous search) with the new list of found objects. This is reflected by the "replace previous
collection" choice at the bottom of the Search Criteria dialog box. However, sometimes you may want to
keep the contents of the previous Search Collection, but add the newly found objects to the list. In this case
you would choose the "add to previous collection" option. Finally, there may be times when you want to
search based on the given criteria, but only include objects that were already in the previous search
collection (that is, you want to find a subset of the previous search collection). In this case, you would
choose the "subsearch of previous collection" option.
Search Collection dialog box
This dialog box displays the list of objects that resulted from the most recent search, or from the most
recent use of the Copy to Search Collection menu item.The objects are listed in alphabetical order. You can
move quickly to a certain part of the list by typing the first few letters of the name you want.
Search Collection
Number of objects in collection: 807 { plus 26 aliases }
Object Name
/v Oakland Ct
/••/ Oakland Dr
/v Oaklawn Ln
/v OatCt
/v Ocelot Dr
Old Bridge Ln fO/d Bridge Rd}
s-./ Old Bridge Rd
/v OldDelaneyRd
Old Te/egrap/i fid { Te/egrap/i fid}
/v Oleander D
/v Olive D
/"v OlivewoodDr
Layer Place/Map
Roads Dale City CDP
Roads Dale City CDP
Roads Dale City CDP
Roads Dale City CDP
Roads Dale City CDP
Roads Lake Ridge CDP, .
M.
Roads Lake Ridge CDP, ...
Roads Dale City CDP
—
Roads Prince William County, VA
Roads Dale City CDP
Roads Dale City CDP
Roads Prince William County, VA •»
1 make all other objects on these layers invisible
Save Collection... Interse
Load Collection... Add re
ctions Show All on Map
sses Show on Map 8 Zoom
Show on Map
Help...
Close
Each object in the list is displayed with its name, the name of its layer, and its place or map name. If the
object is in a particular place that is included on the Places layer of its map, that name will be used. For
instance, the place might be "Lake Ridge CDP." If the object is not classified as being in a place on the
Places layer, the name of its map will be used. If the object is classified as being in a place, but is also in
other places, the name of the place will end with "..."as in "Lake Ridge CDP, ...".
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When an object in the list appears in italic type and its name is followed by another name in braces, it
means the name is an alternative name for the object whose name is in braces. For instance, if you see
Main St {State Hwy 1} in italics, it means that the object named State Hwy 1, or at least some section of it,
is also called Main St. Thus, the Main St object is not actually an object in its own right, but just a
reference to the true object: State Hwy 1. Such references are called aliases in MARPLOT. The Search
Collection dialog box shows the total number of aliases, along with the total number of real objects.
A checkbox on this dialog box gives you the option to "make all other objects on these layers invisible."
This can be used to hide the other objects temporarily so that you can concentrate on the objects that you
placed in the Search Collection. Note that when you are using this option, the words "Search Collection"
will appear on the lines of the affected layers in the Layer List dialog to remind you that those layers are
being controlled by the Search Collection.
When you have highlighted an object in the list, you can show the object on the map by clicking the Show
on Map button. The map is redrawn and shifted, if necessary, to show the selected object. If you click the
Show on Map & Zoom button, when the object is shown the scale of the map will change so as just to
encompass the object in the map window. This is especially useful when the object to be shown is a
boundary-type object, such as a city or county boundary.
Alternatively, you can click the Show All on Map button, in which case all objects in the Search Collection
will be selected and shown on the map. The view is rescaled, if necessary, to include all of the objects.
For certain objects, you can also click the Addresses or Intersections buttons to get a list of the address
ranges or intersections for the selected object.
In some cases, you may want to save the list of objects in the Search Collection to your computer, so that
you can use them again any time in the future. You can do this using the Save Collection button. You are
prompted for a file name to save the Search Collection into. This file has an MSC extension, which stands
for MARPLOT Search Collection. Note that MARPLOT provides a folder called SEARCHES as a
convenient place to store your saved Search Collections. If your MARPLOT system is multi-user, each
user has his or her own SEARCHES folder.
To retrieve a previously saved Search Collection, use the Load Collection button. The loaded collection
can replace, be combined with, or serve as a filter on the current Search Collection, depending on your
choice at the bottom of that dialog box.
Click Close when you are done working with the Search Collection.
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Intersections dialog box
This dialog box lists the objects that intersect the object highlighted in the Search Collection.
Intersect ians
Intersections for object: 1-66
on layer: Roads
of map: Prince
F Intersect with all layers
Number of intersections found:
Object Name
1 Antiuuh Rd
GrovetonRd
1-66
1-66
Lee Hwy
fiaufc 723 { Tamer Rd}
Stale Rattle 234 { Sadie? Rd}
State Rte 234 Byp
[Major]
William County, VA
25 {plus
Layer
Roads
Roads
Roads [Major
3 aliases}
Place/Map
Prince William County, VA D 1
Prince William County, VA _
Gainesville CDP
Roads (Major) Hayrnarket town
Roads (Major) Gainesville CDP, ...
Roads
Prince William County, VA
Roads (Major) Prince William County, VA
Roads (Major
Show on Map Show on Map & Zoom
Prince William County, VA »
Cancel Help...
Note: For the purposes of this dialog box, MARPLOT only considers two polyline objects to intersect if
they share a vertex exactly. Thus, if you simply draw two polylines that cross one another, they will most
likely not intersect according to this dialog box, even though they cross each other on the screen. This
dialog box is intended for finding intersections in polyline data that has been imported from an external
source, such as the TIGER/Line database, where intersecting polylines always share a vertex. If you want
to find intersections with arbitrary data, you can do so using MARPLOT'S Search function with a "within"
or "touching" option. Searching in this way is more flexible, but significantly slower than, this intersection
function.
As with objects in the Search Collection dialog box, the intersections are listed with their names, the names
of their layers, and the names of their place or map. When you have highlighted an intersecting object in
the list, you can show the intersection on the map by clicking the Show on Map button. The map is
redrawn and shifted, if necessary, to show the point of intersection. The Show on Map & Zoom button
shows the intersection at a scale that is appropriate for viewing typical road intersections.
The check box labeled "Intersect with all layers" is used when you want to find intersections between
objects on different layers. For instance, suppose you want to find the places where a road intersects with
various rivers. You would select an object on the Roads layer in the Search Collection dialog box and click
the Intersections button. By default, only the intersecting objects from the Roads and Roads (Major) layers
will be included in the list of intersections. But if you check the "Intersect with all layers" box, intersecting
objects from all layers will be included. Thus, any river objects on the Water layer that intersect the road
will be in the list.
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Note: MARPLOT treats the Roads and Roads (Major) layers as being the same layer as far as intersections
are concerned, so you do not have to check the "Intersect with all layers" box to find the intersection
between a road and a major road. Whenever two layers have names that differ only by a suffix in
parentheses, MARPLOT intersects them with each other automatically.
Addresses dialog box
This dialog box lists the address ranges for a street.
When you have highlighted an address range in the list, you can show the segment of the street that
corresponds to that address range by clicking the Show on Map button. The map is redrawn and shifted if
necessary to show the chosen segment. The Focus Point is placed on the center of the chosen segment, so
that you can identify it.
The Show on Map & Zoom button shows the address range at a scale that is appropriate for viewing
typical road segments.
Show Search Collection
This menu item opens the Search Collection dialog box, which displays the list of objects that resulted
from the most recent search, or from the most recent use of the Copy to Search Collection menu item. For
more information on the Search Collection dialog box, see "Search Collection dialog box" on page 62.
Copy to Search Collection
Often the set of objects that is currently selected on the map is meaningful to you. For instance, suppose
you have selected the 20 objects on your Schools layer that fall within a certain circle. You can easily find
the names of the selected objects by copying them to the Search Collection using this menu item. The new
Search Collection is then displayed, listing the schools by name. Once the selected objects are in the
Search Collection, they will stay there, even after they are no longer selected, until the next time you
explicitly modify the Search Collection by doing a search or another Copy to Search Collection.
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Layer List
This dialog box presents a list of all the layers. The layers can be listed either in alphabetical order or in
their top-to-bottom order, with the top-most layer at the top of the list. The top-to-bottom order of the
layers is important because the layers are drawn in order from bottom to top. Thus, objects on higher layers
can be drawn over objects on lower layers. Similarly, when you click on the map at a location with objects
from more than one layer, the object from the highest layer will be selected.
Layer List
r alphabetical
(•' draw order
Show +
Names Show Range Hide
\ fl CAMEO Hospitals V
A
a
A
A
A
TD
•b
a
*
CAMEO Incidents
CAMEO Scenarios
CAMEO Schools
CAMEO Transportation
Roads (Major)
Roads
Railroads
ALOHA
Water
CAMEO Hospita
ff Objects: 2 on
Move...
OK
y
*/
^
•S
^
1 map
Scale Ranges...
Cancel
New... :. I
^
V
S
V
ii
1
m
i i
^ HI
Default graphics:
Set... |
Key
v
v
v/
•s
*/
•s
•/
•/
•/ ,
D G
? Help...
For each layer, the list gives several columns of information. You can click on any of these columns to
change the settings for the given layer. The columns, from left to right, are as follows:
1. Layer lock status - At the start of each MARPLOT session, every layer is locked, indicated by a
closed padlock icon i. When a layer is locked, you cannot make any changes to the objects on that
layer, such as moving the objects, renaming them, or changing their color. To unlock a layer, click
its lock icon rtt. When you have unlocked one or more layers, the list of tool icons on the left edge
of the map window is extended to offer tools for creating new objects. Although all users can unlock
layers, users without browse-level permission are restricted to editing those layers on their personal
user's map only. You must have edit-level permission to edit other maps. Note: When the lock icon
for a layer is gray a instead of black, it indicates that the given layer has been locked by another
application sharing information with MARPLOT. In effect, the layer is "owned" by that application.
You can unlock 'fe such a layer, but the changes you can make to objects on that layer are restricted
to those made by the use of the graphical menu items in the Objects menu.
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2. Layer name - Clicking on a layer's name simply highlights the layer in the list. If a layer's name
appears in italics, it indicates that the layer is temporary, meaning that all objects on the layer will be
deleted when the current MARPLOT session is terminated.
3. Show + Names - Clicking in this column means that you want to turn the layer on (i.e., show the
objects on the layer), regardless of the map scale. Further, you want the objects to be labeled with
their names, regardless of the map scale.
4. Show - Clicking in this column means that you want to turn the layer on (i.e., show the objects on
the layer), regardless of the map scale. The objects will only be labeled with their names at certain
scales, as set by the Layer Scale Ranges dialog box.
5. Range- Clicking in this column means that you want to turn the layer on (i.e., show the objects on
the layer) only within the range of scales set by the Layer Scale Ranges dialog box. Similarly, the
objects will only be labeled with their names at certain scales, as set by the Layer Scale Ranges
dialog box.
6. Hide - Clicking in this column means that you want to turn the layer off (i.e., not show the objects
on the layer), regardless of the map scale
Default Graphics - Clicking in this column \mm\, represented at the top by a pair of identical
symbol icons, means that you want all objects on the layer to be drawn using the default graphical
settings for the layer, as set using the "Default graphics" control in the boxed area below the list of
layers. This gives the objects on the layer a uniform look, and also allows you to change the look of
all objects on the layer simply by changing the default graphics for the layer. Note that in this
column, instead of a check mark, a small sample of the default graphics for the layer is displayed.
8. Individual Graphics - Clicking in this column |™Ea| , represented at the top by a pair of icons that
are not identical, means that you want the objects on the layer to be drawn using their individual
graphical attributes, as set by the Object Settings dialog box. In this case, the "Default graphics" for
the layer are not used, and the objects on the layer may look very different from one another
(although typically most or all of the objects on a layer will have identical individual graphical
attributes and will look the same).
There is a small button at the top of each of the last six columns. Clicking this button is the same as
clicking in the given column for all layers. For instance, if you wanted to quickly hide all layers except
one, you would click the small button at the top of the Hide column to hide all layers, then click in the
Show column of the desired layer.
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The boxed area just below the list of layers gives information specific to the layer that is currently
highlighted in the list. You can use this area to:
• View how many objects are on the layer, and how many maps the layer is represented on.
• Use the Rename button to give the layer a different name. WARNING: Renaming a layer can cause
trouble when you have previously linked objects on that layer to database programs since the
database program's link to the object involves the name of the object's layer. As a rule, you should
only rename layers that you have created by hand yourself.
• Use the Move button to move the layer up or down in the list of layers. This option is only available
when the layers are listed in top-to-bottom order (that is, when the alphabetical box is not checked).
• Use the Scale Ranges button to set the scale ranges for the layer (see "Layer Scale Ranges dialog
box" on page 70).
• Use the Set button to set the default graphical attributes for the layer.
Note: The line style width setting is also used as the setting for the size of the dots, when symbol objects
on the layer are shown as dots, according to the Layer Scale Ranges dialog box.
A note on default graphics
By default, in the Default Graphics column of the list of layers, a small symbol icon is
displayed to show a sample of the look of objects on that layer. However, some layers
contain predominantly objects that are not symbols (points) but polylines or polygons.
For instance, a Roads layer would contain only polylines and a Counties layer would
contain only polygons. With such a layer, you can choose as the default symbol either the
polyline or the polygon symbol that appear near the start of the table of symbols. When
one of these is chosen as the default layer symbol, MARPLOT draws a small polyline or
polygon instead of a small symbol in the layer's Default Graphics column in the layer list.
Similarly, when the default line style pattern is chosen to be the railroad pattern,
MARPLOT draws the railroad pattern instead of a symbol in the Default Graphics
column.
You can use the New and Delete buttons to create or delete layers. You must unlock a layer before
attempting to delete it. Usually, you will only create and delete layers that you intend to use on your
personal user's map.
WARNING: Deleting a layer deletes all objects on that layer. This can cause trouble when you have
previously linked objects on the layer to database programs, since the database program might consider a
linked object to exist even though it has actually been deleted.
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Layer List groups. Layer groups give you a way to group layers in the Layer List in order to view and
operate on them more conveniently.
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A layer group is just a collection of layers. You create a layer group by clicking the New button in the
Layer List dialog box (you are given the choice of creating a new layer or a new group). Move a layer into
a group by highlighting the layer and selecting Into Group from the Move pop-up menu. Move a layer out
of a group by highlighting the layer and selecting Out of Group from the Move pop-up menu.
A layer group can be opened or closed. Close the group by clicking on the black triangle to the left of its
name. Click on the triangle again to re-open the group. The layers in a closed group are treated just like
other layers; they are just hidden from view in the Layer List. The downward-pointing triangles at the tops
of columns of an open group can be used to set all of the layers in the group with a single action. For
instance, clicking in the triangle in the Show column puts all layers in the group into show mode.
To set the scale ranges or default graphics for all layers in a group simultaneously, highlight the group
name and use the Scale Ranges button or default graphics pop-up menu.
Deleting a layer group will delete those layers it contains that have no objects. The layers which contain
objects are retained in the Layer List.
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Layer Scale Ranges dialog box. The purpose of this dialog box is to allow you to set four scale
values related to the display of the given layer (or group). The dialog box presents a scale "ruler" that
ranges from a largest (most zoomed-in) scale of" 1 inch = 0.01 mi" to a smallest (most zoomed-out) scale
of" 1 inch = 413 7 mi". To visualize the scale ruler, you might imagine that you are in a helicopter. At the
bottom of the scale ruler, you are very close to the earth and can only see a small amount of land. As you
rise higher and higher you see more and more land, until you reach a height, at the top of the scale ruler,
where the entire earth is within view.
Layer Scale Ranges
Layer: Roads (Major)
Dots @ 1 in = 250.15 mi
current scale: •• "
1 in = 5.71 mi
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Chapter 3: Reference
4. The Icons -> Dots scale value . This value specifies the scale at which symbol (point)
objects on the layer are to be drawn as small dots instead of as their usual symbol icons. Symbols
will be drawn as dots at the given scale and at all smaller (more zoomed-out) scales. The purpose of
this scale setting is to allow you to show symbols as dots at scales when the symbols icons would
crowd each other on the screen.
The four scale values are represented as lines to the right of the scale ruler. Each line has a small arrow
pointing at a mark on the scale ruler, the name of the scale value to be set, and the current setting for that
scale value.
You can change any of the four layer scale values by clicking on the name of the desired scale value and
dragging up or down. The scale value follows the movement of the mouse until you release the button.
The scale of the map's current view in the map window is indicated to the left of the scale ruler. This is a
useful reference point when setting scale values. For instance, you might be looking at the map and think,
"At this scale, it takes too long to draw all of the objects on my Roads layer." You could then use the Layer
Scale Ranges dialog box to change the scale ranges for the Roads layer. You would know to drag the Show
Layer scale value somewhere below the current scale marker on the scale ruler.
When you are satisfied with the scale values for the layer, click OK.
Map List
This dialog box lists all of the maps known to MARPLOT. It allows you to modify the status of existing
maps, add maps to the system, or remove maps from the system. More information on the management of
maps can be found in Chapter 6.
The Map List shows, for each map, the name of the map, the path to the map's folder, the status of the map,
and the number of layers the map contains.
Map status can be in one of three states: In Use, Not In Use, or Not Found. Maps that are In Use are drawn
on the screen and can be operated on using all of the MARPLOT functions. Maps that are Not In Use are
not drawn on the screen. Maps are Not Found when you have renamed or deleted a map folder that
MARPLOT had used during a previous session. A map might also be Not Found because it is on a
removable disk that is not currently in your computer. Note: If a map is Not Found because its disk is not
inserted, you must quit MARPLOT, insert the disk, and then restart MARPLOT in order for the map to be
found. MARPLOT will not find a map on a disk that is inserted while MARPLOT is running.
You can sort the maps either by name or by path. Sorting by path is useful when you have many maps that
are organized hierarchically in folders. Click the small circles to the left of the Name and Path labels to
change the sort order.
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When there are many maps, you can find a map in the list by typing a few characters of its name into the
Find text box and clicking Find Next. Repeatedly clicking on Find Next finds all maps containing the
given string of characters.
You can get more specific information about the selected map using the Map Info button, which brings up
the Map Info dialog box.
You can use the Go to Map button to change the view in order to encompass the area of the selected map
(that is, the area encompassing all objects on the map).
You can rename the selected map using the Rename button.WARNING: Renaming a map can cause
trouble when you have previously linked objects on that map to database programs since the database
program's link to the object involves the name of the object's map. You will rarely want to rename a map.
The Find New Map button is used when you have a map folder that you want to add to the list of maps.
You can find a map on one of your hard drives or on any other data storage device. Pick the map by
locating the file that ends in .MAP within the map folder you want to add to the map list. Click the Open
button to add the map. For information on using CD/DVD maps, see "Adding maps from LandView disks"
on page 148.
In a multi-user MARPLOT system, the Find New Map operation is usually performed by the system
administrator.
Once you have added a map to the list using Find New Map, MARPLOT will remember it and look for that
map each time it starts up. If at some later time you no longer want the map in the list, use the Remove
button to remove the map from the list.
MARPLOT automatically looks for maps within its own folder when it starts up. Thus, you can add a map
without using Find New Map by putting the map folder into the MARPLOT folder and restarting
MARPLOT. You cannot use the Remove button to remove maps in the MARPLOT folder; you must move
the map folder outside of the MARPLOT folder in order to remove the map from the list. Also, you cannot
remove a map that is "owned" by another application while that application is running.
The Remove button does not delete the map's files on the drive, but simply erases MARPLOT'S
"knowledge" of the map. Note: In a multi-user MARPLOT system, any maps added by the system
administrator using the Find New Map button are automatically added to the map lists of all users. If the
system administrator has added certain maps in this way, only he or she can remove them permanently;
other users can remove them for the current MARPLOT session only.
