How to use the internet map server

Geographic information systems vs. conventional maps
People who may have used conventional maps before but are unfamiliar with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) may not be immediately aware of the powerful functionality offered by internet mapping services.

The Bonanza Creek LTER internet map server is much more than a simple map viewer. Conventional maps have features such as roads, buildings, political and natural boundaries that convey information about the area of interest. With a conventional map, what you see is what you get.

GIS maps are different from conventional maps in that there is much more information available about map features than is immediately apparent on first glance. Each feature on the map has information about it stored in a database. A map user can select features of interest and then query the database for more information about them. GIS maps also allow the user to turn on themes of interest and turn off extraneous themes that are of no interest to the user. In a sense, the user can construct a custom map that effectively conveys very specific information.

Below is a quick guide to the major tools and functions of our map server:

The toolbar

After starting the map service you will see a map viewer with a toolbar on the left and a list of available themes on the right. Below is an overview of the toolbar and layer list functionality.

The layer list

Each map service has a series of layers, or themes associated with it. These layers can be turned on to make them viewable, or off to remove them from the viewer. You can also make a layer active in order to extract information about its features.

Take me back to the main map server page