MONTANA DIGITAL ATLAS

Kenny KetnerMontana State Library

February 22, 2017

OVERVIEW

Quick poll

■ How many have used the MSL Digital Atlas before?

About me

■ I’m new. Hi!■ West Texas transplant to Montana, October 2016■ Information Products Lead at the MSL Digital Library■ Previously, 8 years at Texas Tech University Libraries in

Lubbock, TX■ Lead developer for Occam’s Reader, the first library-

developed method for the interlibrary loan of eBooks■ My passion is for developing new products to improve

the human condition, particularly in libraries

What can you do with the Digital Atlas?■ Build a map with the information you want shown on it■ Find geographic locations in Montana■ Explore geographic databases■ Browse aerial photos and topographic maps■ Generate reports about the data shown on your map■ Useful as a starting point for further research

Who should use the Digital Atlas?

■ Anyone and everyone!■ Many tools for mapping professionals exist and have a steep learning

curve.■ The Digital Atlas is a great tool for the general public to use to create

the maps that they are interested in.■ It is also great for learning about mapping and exploring Montana.■ And again, use it as a starting point for further research.

How do I get to it?

■http://msl.mt.gov/atlas

■Browse to it from the MSL Geographic Information Clearinghouse:http://geoinfo.msl.mt.gov/

Questions welcome along the way■ Just type your questions in the chat box

NAVIGATING THE MAP

Pick a base map

■ Default is ESRI Shaded Relief, easiest to see information on top of it■ Street map■ Air photos, NAIP or ESRI■ Topographic maps■ Note: some base maps may not draw when zoomed in to the local

level

The interface

■ Welcome screen can be shown again at any time, so feel free to close it

■ Help is available ■ Application windows can be moved and resized■ View Legend

Moving around

■ Zooming: plus and minus buttons at the top left■ Note: the scroll wheel will NOT zoom in or out like many mapping

programs■ Zoom to area: shift + drag mouse■ Zoom to point: double click■ Zoom to point and re-center: shift + double click■ Re-center: shift + click■ Pan: arrow keys (cursor must be over map window) or drag mouse■ Zoom out: shift + control + drag mouse (I almost never use this)

A POINT ON THE MAP

What can you do with a point?

■ Clicking on the map opens the location dialog box and marks the spot with a green cross

■ View coordinates and location identifiers■ Tabs will appear in the dialog box for each layer you have added (more on

this soon)■ Tip: you can use information from the location dialog box to search■ Layer tabs may include Zoom To buttons, which move the map to the

desired feature

SEARCHING

How to search

■ Click the Search button■ Select what type of search you want from the list at the left■ Fields will change for the type of search■ Fill out the fields and click the Search by … button■ The map will zoom to the location of your search■ You can also search by drawing a shape on the map (User Drawn

Polygon)■ The polygon can be edited, finalized, and cleared

CREATING A MAP

How to create your map

■ Start with a base map■ Add the layers you want■ Define the map extent (what is shown on the screen) ■ Print or save the map■ Generate any reports you want■ Download any data you want (mostly for GIS professionals)

Fun with map layers

■ Administrative Boundaries■ Air Photo Dates■ Aviation■ Cadastral (also known as owner data, parcel data, tax data)■ Census Blocks■ Dams■ Groundwater Wells■ Legislative Districts

More fun with map layers

■ Mining■ Public Land Survey System (PLSS)■ Registered Commercial Apiaries■ Schools■ Septic System Density■ Soil Data (SSURGO)■ Stream Monitoring■ Streams and Lakes

Even more fun with map layers

■ Structures and Addresses■ Towns■ Transportation■ Watershed Boundaries■ Weed Districts■ Wetlands

■ …whew!

SAVING A MAP

How to save your map

■ Click the Copy Current Map Link■ A dialog box will pop up containing a long URL that will recreate your

map■ Great to save your work and come back later■ Great for sharing■ Some limitations

Other ways to save your map

■ In case you need your map offline or where internet service is slow, there are other ways to save your work

■ Print it by clicking the Print button above the map■ Note that the print view may differ slightly from what is shown■ Use print screen and crop■ Microsoft Snipping Tool (Windows Vista and later)

GENERATING REPORTS

What do the reports include?

■ Reports cover the layers that have been selected, so make sure you have selected layers first

■ Click the Generate Reports button once the map contains what you want

■ Summary■ Details about each layer

How do you access the reports?

■ Reports appear below the map■ Click the arrows beside each section header to expand or collapse that

section■ Be aware that large record counts may take a while■ Zoom To button moves the map to the desired item and highlights it■ Columns can be sorted ascending or descending■ Export to excel file or csv file, the whole report or specific panels■ Export geometry to a text file■ Print all panels or selected panels

DOWNLOADING DATA

What data can be downloaded?

■ ESRI geodatabase files, based on the layers and geometry selected by the user

■ Mostly professionals who use ArcGIS would want to download this■ Files are generated automatically by the Digital Atlas, zipped, and

emailed

How do I download data?

■ First, select all the layers you want to include■ Next, make sure the screen shows the map area you want to

download■ Click the Download Data button■ Follow the steps in the form that appears■ Fill out all fields■ Click the Request Data button■ Note: the MSL Data Bundler may be a better option for professional

users

WRAPPING UP

Another quick poll

■ How many of you feel like you could use the Montana Digital Atlas to assist a patron with a mapping request?

Troubleshooting tips

■ Are you using the latest version of your browser?■ Clear your cache (shift + F5) and start over■ Can you try it in a different browser?■ Call the MSL Geoinfo on-call number 406-444-5354■ To get help or to make a feature request for the Digital Atlas, email

geoinfo@mt.gov

Other resources

■ Cadastral http://gis.mt.gov ■ Legislative Snapshots http://snapshot.msl.mt.gov ■ Data List, Data Bundler, Aerial Photos, and more

http://geoinfo.msl.mt.gov/ ■ Map Gallery http://msl.mt.gov/GIS/Maps ■ Montana Place Names http://mtplacenames.org

Thank you

■ Please feel free to contact me with any suggestions or questions you may have!

■ Kenny Ketner■ kketner@mt.gov■ 406-444-2870