Note: You can toggle a map between In Use and Not In Use by clicking on the map's row in the Status
column while holding down the control key (the option key on a Macintosh).
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Map Info dialog box. This dialog box shows the name and folder of an individual map, and lets you
change certain settings for that map.
• You can click the "use this map" box to put the map In Use or Not In Use.
• Each map has a five-digit default location code. When you create an object on a map, the object
inherits its location code from the map.
• The list in the center of the dialog box shows you which layers are included in this map, and how
many objects from this map are on those layers.
Objects menu
The items in the Objects menu are used when you have one or Object Settings,,, Ctrl+B
more objects selected and want to get MARPLOT information Segment Settings,,, Ctrl+E
about them or modify them in some way. You can get detailed Vertex >
information about a single object, including information specific „ _. . , . ,
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to a single segment of a polygon or polygon object. You can . .
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modify the selected objects by changing their graphical
attributes, or by moving them to a different layer or map. Color >
Line Style >
Note: The Objects menu only affects the objects that are Fill Pattern >
currently selected, and does not apply to other objects, including Symbol >
those created in the future. For instance, if you create an object
whose color defaults to red (because red is the default color for its layer) and then change that object to
green using the Objects menu, future objects created on that layer will still default to red (until you change
the layer's default color).
Object Settings
This dialog box allows you to change the settings of an individual object. It appears automatically to let
you check/modify the settings for a newly created object. It also appears when you select a single object on
the map and use the Object Settings menu item, or when you double-click on an object on the map. Note:
In order to modify information about an object, the object's layer must be unlocked. Users with browse-
level permission can only modify objects on their personal user's map.
The top portion of the dialog box is the same for all types of objects. The lower portion differs depending
on the type of object. The first field lets you view/modify the name of the object.
The next two lines let you change the object's map and layer. Changing an object's map is very rare, and is
done only when an object has mistakenly ended up on the wrong map. Changing an object's map does not
change its location, but may extend map boundaries. You can change the object's layer if it has been
"misclassified" on the wrong layer. Note that to move the object from one layer to another, both layers
must be unlocked. WARNING: Changing an object's map or layer can cause problems if the object has
been linked to a database program.
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The next box presents four pieces of information that are used to help track the object:
1. Each object has a four-character owner code. This code is used to keep track of who originally
created the object. In a multi-user MARPLOT system, the administrator can assign each user a
unique code. Otherwise, objects created by users have the default code: USER. Objects that are
derived from Census Bureau TIGER files have the CENS owner code.
2. Each object has a five-digit location code. This is used to keep track of where the object is situated.
Generally, this location code matches the default location code of the map the object is on.
3. When an object is modified, the date of the modification is recorded. This date is shown in the
Modified field.
4. When an object is modified, the four-character code of the modifier is recorded. This is the code
assigned to each user in a multi-user MARPLOT system, or the default value (USER).
Each object is classified according to the Census Bureau's feature classification system. This system uses
three-character codes and includes many types of categories ranging from various types of roads to various
types of institutions (such as hospitals and schools). In MARPLOT, this classification is used only for
display purposes. You can change the classification of the object by using the Set button next to the Class
field.
Each object has a place, which is either the name of an object on the Places layer (such as a city), or the
name of the map that the object is part of. The place of the object is used by MARPLOT for display
purposes only. You can set the object's city or town with the Set button next to the Place field.
The Position/Size button brings up the Position/Size dialog box, which lets you view/modify the latitude/
longitude location of the object. The radius measurements of circle objects may also be viewed/modified.
The remaining lower part of the dialog box varies for the different types of objects, as follows.
• For polygon, polyline, rectangle, and circle objects: You can view/modify the color, line style, and
fill pattern. Filling an object with white means not filling it (i.e., leaving its interior clear). You
cannot set the fill pattern of polyline objects, since they have no interior.
• For symbol (point) objects: You can view/modify the color, dot width, and symbol. The symbol is
the icon used to represent the object on the map. The dot width is the size of the dot to be used for
this object when the objects on the given layer are shown as dots, according to the Layer Scale
Ranges dialog box.
• For text objects: Click the Edit Text button to edit the text of the object. The text does not wrap
when displayed on the map, so you should use (or on a Macintosh) to create
multiple lines, if desired. You can also view/modify the color, font, and style of the text. When the
"frame" box is checked, the text is drawn surrounded by a frame and against a white background.
When the "frame" box is not checked, the text appears unframed, and there is no white background.
• For picture objects: A miniature image of the picture is shown on the right. The name of the file in
the map folder in which the picture is stored is displayed. When the "frame" box is checked, the
picture is drawn surrounded by a frame and against a white background. When the "frame" box is
not checked, the picture appears unframed, and there is no white background.
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Geo-referencing a picture object. The Geo-Reference button is used to position the picture on the
earth by specifying the latitude/longitude coordinates of one or two points on the picture. This is useful
when you have a large picture object that serves as a base map upon which other objects are placed. You
will usually geo-reference a picture object just once, right after you insert it, but you can correct its location
by geo-referencing it any time. Keep in mind, however, that if you have placed objects "on" the picture
object, and then shift the picture object, the objects will retain their old position, which will be incorrect in
relation to the new location of the picture.
The purpose of this dialog box is for you to specify two latitude/longitude points on the picture object so
that MARPLOT knows where it is situated on the earth. You can either specify both points explicitly, or
one point explicitly and the other by giving its direction and distance from the first. For a step-by-step
example of this technique, see "Adding a picture object with geo-referencing" on page 116.
The four items in the upper-right corner of this dialog box serve as a miniature tool palette. Click on the
palette to choose one of these four tools. Use the magnifying glass tools (along with the scroll bars
surrounding the picture) to zoom in and out as you search for the two points you want to use. Also, you can
click on the miniature copy of your picture on the right side of the dialog box to quickly move to any part
of the picture. The moving rectangle in the miniature view shows the area of the picture being displayed in
the larger view area.
When you find the location of your first point, choose the "1" tool and click its point on the desired picture
point (you might want to zoom in close to increase your accuracy). When you have clicked the point, it
will be marked with a" 1" on the picture and you will be asked to enter the latitude/longitude values for the
point. Do the same for the second point using the "2" tool. With the second point, you have the option of
specifying the distance from point 1, instead of giving its latitude/longitude coordinates directly. If you are
unhappy with one or both of your points, you can reposition them by using the "1" and "2" tools again, or
you can modify only the latitude/longitude values by clicking the Reset buttons. When you are happy with
the points and the latitude/longitude values you have entered, click the OK button. MARPLOT will change
the position of the picture object to fit the coordinates you have specified.
Note: In some cases, you might not need to geo-reference a picture object. You may be able to achieve the
desired accuracy simply by dragging and stretching the object directly in the map window with the arrow
tool.
Segment Settings
This menu item and dialog box allow you to view and modify information specific to an individual
segment of a polyline or polygon object. To use the dialog box, select a single polyline or polygon object
on the map by clicking it with the arrow tool along the desired segment. Then choose the Segment Settings
menu item.
The segment's number is given, along with the total number of segments in the object. In objects derived
from TIGER/Line data, some segments are "shape" segments of other segments. This means that the
segment usually does not have settings of its own but shares settings with some of its neighbors. In most
cases, you do not have to be concerned with whether a segment is a shape segment.
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For segments that have address information, the address ranges on one or both sides of the segment are
displayed. You can modify the segment's address ranges if the selected object's layer is unlocked.
For segments that have ZIP code information, the ZIP codes on one or both sides of the segment are
displayed. You can modify the segment's ZIP codes if the selected object's layer is unlocked.
For segments that are derived from TIGER/Line data, the classification code of the segment is displayed.
This classification usually matches the classification of the entire object to which the segment belongs, but
this is not always the case. You can modify the segment's classification code if the selected object's layer is
unlocked.
For segments that are derived from TIGER/Line data, the original TIGER/Line identification number for
the segment is displayed, along with the version of the TIGER database the segment was derived from.
This information is useful for tracking changes you make to TIGER-derived objects.
When you are finished working with a given segment, you can exit the Segment Settings dialog box with
the OK or Cancel buttons, or you can use the Previous and Next buttons as a quick way to browse through
other segments of the selected object.
Vertex
The Vertex submenu contains four items that are used to move, insert, and delete vertex points of polyline
and polygon objects. All of these items apply only when you have used the arrow tool to select a polyline
or polygon object. They all expect the Focus Point to be on or near the desired vertex point of the selected
object.
• Mark Vertex is used to position the Marked Point at the vertex of the selected polyline or polygon
object that is closest to the Focus Point. (For more information, see "Marked Point" on page 58.)
• Move Vertex to Marked Point is used when you want to position a particular vertex point of a
given polyline or polygon (the one currently closest to the Focus Point) at an exact latitude/longitude
point. This operation, in conjunction with Mark Vertex, is especially important when editing
intersecting road segments in MARPLOT, since MARPLOT only considers roads to intersect when
they have a common vertex. For example, suppose you have created two roads called A and B. You
intend for them to intersect, but as you use the polyline tool to create them in MARPLOT, you do not
have the accuracy to ensure that a vertex of A is in the exact same location as a vertex of B. To force
the vertices to line up, you can click near the desired vertex of road A and choose Mark Vertex. Then
click near the matching vertex of road B and choose Move Vertex to Marked Point. That vertex of B
is shifted so that it exactly coincides with the marked vertex of A. Now MARPLOT considers the
two roads to intersect. For a step-by-step example of this technique, see "Editing road segments" on
page 108.
• Insert Vertex at Focus Point is used to create a new Vertex in the selected object. You can think of
this operation as breaking the given segment into two pieces. Each piece has the settings (address
range, ZIP code, etc.) of the original.
• Delete Vertex is used to delete the vertex of the selected object that is closest to the Focus Point.
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Move Objects to Layer
This menu item moves the selected object(s) from their current layer(s) to the layer you select.
It is most commonly used when you want to change the layer of several objects at once, such as when you
are moving all objects from one layer to another layer. (You can also change the layer of an individual
object using the Object Settings dialog box.) Note: To move an object from one layer to another, both
layers must be unlocked. Users with browse-level permission can only move objects between layers on
their personal user's map.
WARNING: Changing an object's layer can cause problems if the object has been linked to a database
program.
Move Objects to Map
This menu item moves the selected object(s) from their current map(s) to the map you select.
It is most commonly used when you want to change the map of several objects at once, such as when you
are moving all objects from one map to another map. (You can also change the map of an individual object
using the Object Settings dialog box.) Note: To move an object from one map to another, the object's layer
must be unlocked. Users with browse-level permission cannot move objects from one map to another.
WARNING: Changing an object's map can cause problems if the object has been linked to a database
program.
Color
This menu item changes the color of the selected object(s) to the color you select. Note: The layer(s) of the
selected object(s) must be unlocked. Users with browse-level permission can only change objects on their
personal user's map.
MARPLOT now has enhanced functionality for determining the color of an object. From the Color menu,
you may select from 16 pre-determined colors categories or the Other category. The Other category gives
you the ability to create a custom color using standardized inputs. Note: You can also change the color of
an individual object using the Object Settings dialog box.
Line Width/Pattern/Style
These items change the line style of the selected object(s) to the style you select. (You can also change the
line style of an individual object using the Object Settings dialog box.) Note: The layer(s) of the selected
object(s) must be unlocked. Users with browse-level permission can only change objects on their personal
user's map.
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Note: In Windows, the Line Style menu item is present. On Macintosh systems, there are two menu items
relating to line styles: Line Width and Line Pattern. The Line Style items lets you pick from among several
thicknesses or patterns. The Line Width and Line Pattern items allow you to combine any chosen thickness
with any chosen pattern.
The white or "0" line style only applies to polygon edges. If you set the line style of a polyline to white or
"0", MARPLOT uses a solid pattern instead.
For symbol (point) objects, the width of the chosen line style determines the size of the dot when symbol
objects on the given layer are shown as dots, as set by the Layer Scales Ranges dialog box.
Fill Pattern
This menu item changes the fill pattern of the selected object(s) to the pattern you select. (You can also
change the fill pattern of an individual object using the Object Settings dialog box.) Note: The layer(s) of
the selected object(s) must be unlocked. Users with browse-level permission can only change objects on
their personal user's map.
Symbol
This menu item changes the symbol of the selected symbol (point) object(s) to the symbol you select. (You
can also change the symbol of an individual symbol object using the Object Settings dialog box.) Note:
The layer(s) of the selected object(s) must be unlocked. Users with browse-level permission can only
change objects on their personal user's map. For more information, see "Appendix: MARPLOT Symbols"
on page 157.
Sharing menu KJI(
•, , • MT • , • , • , „ ir Aboub Sharing...
As described in Linking objects to data in other programs on page 15,
MARPLOT has the capability to share information with other application ALOHA >
programs, especially database programs that store information about CAMEOfm >
MARPLOT objects.
The programs work together by means of the Sharing menu. The Sharing menu has a submenu for each
application that MARPLOT communicates with directly. For information about the items in the Sharing
submenus, see the documentation for the applications that "own" the submenus.
Tools
The MARPLOT tools appear as a list of icons along the left edge of the map window. When you have
unlocked one or more layers, the list of tools extends to include tools for creating new objects on the map.
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When you click on a tool icon, it becomes highlighted and your mouse cursor changes to the corresponding
tool when it is in the map window.
You can double-click on some of the tool icons (those marked with two small arrows) to alter the behavior
of the tools. For instance, if you double-click on the arrow tool icon, you can choose whether dragging
with the arrow selects using a rectangular or circular area.
Arrow tool
Whenever you click on the map with the arrow tool, a small, flashing, target-shaped icon called the Focus
Point .^. is placed at that location. The latitude/longitude coordinates of the Focus Point are displayed in
the upper-left corner of the map window. The arrow tool is used to select, move, and resize objects on the
map. You can also double-click on an object with the arrow tool to get its Object Settings dialog box.
Selecting Objects. You select an object by clicking on it or near it. To select a filled rectangle, circle,
polygon, you click on any point inside or near the boundary. To select a non-filled rectangle, circle,
polygon, polyline, symbol, or text object you click near the boundary. When an object is selected, it is
surrounded by small red markers (handles), and its name, layer, and map are displayed at the bottom of the
window. Hold down the shift key when selecting objects to select more than one at a time. If you click on
an already-selected object while holding down the shift key, that object will become deselected.
You can select several objects in a given area by clicking with the arrow tool and holding the mouse button
down as you drag. The movement of the mouse defines a region with a gray border. When you release the
mouse button, you are asked which layer(s) you want to select. All objects in the region and on the chosen
layer(s) then become selected.
Moving Objects. When you have selected one or more objects, you can move them simply by clicking
on any one and dragging the mouse with the button down. Gray outlines of the objects follow your mouse
movements. When you release the button, the objects will move to the indicated location. Note: You can
only move objects that are on unlocked layers. Users with browse-level permission can only move objects
on their personal user's map.
Resizing Objects. When you have one object selected, you can resize it by clicking on one of its
handles (the dots that surround the object to indicate that it is selected) and dragging with the mouse.
Symbol objects cannot be resized. Picture and Text objects retain their shape as they are resized. Note: You
can only resize objects that are on unlocked layers. Users with browse-level permission can only resize
objects on their personal user's map.
Options. When selecting a group of objects by defining a drag region with the arrow tool, you have the
option of using either a rectangular or a circular region. The rectangular region follows the mouse starting
at the corner of the rectangle while the circular region follows the mouse from the center of the circle. You
can choose which shape will be used by double-clicking on the arrow tool icon. Also, you can toggle
between two types of selection regions by holding down the control key (option key on a Macintosh).
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If you hold down the control key (option key on a Macintosh) when clicking on the map, MARPLOT will
ask you which layers you want to select on and then select all objects on the chosen layers that are touching
the point at which you clicked. This allows you to select several objects at the same location, regardless of
which ones are "on top" of the others, according to the top-to-bottom order of the layers.
If the right mouse button (control key on a Macintosh) is down at the time MARPLOT displays an object's
name at the bottom of the window, the object's ID number is also displayed.
Hand tool
The hand tool is used to scroll the map in the window. Click and drag with the hand. When you release the
button, the map shifts in the direction of your drag.
Zoom-in tool
The zoom-in tool is used to zoom into the map by a factor of two or to zoom into an area of the map by
selecting that area as a rectangular region. When you click with the zoom-in tool, the map is rescaled and
centered about the location of the click.
When you drag to select an area and release the mouse button, the view is changed to show just the
selected area. Note that, as you drag, the rectangular selection region is constrained to match the
dimensions of the map window.
Options: Double-click in the zoom-in tool in the tool palette to choose whether the rectangle is defined by
following the mouse from the top-left corner or from the center of the rectangle. Hold down the control key
(option key on a Macintosh) when using the tool to toggle between the two behaviors.
Zoom-out tool
The zoom-out tool is used to zoom out from the map by a factor of two. When you click with the zoom-out
tool, the map is rescaled and centered about the location of the click.
Distance tool
The distance tool is used to measure distances on the map with the mouse. To use this tool, click on the
map and drag while holding the button down. The mouse movement defines a circle, with a radius drawn
from the mouse to the location of the initial click. The radius of the circle is displayed at the bottom of the
map window, in the current units (use the Preferences menu item to change the current units). MARPLOT
also displays the angle of the radius line, where 0° is true north, and the angle increases clockwise. Note: If
you are measuring very large distances with the distance tool, MARPLOT will stop drawing the circle (but
continue to draw the length) at the point that the curvature of the earth makes the circle unrealistic.
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Symbol tool
The symbol tool is used for creating symbol objects (also called point objects). Note: The symbol tool is
only available when one or more layers are unlocked.
As soon as you click to place a symbol, the Object Settings dialog box for the new object pops up to allow
you to change any of its settings. You should be especially careful to make sure the object has been placed
on the correct layer and map. Click OK when you are happy with the settings for the new object, or Cancel
if you decide not to create the object after all.
Rectangle tool
The rectangle tool is used for creating rectangle objects. Note: The rectangle tool is only available when
one or more layers are unlocked.
You create a rectangle by clicking with the rectangle tool on the map and dragging. As soon as you release
the mouse button, the Object Settings dialog box for the new object pops up to allow you to change any of
its settings. You should be especially careful to make sure the object has been placed on the correct layer
and map. Click OK when you are happy with the settings for the new object, or Cancel if you decide not to
create the object after all. Note: A rectangle object is always oriented so that its sides are vertical and
horizontal. To create a four-sided object that is rotated, you must use the polygon tool to create a polygon
object.
Options: When drawing the rectangle, you can treat the initial mouse click either as the top-left corner or
the center. You can use the control key (option key on a Macintosh) to toggle between the two, and you can
set one or the other as a default preference by double-clicking on the rectangle tool icon. Also, if you hold
down the shift key when drawing the rectangle, it is constrained to a square.
Circle tool
The circle tool is used for creating circle objects. Note: The circle tool is only available when one or more
layers are unlocked.
You create a circle by clicking with the circle tool on the map and dragging. As soon as you release the
mouse button, the Object Settings dialog box for the new object pops up to allow you to change any of its
settings. You should be especially careful to make sure the object has been placed on the correct layer and
map. The Position/Size button leads to a dialog box that gives the area, perimeter (circumference), and
radius of the selected circle object and lets you view/modify the radius value and the latitude/longitude
position of the center of the circle. You can modify the position only when the object's layer is unlocked.
Note: Unless you need to place the object at an exact latitude/longitude point, it is often easier to move the
object by dragging it in the map window with the arrow tool. Click OK when you are happy with the
settings for the new object, or Cancel if you decide not to create the object after all.
