Navigation instructions

There are several ways to navigate around using the map interface, your pointer device (mouse) and your keyboard.

• Double-click on the map to zoom in
• Click and drag to pan around the map
• If your mouse has a scroll-wheel, you can use this to zoom in and out.
• Hold the SHIFT key down and draw a box on the map to zoom into the specifid area.
• You can also use the '+/-' icons in the top left hand corner of the map to zoom.

Zoom in and out

There are multiple ways to zoom in and out:

• Zoom in and out:  scroll the mouse wheel up and down.
• Zoom in only: double left-click the mouse over the area you would like to zoom in.
• Zoom to a selection:  hold down the shift-key and left-click and hold the mouse button then drag a rectangle over the map area.
• Zoom buttons press the zoom in or out  button in the top left hand corner of the map (Figure 1).

Pan the map

• Pan/move the map left-click and hold mouse button in map area and drag the mouse in any direction.

Tip - Turn layers off to speed up navigation. The more layers you have turned on, the longer it will take for everything to load each time you zoom or pan.

Turn layers on and off

• Layers are found in the folders on the right hand side of the map. To open a folder click on the + symbol. 
• To turn on a layer click the box next to the writing and a tick will appear.
• To turn off a layer, click the box again. 

Change map layer order

• Click on TOOLS menu in the top right hand menu. 
• Layers appear in order, so the top layer will appear on the top of the other layers. 
• Drag layers to reorder. 

Change layer transparency

• Ensure layer is turned on. 
• Click on layer text next to the tick box to ensure it is highlighted. This will make it your active layer. 
• Underneath the layer names will be 'Active Layer' and there will be a heading with 'Transparency' and underneath will be a slider bar. 
• Click on the bar and slide to the left to increase transparency and to the right to decrease transparency. 

Get more information on a layer

Query a layer

• Many layers are queryable by left clicking on a point, line or polygon (shape) on the map. 
• Ensure layer you want information on is turned on
• Click on layer text next to the tick box to ensure it is highlighted. This will make it your active layer. 
• Only an active layer can be queried. 
• To see if you can query it you will see underneath the layer names 'Active Layer'.
  • If you can query this layer, it will say in  blue 'Query mode: ON'. 
  • If this layer cannot be queried it will say in grey "Querying not available'. 

Metadata for layers

• To get metadata on this layer, click on the '(i)' next to the layer name in the 'Active Layer' part.
  • Metadata may include a description, the custodian of the data, the date the layer was created etc. 

Advanced search filters for layers

• Some layers allow additional search and filter options. 
• Ensure layer you want information on is turned on
• Click on layer text next to the tick box to ensure it is highlighted. This will make it your active layer. 
• If you can see a "cog" icon in the active layer section you can click it to access these addtional filters.

Change basemap

• Similar to google maps you can change from a map view to a satellite view and a hybrid view which is a combination of the two. 
• On the right hand corner of the map will be a box with GoogleStreets, VicMap, Vicmap IMAGERY and ESRI Imagery.
  • The layer shown on the map will be the layer shown in bold. 
  • To change the basemap, click on the text of the basemap you would like shown. 

Find the legend

• The legend for the currently active layer will be automatically displayed under the active layer section. 
• To view legends for other visible layers
  • Click on LEGEND menu located in the top right hand menu and the legend will pop up. 
  • This legend can be moved around the map and can be resized. 
  • The legend will show all layers that are turned on (excluding basemap). 

Measure area or distance

• Click on TOOLS located in the top right hand menu.
• At the bottom (may need to scroll) you will see 'Measure'. 
• To move to where you need to measure click on the hand symbol and pan to your site. 
• To measure the distance between two points click on the middle icon with the lines and a ruler.
  • Click on a point on the map where you would like to measure from and click the mouse twice at the end point. The distance will come up below the measuring tool icons. 
• To measure multiple lines together, turn on the middle measuring tool icon.
  • Click on the map your first measuring point and click once again where you would like the line to go. When you are finished double click your last point. The distance will come up below the measuring tool icons. 
• To measure an area, click on the right hand measuring tool.
  • Single click points on the map to create your shape and double click to complete your shape. The area will come up below the measuring tool icons. 

Save a map view

• This allows you to save the current map view and layers as a link so that you can go back to it again without having to start over. This is also useful for sharing a link. 
• Click on SAVE in the top right menu.
  • Highlight the URL showing in the box. Then copy and save as bookmark or save elsewhere. 
  • Alternatively click on 'Permalink' and the link text will be shown in your browser URL bar. 

Toggle menu on side on and off

• If you would like to unshow the 'Categories and Layers' on the right hand side of the screen, click on the icon under the +/- zoom icons in the top left hand corner of the map. 
• To make it reappear, click on the icon again. 

Querying the map for information

To query the map, first you need to have selected a queryable layer folder from the layer select box in the top right hand corner of the map. Then ensure that the 'Query mode' has been switched to 'ON'. Then to query the map just click on the point of the map you are interested in, and information related to that point will appear in a pop-up window.