Specifically, it shows you how to ask questions of the information (and get useful answers).

By default, the map opens with the Expanded Toolkit closed. There are a number of tools within the Expanded Toolkit that allow you to perform more advanced tasks. Please note that the contents of the Expanded Toolkit may vary from application to application.

Clicking this graphic opens the Expanded Toolkit.

Clicking this graphic closes the Expanded Toolkit.

The tools you will read about on this page are found within the Expanded Toolkit.

The Identify tool displays attributes for the active layer and is one of the most commonly used tools. However, if you were interested in finding out everything you can about a particular location on the map, it would be frustrating to have to make active and identify each individual layer. We don't want you to get frustrated. There is the rest of the Internet for that.

For this reason, we offer you the Multiple Layer Identify tool.

It is simple and powerful. When you click on a point on the map, it drills down through the data and gives you information for all the layers turned on at that location.

The Identify by Radius tool allows users to get attribute information from a layer within a defined circle.

Select the Identify by Radius tool and click on a location on the map to mark a central point. A menu will open in the information panel on the right. Select the layer from the pull down menu on which you want to identify features (available layers are those both visible and selectable). Next enter a distance and units and click OK. The results will be displayed in the information window, and a circle will mark the defined area on the map.

Use the Select by Buffer tool to generate a listing of features based on a selection.

Before activating the Select by Buffer tool, ensure that you have a feature set selected. With a feature set selected click the Select by Buffer tool and choose from the drop-down menu from which layer set you would like to select features. Next specify the buffer distance. If you have multiple layers with selected features you will be required to choose which layers you would like to select features from in the drop-down menu. Click OK to execute your buffered selection.

The number of selected features will be returned to you in the information panel. Click the Extent link to zoom to all features, or Clear to unselect the features. To view a listing of all selected features click Execute report for this set.

You can select specific spatial features and look at their attributes. This is essentially asking, what are the attributes of these specific features?

To do this, you make your layer of interest active and pick the Select tool from the Expanded Toolkit.

The Select tool generates a list of features based on a user specified box. You create the box by pressing the mouse button, holding it down and dragging it to produce a rectangle.

Any features that intersect the rectangle are highlighted in yellow and attribute information about the selected features is output to a table. By clicking Zoom to, you are able to zoom your map view in on a specific feature.
 

Remember the Clear Selection function! This function, found both in the toolbar and in the map function drop-down menu, clears/unselects any selected features, text, etc. This option is the equivalent of a few good shakes of an etch-a-sketch. Unless you want to print a map with features selected (they usually appear shaded yellow) it is a good idea to hit this button before you create a print page.

Perhaps you want to measure the distance of a short kayak trip. You can measure distance on maps using the Measure Distance tool.

After you have made the tool active, click on the desired start location. The latitude and longitude coordinates of your starting point are automatically registered in the information panel. By adding another node you complete one line, and the position of the second node and the distance between the two nodes are given.

If you are interested in the length of a line with multiple stops (more nodes), simply keep adding nodes. The measure distance tool gives you not only the map coordinates and the distance between stops, but also the total distance.

If you make a mistake and wish to erase the points, use the Clear Points button found in the information panel.

In this example you can see that three stops were added. Once you have drawn the route, you can even print the map.

The Measure Area tool is another handy tool that lets you calculate the area inside a polygon.

By selecting the Measure Area button from the Expanded Toolkit you are able to define the vertices (corners) of a polygon by clicking on the map. The Measure Area tool requires that you specify a minimum of three vertices before the Geocortex servers are able to calculate an area. The Measure Area tool allows you produce an accurate estimation of any polygon's area, as you are able to add as many vertices as you deem necessary to represent the area to be calculated. The calculated area is returned in the Information Panel with a record of the all the vertices' coordinates.

To clear the points use the Clear Points button, in the Information Panel.

The query function is a powerful analysis tool. If you've never heard of a query before, it might be a bit tricky. Give it a try regardless. The worst that can happen is that it won't work- unless it triggers query-related nightmares. We sincerely hope not. Anyway...

You can select records using a logical expression called a query, which selects records based on certain attribute criteria. This is essentially asking, where are the features that have these specific attributes? The Generate query tool launches the query generator in the Information Panel.

To generate a query you will firstly select the layer that you are interested in from the drop-down menu. Step two is to choose the database field on which you are interested in basing your selection. Select the logical expression from the drop-down menu and enter a value into the value box. You then click the Add to Query String button.

At this point you could add more criteria to our query string, but let's not get carried away. When Execute Query is clicked, the computer runs the expression and the results are displayed in a new window.

Click here to continue...