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Options: When drawing the circle, you can treat the initial mouse click either as the top-left corner or the
center. You can use the control key (option key on a Macintosh) to toggle between the two, and you can set
one or the other as a default preference by double-clicking on the circle icon.
Polyline tool
The polyline tool is used for creating polyline objects, which are strings of connected line segments used to
represent things such as roads or rivers. Note: The polyline tool is only available when one or more layers
are unlocked.
You define a polyline segment by segment, clicking at the end point of each segment. Double-clicking on
the final endpoint finishes creating the polyline. The polyline terminates at the location of your double-
click.
As soon as you double-click, the Object Settings dialog box for the new object pops up to allow you to
change any of its settings. You should be especially careful to make sure the object has been placed on the
correct layer and map. Click OK when you are happy with the settings for the new object, or Cancel if you
decide not to create the object after all.
Note: Use the arrow tool, not the polyline tool, to move the vertex points of an existing polyline object.
Hint: If you forget to double-click on the last point of your polyline, you can finish the polyline without
defining a new point by clicking once on the polyline tool icon. (You can only do this after you have
defined at least two real endpoints.)
Polygon tool
The polygon tool is used for creating polygon objects (multi-sided, closed figures). Note: The polygon tool
is only available when one or more layers are unlocked.
You define a polygon segment by segment, clicking at the end point of each segment. Double-clicking on
the final endpoint finishes creating the polygon. The final segment connecting the final endpoint to the
polygon's starting point is automatically filled in. Note: Use the arrow tool, not the polygon tool, to move
the vertex points of an existing polygon object.
As soon as you double-click, the Object Settings dialog box for the new object pops up to allow you to
change any of its settings. You should be especially careful to make sure the object has been placed on the
correct layer and map. Click OK when you are happy with the settings for the new object, or Cancel if you
decide not to create the object after all.
Hint: If you forget to double-click on the last point of your polygon, you can finish the polygon without
defining a new point by clicking once on the polygon tool icon. (You can only do this after you have
defined at least three real endpoints.)
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Text tool
The text tool is used for creating text objects to label your maps. Note: The text tool is only available when
one or more layers are unlocked.
Click on the map with the text tool to specify the center of a new text object.
As soon as you click, the Object Settings dialog box for the new object pops up to allow you to change any
of its settings. For new text objects, MARPLOT brings up the Edit Text dialog box immediately to let you
enter the text. You should be especially careful to make sure the object has been placed on the correct layer
and map. Click OK when you are happy with the settings for the new object, or Cancel if you decide not to
create the object after all.
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Examples
This chapter contains several MARPLOT examples. If you would like to follow along
using your copy of MARPLOT, you will need to download the District of Columbia map
by going to http://www.epa.gov/oem/cameo/marmaps/. Note: It is not possible to follow
along in MARPLOT with the King County, WA, examples, so you do not need that map.
Adding maps
Introduction
A MARPLOT map is a folder containing layer files. Layer files have names that end with .LYR, .SUM,
and .OBJ (in some cases there are also files with names ending in .SM2 and .NNX).
MARPLOT automatically adds to its map list any map folder that is inside the MARPLOT folder at the
time a MARPLOT session begins.
MARPLOT keeps a list of maps stored in locations other than the MARPLOT folder in the file
XTRAMAPS.PLT When a MARPLOT session begins, MARPLOT adds to its map list any map in this file
that is still valid (maps in the XTRAMAPS.PLT file are invalid, for example, if they are on a disk that has
been removed, or if you have changed the file name or path).
MARPLOT will automatically add maps from a LandView CD/DVD as soon as it recognizes that such a
disk has been inserted.
Thus, you have a number of options for adding MARPLOT maps to your system. This example explores
these options in four sections. The first two sections apply to using maps taken from a source other than a
disk. Later sections discuss using maps from LandView CDs/DVDs. For more information, see "Adding
maps to your MARPLOT system" on page 148.
Copying a map into the MARPLOT folder
If you have space where you keep MARPLOT itself, and if the map is one you want to use regularly, it
makes sense to keep the map right in the MARPLOT folder. It's a simple matter of copying the map folder
into the MARPLOT folder. Note: You have to restart MARPLOT for it to see the new map.
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Using Find New Map
If you have a map in a folder that is not in the MARPLOT folder, you need to use MARPLOT'S Find New
Map function to show MARPLOT where the map is located. Note: You will need to use this function to
locate maps stored in the XTRAMAPS folder because it is a subfolder within the MARPLOT folder.
1. Start MARPLOT.
2. From the List menu, choose the Map List option. A Map List dialog box appears.
Find:
r Name
<*• Path
Status
I CAMEO Map
Prince William County, VA
User's Map
District of Columbia,
C:\CAMEO\CAMEOMAP\ InUsi
C:\MARPLOT\King Countji\53Q33S
C:\MARPLOT\PWC_MAP\ In Usi
C:\MARPLOT\USERMAP\ InUsi
C:\MARPLOT\Washington D.CVIIOOn InUsi
Goto Map
Map Info
3. Click Find New Map.
4. MARPLOT brings up a standard find file dialog box.
SLayers
Rename
Find New Map , I Remove
R
Find New Map
Locate the map folder you want to add and open the 'NAME. MAP'
Look in: | Ic) 12086 J-J 0= E
8EBSSSB
File name: |NAME
Filesoftype: | Map Files (".map) _^J
file it contains.
CJ EH
Open I
Cancel I
Help |
5. Use the Find New Map dialog box to browse to the folder where the desired map is stored.
Highlight the NAME.MAP file it contains. Then click Open (or Choose on a Macintosh).
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6. Back in the Map List dialog box, the new map has been added to the list. At this point, you can click
OK, or click Go to Map to view the added map right away.
Find:
i~ Nar
:• i
ne f Path
Status # Layers
ttMEO Map C:\CAMEO\CAMEOMAP\ In Us 3 jj
King County, WA C:\MARPLOT\King County\53033\ In Us B
Prince William County, VA C:\MARPLOT\PWC_MAP\ InUs B
User's Map C:\MARPLOT\USERMAP\ In Us 1
District of Columbia, C:\MARPLOT\WashingtonD.C\11001\ In Us 8
| Miami-Hade bounty, H. L:SMAHPLUI WIHAMAPbSMiamiUadeSIZUt!bS In Use b1 ^H
OK
Cancel
Help...
Go to Map 1 Map Info Rename
k
Find New Map Remove
Note: MARPLOT keeps the path to the new map in its XTRAMAPS.PLT file. It will remember the map
until you use the Remove button in the Map List dialog box to remove it.
Using maps on a LandView CD/DVD
LandView is a database that uses MARPLOT maps. You can use LandView CDs/DVDs as a source for
your MARPLOT maps.
When you insert a LandView CD/DVD into your drive, MARPLOT automatically "loads" all maps on the
CD/DVD. (Note: If you insert the LandView disk in the middle of a MARPLOT session, you have to go to
the Map List dialog box before it will recognize the disk.)
The loaded maps draw directly from the disk. Depending on the speed of your computer and the size of the
area you are viewing, the maps may or may not draw at an acceptable speed. If accessing maps directly
from the LandView disk is too slow for your purposes, you can download one or more maps to your hard
drive to increase performance, as explained in the next section.
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When you bring up the Map List dialog box, you can see that all of the maps from the LandView disk are
listed, along with the maps in your MARPLOT folder and the maps referenced in XTRAMAPS.PLT.
Find:
<~ Name
District of Columbia,
Miami-Dade County, FL
Census
EPA
FEDLANDS
Autauga County, AL
Baldwin County.AL
BarbourCounty.AL
BibbCounty.AL
Blount County.AL
OK Cancel 1
Help... 1
<* Path
Status
C:\MARPLOT\WashingtonD.CVI1001\ In Use
C:\MARPLOTWTRAMAPS\MiamiDade\12086\ In Use
D:\maps\census\
D:\maps\EPA\
D:\maps\FEDLANDS\
D:\maps\tiger\al\01001\
D:\maps\tiger\al\01003\
D:\maps\tiger\al\01005\
D:\maps\tiger\al\01007\
D:\maps\tiger\al\01008\
Goto Map
In Use
In Use
In Use
In Use
In Use
In Use
In Use
ff Layers;
8
8
13
1
6
6
6
6
6
In Use 6 -r|
Map Info
Find New Map
Remove
When the maps from a LandView disk have been loaded, it is often preferable to view the map list sorted
by map path instead of by map name. To do this, click the circle next to the "Path" label. You can see the
maps in your MARPLOT folder grouped together. Since the LandView disk is organized hierarchically by
state, maps from the same state also group together.
Once you have inserted a LandView disk and the maps have been loaded, the maps are ready to use. As
you navigate around the map, the various county maps from the disk will draw.
Downloading a map from a LandView CD/DVD
For a number of reasons, you may want to copy maps from a disk onto your hard drive:
• Most map operations such as drawing, clicking, and searching are faster when maps are on your hard
drive.
• You want to edit the maps to correct errors or add missing features (Note: You cannot edit maps on a
LandView disk).
• You only want to use a few maps from the disk, and don't want to bother with the delay when
MARPLOT loads the entire LandView disk on startup.
• You have borrowed the LandView disk and want to copy certain maps before returning it.
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Chapter 4: Examples
Suppose you want to download the map for Addison County, VT, from the disk to your hard drive. (Recall
that when you insert a LandView disk, MARPLOT automatically loads all maps from the disk into the
Map List.)
1. First you need to find the path to the Addison County map from the Map List, since the Map List
shows where that county is located on the disk and you want to copy it to the hard drive. Open the
Map List dialog box from the List menu.
2. Scroll through the list of maps until you see Addison County, VT.
Find:
<• Name
Adams County, M9
Adams County, OH
Adams County, PA
Adams County, Wl
•I ••.,•-!
£_Path SJ^ili.....^!;?!^!^
D:\maps\tiger\MS\28001\ In Use 6 _±_
D:\maps\tiger\oh\39001\ In Use 6
D:\maps\tiger\pa\42001\ In Use 6
D:\maps\tiger\WI\55001\ In Use 6
I Addtan Courts, VT D:\maps\tiaet\vt\5UOun In Use 8 •!
Adjuntas Municipio, PR
Aguada Municipio, PR
Aguadilla Municipio, PR
Aguas Buenas Municipio, PR
Aibonito Municipio, PR
OK | Cancel 1
Help... 1
D:\maps\tiger\PR\72001\ In Use 5 i
D:\maps\tiger\PR\72003\ In Use 5 i
D:\maps\tiger\PR\72005\ In Use 5 i
D:\maps\tiger\PR\72007\ In Use 5
D:\maps\tiger\PR\72009\ In Use 5 T
Go to Map Map Info
Find New Map Remove
3. Write down the path that is displayed for the map. (If the path is too long to be displayed on the Map
List dialog box, highlight the map name and then click Map Info to see the full path name and
additional map details.)
4. Exit out of MARPLOT.
5. Using the path that you just wrote down, locate the map on the LandView disk and copy the map
folder to your hard drive. Generally, it is most straightforward to put the map folder in your
MARPLOT folder. If you only want to use the map periodically, you may want to put it somewhere
other than the MARPLOT folder, such as the XTRAMAPS folder.
6. Exit out of LandView and eject the disk.
7. Start MARPLOT. If you have copied the map into your MARPLOT folder, MARPLOT will find the
map automatically. If you have placed the map outside of the MARPLOT folder, you will need to
use the Find New Map button and locate the .MAP file inside the map folder.
8. Return to the Map List dialog box. The Addison County map is back in the list, but this time it is
located on your hard drive. Note: If you reinsert the LandView disk during a future MARPLOT
session, the copy of Addison County that you downloaded will be used in preference to the copy of
Addison County on the disk.
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Chapter 4: Examples
Searching and the Search Collection
In the guided tour in Chapter 2, you saw how to search for cities, roads, intersections, and address ranges.
In those cases, you were finding map objects by name. You can use the same techniques to find other
objects by name. For instance, to find the University of Washington in King County, you could search for
objects with names starting with "univ" on the Miscellaneous layer of the King County map (or simply the
"Maps in View" if you are currently looking at King County).
In this example, instead of searching primarily
by name, you will explore the different
mechanisms MARPLOT provides for searching
by geographical distance. You can ask questions
like, "How many objects on layer A are within
one mile of this point?" or "Among the objects
found in the last search, which ones fall within
this threat zone?"
Adding new maps
To follow along with most of the following
examples using your copy of MARPLOT, you
will need to download the District of Columbia
map by going to http://www.epa.gov/oem/cameo/
marmaps/. Follow the instructions for
downloading and installing the map to you
computer. Note: It is not possible to follow along
in MARPLOT with the King County, WA,
examples, so you do not need that map.
Using the arrow tool to search
The simplest way to search within a certain area or distance in MARPLOT is simply to drag on the map
with the arrow tool. As you drag, you define a region, either rectangular or circular (you can choose the
shape in the Preferences dialog box). When you release the mouse button, MARPLOT asks which layers
you want to select on (only layers that are currently shown are offered). It then selects all of the objects
from the chosen layers that fall within the defined region. It includes objects that are partially inside and
partially outside of the region.
For instance, the Washington, B.C. map includes symbol objects on the Miscellaneous layer representing
many of the Federal buildings and national museums in the area. Suppose you want to find which of these
buildings and museums are within half a mile of the Capitol.
1. In the File menu, choose Preferences. The Preferences dialog box appears.
2. Select the Tools tab and change the Arrow Tool Selection to the circle option. Click OK.
3. On the Washington, B.C. map, locate the Capitol building. (Note: On this map, the Capitol is called
the US Capitol Building and it is on the Miscellaneous layer. If you don't see the Capitol, make sure
that the Miscellaneous layer is set to Show.)
4. Select the arrow tool.
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5. Click on the Capitol and drag away until the radius of the circle is 0.50 miles, as indicated in the
status line at the bottom of the map window.
MARPLOT District of Columbia,
• Mouse Ft: 3B °52' 56"N 11 °00' 15 "V -r 1 in = 0 . 37 mi
6. When you release the mouse button, MARPLOT asks which of the visible layers you want to select
on. Check only Miscellaneous and click Select.
Select on Layers...
P all layers
ttMEO Incidents _i
CAMEO Scenarios
CAMEO Schools
CAMEO Transportation
Counties
*/ Miscellaneous
Places
Railroads
Roads
Roads (Major)
Shoreline •,
Select K Cancel
Help... |
MARPLOT selects all of the Miscellaneous objects that fall within the defined circle, and tells you
that 14 objects in all were selected. MARPLOT found not only the point (symbol) objects, but the
other objects on the Miscellaneous layer that were within the given radius. In this case, the grounds
around the Capitol are represented as many small polygon objects, all named landmark, and one
larger polygon object called National Mall.
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Chapter 4: Examples
MARPLOT - District of Columbia,
7.
You can see exactly which objects were selected using the Copy to Search Collection function in the
List menu. This copies all of the objects that are currently selected on the map into the Search
Collection, replacing any previous Search Collection. As soon as the objects are copied,
MARPLOT displays the Search Collection dialog box.
Search Collection
Number of objects in collection:
Object Name
I * Dept of Labor
* Dirksen Building
| * East Gallery
fTlHart Building
* Health & Human Services
C landmark [96]
C landmark [97]
+ Library of Congress
+ Library of Congress MadisonAn
C National Mall
| * Russell Building
Layer
Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous
M isuoll.iinouLis
Place/Map
District of Columbia,
District of Columbia,
District of Columbia,
District of Columbia,
District of Columbia,
Washington city
Washington city
District of Columbia,
District of Columbia,
Washington city
District of Columbia,
A I
d
-I
-f make all other objects on these layers invisible
Save Collection... Show All on Map
Load Collection...
Addresses
Show on Map
Help...
Close
To find the location of one of the objects in the Search Collection, highlight it in the list and click
Show on Map. MARPLOT displays the map with only that object selected. Although only one
object is selected now, the Search Collection is unchanged; it still contains the 14 found objects.
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Chapter 4: Examples
Using the Search Criteria dialog box
Now let's look at some examples of searching by geographic distance using the Search Criteria dialog box.
The Conrail Railroad passes along the south edge of the Mall. Suppose you want to identify the
government buildings on your map that fall within 800 feet of any point along this stretch of railroad.
1. Select the Conrail Railroad object using the arrow tool.
MARPLOT - District of Columbia,
File Edit View List Objects Sharing Help
T Focus Ft: 38°53'06"N 77°01'33"W
T Conrail Railroad (Railroads, District of Columbia,) [railroad main track]
2. From the List menu, choose Search. A Search Criteria dialog box appears.
3. Search for objects that "are within" 800 feet of the currently selected object (i.e., the railroad object
you just selected on the map). Search on the Miscellaneous layer.
Search Criteria
Search for objects that:
[are within...
[BOO [ft ^ of [the currently selected object(s)
Layer(s) to search: Map(s) to search:
[individual Layer...
[Maps in View
I Search J
Cancel Help... [replace previous collection
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Chapter 4: Examples
4. MARPLOT displays the results of the search in the Search Collection dialog box. Again, you
should see several polygons along with the point objects. Click Close.
Search Collection
Number of objects in collection: 10
Object Name Layer
+ Dept of Education
CZ East Potomac Park
Place/Map
Miscellaneous District of Columbia,
Miscellaneous Washington city
+ Food & Drug Admin Miscellaneous District of Columbia,
+ Hirshhorn Museum Miscellaneous District of Columbia,
CZ landmark [96] Miscellaneous Washington city
CZ National Mall Miscellaneous Washington city
+ Thomas Jefferson Memorial Miscellaneous District of Columbia,
r"? Washington Monument Miscellaneous Washington city
r? West Potomac Park Miscellaneous Washington city
\~ make all other obj
Save Collection...
Load Collection...
ects on these layers invisible
Show All on Map
Addresses
Show on Map & Zoom Help...
Show on Map Close
Saving a Search Collection
As a final example of searching, suppose you have a database of hospitals in King County, WA. You want
a list of the hospitals that are either in the city of Seattle or the city of Bellevue, which is just across Lake
Washington from Seattle. To find these hospitals, you can show only the Places layer of the King County
map, and then select both Seattle and Bellevue by clicking on them while holding down the shift key.
File Edit View List Objects Sharing Help
•r Focus Pt: 47°Z5'54"H 1Z1°51'34"W -rl in =7.69 mi -r
T Bellevue city (Places, King County, WA) [city/place boundary]
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Chapter 4: Examples
You can then search for all objects (objects with any name) on the Hospitals layer that are inside the
objects currently selected on the map (i.e., the two city polygons).
Search Criteria
Search for objects that:
are inside of or touching...
Layer(s) to search:
{the currently selected object(s)
Map(s) to search:
Individual Layer...
JMaps in Vie
Hospitals
E
| Search J
Cancel Help... replace previous collection
MARPLOT lists the found hospitals in the Search Collection.
Search Collection
Number of objects in collection: 11
Object Name Layer
I Group Health Central Hospital Hospitals
d Harborview Hospital Hospitals
• Northgate General Hospital Hospitals
d Northwest Memorial Hospital Hospitals
d Overtake Memorial Hospital Hospitals
d Providence Hospital Hospitals
d St Francis Cabrini Hospital Hospitals
d Swedish Hospital Hospitals
d University Hospital Hospitals
d Veterans Hospital Hospitals
CL Virginia Mason Medical Center Hospitals
Place/Map
Seattle city ••
Seattle city
King County. WA
Seattle city
Bellevue city
Seattle city
Seattle city
Seattle city
Seattle city
Seattle city
Seattle city
I make all other objects on these layers invisible
Save Collection... , I Intersections
1
Load Collection... Addresses
Show All on Map
Show on Map & Zoom Help...
