Tutorial: How to Use the Pennsylvania Mine Map Atlas
Section 3: Advanced Tools
Overlays and Base Maps
There are other data you can view in addition to the mine maps. These are called Layers and the Layer List is displayed on the right side of the Mine Map Atlas. The Layers available in the Mine Map Atlas are called Overlays and Base Maps. The Overlays include the mine map tile index, the WPA tile index, county boundaries, muncipal boundaries, USGS Topographic quadrangle boundaries, state roads, and local roads. The Overlays can be viewed by clicking the check box next to the overlay name. These will be displayed over the existing base map. Base Maps include underlying data such as terrain, aerial photographs, USGS Topographic Maps, and a basic road map. You can collapse the Overlay and Base Maps boxes by clicking the Hide Layers button in the upper right corner of the Atlas.
Example: A base map is the map you see in the background of the Atlas such as aerial photos. The overlays are information that is laid over the base map, for example, roads or muncipality boundaries. The overlays and base maps available for viewing include:
Mine Maps Options
Mine Map Options are located below the Search tab on the left navigation menu. The Mine Map Options tab allows you to turn off the mine map you are currently viewing as well as allowing you to adjust the Transparency of the mine map.
NOTE: How to view and highlight mine maps is covered in Section 2 of this tutorial.
Example: This is the Mine Map Atlas Turn Mine Map Off and Transparency tool.
Example: You can use the Transparency tool by moving the slider bar to the right, you make the mine map more transparent allowing you to see other features on the base maps and overalays such as houses and streets. Slide it to the left and it becomes less transparent.
By making the mine map more transparent, you can see features from the base maps and overlays such as buildings and roads. This helps you identify the actual location and extent of the mine map more effectively.
Print Map
The Print Map tab allows users to create their own map and save it in one of three formats: PDF, PNG, or JPEG.
Example:To print a map, just click on the Print Map tab which is located below the Mine Map Options tab on the left navigation menu and select the format for the exported map. If you select PDF format, you will be prompted to give your map a title. Just type the title into the title box. If you do not type in the title, you will be prompted to do so. Then click Print Map. NOTE: Be sure that you do not have your Pop Up blocker on since the map will be displayed to you in a new window.
Measure
The Measure tab, which is located below the Print Map tab on the left navigation menu, allows users to measure by area, distance, or identify a location.
Example:To activate the measuring tool, click on the Measure tab and then click on the Activate Meausure box.
Once you have Activated the measure tool you will see three small icons below the Clear Features button. The first icon allows you to measure area, the second icon allows you to measure distance, and the third icon allows you to identify a location.
To measure area click on the Area icon. When you click on this you will see the word Acres appear to the right of the icons. This alerts you to the fact that the measurement units are currently set to acres. To change the measurement units, click on the word Acres and you will see a drop down menu with other options.
To measure, just click on your first point on the map then move your mouse to the next point you want to include in the area measure. Continue clicking until you have made a box or polygon around the area you want to measure. To finish measuring, double click on the final point. You should see a blue line outlining the area you measured and the calculated area under the Measurement Result line.
View Area results by Acres, Sq Miles, Sq Kilometers, Hectares, SqYards, Sq Feet, Sq Meters
To measure distance click on the Distance icon. When you click on this you will see the word Miles appear to the right of the icons. This alerts you to the fact that the measurement units are currently set to miles. To change the measurement units, click on the word Miles and you will see a drop down menu with other options. You will also see the calculated distance under the Measurement Result line.
To measure, just click on your first point then double click on the second point. You should see a straight blue line with your beginning and end points.
You can change the measurement units to kilometers, feet, meters, or yards depending on your needs.
Identify Location
The Identify Location tool allows you to identify a location by latitude and longitude.
Example:To identify a specific location by latitude and longitude, in decimal degrees or degrees, minutes, and seconds, click on the Identify icon. When you click on this you will see the word Degrees appear to the right of the icons. This alerts you to the fact that the location will be represented in Degrees. To change the representation, just click on the word Degrees and you will see a drop down menu with the option to change to DMS. To identify a location, just click on a point on the map. You will see a green flag located on the point. You will find your location information under the Measurement Results line.
NOTE: Degrees means “Latitude and Longitude in Decimal Degrees format” and DMS means “Latitude and Longitude in Degrees, Minutes, Seconds format".
NOTE: Remember when you are finished measuring, click off the Activate Measuring box so you can return to the other Atlas functions.
To go back to Section 2, How to View and Download Mine Maps, click the Back button below.
To continue with the tutorial and learn about Connecting to PHUMMIS, click the Continue button below.
