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Introduction

ArcIMS by ESRI is a web-based Geographic Information System (GIS) software that allows the user to examine spatial and tabular data on the internet. Here is a brief explanation of the functionality of ArcIMS.

The mapframe occupies the central frame of the site. This is where the various maps are displayed.

Layers/Legend

The column on the right contains layer or legend information. You can toggle between the two by clicking the large button in the lower left corner of the screen with the words "Legend" and Layer" on it. This is where the contents of the map display are determined. Place a check in the boxes of the datasets you wish to view then press the "Refresh Map" button. Always remember to press the Refresh Map button once you have changed the settings in the Layers view. The selected data is displayed in the mapframe. It is best to leave the state and county layers "on" or "visible" at all times to help with georeferencing. At an elevation of 10 million to 1 or less, the interstates and streams will appear on the map to further help locate objects on the earth's surface.

The Tool Bar

Navigation Tools

The column on the left is used to move around the map. Select the Zoom In button and place the cursor over the mapframe. Press down the left mouse button and slide the cursor across the screen, holding down the left mouse button and creating a box with the cursor. Release the button and the map is refreshed with the view of the box drawn on the screen.

The Zoom Out button works in a similar manner. Select the Zoom Out button. Place the cursor on the map. Press down on the left mouse button and draw a box (while continuing to hold down the left mouse button). The new view will have the zoomed out view.

The Pan button allows the user to move around the map at a given elevation. Select the Pan button and place the cursor on the map. Press the left mouse button and while holding it down slide the cursor in any direction. Release the mouse button and the map is redrawn at the new location.

Full View will zoom out to the maximum extent of the map. Simply press the Full View button and the map refreshes automatically to the maximum extent. This button is good if you get lost or confused and want to start again.

Previous View will return the map to the previous map displayed. Press Prev. View and the map returns to the last view.

The next button is the Overview button. This button simply determines if the overview will be displayed in the upper left corner of the map frame. Press the Overview button once or twice to see it toggle on and off.

The Identify button is used to display tabular data in the text frame. This frame is located directly beneath the mapframe. To use the button, begin by zooming in to data displayed on the map. Press the Identify button and place the cursor over the object. Remember this can be point, line and polygon data. Image data contains no tabular data. Press the left mouse button while holding the cursor over the object. A table appears in the text frame below the map frame with information on the particular object.

The Measure button is used to measure the distance between two points on the map display. Zoom into a portion of the map that contains both locations. Select the Measure button. Place the cursor over the first location and press the left mouse button. Then move the cursor to the second location and again press the left mouse button. A window will appear in the upper left corner displaying the total distance.

Print will print the view currently displayed in the map frame. Press Print and then the Create Print Page button. A new Browser window with the Map Image, Overview Map Image, and Legend will be displayed. Use the File/Print menu item to send the display to your printer.

The Clear button will clear the map of any previous selections such as Identify and Measure.

The large round button at the bottom is the Layer/Legend button. This button toggles between the Layer view and the Legend view. It displays the color of any layers selected as visible. When the legend is on, the botton changes to layers, which the user can select to return to the Layer list. The Layer view is used to select data sets to be displayed on the map. The Legend view displays the layer names and the symbol used in the display. Notice images have no symbol.