Show on Map Close
If you were planning to use this particular set of hospitals repeatedly, you could avoid having to redo the
search by saving the Search Collection. MARPLOT lets you specify the file to save into. It is a good idea
to keep your saved Search Collections in the SEARCHES folder that MARPLOT provides explicitly for
this purpose (each user in a multi-user MARPLOT system has his or her own SEARCHES folder).
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Chapter 4: Examples
Save Search Collection
Save in: | i_) SEARCHES
File name: j Hospitals
S ave as type: |Searches(".msc)
J-J [
File name: | Hospitals
Files of type: (Searches (K.msc) j^
C* replace current collection
i"~" add to current collection (union)
''""" subset of current collection (intersection)
E] fj- ig.
| Open K|
Cancel 1
Help 1
Keep in mind that saving a Search Collection does not save the actual objects themselves, but only
references to the objects. Thus, if you save an object as part of a Search Collection, and then delete the
object from the map, you cannot recreate the object by loading it from the Search Collection. If you load a
Search Collection containing references to deleted objects, MARPLOT displays a warning that those
references are now invalid.
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Adding and modifying objects
While some users of MARPLOT will primarily use their maps as is, other users will want to make
modifications and additions. These can range from minor graphical modifications of pre-existing objects to
the entry of entire databases of geographical information.
This section gives examples of creating and modifying six of the seven types of MARPLOT objects:
points, rectangles, circles, polylines, polygons, and text labels. Working with picture objects is
demonstrated later in this chapter (see "Using picture objects" on page 116). For an example of how to
perform detailed edits on roads, which are a type of polyline object, see "Editing road segments" on
page 108.
Layer locking and user permission
Any time you are going to be modifying or adding objects, you need to unlock the layer or layers you will
be editing. MARPLOT starts each session with all layers locked. It is a good practice for you to unlock
only one layer at a time, except in certain cases when two or more layers must be unlocked at the same
time, such as when you are moving objects from one layer to another. You should re lock a layer as soon as
you are finished making changes to it. This will reduce the chance of edit mistakes, such as dragging an
object when you intended only to click on it to select it.
If your MARPLOT system is multi-user, your system administrator has set you up either with browse-level
or edit-level permission. If you have edit-level permission, you can unlock any layer, and modify any
object. If you have browse-level permission, you can still unlock any layer, but you can only make
modifications and additions to your personal user's map. For example, you can unlock the Roads layer, but
you will only be able to add and modify roads on your personal map, not on the TIGER-derived county
map(s) that you share with other users of your MARPLOT system.
If your MARPLOT system is not multi-user, anyone who uses the system has edit-level permission.
Changing the fill pattern of city polygons
The polygons that make up the cities and towns on the Places layer of the TIGER-derived county maps are
automatically filled in with a fill pattern and assigned a random color. You may want to change the default
fill pattern or color of these polygons. For instance, if you are printing in black and white, you may want to
modify the fill pattern of neighboring cities to make them more distinctive. In this example, you'll modify
the fill pattern of one polygon and change the color of another on the Prince William County, Virginia,
map.
1. Locate Dale City and Montclair on the map. (These are in the south-east part of the map on the
Places layer.)
2. Before you can modify any object settings (such as fill pattern or color), you need to unlock the
layer the objects are on. In the List menu, select Layer List. The Layer List dialog box appears.
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Chapter 4: Examples
3. Click on the lock icon for the Places layer to unlock it, and then click OK. If you do not have edit-
level permission, MARPLOT will still unlock the layer, but will present a note reminding you that
you will only be able to make changes on the Places layer of your personal user's map, not shared
maps like Prince William County.
Layer List
<~~ alphabetical
<* draw order
Show*
Names Show Range Hide
ttMEO Transportation
Roads (Major)
Roads
Railroads
ALOHA
Water
Miscellaneous
Shoreline
Counties
Places
it Objects: 165
Move...
I OK j Jl"
S
S
^
S
S
S
*/
V
on 4 maps
Scale Ranges...
eel 1 New... | Delete
Default graphics
Set...
Rename...
ii
I *
Key ?
i|
1
^ *•
•s
•s
•s
•s
•s
mm-
•/ -r
d
Help...
Back in the map window, the list
of tools along the left edge of the
window has been extended to offer
tools for creating objects.
Whenever one or more layer is
unlocked, MARPLOT offers these
tools. In this case, however, you
are interested in modifying
existing objects, not creating new
ones.
5. Click on the Dale City polygon to
select it.
MARPLOT - Prince William County, VA
File Edit View List Objects Sharing Help
T Focus Ft: 3B°39'5B"H 77°21'08"W T 1 in = 6.55 mi
d
ZI
A
T Dale City CDP (Places, Prince William County, VA) [city/place boundary]
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Chapter 4: Examples
6. In the Objects menu, select Object Settings. The Object Settings dialog box for Dale City appears.
Because the Places layer is unlocked, all of the items in this dialog box are active, meaning that you
can click on them to set the various attributes of the object: name, map, layer, classification,
graphical settings, etc. If the Places layer was not unlocked, or if you only had browse-level
permission, this dialog box would display the same information, but all of the items would be
grayed-out, indicating that you could not change them.
Note: Double-clicking on the Dale City polygon object would have also brought up the Objects
Settings dialog box for Dale City.
7. To change the fill pattern for Dale City, click on the Fill Pattern pop-up, and choose one of the
diagonal stripe patterns. Click OK.
Object Settings
Name: |DaleCityCDP
Set I Layer: Places
Set I Map: Prince William County, VA
Owner: CENS
Modified: 12/07/06
Location: 51153
By: USER
Set I Class: city/place boundary
Set | Place: Prince William County, VA
Type: Polygon
Color: | • Olive ]•]
Fill Pattern:
The map is redrawn, and Dale City has the new pattern.
Note: If you want to remove a polygon's fill pattern, choose the white fill pattern.
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Chapter 4: Examples
Now you want to change the color of the Montclair polygon from red to purple.
9. Using the arrow tool, click on Montclair.
MARPLOT - Prince William County, VA
File Edit View List Objects Sharing Help
T Focus Pt: 38°37'46"N 77°22'25"W T 1 in = 6.55 mi -r
10. You could use the same method as above to change the
color of the Montclair polygon. However, a short cut is to
use the graphical items in the Objects menu. In the
Objects menu, select Color. A list of color options
appears. The current color is indicated with a small
arrow.
11. Choose purple from the list of colors. The map is
redrawn with the new polygon color.
12. When you are done editing the Places layer, you should
return to the Layer List dialog box and lock the Places
layer.
Object Settings...
Segment Settings...
Vertex
Ctrl+B
Ctrl+E
Move Objects to Layer..
Move Objects to Map...
Line Style
Fill Pattern
Symbol
•• Black
I I White
EZ1 Dark Gray
EZ1 Gray
I I Light Gray
•• Brown
I I Olive
EZ1 Dark Green
I I Green
I I Light Blue
•• Blue
^B Dark Blue
^B Purple
I I Pink
>lI Red
I I Yellow
•• Other...
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Chapter 4: Examples
Creating different types of objects
In this example, you will be making some objects just for demonstration purpose, so you'll put them on the
Temporary Layer. The Temporary Layer is a good place to put them, since they will be deleted
automatically when you quit MARPLOT (you do get a warning and a chance to move the objects to
another layer before quitting, in case you want to keep them after all).
1.
2.
3.
4.
In the List menu, choose
Layer List. The Layer List
dialog box appears.
Click on the lock icon for
the Temporary Layer to
unlock it.
Put the Temporary Layer in
Show + Names mode by
clicking in that column for
the Temporary Layer. This
will allow you to see the
names of the objects you
create.
Put all of the layers other
than Places, Counties, and
Temporary Layer into Hide
mode. Click OK.
Click on the zoom-in tool
t~ alphabetical
<• draw order
Show*
Names Show Range Hide
CAMEO Incidents
CAMEO Scenarios
CAMEO Schools
Roads (Major)
Roads
Railroads
•/ T
Temporary Layer
* Objects: 0
Move...
Scale Ranges...
Default graphics:
Set...
Key ? Help
, and
then click on the map in the northern part
of Prince William County. Since only the
Places and Counties layers are shown
(and there are no objects on the
Temporary Layer), you'll have a lot of
white space to use as your scratch area.
Begin by making a symbol (point) object.
6. Select the symbol tool
by clicking
on it. To create a new symbol object,
click at the desired location on the map
with this tool.
' MARPLOT - Prince William County, VA
File Edit View List Objects Sharing Help
T Focus Pt: 38°55'46"H 77°43'50"W f 1 in = 2.96 mi f
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Chapter 4: Examples
7. MARPLOT immediately brings up the Object Settings dialog box for the new point object. It
assigns the point the default name "untitled." It puts the point on the Temporary Layer, since that is
the only unlocked layer. Also, it chooses the User's Map as the default map for the object. The
default graphical settings for the object are the defaults for the Temporary Layer.
8. Set the name of the object by typing "Fire Hydrant" in the box next to Name.
9. Change the symbol from the default to the fire hydrant symbol by clicking on Set next to the symbol
picture. When the Symbol pop-up appears, click on the fire hydrant symbol.
©
4
D
j
I
Name:
Fire Hydrant
Set Layer: Temporary Layer
Set I Map: User's Map
Owner: USER
Modified: 12/07/06
Location
By: USER
Set Class: unclassified feature
Set I Symbol: *
Position
D
K
L
M
O © N
a © P
O A Q
• B R
i I C S
D T
E U
F V
• G W
X H X
A I Y
A J Z
m
o
10. Click on the Color option. Select red. Click OK. The new symbol object is added to the map.
If you decide the object is not in the correct position, you can move it in one of two ways. If you
know the exact latitude/longitude position of the object, you can set it using the Position button in
the Object Settings dialog box. If you are not concerned with that degree of precision, however, you
can move the object simply by dragging it with the arrow tool.
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Chapter 4: Examples
Creating rectangle and circle objects is straightforward. Remember that rectangle objects always have
horizontal and vertical edges. If you need a rotated rectangle, you have to use a polygon.
11. Select the rectangle tool
12. Click on the map and drag to create the
desired rectangle.
13. The Object Settings dialog box pops up to
let you set the name, layer, map, and other
attributes. Change the name to "Sample
Rectangle," but don't change any of the
other default settings. Click OK.
14. Select the circle tool
15. Click on the map and drag to create the
desired circle. When the Object Settings
box appears, name it "Sample Circle" and
set the fill pattern to one of the dot
patterns. Click OK.
Create polylines and polygons by clicking at each vertex point. Double-click to indicate the final point.
.MARPLOT Prince William County, VA
File Edit View List Objects Sharing Help
•^ Mouse Pt: 3B°51'16"H 77°40'32"W -r 1 in = Z. 96 mi
£1
5
a
5
A
•»• width = 2.93 mi, height = 3.03 mi
16. Select the polyline tool
17. Click on the map to start a polyline.
18. Move the mouse to the next vertex point
and click again. Repeat this process until
you have added all of the desired segments
to your polyline. Double-click to indicate
the final point.
19. When the Object Settings box appears,
name it "Sample Polyline" and click OK.
20. Select the polygon tool
2 1 . Click on the map to start a polygon.
22. Move the mouse to the next vertex point
and click again. Repeat this process until
,M»RPL0T - Prince William County, V*
File Edit View List Objects Sharing Help
•r Focus Pt: 3B°51'50"H 77°31'ZZ"W-rlin=2.96mi-'
•^ Sample Polyline (Temporary Layer, User's Map) [unclassified feature]
you have added all of the desired segments to your polygon. Double-click to indicate the final point.
Note: Your final point does not have to align exactly with your initial point. MARPLOT will
automatically connect those points.
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Chapter 4: Examples
23. When the Obj ect Settings box appears, change its name to " Sample Polygon" and set the fill pattern
to one of the stripe patterns and set the color to blue. Click OK.
As with the symbol object, any of these new
objects can be moved by dragging it with the
arrow tool, or by entering latitude/longitude
values in the Object Settings dialog box. With
non-symbol objects, you can also reshape them
using the arrow tool.
24. Click on the polygon obj ect and drag it to a
new location.
25. Click on the rectangle object. When the
object is selected, it is surrounded by small
red markers (handles). Click on one of
these red handles and drag it to resize the
rectangle.
MARPLOT - Prince William County, VA
File Edit View List Objects Sharing Help
•r Focus Pt: 3B°55'09"H 77°34'22"W -r 1 in = 2. 96 mi
a
Sample Circle1
f Sample Rectangle (Temporary Layer, User's Map) [unclassified feature]
The final item in the list of tools is used to make text label objects. These are for labeling areas on maps,
when the shown names of the individual objects do not provide sufficient information.
26. Select the text tool
27. Click on the map with the text tool.
28. The Object Settings dialog box
appears, as usual, but for text objects
you are immediately asked to enter
the text. Type "Sample Text" into the
Edit Text dialog box that appears.
Click OK.
29. In the Object Settings dialog box, do
not change the name of the object. If
you change the name of the object
from the default ("untitled"), that
name will appear under your text
label. If you leave the name set to the
default, only the text in your text
label will appear.
Object Settings
Name: untitled
Set | Layer: Temporary Layer
Set | Map: User's Map
Owner: USER Location: 0
Modified: 12/07/06 By: USER
Set | Class: unclassified feature
Edit Text
R frame
OK J Cancel Help... |
^5
0000
Color: ^H Dark Green _^J
Font: MS Sans Serif _»]
Style: Plain _»j
Position
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Chapter 4: Examples
MARPLOT - Prince William County, VA
File Edit View List Objects Sharing Help
•r Focus Ft: 38°55'01"N 77°30'49"WTl in= 2.96 mi T
30. Place a check in the frame check box so that your text label will have a white background and be
surrounded by a thin border.
31. Change the color to dark green. Click OK.
32. Keep in mind that text label objects scale along with the rest of the map as you zoom in and out.
Zoom in closer to the sample text object. Notice that the letters in the text label got larger.
T Focus Ft: 38°55'01"N 77°30'49"ttr|Tl in= 1.48 mi IT
33. Try to exit from MARPLOT. Since you have created objects on the Temporary Layer, you will get a
get a warning reminding you that those objects will be deleted when MARPLOT is closed. If you
would like to save these objects, click Cancel and read the next two sections (about creating a new
layer and moving objects between layers) to learn how to save those objects to a layer.
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Chapter 4: Examples
Creating a new layer
If you wanted to save some of the objects you just created, you need to move them to a different layer
because objects on the Temporary Layer will be deleted when MARPLOT is closed. In most cases, you
would probably already have an appropriate layer. But in this case, suppose you do not have such a layer
and you want to create a new layer for the objects.
1. In the List menu, choose Layer List. The Layer List dialog box appears.
2. Click New. A Name Layer or Group dialog box appears.
3. Enter a name for the new layer (e.g., Sample Objects). Click OK.
1 alphabetical
''• draw order
H
Show*
Names Show Range Hide
1 1 1
1
ii
i|
lni8B3il!T New Layer or Group , ^
CAMEO In
CAMEO Si
CAMEO Si
CAMEO Ti
Roads (Mi
Roads
Railroads
Temporary
ff Objects:
Move..
(•
create layer
create layer group
Sample Objects
Layi
G on
OK Cancel
K
1 map
Scale Ranges...
OK Cancel New...
I
Default
v' J
^
•s
•s
^/
^
^
•/ -r
grapmcs: | _ __ |
c=t 1 '•' II III It
aei... | p ||
Key ?
Help...
The new layer is added to the top of the Layer List, and is unlocked by default. At this point, you have a
new layer, but there are no objects on it on any of our maps. Proceed to the next section for instructions on
moving existing objects to this new layer.
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Chapter 4: Examples
Moving objects between layers and maps
An important note:
You should always think twice before moving objects from one layer to another, and especially
before moving objects from one map to another. The reason for this is that, when MARPLOT
shares information with other programs, objects are referred to using their layer and map names.
For example, a database program might have a record linked to a MARPLOT object. The database
keeps the link, including the fact that it thinks the linked object is on a certain map and a certain
layer. If the object gets moved to a different layer, and especially if it gets moved to a different
map, there might be trouble later when the database program refers to the object using its old
recorded layer and map. Therefore, before moving objects between layers and maps, make sure
the objects are not linked. If they are linked, but you must move them anyway, you may have to
reestablish the links after they are moved (the work involved depends on the particular database
you are working with).
In this example, you know the objects are not linked, since you just created them. Let's move the objects to
the new Sample Objects layer. You could do this one object at a time using the Object Settings dialog box
and resetting the layer there. But it is much easier to move them all at the same time using the Move
Objects to Layer feature.
1. Begin by selecting all of the new objects
by holding down the shift key and clicking
on each of the objects with the arrow tool.
Note: If you mistakenly click on an object
while selecting multiple objects using this
method, simply click on the object a
second time to deselect it (while still
holding down the shift key).
2. In the Objects menu, choose Move
Objects to Layer. The Move to Layer
dialog box appears.
3. The Sample Obj ects layer is the only layer
that is unlocked, so it is the only choice.
Select the Sample Objects layer and click
Move.
4. You can confirm the objects have been
moved to the Sample Objects layer using
the Layer List. If you click on the Sample Objects layer in the Layer List dialog box, you will see
that there are six objects on this layer and that all of those objects are on a single map.
T Sample Polygon (Temporary Layer, User's Map) [unclassified feature
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Chapter 4: Examples
Editing road segments
MARPLOT maps derived from TIGER data may have features that are inaccurate, out of date, or missing.
For example, possible problems on the Roads layer might include missing road segments, misnamed roads
or pieces of roads, or incorrect address or ZIP code information. Sometimes this is due to an error in the
TIGER data, and sometimes the location has been modified since the TIGER data was collected. In this
example you will modify a road that has been extended since the map was created. For some MARPLOT
users, especially those working regularly within a relatively small region, it is worth the time and effort
spent to correct all or some of these errors.
MARPLOT allows you to edit road objects, just like any other objects. Functions are provided for
performing many types of edits to roads and other polyline objects: inserting and deleting vertex points,
moving vertex points, and setting attributes on a segment-by-segment basis. There are certain types of
edits, however, that cannot be performed directly in MARPLOT. Instead, it is necessary to use
MARPLOT'S Export and Import functions, along with a text editor. An example of this advanced type of
editing is given in the MARPLOT Technical Documentation.
Extending a street and making an intersection
Here is Adams St, which can be found in Dale City on the sample map of Prince William County, Virginia.
MARPLOT - Prince William County, V*
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Chapter 4: Examples
Since the time the TIGER data on which this map is based was recorded, Adams St has been extended to
the south-east. It now intersects with Gideon Dr, and continues on to the southeast for 500 feet. You will
modify Adams St on the map to show this extension, making sure that the intersection with Gideon Dr
works properly. You will also set the correct address ranges for the extension. In particular, the small piece
of the extension that is west of Gideon Dr is the new 2800 block of Adams St. The larger piece of the
extension that is east of Gideon Dr is the new 2700 block of Adams St.
The work to be done, then, is to add two segments to the Adams St object. The vertex connecting these two
segments should coincide with a vertex of Gideon Dr, causing the two streets to intersect.
1. In the List menu, choose Layer List. The Layer List dialog box appears.
2. Unlock the Roads layer by clicking on the padlock symbol on the Roads layer line. Whenever the
Roads layer is unlocked, you should be especially careful not to make careless edits. You should
lock the Roads layer again as soon as you are finished editing it, as a further safeguard against
mistakenly corrupting road data. Click OK.
3. Before you begin making changes, you should take a detailed look at the objects you will be
working with. Click along the east-most segment of Adams St.
