The aims and objectives of Map It is to provide information about services provided in County Laois in a spatial context.
It is possible to view details of:
There are 3 main components to this application
The Map window displays the Map Area of the entire county of Laois when the application starts. When the mouse pointer is positioned over the Map Window and the left mouse button is pressed and held it allows the user to move the map in an choosen direction. When various services are added or the zoom tools are used the map window reflects these changes.
The Services area has two distinct elements. The first of which is a drop down list (containing the Text " Select Map Area") which contains all towns and villages in Laois. The user may select any one of the towns/villages from the drop down list. When a choice is selected from the drop down list the map window will zoom into the selected area and either village or town will appear in detail
The second element offered of the Services Window allows the addition of information relating to services offered by Laois County Council and by Private Sources. The list of services is immediately beneath the drop down list selection. When the mouse pointer is positioned over the list of services it allows the user to select a service the specific service by clicking on the text or icon representing that service. Services for a specific area can be added or deleted for each Town/Village in Laois by choosing the "Select All" or "Clear All" selections. In the map window, if the user moves the cursor over one of the displayed icons, a dialog box opens detailing further information about the service. In the example displayed below, information displayed for Portlaoise Post office includes: address, telephone number, opening hours and a link to An Post website.
The Zoom Tool & Map Type Window displays the Map Area of the entire county of Laois when the application starts. When the mouse pointer is positioned over the Map Window and the left mouse button is pressed and help it allows the user to move the map in any choosen direction. When various services are added or the zoom tools are used the map window reflects these changes.
The pan function is used to move around the map. Click, hold and drag to the new location, then release the mouse button. This allows you to pick up the map and move it round. On releasing the mouse button the map will redraw in the new location. The following keyboard shortcuts are available to move around the map.
The zoom bar tool is used to zoom in and out of the map. By clicking at different points along the bar the display in the map window will zoom in and out accordingly. It is possible to zoom in on the map to view a smaller area in more detail i.e. at a larger scale. This can be done in the following ways.
Please note that it may be necessary to use the pan option to accurately locate the correct area to be viewed.
It is possible to zoom out of the map to view a larger area in less detail i.e. at a smaller scale. This can be done in the following ways.
There are three different types of map display available on the system: Road; Aerial and Hybrid. The choice of map is dependant on the display and information that is required. The Road Map is the default map. The selection for map type can be made by clicking on the required type located just under the Zoom Toolbar
Road Map
The Road Map Option (Default Selection) displays the roads throughout the County. As you zoom in closer you can see a smaller scale map. In the small scale map the roads are shown in greater detail.
Aerial Map
The Aerial Map option displays an aerial view of the county. This does not show any roads or towns in great detail, however, if you zoom in, it is possible to distinguish between urban and rural areas and to see some of the larger roads.
Hybrid Map The Hybrid Map Option displays a combination of the aerial map and the road map. It is possible to identify the main features of both maps. if you need to identify a specific location of a service the Road Map display would be more suitable.
