Map Navigation View
By Andrew Wright, February 2018
Updated by Sandra Schloen, April 2019
Map Navigation View is one of three modes provided by OCHRE for navigating among the collection of OCHRE items in a project.The other views are Hierarchy view (the default) and List view which are available by toggling the tree-icon button on the main OCHRE menu bar.
To enter Map View, click the globe-icon button. If Map View has not been initialized for your system, refer to Geospatially Enabled OCHRE.
Alternatively you can use the View menu item, Pick navigation style sub-item, and choose the View map option.
Navigating the Map
By default, the project-level basemap appears (see example from Zincirli below). For more information on basemaps, see The Importance of a Basemap.
To zoom in and out, scroll with the mouse wheel or press (+/-) on the keyboard. To pan, click and hold the left mouse button or press the directional keys on the keyboard. Alternatively, the navigation overlay in the lower left corner of the map may be used (see detail below).
To rotate the map, click and drag the mouse cursor inside the circle containing the directional arrows. To return to north, click the ‘N’ button. To zoom to the map’s full extent, click the globe button.
The Left-hand Navigation Pane
The panel on the left displays hierarchies containing geospatial data that may be displayed in Map View. Clicking the blue Information button will toggle icons that indicate more information about each item’s map representation. In the example below, clicking this button (highlighted at top) generates image icons next to some items and globe icons next to others. The image icon means that that item has an image to use as a local basemap (on how to swap basemaps, see The Importance of a Basemap) . The globe icon means that there is a raster image (here, orthorectified photos) that may be displayed.
At the locus, pail, and pail contents levels, shape and pin icons may appear (see the example below). The shape icon indicates that that item is available to view as a shapefile/polygon(s). The pin icon indicates that that item has coordinates, and thus displays as a point on the map.
If the user has access, clicking the Eye of Horus button allows the user to go from View mode to Edit mode. In other words, upon double clicking an item, it becomes editable. In Edit mode, the button appears as a Feather of Maat (see below).
View mode:
Edit mode:
Finally, clicking the Layers button displays all layers that are currently selected for viewing, and allows the user to adjust their transparency or turn them on and off. In the example below (Layers button is highlighted), the shapefiles of two loci and their respective excavation unit (here, Square 0B) are displayed on top of an orthophoto.
If the user wished to turn off the Square 0B polygon, it may be unticked. To make the remaining locus polygons semi-transparent, the sliders beneath each locus may be adjusted accordingly. The example below is the result. Notice that the polygons for the rocks and unexcavated mudbrick fall on top of the features in the orthophoto perfectly.
As of April 2019, users can drag-drop layers in the layer list to reorder them. Select the layer to be moved (click on it towards the right of its label so that it doesn't trigger the visibility-checkbox or the transparency-slider); the list item will turn blue indicating selection. Hold and drag, dropping the selected layer on the item after which you want to move it. Moving the basemap itself, or moving layers after the basemap, is not allowed; that is, the basemap will always be the last item in the list.
To leave Map View, click the Star button.
Map View Toolbar
1) When layers are added on top of the project-level basemap, this globe button zooms to the full extent of that basemap. After swapping the project-level basemap for a local basemap, this button zooms to the full extent of the new basemap. To revert to the original project-level basemap, select the Project item at the top of the navigation pane, and click this button.
2) Zooms to the previous extent. It only works within the currently displayed basemap. For example, if a user swaps from the project-level basemap to a local basemap, this button will not zoom to any extent within the previous basemap.
3) Zooms to the extent of whatever item is currently selected in the left-hand panel. It is also used to swap basemaps (see The Importance of a Basemap), including reverting to the project-level basemap (refer to button #1 above).
4) Zooms to the extent of an area bounded by a box made by clicking and dragging the mouse.
5) Clears all graphics and points, leaving raster images. Shift-clicking this button clears everything that is selected in the left-hand panel, including raster images.
6) (not currently used)
7) Makes all polygons outlines, removing their fill colors. (Note: When shapefiles are selected, they are each assigned a different random color. This button simply makes them hollow.)
8) Toggles elevations.
9) To display particular elevations of selected items, type the elevation code here (eg. T071 or B021 for specific elevations, or T* or B* for only top and bottom elevations).
10) Toggles labels.
11) (To be determined.)
12) Toggles 0.5 m grid lines.
13) Toggles 0.1 m grid lines.
14) Changes the scale of the displayed map content.
15) Prepares the currently selected square for printing. In order to do this, a basemap of sufficient resolution must be selected (printing scale is typically 1:50). 0.1 mm guidelines are automatically activated. This feature is customized for the needs of individual projects. Please contact the OCHRE Data Service to arrange printing from Map View.
16) Displays currently selected item using a heat map. (Under development.)
17) Prints the current map display. (As with #15, this option is customized for specific project needs.)
18) View the Link Manager and Query Results in a separate window. This provides access to these tools as a pop-up over the Map display.
19-21) These are for managing point coordinates. For instructions, see Managing Point Coordinates.
Registered Find Pins
When a registered find has an associated elevation/coordinates, it appears on the map as a green pin. Clicking this pin will bring up a bubble dialog with the find description and photo or drawing (whichever appears first as a linked item, if available) (see below).