4. In the Object menu, choose Segment Settings. The Segment Settings dialog box appears.
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Chapter 4: Examples
These are the settings for the first of the six segments of the street. Thus, in terms of the segment
order, this street goes from east to west. You are going to be adding two segments to Adams St, so
there will be eight segments in the object when you are done. Since you will be adding segments to
the east, our two segments will be segments 1 and 2 of the new Adams St. The six old segments will
be segments 3 through 8.
Segment Settings
Segment: 1 of G
of object: Adams St
on layer: Roads
of map: Prince William County, VA
Addresses on North side:
Addresses on South side:
ZIP code on North side: 12219F
2998
2900
2999 |2901
ZIP code on South side: |22193
Set I Class: undivided neighborhood road
TIGERIinelD: 76511126 TIGER version: 0301
I Next
The Segment Settings dialog box also shows that the addresses on the selected segment increase
from east to west. This makes sense in terms of your planned extensions, in which addresses
decrease as you move farther east.
6. As a final preparation step, you should click on Gideon Dr to see where its vertex points lie.
Notice that Gideon Dr has
a vertex pretty much right
in line with the desired
extension of Adams St. (If
there wasn't such a vertex,
you could either drag a
vertex of Gideon Dr to the
desired position, or use the
Insert Vertex at Focus
Point menu item to insert a
vertex in Gideon Dr
exactly where you want.)
MARPLOT - Prince William County, VA
File Edit View List Objects Sharing Help
•r Focus Pt: 38°38'12"N 77°1B'07"W |-rlin=0.09mi|-r
d
a
s\s
ZI
A
•^ Gideon Dr (Roads, Prince William County, VA) [undivided neighborhood road]
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Chapter 4: Examples
Now you are ready to extend Adams St. The way to create new segments in MARPLOT is to use the Insert
Vertex at Focus Point item in the Vertex submenu of the Objects menu. But since you can only insert a
vertex in a pre-existing segment, you will need to drag the existing endpoint first.
7. Click on the existing endpoint of Adams St and drag it to the final endpoint of the extension. You
have, in effect, just made the 2900 block much longer.
MARPLOT - Prince William County, V*
Now you can insert two
vertex points to make the
two new segments. As
shown in the picture above,
the Focus Point has been left
sitting at the old endpoint of
Adams St. From the Vertex
submenu of the Objects
menu, choose Insert Vertex
at Focus Point.
As shown in the picture at
right, this inserts a vertex at
the location of the old
endpoint. (In the picture, the
Focus Point has been moved
to the side to show the new
point more clearly.)
MARPLOT - Prince William County, VA
File Edit View List Objects Sharing Help
f Focus Pt: 38°38'07"W 77 °18' 05 "W •»• 1 in = 501 ft •»•
•*• Adams St (Roads, Pnnce William County, VA) [undivided neighborhood road]
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Chapter 4: Examples
9.
Now insert another vertex point, this one very close to where Adams St crosses Gideon Dr. Click at
the desired location to place the Focus Point, and then use Insert Vertex at Focus Point (again, the
Focus Point has been shifted in the final picture to show the new vertex).
MARPLOT - Prince William County, VA
• Focus Ft: 3B °3B' 07 "N 11 °18' 02 "V -r 1 in = 501 ft
Note: It isn't necessary to put the second vertex right on the intersection with Gideon Dr. The reason for
this is that, even if you tried to click exactly at the right location, you don't have the precision at the
computer-screen resolution to place the point so that it coincides exactly with a vertex point of Gideon Dr.
As explained in "Vertex" on page 76, MARPLOT only considers two roads to intersect if they share a
vertex exactly in terms of latitude/longitude coordinates. If you were to search for intersections of Adams
St at this point, Gideon Dr would not be found.
10. You need to use the two
other items in the Vertex
menu to create a true
intersection between Adams
St and Gideon Dr. Click on
Gideon Dr to select it,
placing the Focus Point
close to the vertex with
which Adams St is to
intersect.
File Edit View List Ob ects Sharing Help
-------
Chapter 4: Examples
11. From the Vertex menu, choose Mark Vertex. This sets the Marked Point at the vertex of Gideon Dr
that was close to the Focus Point (i.e., the point for your intersection).
MARPLOT - Prince William County, VA
• Focus Ft: 33 °3B' 00 "N 77 °18' 02 "V -r 1 in = 501 ft
I
a
s^s
ZI
A
•Marked Ft: 3B°3B'05"N 77°1B'03"W T Gideon Dr (Roads, Prince William County, Vj
12. Now that you've marked the desired point, click on Adams St again, placing the Focus Point near
the vertex point that is supposed to coincide with the Marked Point.
MARPLOT - Prince William County, VA
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Chapter 4: Examples
13. From the Vertex menu, choose Move Vertex to Marked Point. This causes the vertex of Adams St
that is close to the Focus Point to be shifted so that it coincides exactly with the Marked Point
(which has been set to be equal to the desired point on Gideon Dr).
14. Choose Clear Marked Point from the Marked Point submenu in the View menu.
MARPLOT - Prince William County, V*
MARPLOT Prince William County, VA
Now the roads intersect. If you search for intersections of Adams St, Gideon Dr is found, and vice versa.
15. It was specified that the
extension of Adams St should
go 500 feet beyond Gideon
Dr. Select MARPLOT'S
distance tool. Click on the
intersection and drag the
mouse to the end of the
extension. The distance is
shown at the bottom of the
window. Note: If the distance
units are not in feet, change
them in the Scale tab of the
Preferences dialog box
(under the File menu).
16. Using the arrow tool, click on
the endpoint of the extension
and drag it until it is 500 feet
beyond Gideon Dr.
File Edit View List Objects Sharing Help
T Mouse Ft: 3B°3B'04"H 77°17'5B"W
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Chapter 4: Examples
Modifying address ranges
Your segments are now complete, except for the address ranges. Recall that you made these two new
segments by inserting points into the (stretched) existing 2900 block of Adams St. By default, MARPLOT
assigns the new segments the same address range as the original segment that was split (this is true for the
other segment attributes as well, such as ZIP code). So you currently have three segments of Adams St that
all have the address range 2900 - 2999.
1. To modify the address ranges for the two new segments, click along the first segment.
MARPLOT Prince William County, VA
File Edit View List Objects Sharing Help
T Focus Ft: 38°38'04"M 77 "IT 59"« \ T 1 in = 501 ft -r
•r Adams St (Roads, Prince William County, VA) [undivided neighborhood road]
2. In the Objects menu, choose Segment Settings and set the address values for the 2700 block. Click
Next to change the address values for the other new block.
Segment: 1 of 8
of object: Adams St
on layer: Roads
of map: Prince William County, VA
Addresses on North side:
Addresses on South side:
ZIP code on North side: 122193
2798
2788
2799
2781
ZIP code on South side: |22193
Set Class: undivided neighborhood road
TIGERIinelD: 76511126 TIGER version: 8381
Cancel
Help...
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3. Set the address values for the 2800 block. Click OK.
Segment Settings
Segment: 2 of 8
of object: Adams St
on layer: Roads
of map: Prince William County, VA
Addresses on North side:
Addresses on South side:
ZIP code on North side: 122
2898
2888
I 2899 |28B1
ZIP code on South side: J22193
Set | Class: undivided neighborhood road
TIGERIinelD: 76511126 TIGER version: 8381
Cancel
Help...
Previous
Next
Using picture objects
Picture objects are like rectangle objects except, instead of being filled with a pattern, they are filled with a
graphical image. The source for this image is usually a picture file (PICT file on a Macintosh; bitmap or
metafile in Windows). The image can also come from the clipboard, after you copy it from another
application (usually a drawing application).
In some cases, you want the picture to be geo-referenced—that is, located in a position meant to be (or to
be very close to) its actual position in the real world. For instance, the picture might be a detailed drawing
of a university campus or a facility site plan. Here, you want to place the picture object so that points on the
drawing correspond as closely as possible to the correct points on the earth. To help you with this,
MARPLOT has a special mechanism for geo-referencing picture objects.
In other cases, the exact latitude/longitude placement of the picture object is not as important. For instance,
if you want to add a logo or other design to your map, it is sufficient to drag and stretch the object directly
on the map in order to position it.
Adding a picture object with geo-referencing
For this example, we will place a detailed picture file of the NOAA Western Regional Center (WRC) onto
the King County, Washington, map. We want to use this diagram as a MARPLOT picture object, to add
details that are lacking on the given TIGER-derived map.
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Looking at the given map, we see that the NOAA WRC is not specifically indicated.
File Edit View List uliiccts ::,h.rinng Help
s Ft: 47°40'51"N 122°15'08"W T 1 in = 0.30 mi T
Location of NOAA WRC
Noaa Warren G Magnuson (Miscellaneous, King County, WA) [state or local park or forest]
NOAA is shown on the TIGER map as being part of Warren G Magnuson park. As a first step, we can
unlock the Miscellaneous layer, and then use the Object Settings dialog box to set the fill pattern of this
polygon to white (i.e., no fill). Now the green polygon fill pattern is gone, but the area is gray.
Object Settings
Name:
Set |
Set |
Noaa Warren G Magnuson
Layer: Miscellaneous
Map: King County, WA
Owner: CENS
Modified: 12/00/06
Location: 53033
By: USER
Set
Set
lype.
I Class: state or local park or forest
J Place: Seattle city
Color: | CZI Green _J
Line
OK
Style: I
Cancel
T|
Help...
Fill Pattern- || I I |jk|
~K
Position/Size
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MARPLOT - King County, WA
File Edit View List Ob ects Sharing Help
T Focus Ft: 47 40' 50 "N 122 15' OB "W \ -r 1 in = 0.30 mi
Seattle Support Activity (Seat (Miscellaneous, Kmg County, WA) [military installation]
There is another polygon object on the Miscellaneous layer that encompasses the area we are interested in.
We repeat the previous steps and change this polygon's fill pattern to white as well. Now we are ready to
insert the picture object. Note: We could have inserted the picture object over the existing polygons;
however, the fill patterns could have made it difficult to see the details of the picture so we decided to
remove the fill patterns.
It makes sense to insert the NOAA WRC picture object on the Miscellaneous layer. We've already
unlocked that layer to alter the TIGER polygons. So we can immediately choose Insert Picture Object from
the Edit menu.
We are asked if we want to use an existing map or make a new
map. You will almost always choose Use Existing Map here.
Make New Map would be used only if the picture to be inserted
couldn't really be called "part" of an already existing map. In our
case, the NOAA WRC picture is clearly part of the King County
map, so we'll choose Use Existing Map.
Insert Picture Object
Do you want to insert a picture as an object
on an already-existing map, or as the first
object on a new map?
Use Existing Map
Make New Map
Cancel
Help...
MARPLOT asks us to select the picture file containing the image for the new picture object. We find the
picture and click Open (Choose on a Macintosh).
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We are immediately presented with the Object Settings dialog box for the new picture object. We see the
picture displayed in the lower part of the window. Note that MARPLOT puts the object on the
Miscellaneous layer by default, since that is the only unlocked layer. By default, MARPLOT guesses that
we want the object on the User's Map. In this case, it probably makes more sense to put the object on the
King County map itself (as we have done in the graphic below), although keeping it on the User's Map may
also be a reasonable decision.
Object Settings
Name:|NOAAWRC
Set I Layer: Miscellaneous
Set I Map: King County, WA
Owner: USER
Modified: 12/08/06
Location: 53033
By: USER
Set I Class: unclassified feature
| Set | Place: Seattle city
Type: Picture
File in map folder: NOAAWRC.bmp
Geo-Reference
Position
At this point, we have the object on the right layer and map, but its size and position are undefined. If we
were to click OK, MARPLOT would guess at the size and position. We could then drag and stretch the
object directly on the map to get the right size and position. A more precise method, if we know at least
one exact latitude/longitude point on the picture, is to use the Geo-Reference button. (Note: Even if you do
not use the Geo-Reference button when you first insert the picture, you can use it at any time in the future
by simply bringing up the Object Settings for the picture object.)
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When we click Geo-Reference, we are presented with a dialog box used for geo-referencing pictures.
Geo Reference Picture
Click to zoom in.
Point 1: lat: —
long: —
Point 2: lat: —
long: —
_d Quick Scroll
OK
Cancel
Help...
Reset |
Reset
The idea here is to specify the exact size and location of the picture. We do this by marking two points on
the picture. We have to give an exact latitude/longitude position for the first point. For the second point, we
can give either an exact latitude/longitude position, or the exact distance from the first point.
Suppose that in this case, we know that the southeast corner of Building 8 is at latitude 47°4HO" north and
longitude 122° 15'3 7" west and that we also know that the building is 363 feet long, from the north end to
the south end. First, we zoom in on this point to increase our accuracy. Then, using the number one tool, HI
we click on the southeast corner of the Building 8.
Geo-Reference Picture
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We are asked to enter the lat/long values corresponding to the point we clicked.
Set the Lat/Long for Point 1
Latitude: Deg: p7 Min: |41 Sec: [To | North
Longitude: Deg: [TzlMin: |15 Sec: [37 [west
C degrees
<~ degrees/minutes
<* degrees/minutes/seconds
Cancel Help...
Next, using the number two tool f^l, we click on the northeast corner of the building.
Geo-Reference Picture
We don't know the lat/long of the second point, but we do know the distance between the two points since
we know the length of the building is 363 feet. We click Distance and enter 363 feet.
Specify Point 2
0
A'mild you like to specify the second point by
giving its distance from point 1 or by giving its
atitude/longitude coordinates?
Distance I
k
Latitude/Longitude
Specify Distance
Point 2 is
from Point 1.
OK I Cancel
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Geo Reference Picture
Click to reposition point 1.
MARPLOT computes the lat/long of the
second point based on the distance. Since
we have now specified both points, we
exit the Geo-Reference Picture and the
Object Settings dialog boxes.
On the map, we see that the picture has
been added to the Miscellaneous layer,
and is in the correct location. If the picture
were not in the correct location, it could
be because the lat/long value or distance
provided was inaccurate, or because the
picture was not drawn properly to scale. It
is also possible the lat/long value provided
was more accurate than the TIGER lat/
long values of the King County map,
because it was based on a more accurate
model of the shape of the earth (see "Accuracy of the TIGER/Line database" on page 19). In this case, we
might try to drag and stretch the object to get it as close as possible to the right size and position.
us Pt: 47 "41' Ui "N 1ZZ '15' Z4 "B T 1 in = LI . l:j mi T
•r NOAA WRC (Miscellaneous, King County, WA) [unclassified feature]
Now that the picture is in place, we can treat the picture as if it's part of the King County "base map." We
can zoom in on it and place other objects on top of it. It's important to keep in mind that any objects we
place "on" the NOAA WRC diagram should be on layers that are above the Miscellaneous layer.
Otherwise, the diagram will draw over the objects.
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Adding a picture object without geo-referencing
In the previous example, we placed a diagram of the NOAA Western Regional Center (WRC) on the
TIGER-derived MARPLOT map for King County, Washington. Now we want to add the NOAA logo to
our map as well. We have the NOAA logo in a paint file. We can open the file in our paint/draw
application, and copy the image to the clipboard.
As with the NOAA WRC diagram in the previous example, here we'll place the logo on the Miscellaneous
layer of the King County map, although it would be reasonable to put it elsewhere, say on a Logos layer of
the User's Map. The Miscellaneous layer is still unlocked from the previous example, so we can begin
inserting the picture object.
We choose Insert Picture Object from the Edit menu. Again, we add the picture to an existing map.
Insert Picture Object
Do you want to insert a picture as an object
on an already-existing map, or as the first
object on a new map?
Use Existing Map
Make New Map
Cancel
Help...
At this point MARPLOT notices the picture on the clipboard and asks if we want to use that one. We click
Clipboard to use the copied picture.
Use Clipboard Picture?
^Iffi&SsdRfilj&s&wfS'^^^^*
Do you want to use the picture in the
clipboard, or one from a file on disk?
Clipboard
File
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MARPLOT takes the image from the clipboard and brings up the Object Settings dialog box for the new
picture object. MARPLOT assigns a default name to the object, in this case "PICTB1." We'll clear the
name field, so that MARPLOT won't display PICTB1 below the image when it shows names of
Miscellaneous objects. Also, we move the object to the King County map from the User's Map, which was
MARPLOT'S default guess, and assign it to Seattle city. Then we click OK.
Name:
Set | Layer: Miscellaneous
Set Map: King County, WA
Owner: USER Location
Modified: 12/08/06 By: USE
Set | Class: unclassified feature
| Set | Place: Seattle city
. n'_.
File in map folder: PICTB1.bmp
Geo-Reference
F frame
OK J Cancel Help...
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Chapter 4: Examples
Generating output
The contents of the map window can be printed to your printer or saved as a standard picture file that can
be opened by a drawing application.
Printing
Note: MARPLOT provides its own mechanism for scaling your print output, so you should not use the
Print Setup option (Page Setup on a Macintosh) from the File menu to scale your output.
When you have the desired image in the map window (keep in mind that any insets in the map window,
such as the reference view or scale bar, will be included in the output), choose Print from the File menu.
MARPLOT presents a dialog box where you can specify the size of the printed image.
When you choose the Print item, you are presented with a dialog box that lets you specify the size of the
printed output. By default, the output will be fit to the printed page. If you want to specify the image
dimensions, you can enter either the desired width and height or the map scale that you want the output to
have. If you specify the image dimensions, the Print dialog box displays the size of a printed page as well
as the number of pages that will be printed.
Output Size
r Fit image to page
'• Specify image dimensions
width: 1.73
height: 3.72
Byscale 1: (187111
Page size: 7.50 x 9.12 in
F Include only selected objects
I Draw all lines in black
Units
'* inches
r centimeters
1 pgs
Cancel
Help...
Checking the first of the two check boxes causes MARPLOT to print only the objects that are currently
selected on the map.
The lower check box is useful if you have a black and white printer and are printing colored lines. In some
cases, when the printer attempts to simulate a colored line by drawing it in a gray pattern, it ends up
leaving certain segments of the line blank. Choosing to draw all lines in black corrects this problem.
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Saving a picture
The Save as Picture item in the File menu is used to save the image in the map window to a file. On the
Macintosh, this is a standard PICT file, which can be used by many types of applications. In Windows, you
can save the image to a bitmap (.BMP) file or a metafile (.WMF). Metafiles are often smaller than bitmap
files, and have the advantage that certain programs will allow you to edit them on an object-by-object
basis. However, bitmap files are more common and can be opened with standard drawing programs.
When you have the desired image in the map window (keep in mind that any insets in the map window,
such as the reference view or scale bar, will be included in the output), choose Save as Picture from the File
menu.
On a Macintosh. MARPLOT gives you the option of changing the size of the saved picture. As with
printing, you can choose to save only the selected objects. The lower check box is used to embed within
the picture "comments" that cause the lines in the picture to be drawn in a hairline pen width. Also,
checking this box draws all filled objects to the picture, followed by all non-filled objects, regardless of
their layer order. Together, these two factors cause the saved picture to print as it would if the same area
were printed directly by MARPLOT. When you click Save, you are presented with a standard file dialog
box asking you for the name and folder location of the saved picture file.
In Windows. You are presented with a standard file dialog box asking you for the name and folder
location of the saved picture file. Choose the type of file to be saved from the Save as Type pop-up. For
metafiles, you can choose to save only the selected objects.
Transferring map data
Note: "Exchanging data with other MARPLOT systems" on page 149 discusses the two methods that are
used to exchange MARPLOT data between two MARPLOT installations: copying maps/map files and
using MARPLOT'S import/export functions.
Copying maps and map files
Suppose you have been adding symbols representing the locations of fire hydrants in Prince William
County onto a map layer called Hydrants that you created on the Prince William County map. If you
wanted to share this layer with other MARPLOT users, you could go to the Prince William County map
folder and copy all of the layer files that begin with Hydrants. If the users you want to share this fire
hydrant data with already have the Prince William County map, you need only give them these layer files.
