Mapping Tool

A) Toolbar

	Print	Clicking this button will bring up a dialog box.  Name your map and press Create Page.  A new window will appear with your current map, the legend and the overview map.  Use your browser's print function to make a hard copy of the map.
	Zoom In	Click anywhere on the map to zoom into that location. You can also click and hold to drag out a selection box to zoom into a particular area.
	Zoom Out	Click anywhere on the map to zoom out and center on the location you selected.
	Zoom to State	Zooms out enough to see the entire state of Arkansas.
	Pan	Click and drag the mouse anywhere on the map. This will cause the map to slide in the direction you are moving the mouse.
	Information	Click this button, and then click on an active feature on the map to learn about it. An active feature is one that belongs to the current active layer, which is designated by the selected radio button.
	Overview Map	Use this button to turn on and off the overview map in the top left corner of the map frame.

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B) Overview Map

This frame contains the map of Arkansas at full zoom and will allow you to move to any part of the map by clicking where you want to view.

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C) Map Frame

This frame contains the map and can be zoomed into, out of, or panned around using the corresponding buttons on the toolbar.  The upper left corner contains an overview map which lets you know where you are in relation to the entire state.  To turn this overview map on and off, click the Toggle Overview Map button located in the top right corner of the screen.

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D) Layer List

Refresh Map

Use this button to refresh the display when you change the visible layers.

The "Layer List" contains all of the possible layers, or elements, available for viewing within the map. Layers that have a check mark in the "Visible" box to the left of their names will be shown on the map. Red checkmarks mean the layer is visible while a grey checkbox means you need to zoom in farther to see the layer. More than one layer can be seen at a time.

Layers that are highlighted in blue are "Active" layers. Only one layer can be active at a time. The "Identify" function, along with many other tools, in the toolbar requires the layer you are identifying to be active. Clicking a layer that is already the "Active" layer will check or uncheck the "visible" checkbox.

Clicking the plus or minus beside a group name will show or hide the list that belongs to that group. The visible layers in that group will still be shown and the active layer will stay the same. If the group name is colored blue then the active layer is inside that group.

Once you have selected a new layer to be visible or unchecked an existing layer to turn it off, you must hit the Update Map button to refresh the map and show your changes. Active layers will change without refreshing the map.

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Helpful Functions

	Look up information on a road, county, or district with the info button. First, make a feature active by clicking on the round radio button beside its name on the legend. Then click the info button, and click on a feature on the map.
Create a 4-page profile	There are two ways to create a custom 4-page census profile. The first is to simply click the profile tool in the toolbar then draw a rectangle, polygon, or line on the map. In both examples Polk, Montgomery, Pike, and Howard counties will be selected because they touch the selection area. To select an area using a rectangle, click the profile button and draw a rectangle on the map. To create a selection using a line or polygon, choose the “Line” or “Poly” button in the selection toolbox that will appear beside "Online Arkansas" and "Help" (pictured to the right). The second way to create a custom profile is to use the "identify" tool and click a location on the map. A small buffer around where you click will be included in the selection. The census profiles are only available for Arkansas, Counties, Townships, Cities, Tracts, and Block Groups. they are not available for Blocks to prevent privacy concerns.	Selection Examples Selection Toolbox

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Troubleshooting

• Where are all of the buttons? If your monitor resolution is low, all of the buttons on the toolbar may not fit on the page. If this is the case, there will be a scrollbar between the map window and the toolbar. Use this scrollbar to access the remaining buttons.
• Why can't I select something? If you're trying to select a feature on the map with, for instance, the info tool, you will need to make sure that you have made that feature type active. For example, if you are trying to get information on a senate district, make sure you have selected the 'active' radio button next to the 'Senate Districts' entry of the legend.
• Why can't I see the roads? The map is set up so that the roads will not be displayed unless the map is zoomed in to a higher magnification level. This is because there are so many roads that if we tried to draw them over the entire state it would take forever and result in an illegible mess.  Try zooming in closer to the area where you wish to view the roads, and refresh the map again.
• My address doesn't come up! If the site cannot find your address, make sure that you enter the entire name of the road, including 'st,' 'rd,' 'dr,' etc. Make sure your ZIP code is correct. At this time, our site takes 5 digit zip codes only. In certain rare cases, our database may not have your address listed as a valid address for your street. If nothing else works, try entering a cross street instead to find an intersection near your house.
• If you have found an error or glitch that is not mentioned in this help file please contact us at ilfarmahan@ualr.edu.

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