The map tutorial contains worked examples to allow you to gain familiarity with the Interactive Map and to learn about the different functions. If you require more information at any point,
please refer to the Online Help.
To access the Interactive Map, follow the link from the MAGIC home page or from the 'Online Resources' menu on any page. This takes you to the initial page where you choose which layers you
wish to view on the map and the area that you are interested in viewing.
When you open the Interactive Map you can load one of the prepared 'map topics' or design your own topic containing your own choice of map layers.
From the opening page, we will open a map centred on the grid reference SE2581 containing the following layers:
Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Environmentally Sensitive Area Agreements
Heritage Coasts
Less Favoured Areas
Objective 2 Areas
Scheduled Monuments
Sites of Special Scientific Interest
Special Protection Areas
Woodland Grant Schemes
To do this:
In Step 1, ‘What data do you wish to view?’, from the drop-down list, select ‘Design my Own Topic’
A window should pop up, prompting you to select your map layers. Select the layers listed above.
When you have selected your layers, click on 'Save Selection'. (You can now bring up the same selection next time by clicking on 'Load Selection').
Click on ‘Done’ when you have selected your layers.
In Step 2, ‘Where do you want to go?’ click on the radio button alongside ‘Grid Ref – AB12(3)45(6)’ to indicate that you are entering a grid reference and in the text box enter the text "SE2581".
Once you have read the Terms of Use statement, click to Agree.
Now click on 'Open Map' and the map should begin loading in a new window.
Task 2: Moving around the map and displaying layers
Zoom out to full extent using the ‘Full Extent’ button. You should notice that some of the layers that you selected for your map topic are no longer visible on the map.
Some map layers are not visible at all scales for two main reasons:
To improve performance times by not drawing detailed features at small scales
It is not appropriate to show features captured at small scales when you have zoomed in to a large scale.
Get more information on scale limits that have been set within the application.
Zoom in on the county of Cumbria by dragging a box over the area (click on the 'Zoom In' tool, then click on the map and hold the mouse down and drag to draw the box).
Zoom in to 1:150000 by entering 150000 in the scale box, then clicking on 'Go'. Note that all layers should now be visible again.
To see the features in one layer more easily it may help to turn off other layers. Click on the 'List of Layers' button above the map legend. Switch off 'Less Favoured Areas' and 'Objective 2 Areas' by removing the check next to the layer name, then click on the 'Refresh Layers' button to redraw the map. It should now be easier to see the features from the other layers.
The layers can also be viewed without the Ordnance Survey backdrop map. Click on the 'OS Backdrop On/Off' button and the map should redraw without the backdrop information. Click on the button click again to turn the backdrop maps back on
Task 4: Navigating to locations and performing site checks
We will use the 'Find' button to navigate to the Scheduled Monument, Eshott Castle in Northumberland
Click on the Find button and select 'Scheduled Monuments' as the layer to search ("Find me a feature in:").
In the text box ("With a name or attribute") enter the text, Eshott Castle and click on 'Find'.
The results window should appear with a match - click on the text and the map will zoom to Eshott Castle.
To find out the grid reference of Eshott Castle, click on the 'Where am I?' tool, then click on the feature on the map. The grid reference will be displayed in an 'alert box'.
We’ll now perform a 'Site Check' to find out which of the layers in the map topic have features within 3000 metres of Eshott Castle.
Click on the 'Site Check Around a Point' tool and in the window that appears, enter 3000 in the textbox. Click on 'Next'
Now click on Eshott Castle on the map and a report will be generated detailing the features within 3km of Eshott Castle. The report could take up to a minute to be created. The map will also be redrawn to show the search area.
Now click on the Print button above the map to print a copy of the map.
In the dialogue box that appears, select an A4 map, print an Overview map and a legend and give the map a title of your own choosing.
When you click on the ‘Create Print Page’ button, a new window will open with your map ready to print. You then need to use the File – Print command to print the map and you must ensure that your printer is set to print Landscape and A4.
Select the ‘Change Map Topic’ tab and select ‘Change Map Topic’
Select ‘Rural Designations - Other’ and click on 'Next'.
The map topic should load and the map should still be centred around Eshott Castle.
Click on the 'Map Tools' tab and click on the 'Find' button.
Select Historic Parks and Gardens from the list of layers and enter 'Hardwick Hall' as the search text.
Click on the name in the results window to view a map of Hardwick Hall.
We will now estimate the area of this feature. Click on the 'Measure Area' tool.
When the Measure Area window has appeared, you can begin to trace around the feature. Click on the first point and a red marker should appear, then click on the next point and again a marker will appear. When you click on the third point the previous marker will disappear, and so on as you trace around the feature, so that only the starting point and the last point that you clicked will be shown.
When you have finished tracing around the feature, click on 'Measure Area' in the Measure Area window and the area in hectares and square kilometres should be displayed in a new window.
In Step 1, 'What data do you wish to view?', from the drop-down list, select 'Coastal and Marine Resource Atlas'
In Step 2, 'Where do you want to go?' click on the radio button alongside 'Place' to indicate that you are entering a place name and in the text box enter the text 'Blackpool'
Once you have read the Terms of Use statement, click to Agree.
Now click on 'Open Map' and the map should begin loading in a new window.
The map may take a minute or so to load.
A 'Search Results' window will open. Click on 'Blackpool, Lancashire'.
Due to the number of datasets available in this topic, only 14 default layers will be switched on to begin with. As this topic contains both land and marine datasets, there is the option to view the data in both GB Projection and ED50 Mercator Projection.
To reproject the data into ED50 mercator, click on the 'Change Projection' button
The map will reload in the new projection.
Click on the 'List of Layers' button and switch off 'Intertidal Substrate (Wales)' and 'Intertidal Substrate Foreshore (England & Scotland)'
Switch the 2 Atlantic White Sided Dolphin layers on.
Click on 'Refresh Layers' and close the list of layers.
Due to the scale threshold set on these 2 datasets you may need to zoom to a different scale before they appear.
Enter 11000000 into the scale bar and click 'Go'. The datasets should now appear.
and switch off 'Intertidal Substrate (Wales)' and 'Intertidal Substrate Foreshore (England & Scotland)'