They simply copy the Hydrants layer files into their Prince William County map folder and, when they
start MARPLOT, the new layer is automatically added to their system and the fire hydrant objects appear.
Note: If the other MARPLOT user already had a layer called Hydrants on their Prince William County
map, this procedure would delete all of the objects on their Hydrants layer and replace them with your
Hydrants layer.
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Suppose, on the other hand, that you had not been adding the hydrants to the Prince William County map
itself (and it might well be a better idea not to, since you might not like to have your data so closely mixed
in with the TIGER-derived map layers). Instead, you have been placing them on a separate map called Fire
Information (see "Creating new maps" on page 152 for information about creating maps). In addition to the
Hydrants layer, you have also created a Past Fires layer, along with some other fire-related layers.
Transferring this data to another MARPLOT installation is very easy. Simply copy the entire Fire
Information folder, and give it to the other MARPLOT users. They can put this folder directly in their
MARPLOT folder, in which case it's recognized automatically when they start MARPLOT, or in some
other folder, in which case they have to use Find New Map in the Map List dialog box to identify the new
map. (They would only have to use Find New Map once; they could replace the entire Fire Information
folder with future updates without having to use Find New Map again.)
Using Export and Import
As explained in "Exchanging data with other MARPLOT systems" on page 149, there may be cases where
you cannot transfer entire maps or groups of map files, but must instead explicitly select the objects to be
transferred and export them to an MARPLOT Import/Export (MIE) file. The recipient of the data then
imports the MIE file into his or her system.
To do this, first you would select the objects on the map that you want to transfer. There are a number of
ways the selection process can take place. If there are only a few objects, you may just shift-click them
with the arrow tool. If there are many objects, you might want to select them in some automated way, such
as using MARPLOT's Search function, or a search operation in the database to which the objects are
linked, if there is such a database.
When the objects are selected, choose Export from the File menu and choose your export and format
settings in the Export dialog box that appears. After you click Export, another dialog box appears in which
you can specify a name and a destination for the MIE file.
Export
<*" selected objects
Format
MARPLOT Import/Export [MIE]
Simple Text
(~ MARPLOT Simple Point Format
(~ Arclnfo GENERATE format files
(in a folder named GENFILES]
Fields...
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The recipient of the data opens MARPLOT, chooses Import from the File menu, and selects the MIE file
you created.
The objects that you exported will be imported to the specified map and layer. If the other MARPLOT user
does not have an existing map and layer of the same name, MARPLOT will create them (although they
will only contain the objects you exported). If the other MARPLOT user does have the specified map and
layer, it will import the objects to them. In this manner new objects from your system can be added to
another user's system; these objects will be added to the other user's existing objects. Note: If any objects
share the same ID number, MARPLOT'S default behavior is to replace the existing object with the new
import object. To change this default setting, click the Options button on the Import dialog box.
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This section contains a number of diagrams that point out the key parts of MARPLOT'S
main displays and dialog boxes.
MARPLOT folders and files
The MARPLOT folder contains the MARPLOT application, map folders, several .PLT files that
MARPLOT accesses, and other miscellaneous files that MARPLOT uses.
Map folders need not be in the
MARPLOT folder; they can be
in any folder on any of your
drives. (The XTRAMAPS
folder is a convenient place to
store maps that you do not
want to keep directly in the
MARPLOT folder.) The
locations of maps that are not
stored in the MARPLOT folder
are kept in the
XTRAMAPS.PLT file.
to MARPLOT
File Edit View Favorites Tools Help
'
MARPLOT SETTING2.PLT LAYERS2.PLT XTRAMAPS...
_J
SEARCHES
PWC MAP
••J
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Chapters: Quick Help Diagrams
Menus
Save as Picture...
Print Setup,.,
Print... Ctrl+P
Import.,.
Export...
Compact Map Files
Preferences...
Administrator...
Exit
Save image in map window to picture file.
Standard print options (Page Setup on Macintosh).
Print image in map window.
Read objects from a MARPLOT Import/Export (MIE) text file.
Write objects to text file.
Optimize maps after importing or many edits.
Choose the way information is displayed.
The first time this item is used, it gives the option of putting your
MARPLOT system into multi-user mode, where there is an
administrator and multiple users with passwords and assigned
editing permission levels. Once in the multi-user mode, the
Administrator item is only available to the administrator.
Undo
Ctrl+Z
Clear
Insert Picture Object.
Make New Polygon...
Make New Polyline
Polyline <-> Polygon
Undo last editing operation.
No function.
No function
No function.
Delete selected objects.
Create new picture object from picture file or clipboard picture.
Polygon union, intersection, difference, or envelope.
Join polylines into a single object.
Convert one type to the other.
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Menus (continued)
Go bo View,., Ctrl+R
Go to Previous View
Set Scale,,, Ctrl+.;
Go to tat/Long,,, Ctrl+A
Center on Focus Point Ctrl+T
Save Current View.
Edit Views...
Entry View,.,
Preference View
Legend
Scale Bar
Time Stamp
Lat/Long Grid
Marked Point
Redraw
Ctrl+U
Ctrl+D
Return to saved view or view.
Undo last change of view.
Set the view scale by numeric value.
Set the map position by exact coordinates.
Center on Focus Point, retaining scale.
Save view in map window for later use.
Rename or delete saved views.
Choose initial view for MARPLOT sessions.
Set, show, or hide the reference view.
Set, show, or hide the legend.
Set, show, or hide the scale bar.
Set, show, or hide the time stamp.
Set, show, or hide the lat/long grid.
When you have stopped drawing by pressing the ESC key,
use this to redraw the view.
Mark Focus Point
Center on Marked Point
Distance to Focus Point
Rescale to Marked 8t Focus Pts
Clear Marked Point
The Marked Point serves as a reference location for the functions in this submenu and also for
functions in the Vertex submenu. You set the Marked Point either at the location of the Focus Point
(this menu) or the location of the closest vertex (Vertex menu). With this menu, you can:
• Center the view on the Marked Point,
• Find the distance from the Marked Point to the Focus Point,
Change the view so that the Marked Point and the Focus Point are just visible, or
Clear the Marked Point.
With the Vertex menu, you can move a vertex to the Marked Point.
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Menus (continued)
Search... Ctrl+F
Show Search Collection Ctrl+G
Copy to Search Collection Ctrl+Y
Layer List,.,
Map List,.,
Ctrl+L
Ctrl+M
Search for objects (various criteria).
Show list of found or copied objects.
Copy selected objects to search collection (replaces collection).
View/modify list of layers.
View/modify list of maps.
Object Settings...
Segment Settings...
Vertex
Move Objects to Layer.
Move Objects to Map,,,
Color
Line Style
Fill Pattern
Symbol
Ctrl+B
Ctrl+E
Mark Vertex
Move Vertex to Marked Point
Insert Vertex at Focus Point Ctrl+H
Delete Vertex Ctrl+J
View/modify settings for the selected object.
View/modify settings for the segment of the selected object
at the Focus Point.
Move selected object(s) to chosen layer.
Move selected object(s) to chosen map.
Set color of selected object(s).
Set line style width and pattern of selected object(s).
Set fill pattern of selected object(s).
Set symbol (icon) of selected object(s).
Note: On a Macintosh, the Line Style item is separated into
two items: Line Width and Line Pattern.
The Vertex submenu allows you to edit polyline and polygon
objects at the vertex level. You can insert or delete vertex points,
and move vertex points to an exact latitude/longitude location
(that is, wherever the Marked Point is set). This latter operation
is important when editing road intersections.
About Sharing.,.
ALOHA
CAMEOfm
The Sharing menu is the connection between MARPLOT and various
applications that create objects on MARPLOT maps and/or store database
information that is linked to map objects. For more information, see the
documentation for the applications that share information with MARPLOT on
your system.
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Map window
Latitude/longitude of Focus Point.
Change format in Preferences.
Scale of current view. Change
format in Preferences.
File.
Name of displayed map. If multiple
maps are shown, just "MARPLOT".
'LOT - Prince William County, VA
•dit View List Objects Sharing Help
Name of reference view, if
one is shown.
T Focus Ft: 38°4B'59"N 77°39'QZ"W T 1:17359 ^Ref: PCW
•»• Haymarkpt town (Places, Prince Wil
The reference view shows the
location of the view in the map
window relative to a larger view.
am County, VA) [city/pla
The Focus Point marks the most
recent point of interest. It flashes
to make it easy to find.
;e boundary]
When an object is selected, its name,
layer, map, and classification are
displayed.
One or more objects may be selected.
Selected objects are marked with dots at
their vertex points. Many MARPLOT
functions apply to the selected object(s).
Click to select objects (click and drag to select several). Drag selected objects to edit (e.g., move).
Click to zoom in. Drag to zoom to rectangle.
Drag to shift view.
Click to zoom out.
Drag to measure distances.
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Map window with an unlocked layer
When one or more layers have been unlocked (using the Layer List dialog box), the list of tools on the left
edge of the map window extends to offer tools for creating new objects. This view shows all seven types of
MARPLOT objects: a symbol, a rectangle, a circle, polylines, a polygon, a text label ("A short note."), and
a picture (the NOAA logo).
'LOT - Prince William County, VA
File Edit View List Objects Sharing Help
T Focus Pt: 3B°34'QQ"N 77°19'55"W
f?
o
T 1 in— U.03 mi T
A short note.
T Marked
Pt: 3S 34'QQ"N 77 19'56"W
When the Marked Point is set, the coordinates are shown here.
a
Click to make a symbol (point).
Drag to make a circle.
Drag to make a rectangle.
Click to make a text label.
Click at each vertex to make a polyline. Double-click to finish.
Click at each vertex to make a polygon. Double-click to finish.
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View dialog boxes
The four dialog boxes—Go to View, Entry View, Set Reference View, and Edit Views—have a similar
design. In each case, views can be ordered alphabetically by view name or by map name. You can also type
a few characters of the name you are looking for and click Find Next. Except in the case of
views, the view's miniature image appears in the lower-right. When the "include shared views" box is
active, you can specify whether views saved by other users of your MARPLOT system appear in the list.
Go to View
Find:
Find Next
P" include shared views
< entire map>. Prince William County, VA
PWC I mage. Prince Wil
Two Hospitals, Prince William County, VA
(• sort by name
(~ sort by map
Map List
Go to View
F resize map window to fit view
Cancel
Help...
In the Go to View dialog box, click Go to View to go to the highlighted view. Check the box "resize
the map window to fit view" if you want the map window to be automatically resized to match the
width/height aspect ratio of the view. Sometimes you may want to see the entire map view of a map
that is not listed here. You can click the Map List button to go to the map list, from which you can
choose to go the view of any map.
In the Entry View dialog box, you can choose not to have an entry view (in which case the Go to
View dialog box comes up at the start of each MARPLOT session), to enter to the last view from the
previous MARPLOT session, or to enter to a particular view. In the latter case, the selected view
appears with a boxed "E" next to its name in the view list.
In the Edit View dialog box, you can rename or delete saved views.
In the Set Reference View dialog box, you can pick a saved view to serve as the reference view.
Check the box "allow any view in reference" if you want to allow a reference view that does not
necessarily contain the current area of the map window.
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Layer List
The Layer List dialog box shows all of the layers known to your MARPLOT system, sorted either
alphabetically or from top-to-bottom layer order (the layer on the bottom is drawn first). Layers can be in
one of four show modes (Show + Names, Show, Range, or Hide) and one of two graphics modes (default
or individual). They can be locked or unlocked, temporary, permanent, and owned by MARPLOT or
another application. Each layer has default graphical settings and settings for four scale values related to
when and how the layer is displayed.
r alphabetical
{•" draw order
Show +
Names Show Range Hide
tt
•b
i
TempofarpL aver
CAMEO Facilities
CAMEO Hospitals
CAMEO Incidents
CAMEO Scenarios
CAMEO Schools
CAMEO Transportation
Roads (Major)
Roads
Railroads
V"
s
y
•s
v/
*/
v'
^
>/
v'
' -
v J
•s
s
•/
>/
^
*/
mm
•/ -r
Roads
# Objects: 5186 on 1 map
Move...
Scale Ranges...
Default graphics:
Set... I
OK
Cancel
New...
Delete
Rename...
Show + Names: Show objects, along with their names.
Show: Show objects; only show their names within the given range.
Range: Show objects when the map scale is within the given range.
Hide: Do not show objects.
Use the default graphical settings (as indicated in the
graphics box pop-up).
i Locked.
Move...
Unlocked.
Owned by another
application, locked.
Use the graphical settings of the individual
objects.
Owned by another application, unlocked
(Objects menu graphics edits enabled).
Change layer order (when not
alphabetical).
Scale Ranges...
View/modify layer scale
ranges.
Italics indicates temporary layers whose objects will be deleted at the end of each MARPLOT session.
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Layer Scale Ranges
This dialog box lets you set four scale values related to if, when, and how the selected layer displays. It
presents a "scale ruler" ranging from a very zoomed in view at the bottom to a view at the top that is so
zoomed out it shows the whole earth.
The current map scale is shown on the ruler with a dotted line.
Layer Scale Ranges
Layer: Miscellaneous
current scale:
1 in = 0.03 mi
=n Dots @ 1 in = 0.75 mi
= ==jqi <1 Show Names @ 1 in = 0.10 mi
=Q ; Hide Layer @ 1 in = 0.01 mi
Cancel
Key
Help.
The Show Layer and Hide Layer pointers, along with the wide brackets, indicate the range of scales at
which the given layer is visible when the layer is set to Range mode. The layer is not visible when you
zoom out past the Show Layer value, or when you zoom in past the Hide Layer value.
The Icons -> Dots pointer, along with the dot bar, indicates the scale at which the objects of the given layer
show as small dots, instead of as their usual icons. When you zoom out past this scale, the icons change to
dots so that the view is not overcrowded by symbols.
The Show Names pointer, along with the "N" bar, indicates the scale at which the names for objects on the
given layer appear. When you zoom in past this scale, the names are shown. When you are not zoomed in
this far, the names do not show, since they would crowd each other on the screen.
Drag any of these four pointers up or down on the scale ruler to change the setting.
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Map List
This dialog box lists all maps known to your MARPLOT system.
Find: Pr
<~ Name
Find Next
Path
Status
it Layers
CAMEO Map
King County, WA
Miami-Dade County, FL
Prince William County, VA
User's Map
District of Columbia,
C:\CAMEO\CAMEOMAPS
C:\MARPLOT\King County\53033\
CAMAR PLO T SM iamiD ade M 2086V
CAMARPLOT\PWC_MAPS
C:\MARPLOT\USERMAP\
C:\MARPLOT\Washington D.CM1001S
In Use
In Use
Not Found
In Use
In Use
Not In Use
3 _L
8
•??•?
E^
1
8
OK
Cancel
Go to Map
Map Info
Rename
Help...
Find New Map
Remove
The maps in the list are those inside your MARPLOT folder, plus those in locations that are stored in the
XTRAMAPS.PLT file. You can determine the location of a map's folder by looking at the Path column. If
the path is too long to fit in this column, you can use the Map Info button to see the full path.
Map status can be in one of three states. Maps that are In Use are active and are drawn to the screen. Maps
that are Not In Use are not drawn on the screen. However, they are automatically brought into use when
they are needed; for example, when you show an object from such a map using the Search Collection
dialog box. Maps are Not Found when the path that MARPLOT has saved for the map is no longer valid.
This can happen, for example, when you rename a folder, or if the map is stored on a removable disk.
The # Layers column gives the number of layers that are represented on a given map. The Map Info button
gives a more detailed breakdown for a map.
The Find New Map button is used to add a new map to your MARPLOT system.
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Search Criteria
This dialog box is used to find objects according to various criteria. You can use the five pop-up boxes to
modify how and where MARPLOT looks for objects. Many combinations are possible. Six set-ups are
shown here, along with descriptions of what each search will find.
Roads on current map starting with "fair."
Note: The search results will include
roads that start with directional prefixes.
For instance, when searching for "fair," the
results may include both "N Fairfax St"
and "S Fairfax St".
Search Criteria
Search for objects that:
have names that start with..
Layer(s) to search:
Individual Layer...
fair
Map(s] to search:
Maps in View
Roads
replace previous collection
Search Criteria
Search for objects that:
j have any name
Layer(s) to search:
All Layers _*j
Search j Cancel Help...
^^^^^^^
3
Map(s) to search:
Selected Maps... j*j
(1 map checked] T all maps
CAMEO Map __
King County, WA
Prince William County, VA
-*/ User's Map
replace previous collection *"]
All objects on the User's Map.
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Search Criteria (continued)
Search Criteria
Search for objects that:
are inside of or touching...
ALOHA
ALOHA Facilities
CAMEO Facilities
CAMEO Hospitals
CAMEO Incidents
CAMEO Scenarios
CAMEO Schools
the currently selected object(s)
Layer(s) to search:
Multiple Layers... J
(2 layers checked) P all layers
Map(s) to search:
Maps in View
replace previous collection
CAMEO hospitals and facilities that are
inside of or touching the object(s)
currently selected on the map. The
selected objects might, for instance,
represent ALOHA threat zones.
Places (cities and towns) that are within
10 miles of the Marked Point.
Search Criteria
Search for objects that:
are within...
10
mi H of the Marked Point
Layer(s) to search:
Map(s) to search:
Individual Layer...
Maps in View
Places
replace previous collection
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Search Criteria (continued)
On the Shoreline or Water layers, any
object that has "lake" in its name.
Search Criteria
Search for objects that:
have names that contain...
Layerfs) to search:
Multiple Layers...
[2 layers checked)
Places
Railroads
Roads
Roads (Major)
•S Shoreline
Temporary Layer
v' Water
lake
Map(s) to search:
Maps in View
all layers
replace previous collection
Search Criteria
Search for objects that:
have any name
Layer(s) to search:
Individual Layer...
Roads
Map(s] to search:
All Maps
sutasearch of previous collection
Among the objects found in a previous
search, only the roads.
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Search Collection
The Search Collection is a list of objects. Each time you do a search, the Search Collection is filled with
the objects that match the criteria you have specified. You can also fill the Search Collection with the
selected objects using the Copy to Search Collection menu item.
Search Collection
Number of objects in
Object Name
1 Gotham Way
/v Lock Loop
D My rectangle
d My triangle
E NOAALogo
d Occoquan Reservoir
Old Bridge Ln {O/dBf/n
/v Old Bridge Rd
» Site of accident
O Threat Zone
CD untitled
d Woodbridge CDP
collection: 11 { plus 1 alias}
Layer Place/Map
Roads Prince William County, VA Bl
Roads Prince William County, VA
Temporary Layer User's Map
Temporary Layer User's Map
Temporary Layer User's Map
Water LakeRidgeCDP,...
?s Rdj Roads LakeRidgeCDP,...
Roads LakeRidgeCDP,...
Temporary Layer User's Map
Temporary Layer User's Map
Temporary Layer User's Map
Places Prince William County, VA jj
F make all other objects on these layers invisible
Save Collection...
Load Collection...
Intersections Show All on Map
Addresses Show on Map 8 Zoom Help...
Show on Map Close
An alias is an alternative name for an object. Aliases in the Search Collection are shown in italics. In the example
above, Old Bridge Ln is an alternative name for Old Bridge Rd.
Each object in the Search
Collection is preceded by
an icon indicating its type:
/••^ polyline
[] rectangle
(][ polygon
O circle
point (symbol)
picture |
text label
When the place/map ends with "..."it means the object is primarily in the named place, but crosses into other
places as well.
Save Collection...
Intersections
Show All on Map
Save Search Collection
list to text file.
List intersections of select
object (usually a road).
Show and select all
listed objects.
Load Collection...
Addresses
Show on Map
Load Search Collection list
from text file.
List address ranges of selected
object (usually a road).
Show and select highlighted
object. Do not change scale.
Show on Map & Zoom
Show and select highlighted object. Change
scale to show only area of object.
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Intersections
This dialog box comes up when you click the Intersections button in the Search Collection.
r
Intersections
Intersections for object: James Madison Hwy
on
layer: Roads (Major)
of map: Prince William County, VA
F" Intersect with all layers
Number of intersections found: 25 { plus
Object Name
Lightner Rd
Logmill Rd
Loudoun Dr
Milark Rd
Old Carolina Rd
Shady Oak Ln
Layer
Roads
Roads
Roads
Roads
Roads
Roads
9 aliases }
Place/Map
Prince William County, VA _^J
Prince William County, VA
Prince William County, VA 1
Prince William County, VA
Prince William County, VA
Prince William County, VA
fffsfe Route 234 {SudteyRd} R oads (M ajor) Prince William County, VA
Sfate fi'fxite 55 {Jolm M&sliaJ? Hwp } Roads (Major) Prince William County, VA •»•[
Show on Map
Show on Map & Zoom
Cancel Help...
Show on Map
Highlight the two intersecting objects and put the Focus Point at the point of
intersection. Do not change scale.
Show on Map & Zoom
Highlight the two intersecting objects and put the Focus Point at the point
of intersection. Change the scale to a scale appropriate for viewing typical
street intersections.
Intersect with all layers
Usually, you are interested in finding the intersections of an object with
other objects on the same layer—typically to intersect roads with other
roads. However, sometimes you may want to intersect with other layers.
For instance, you may want to see where a road intersects with rivers on
the Water layer. When the "Intersect with all layers" box is checked, the
list of intersections is recomputed to include objects from all layers that
intersect with the give object.
Note: For the purposes of this dialog box, MAPRLOT only considers two polyline objects to intersect if
they share a vertex exactly.
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Addresses
This dialog box comes up when you click the Addresses button in the Search Collection.
Addresses for object: Oak Farm Dr
on layer: Roads
of map: Prince William County, VA
13100 - 13177
13178 - 13193
13192 - 13201
13200 - 13211
13210 - 13225
13224 - 13299
Help-
Show on Map I Show on Map & Zoom
Cancel
Show on Map
Highlight the road and put the Focus Point along the segment corresponding to the
selected address range. Do not change scale.
Show on Map & Zoom
Highlight the road and put the Focus Point along the segment
corresponding to the selected address range. Change the scale to a scale
appropriate for viewing typical street address ranges.
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Object Settings
This dialog box comes up when you use the Object Settings menu item with a single object selected, or
when you double-click on an object. Note: The Object Settings can be modified only if the layer the object
is on is unlocked.
Use to move the object from one map to another. Use with caution. Note that this does not change the
position of the object, but may extend the map boundaries.
Use to move the object from one layer to another. Use with caution.
Object Settings
Name: Cameron St
Set | Layer: Roads
Set I Map: Prince William County, VA
Owner: CENS
Modified: 6/20/01
Location: 51153
By: CENS
Set Class: undivided neighborhood road
Set | Place: Dumfries town
Type: Polyline
Color: I • Black ^
Line Style:
Cancel
Help...
Position/Size
Click to view/modify the position of the object by latitude/
longitude coordinates. You can also use this to view the
area, perimeter, or radius of an object (if applicable).
Use items in this box to change type-specific settings for the object. For symbol (point) objects,
you can choose the symbol. For polygon objects, you can choose a fill pattern. For text objects
you can edit the text. For picture objects, you can geo-reference the picture. Note: Line Style is
divided into Line Pattern and Line Width on a Macintosh.
Click to change the feature classification or place (city or map name). Both of these settings are used
for display purposes only.
This area shows the user code of the original creator of the object, and the user code of its last modifier,
along with the last modification date. The location code of the object, if set, indicates the code number of
the object's original location.
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Segment Settings
This dialog boxes comes up when you select an individual polyline object in the map window and use the
Segment Settings menu item. It lets you view/modify information specific to the segment of the selected
object that is closest to the Focus Point.
Segment Settings
Segment: 14 of 18
of object: Olde Port Ln
on layer: Roads
of map: Prince William County, VA
Addresses on North side:
Addresses on South side:
18132
18133
ZIP code on North side:
18098
18099
22172
ZIP code on South side:
22172
Set
Class: undivided neighborhood road
TIGER line ID: 207141346
Cancel
Help...
TIGER version: 0301
Previous
Next
The values are editable if the object is on an unlocked layer. Change the address or ZIP code values by
typing in the boxes. Use the Set button to change the classification of just this segment—not of the entire
object. (You can set the object's classification in the Object Settings dialog box.)
Use the Previous and Next buttons to scan through the segments of the object.
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Administration
This chapter describes MARPLOT system management.
Keeping backups
It is important to keep backups of MARPLOT map information, especially for maps that are edited by you
or other users of your MARPLOT system. Following is a list of the types of files you will want to back up:
Maps that are edited. It is crucial that you make regular backups of those maps on which you regularly
add or modify objects. MARPLOT automatically saves all changes to maps as they are made. Mistakes can
easily mean lost or corrupted data if you do not have backups. To make a backup of a map, simply copy the
map folder to a backup disk, and change its name to include the backup date. If at some time you need to
restore from a backup copy, simply replace the map folder with one from a backup disk (you'll probably
want to make an extra backup of the map before restoring it). Sometimes the map to be backed up will be
in the MARPLOT folder, but remember that MARPLOT can use maps situated anywhere on any of your
disks. Thus, it is important for you to know where all of your maps are in order to back them up.
MARPLOT'S Map List dialog box provides this information.
Usually, the maps you will want to back up are relatively small compared to other maps, such as those
derived from TIGER files. However, some users will want to modify TIGER-derived county maps, and in
some cases non-TIGER maps can become quite large. If you are making only periodic edits to these large
maps, you should back them up in their entirety, as with other maps. However, if the maps are very large,
or if you are making frequent edits, the backup procedure can be cumbersome and consume too much disk
space. In this case, you may only want to back up certain layer files from a given map folder. As a simple
example, suppose you are making changes only to the Water layer of a certain TIGER-derived map.
Instead of backing up the entire map folder, you can back up only those files that start with WATER. These
files are WATER.LYR, WATER.SUM, WATER.OBJ, WATER.SM2, and WATER.NNX (the latter two files
may not be present). You can copy these WATER files to your backup disk. To restore from a backup, just
copy the saved WATER files back into the map folder.
Maps that are not edited. Many users will not make changes to TIGER-derived county maps and
there may be other maps on your system that are never modified. You should keep at least one backup of
these maps, just in case of disk error.
MARPLOT application file. You should keep your MARPLOT installation file in case the application
file itself becomes lost or damaged on your hard drive.
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USERS folder. If your MARPLOT system is multi-user, there is a USERS folder inside the MARPLOT
folder. The USERS folder contains map files and other data (such as saved views and Search Collections)
created by each user. In most cases, the total size of this folder will be fairly small, and you can back it up
in its entirety. If a given user needs to be restored from a backup, you can copy just that user's folder from
the backup into the MARPLOT USERS folder.
Views and Search Collections. The VIEWS and SEARCHES folders in the MARPLOT folder
contain saved views and Search Collections. These folders are usually relatively small, and can be backed
up by copying the entire folders to a backup disk. (Note: In a multi-user MARPLOT system, the VIEWS
and SEARCHES folders in the MARPLOT folder contain collections shared by all system users. Personal
views and Search Collections for each user are kept in that user's folder within the USERS folder. These
are backed up along with the rest of the USERS folder.)
MARPLOT settings files. In the MARPLOT folder, the files called SETTING2.PLT, USER.PLT,
LAYERS2.PLT, GROUPS.PLT should be backed up occasionally. They are all small. (Note: In a multi-
user MARPLOT system, each user has their own copy of SETTING2.PLT, USER.PLT, LAYERS2.PLT,
and GROUPS.PLT. These are backed up along with the rest of the USERS folder.)
Adding maps to your MARPLOT system
For step-by-step examples of adding maps, see "Adding maps" on page 85.
Adding maps from the Internet
A map is a folder containing a number of layer files. To obtain map files, go to http://www.epa.gov/oem/
cameo/marmaps/. Find the desired state and county and download the maps. Usually you will copy the new
map folder into your MARPLOT folder, in which case the map is automatically recognized the next time
you run MARPLOT. If you want to copy the map to some other location, you will need to use the Find
New Map button (see "Using Find New Map" on page 86 and "Map List" on page 71) in MARPLOT'S
Map List dialog box in order to point out the new map to MARPLOT (see the note on the next page on
infrequently used maps).
Adding maps from LandView disks
MARPLOT and LandView (a database application discussed in "TIGER/Line database and LandView" on
page 19) use the same map file format. Maps for all U.S. counties and territories are available on the
LandView DVD. If your computer cannot read DVDs, you can order a custom CD-ROM for a single state
or group of states. For more information about LandView or to purchase the latest DVDs, go to
http: //landview. census .gov.
If a LandView DVD or CD is in your computer, MARPLOT will automatically add all of the maps on the
disk to your Map List. This allows you to work with any map on the DVD/CD as you do with any other
MARPLOT map, except you cannot make changes, and map operations are significantly slower for DVD/
CD maps than for maps on a hard drive.
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To speed up mapping operations, you may want to copy some maps from the CD/DVD to your hard drive.
Begin by identifying the five-digit FIPS code for the county map you want to copy. With the CD/DVD in
the drive, select Map List from the MARPLOT List menu. In the dialog box, all the maps are listed by
name and folder; the last item in the folder column is the FIPS code. Write down the code and exit
MARPLOT. With the CD/DVD in the drive, browse to the location of the desired map and copy the entire
map folder to your hard drive. (The maps are in the Tiger folder inside the maps folder. They are divided
by state and then organized into county folders by FIPS code.) If you copy the map to your MARPLOT
folder, MARPLOT will find the map automatically when it starts up. If you place the map outside of the
MARPLOT folder, use the Find New Map button and locate the .MAP file inside the map folder.
Infrequently used maps
Some users may have some maps that they use infrequently. For example, your county might have
a mutual aid agreement with other counties. It would be nice to have maps for these other counties
available, but since you use them only rarely, it would also be nice if they did not appear in
MARPLOT until they were needed. For infrequently used maps, there is an advantage to keeping
them in an alternate location: when maps are not in the MARPLOT folder, you can use the Remove
button in the Map List to remove them from the list of maps. When they are removed, MARPLOT
will not draw these maps, or refer to them in places such as the Search Criteria dialog box. When
you want to use a map again after it has been removed, you can use Find New Map in the Map List
dialog box.
If you are trying to conserve space on the disk drive on which MARPLOT is located, you might
want to put the maps on an external drive or on a removable disk. However, if you are going to keep
them on the same drive as MARPLOT, you should put them in the XTRAMAPS folder (within the
MARPLOT folder) that was created for this purpose. (Note that there is also a file in the
MARPLOT folder called XTRAMAPS.PLT This is related to, but different from, the XTRAMAPS
folder. You should not try to copy or edit this file. It contains references to all maps in use by
MARPLOT that are not in the MARPLOT folder, including the maps in the XTRAMAPS folder.)
Exchanging data with other MARPLOT systems
The two basic methods of exchanging map data are copying maps/map files and using MARPLOT'S
import/export functions. For a step-by-step demonstration of both of these methods, see "Transferring map
data" on page 126.
The simpler method is to copy entire map folders or individual map files from one system to another. In
cooperation with the people with whom you are sharing map information, you may be able to set up your
MARPLOT system in order to use this simple copy method. For example, suppose a state with twenty
counties wants to keep a state-wide map of chemical facilities. Individual MARPLOT installations in each
county are responsible for mapping the facilities for their county, and sending the data to the state. This
state might design a system where a different map is used to keep the facilities for each county. Each
county would plot its facilities and then send to the state the three map files containing the data:
FACILITY.OBJ, FACILITY.SUM, and FACILITY.LYR. When the state receives these three files from a
county, it copies them into that county's map folder. From the point of view of the state's MARPLOT
system, there is still just a single FACILITY layer; it's just distributed among several maps.
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In some cases, it may not be possible to transfer data simply by copying files. For example, consider the
situation where the state enters data for the facilities in all counties onto a single FACILITY layer of a
single map. The state sends this entire map folder to each county. The counties are supposed to correct any
errors in the facilities in their area, and send only the corrected objects back to the state. In this case, each
county cannot send back the entire map, since the state would have no way to combine the local parts from
each county. Instead, each county would select those objects it had modified and use Export from
MARPLOT'S File menu to export the objects into a text file using the MIE format. Each county would send
this text file to the state. The state would import each of these text files as it received them. During the
import, each updated object sent from a county would replace the old object on the state's map by default
(MARPLOT knows the objects correspond because their MARPLOT ID numbers are the same). In
general, this method of updating is slower and more error-prone than simply copying maps or map files.
Administrating a multi-user MARPLOT system
If several people will be accessing the same map files with MARPLOT (either because they use the same
computer at different times, or because you're sharing map files among different computers with a network
file server), you may want to set up a multi-user system. Advantages of this type of system include:
1. You can restrict certain users from making potentially destructive map edits;
2. You can assign codes to each user to help track who adds and modifies map objects; and
3. You can give each user separate program preferences and a separate space for storing personal
views, Search Collections, and map objects.
MARPLOT is installed in single-user mode by default. To change to multi-user mode, the person who is
going to be the administrator of the system should choose the Administrator item from MARPLOT'S File
menu. After a warning, you are asked to enter the administrator password, which initially is set to be
nimda. After entering this password and clicking OK, the system is converted to a multi-user system and
you are presented with the MARPLOT Administrator dialog box.
The MARPLOT Administrator dialog box allows the administrator to add users to the system and set their
passwords, permission level (edit or browse), and user codes (four-character codes that are attached to map
objects when users add or modify them). The administrator can also modify his or her own password, and
should do so as soon as possible. You can read more about the MARPLOT Administrator dialog box in its
on-screen help topic.
When your MARPLOT system is in multi-user mode, users must log into MARPLOT with a password
each time they start it (an exception is the "guest" user, which is automatically added to the system, and
which has browse-level permission and no password). Only the administrator has access to the
Administrator menu item, which brings up the MARPLOT Administrator dialog box again.
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In multi-user mode, users with browse-level permission can only modify objects on their personal user
map, which is stored in their user folder within the USERS folder along with their preferences. Other users,
including the administrator, also have a personal user's map, but they can add and modify objects on other
maps as well, including TIGER-derived county maps. All users must unlock layers before performing any
edits.
The administrator automatically has all the other users' maps added to his or her map list. Among other
things, this allows the administrator to check objects that browse-level users have created on their maps
before moving them to a shared map. Any maps that the administrator adds to the system using the Find
New Map button in the Map List dialog box are automatically added to the map lists of all users of the
system.
Any views that are stored in the VIEWS folder within the MARPLOT folder are available for use by all
users of the system. Users with edit-level permission can choose to save views into this folder to be shared
with other users. Any views saved by the administrator are automatically saved into this folder and are
therefore shared.
Note: Once your system has been put into multi-user mode, it can be put back into single user mode with
the Stop Administration button in the MARPLOT Administrator dialog box.
Using MARPLOT maps on a network
Since MARPLOT maps can consume a good deal of disk space, installations with several computers
connected via a local area network may want to share maps using a network file server. In this way, it is
possible for two or more users to be working with the same map at the same time—that is, all users are
drawing from the same map files, which are stored on the network file server. This situation presents no
problems, so long as no user is attempting to make changes to the shared map files while other users are
viewing the shared maps. When a user does make such changes, two problems are possible:
1. Either the user performing the edits or other users of the shared maps may be temporarily unable to
access the map files. The editing user may get an error alert saying that the map files could not be
accessed to perform the given edits. Other users may get an error alert saying that the map files are
temporarily unavailable for reading/drawing because they are being edited.
2. Even if the editing user is able to make the changes without running into error alerts, the other users
of the map may not see the new edits immediately. If it is important for those users to stay up to date
with the edits as they are made, they can simply quit MARPLOT and restart it. This will cause all
new edits to be shown when maps are drawn.
If possible, it is best to wait until you are the only one person using MARPLOT before making edits to
shared maps.
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Chapter 6: Administration
Creating new maps
Most MARPLOT users will never need to create a new map. Generally, you will have one or more base
maps, such as the U.S. county maps derived from TIGER data. Then you may have one or more maps,
each of which is associated with a database program that shares information with MARPLOT. In all of
these cases, the map folders are provided for you; you do not need to create them. If you need to add data
to these maps (most commonly, you will be adding to the maps associated with database programs), you
can add to the existing layers, or create your own layers on the existing maps.
Some users, however, may want to create new maps. If you are creating a map based on a large amount of
geographical information from some other data source, you will want to automate the map creation process
using MARPLOT Import/Export (MIE) files (see the MARPLOT Technical Documentation). There may
be cases, however, when you want to create a new "blank" map, and manually add objects to it in
MARPLOT.
Because creating maps in this way is not common, MARPLOT does not provide a special function for it,
such as a New button in the Map List dialog box. However, there is a trick you can use to create new
"blank" maps. When you insert a picture object (see "Using picture objects" on page 116), you are given
the option of using the picture as the first object on a new map. The idea is that the picture might represent
a new base map upon which you want to place other objects. The trick for making a "blank" map is to
create any picture in a painting or drawing program, insert the picture, choose the option to create a new
map, and then delete the picture object from that map, leaving yourself with a new map with no objects on
it. You can then rename the map as you like using the Map List dialog box.
Creating custom maps from other sources
MARPLOT maps are created in a two-step procedure. First, the source data (which includes latitude/
longitude information) is translated into a text file in the MARPLOT Import/Export (MIE) format. Then
this text file is converted into some number of MARPLOT binary map files (files ending with .LYR, .SUM
and .OBJ) using the Import item in MARPLOT'S File menu.
The two steps of this procedure can be carried out by hand, or can be automated using MARPLOT'S IAC
messages.
If you want to write your own translator, you will need the MARPLOT Technical Documentation, which
describes the MIE format in detail. The complexity of the programming involved in creating such a
translator varies depending on the complexity of the source data.
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Troubleshooting
Often, when you encounter difficulties while running MARPLOT, it will alert you of the
problem. At other times, you may encounter a problem and not know how to solve it.
Below are some of these cases. For more MARPLOT information, check the MARPLOT
Web site at http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/marplot.
MARPLOT is taking too long to draw my
map or to perform some other operation.
You can interrupt most MARPLOT operations
by pressing the escape (ESC) key. If your layer
scale ranges are not set appropriately, you may
find that MARPLOT is taking too long to draw
because it is drawing too much detail at zoomed-
out scales. If you find that you are pressing ESC
too often, you should change the layer scale
ranges using the Layer List dialog box.
I want to make a change to an object, but
MARPLOT won't let me.
To make a change to any object, that object's
layer must be unlocked using the Layer List
dialog box. Also, if your MARPLOT system is
multi-user and your system administrator has set
you up with browse-level permission, you will
only be able to make changes to objects on your
personal user's map.
When I save a view, the small image that
MARPLOT uses to represent the view looks
like a black rectangle, not like what I saved.
When MARPLOT "shrinks" the image of your
saved view, patterns in the image may become
more dense than they are in the map window. If
you save a view that contains a dotted
background pattern, those dots may become
magnified in the shrunken image, and can in fact
totally obliterate it. Thus, when saving a view
you should consider first hiding layers (such as
the Places layer) that contain objects that create
background patterns in the map window.
153
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Chapter 7: Troubleshooting
MARPLOT does not display the maps/layers Remember that what you see in the map window
I have. I get a blank window or a window that depends upon the area you are looking at, the
only shows some of my maps/layers. current scale (layers can be set to show only at
certain scales), the order of the layers (layers can
draw over one another), and the maps that are
currently in use. If you are not seeing what you
expect, consider each factor.
Here are some suggestions:
• Choose the correct view using the Go to
View item in the View menu. If the
desired view is not in the view list, click
on the Map List button and then click the
Go to Map button to see an entire map.
• Select the Layer List item in the List
menu. Check to see if the layers you want
are in Hide mode, or if they are in Range
mode and their scale settings have them
hidden at the current scale.
• In the Layer List, when the alphabetical
box is not checked, you can see the layers
in their top-to-bottom order. Higher layers
can draw over lower layers. Use the Move
button to change the order.
• Select the Map List item in the List menu
to see a list of the available maps. If the
desired map is not listed, use the Find
New Map button to locate it (or ask your
system administrator to install the map for
you). Maps may be unavailable because
the disks they are on are not currently in
the drive. Finally, a map may be available
but not in use, in which case you can
simply put it in use using the Map List
dialog box.
I'm searching for "E Maple St" in the Search Don't use directional prefixes in the Search
dialog box, but MARPLOT can't find it. dialog box. In this case, you should just type
"maple" and click Search.
154
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Chapter 7: Troubleshooting
A while ago I saved a view of a certain area of
my map. When I return to the view, it shows
the right area, but the contents look different
than when I saved it.
When you save a view, MARPLOT remembers
the area you were looking at and what it looked
like when it was saved. However, if you save a
view with certain layers shown and return to the
view at a time when different layers are shown,
the view may look different. Similarly, it is
possible that an object that used to be in the view
has since been deleted, or that new objects have
been added. If you are bothered by the
discrepancy between the small saved image of
the view and its current state, you can always
delete the old view and save it again with its new
look.
Someone used the Administrator menu item
and now MARPLOT asks me to login with a
password every time I run it. I want to go
back to a single-user system without
passwords.
There are two ways to return to single-user
mode. First, if you know the administrator's
password (see "Administrating a multi-user
MARPLOT system" on page 150), use that to
login to MARPLOT. Then choose the
Administrator menu item and click the Stop
Administration button in the MARPLOT
Administrator dialog box. Another method is to
quit MARPLOT, find the USERS folder within
the MARPLOT folder, and rename it USERSX.
Subsequent uses of MARPLOT will not require
passwords.
One or more of my map files seems to be
messed up. I can see certain objects on the
screen but can't click on them, I don't see
objects that I know are supposed to be there,
or I get error messages when MARPLOT is
drawing the maps.
Under certain unusual circumstances (perhaps
after a computer crash), it is possible for
MARPLOT's map files to become corrupted.
The best way to avoid problems with corrupted
files is to keep regular backups of your map
files. It is sometimes possible to fix corrupted
files by using the Compact Maps item in the File
menu. In the process of compacting the maps,
this function reorganizes the map data, and this
reorganization can correct certain errors.
However, corrupted map files are not common,
so you should consider other possible reasons
for your problem before trying Compact Maps.
155
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Chapter 7: Troubleshooting
156
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Appendix: MARPLOT
Symbols
Numbers in parentheses represent the symbol's ASCII value in the MARPLOT font.
Places
School (51)
Hospital (54)
Historical site (58)
Pier (62)
Church (52)
Fallout shelter (56)
Archaeological site (59)
Platform (63)
Federal building (52)
Village (57)
Lighthouse (61)
Wildlife refuge (64)
Chemistry
\Q>) Chemical interest (66)
Infectious subst. (69)
Chemical drum (72)
Corrosive (75)
Oxidizer (78)
XX Chemical placard (67)
Acetylene torch (70)
Chemical storage (73)
^g- Explosive (76)
Poison (79)
U Chemical sample (68)
Above-ground tank (71)
Gas cylinders (74)
(^ Flammable (77)
V-f Radioactive hazard (80)
157
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Appendix: MARPLOT Symbols
Fire Department
\D Fire dept. access (81) V Sprinkler connection (82)
•-" Fire pump (84) xtj] Fire escape (85)
1' Fire hydrant (87)
V Standpipe conn. (83)
II Fire extinguisher (86)
Monitoring Stations
Monitoring station (209)
Tidal station (89)
Weather station (90)
Recreation Sites
Camping (91)
Park (94)
Sport fishing (97)
Diving area (92)
Rec. beach (95)
National park (93)
Rec. fishing (96)
Industry
Aquaculture (98)
Logging (101)
Pipeline (104)
Subsistence fishing (99)
Mine/quarry (102)
Recreational fishing (105)
Factory (100)
Nuclear power (103)
158
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Appendix: MARPLOT Symbols
Sensitive biological resources
©
®
®
®
®
®
(?)
©
©
@
®
Coral/hardbottom reef
(111)
Rare plant (114)
Gastropod (117)
Bivalve (120)
Squid/octopus (123)
Other reptile/amphibian
(126)
Raptor (130)
Waterfowl (133)
Dolphin/porpoise (136)
Seal/sea lion (139)
Diving bird (142)
\^g7 Mangroves (112)
© Fish (115)
(o) Crab (118)
® Scallop (121)
Qy Alligator/crocodile (124)
® Gull/tern (128)
@ Shorebird(131)
@ Bear (134)
vj9 Manatee (137)
(^/ Small mammal (140)
v^x Submerged veg. (113)
(*?) Nursery area ( 1 1 6)
® Lobster (119)
@ Shrimp (122)
® Turtle (125)
® Alcid/pelagic bird (129)
® Wading bird (132)
($) Deer (135)
® Sea otter (138)
© Whale (141)
Water/marine
fi>i>)
©
-
c*
•
Underwater outfall (151)
Water supply (154)
Storm drain (158)
Channel buoy (162)
© Surface outfall (152)
ism Drain (156)
^ Sump (159)
/ Harbor buoy (163)
® Water intake (153)
^a Sewer (157)
.^ Channel buoy (161)
.^ Harbor buoy (164)
159
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Appendix: MARPLOT Symbols
Water/marine, Continued
mooring buoy (165)
Boat launch/ramp (168)
Exposed wreck (172)
Precautionary area (175)
& Anchorage (166)
® Hoist (169)
;*;' Rock awash (173)
Marina (167)
Boom (171)
Sunken wreck (174)
Communications
Radio communication
(183)
y\ Satellite ground station (&) Telephone (185)
(184)
Transportation, services and vehicles
Bridge (186)
Access (189)
® Ambulance (192)
Boat trailer (195)
Rail tanker (198)
USCG boat (201)
Container ship (204)
Airport (207)
Interstate (211)
Gas (187)
Helicopter (190)
Heavy equipment (193)
Trailer (196)
Y Skimmer (199)
Medium vessel (202)
Tanker(205)
Railroad crossing (208)
Police (188)
Fire truck (191)
@ Crane(194)
Tractor trailer (197)
) Ferry (200)
•i Small vessel (203)
Barge (206)
State highway (210)
160
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Appendix: MARPLOT Symbols
Incident Command System (ICS) facilities
Incident command post
(226)
Staging area (229)
Incident base (227)
Q Camp (228)
CAMEO symbols
ALOHA source point (177)
ALOHA threat at point (209)
Environmentally sensitive area, lower priority (178)
Environmentally sensitive area, medium priority (179)
Environmentally sensitive area, highest priority (180)
Less than 1 hour breakthrough time (214)
1-3 hours breakthrough time (213)
More than 3 hours breakthrough time (215)
Miscellaneous
Polyline layer (33)
High voltage (181)
'—^ Polygon layer (34)
Handicapped (182)
OSRO(176)
161
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Appendix: MARPLOT Symbols
Logos
^JJjr Environmental Protection Agency (41)
\j National Oceanic
Vjlp U.S. Coast Guard
and Atmospheric Administration (42)
P| =r
(43) -1 Genwest Systems (44) i
3 MARPLOT (45)
Shapes
(•) Place point (2 12)
O Circle (2 19)
A Triangle (222)
Pixel (2 17) '
0 Filled circle (220) >
A Filled triangle (223)
^| Filled square (225)
' Dot (2 18)
< Cross (221)
Square (224)
Alphabet
A (230)
E (234)
1 (238)
M (242)
Q (246)
U (250)
Y (254)
B (231) C (232)
F (235) G (236)
J (239) K (240)
N (243) 0 (244)
R (247) S (248)
V (251) W (252)
Z (255)
D (233)
H (237)
L (241)
P (245)
T (249)
X (253)
162
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Glossary
Administrator
MARPLOT can run in either single-user or multi-user mode. In
multi-user mode, one person is designated as the administrator.
The administrator has the capability to give other users access to
the system by assigning each user a password and permission
level.
Focus Point
The small, flashing, target-shaped icon that marks the location of
the most recent point of interest on the map. Every time you click
on the map with the arrow tool, the Focus Point moves to the
location of your click. The Focus Point also changes in response to
other operations, such as when you show an object from the
Search Collection on the map. The latitude/longitude coordinates
of the Focus Point are shown in the upper-left corner of the map
window.
Layer
A category of objects. Objects are organized into layers so that
you can operate on only certain objects at a given time. For
instance, you might want to search for an object named Walden
Pond only on your Water layer. Or you might want to hide your
Roads layer at a scale when the number of roads becomes so great
that the map becomes cluttered.
A given layer can contain objects of different types. For instance,
you might have both point and polygon objects on a Facilities
layer. The layers are drawn in a certain order, allowing you to put
certain layers "above" others on the map. You can use the Layer
List dialog box to examine and modify the settings of your layers.
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Glossary
Map
A map is a folder that contains the objects for a certain
geographical area. A map folder is often located in the same folder
as the MARPLOT application program, but can be located
anywhere on your computer. A map often covers the area of a
single county, but maps can be much smaller or much larger than
that. You can have any number of maps. It is common for the
geographical areas covered by two different maps to overlap. If
you use MARPLOT to view an area that intersects with more than
one map, all maps in the displayed area are drawn simultaneously
on the screen.
All of the maps that MARPLOT is aware of are always present,
and there is no need to close one map before opening another to
view it. However, it is possible to put a map out of use so that it is
not drawn on the screen. Use the Map List dialog box to examine
the list of maps.
A map folder contains a number of layer files. A layer file
contains the objects for the given layer on the given map.
Marked Point
The pink, target-shaped icon that marks a location of interest to
you. You can set and use the Marked Point with the Marked Point
submenu in the View menu, or the Vertex submenu in the Objects
menu.
Object
An entity on a map. MARPLOT maps are composed entirely of
collections of objects. A typical map contains thousands of
objects, distributed among several layers. An object is always on a
certain layer and a certain map. Each object has a number of
attributes that you can examine and change, such as its name or
color. Some attributes, such as fill pattern, are only present in
certain types of objects.
There are seven types of objects: point (symbol) objects mark the
location of a point with a symbol or dot; rectangle objects and
circle objects mark rectangular and circular areas; polyline
objects, which are sequences of connected line segments,
represent features such as roads and rivers; polygon objects
represent bounded features such as water bodies and parks; text
label objects are used to label maps with text; and picture objects
are like rectangle objects that are filled not with a simple pattern
but with the contents of a picture image.
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Glossary
Scale
The ratio of the size of a map to the size of the area it represents.
For example, a scale of 1:50000 means one inch on the map is
equal to 50,000 inches in the real world. MARPLOT can also
display scales in terms of units (e.g., "1 inch = 3.25 miles") or in
terms of the distance represented by the width and height of the
map window.
Note on scale terminology: As you zoom into the map, the scale
becomes larger. As you zoom out, the scale becomes smaller.
Search Collection
The list of objects resulting from the most recent search operation,
or from copying the selected objects to the Search Collection.
Segment
Polyline and polygon objects are comprised of connected line
segments. Each segment can have a number of attributes, such as
the range of addresses contained in a certain segment of a road.
When a polyline or polygon object is selected, MARPLOT draws
a red dot at each of its vertices. This makes it possible for you to
see how the object is broken into segments. If the Focus Point lies
along one of the object's segments, you can use the Segment
Settings menu item in the Objects menu to see the attributes of
that segment. Similarly, when you find an address range from the
Search Collection dialog box, and show it on the map, MARPLOT
indicates the found segment by centering the Focus Point along it.
In objects derived from TIGER/Line data, some segments are
called shape segments. This means that the segment "inherits" its
attribute settings from a neighboring segment.
Sharing
The process of MARPLOT communicating with other
applications. Usually these applications are databases that store
information about MARPLOT objects.
User's Map
Each MARPLOT user has a private map on which he or she can
perform any sort of scratch work by creating and editing
MARPLOT objects. In a single-user system, the user's map is
simply named "User's Map." In a multi-user system, each user has
his or her own user's map, with names such as "John's Map" and
"Mary's Map." Users who have browse-level permission can only
add or modify objects on their user's map.
165
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Glossary
Vertex A point defining the shape of a polyline or polygon object. Each
vertex of a polyline or polygon is highlighted with a red dot when
the object is selected.
View Th£ area of the world that is displayed in the map window. You
can change the view by using one of MARPLOT's several
navigation tools. You can save a view to be returned to at a later
time by giving it a name. You can pick a view to be the entry view,
which MARPLOT will go to automatically when it is started. You
can pick a view to be a reference view, which is displayed in an
inset on the map window, and which shows the current view in
reference to a larger area.
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Index
Adding Maps: SeeMaps.
Addresses: See Roads.
Administration: 16, 147-152, 155
Administrator: 51, 130, 150-151, 163
Aliases: 63, 142
Arrow Tool: 79-80, 90-92, 107, 133
B
Backups: 147-148
Browse-level Permission: See User
Permission.
CAMEO Map: 21
Center on Focus Point: 56
Circle Tool: 81-82, 103, 134
Cities and Towns (searching for): 35-36
Clear: 52
Color: 48, 77
Compact Map Files: 47-48, 155
Copy to Search Collection: 65, 92
Copy: 51
Cut: 51
D
Database Programs: 15-16, 19, 21, 68, 73,
78, 107
Datum: 19
Difference: See Make New Polygon.
Distance Tool: 80, 114, 133
DRAW INCOMPLETE: 42
E
Edit Menu: 51-54, 130
Edit Views: 57
Edit-level Permission: See User Permission.
Entry View: 57, 135
Envelope: See Make New Polygon.
Exchanging Data
examples: 126-128
export: 127-128
exporting: 47
import: 127-128
importing: 46-47
MIE files: 43, 46-47, 127, 150, 152
overview: 149-150
Export: 47, 127-128, 150
File Menu: 45-51, 130
Fill Pattern: 78, 97-100
Find New Map: 86-87
Focus Point: 41-42, 56, 58, 76, 79, 163
G
Geo-referencing: 53, 75, 116-122
Go to Lat/Long: 56
Go to Previous View: 56
Go to View: 55-56, 135
H
Hand Tool: 80, 133
Help
diagrams: 129-146
on-screen: 12-13
troubleshooting: 153-155
167
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Import: 46-47, 127-128, 150
Infrequently Used Maps: 129, 149
Insert Picture Object: 52-53, 116-124
Insert Vertex at Focus Point: 76, 111-112
Insets: 43-44
Intersections
of polygons: See Make New Polygon.
of roads: See Roads.
LandView: 15, 19, 23, 87-89, 148-149
Lat/Long Grid: 58
Latitude: 18, 41, 43, 49, 56, 58, 75
Layer List Groups: 69
Layer List: 66-71, 136
Layers
creating: 106
introduction to: 14
list of: 66-71
locking: 66, 97, 136
moving objects to: 77, 107
Scale Ranges: 23-28, 70-71, 137
TIGER-derived: 23
Legend: 43-44, 50, 58
Line Width/Pattern/Style: 77-78
Links: 11, 15-16, 19, 21, 68, 73, 107
List Menu: 59-73, 132
Login: See Administration.
Longitude: 18, 41, 43, 49, 56, 58, 75
M
Make New Polygon: 53-54
Make New Polyline: 54
Map List: 71-73, 86-89, 138
Map Window: 41-44, 133-134, 154
Index
Maps
adding: 85-89, 148-149
area: 14
backing up: 147
copying: 126-127
corrupted: 147, 155
creating: 152
custom: 152
definition of: 164
folder: 85
insets: 43-44
introduction to: 14, 85
list of: 71-73,86-89, 138
modifying: 97-107
moving objects to: 77, 107
multiple: 14
network: 151
saving: 45, 147
sharing: 149-150
Mark Vertex: 58,76, 113
Marked Point: 58-59, 76, 131, 164
MARPLOT
basic concepts: 13-18
files: 129
folder: 85, 129
font: See Symbol.
help: 12-13
key program features: 11
menu bar: 11-12
starting: 21
Technical Documentation: 13
MIE: See Exchanging Data.
Move Objects to Layer: 77, 107
Move Objects to Map: 77
Move Vertex to Marked Point: 59, 76, 114
Multi-User Mode: See Administration.
N
Navigation: 29
Network (maps on): 151
North American Datum: 19
168
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Index
o
Object Settings: 73-75, 97-100, 145
Objects
adding and modifying: 97-107, 134, 153
classification: 74
definition of: 164
identification: 16
introduction to: 13
labeling: 17, 67, 137
pictures: 52-53, 116-124
selecting: 15, 79
showing and hiding: 17, 67, 137
Objects Menu: 73-78, 132
Page Setup: See Print.
Paste: 51
Permission: See User Permission.
Pictures
See Insert Picture Object.
See Save as Picture.
Polygon Tool: 82, 103, 134
Polyline <-> Polygon: 54
Polyline Tool: 82, 103, 134
Pop-up Menus: 42-43
Preferences: 48-50
Print Setup: See Print.
Print: 46, 125
R
Rectangle Tool: 81, 103, 134
Redraw: 59
Reference View: See Views.
Roads
address ranges: 39, 65, 115-116, 144
editing: 108-116
intersections: 39-40, 64-65, 108-114
searching for: 37-40, 154
Save as Picture: 45, 126
Save Current View: 56
Scale
bar: 43-44, 49, 58
definition of: 165
display/format: 41, 44, 49
introduction to: 17-18
menu: 43
printed: 46
setting: 56
Search Collection: 15, 47, 62-63, 90-96, 142
Search: 60-65, 90-96, 139-141
Segment Settings: 75-76, 109-110, 115, 146
Segment: 165
Selected Objects: 15
Set Reference View: 31-34, 57
Set Scale: 56
Sharing Menu: 16, 78, 132
Show Search Collection: 65
Single-User Mode: See Administration.
Starting MARPLOT: 21
Status Line: 42, 91, 133
Streets: See Roads.
Symbol Tool: 81, 101-102, 134
Symbol: 78, 157-162
Temporary Layer: 54, 101, 105, 136
Text Tool: 83, 104-105, 134
TIGER/Line Database
accuracy of: 19
introduction to: 19
Time Stamp: 43-44, 50, 58
Tools: 48, 78-83, 133-134
Transferring Map Data: See Exchanging
Data.
Troubleshooting: 153-155
169
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Index
u
Undo: 51
Union: See Make New Polygon.
User Permission: 16, 97, 150-151, 153
User's Map: 165
USERS Folder: 16, 51, 148, 155
Vertex Menu: 76, 111-114, 132
View Menu: 54-59, 131
Views
definition of: 166
deleting: 34, 135
editing: 57
entry: 57, 135
introduction to: 15, 135
reference: 31-34, 41, 43, 54, 57
saved: 55-56, 155
saving: 30-31,56, 153
sharing: 56
w
Window: See Map Window.
X
XTRAMAPS: See Infrequently Used Maps.
z
Zoom-in Tool: 80, 133
Zoom-out Tool: 80, 133
170
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