Map Backgrounds

This lesson presents basic information on map overlays that can be loaded into a display panel and how the properties of those maps can be adjusted. There will be more detailed practice opportunities on this topic in WES Exercise #1 (CAVE Basics) on your office’s WES-2 Bridge machine.

Maps Menu

The Maps menu provides the AWIPS operator the ability to display numerous configurable map overlays in a single editor. Maps loaded from the Maps menu originate from the AWIPS mapsdata database. Typically the AWIPS focal point imports the maps into the mapdata database, so they can be simply loaded from the menu as simple overlays that have no time stamp. Additionally, forecasters can choose to manually import their own WGS84 non-projected latitude/longitude shapefiles as map overlays in D2D by using an application launched from the CAVE->Import->GIS Data menu. The import GIS Data approach can also be used to assign time to a map (for situations like burnscars) and can allow the user to filter the map displays and manage the properties of the attributes with finer granularity than when loaded from the Maps menu. Importing shapefiles is beyond the scope of this course, so we will focus on maps loaded from the Maps menu. If you would like to know more about importing GIS Data and are on the Internet, see this link.

Most maps, like cities and counties, do not significantly cover up underlying data, similar to graphic overlays like the Hail Index radar algorithm. The commonly-used HiRes Topo Image map is an example of an exception which is more like a radar reflectivity image that covers up underlying data. Knowing how to combine maps with adequate, but uncluttered and distinguishable, information is an important skill that can significantly enhance the speed and effectiveness of your data analysis during operations.

Map Legend vs. Product Legend

The lower-right part of the editor contains product legends and map legends that can be accessed through right clicks on the general editor background ("Show Map Legends" or "Show Product Legends") or by hitting the Enter key on the numeric keypad multiple times.

 (product legend)

 (map legend)

You can toggle the map legends on and off by left clicking on the mouse with the pointer over the name. You can also change map display characteristics such as color, line width, line style, etc. through a right-mouse click on the map legend name, and you can individually set the Density and Magnification settings for a product or overlay independently from all of the other products in your display:

Editing Map Characteristics

Once the map legend is visible, use the context-sensitive menu (right click) to change a map’s characteristics. All configurable map traits are listed and discussed below.

Change Color...

Each map is displayed as one color (gray is the default). The color can be changed using the “Change Color...” option of the map legend menu. This option provides an interface where any RGB or HSB color can be applied to the selected map.

Line Style

Most maps, like county boundaries, are composed of line segments. The line style for a specific map can be changed under the “Line Style” option of the map legend menu. There are five possible line styles to chose from: Solid, Dashed, Dashed_Large, Dotted, or Dashed_Dotted. Solid is the default setting.

Line Width

Similar to line style, the line width of a map can be changed using the “Line Width” option. Four different line widths are available with the thinnest option being the default.

Point Style

For point-based maps like cities, the style of the point next to the label can be changed from a cross to a point or box.

Label and Label Offset...

For maps with multiple attributes like cities, different labels can be selected like NAME or POPULATION. The X and Y offset of the label from the point can also be controlled with the Label Offset... menu.

Magnification

For maps with text labels, the size of the labels can be changed by using the “Magnification” option of the map legend menu. There are seven different magnification settings available between 0 and 2.5 with 1 being the default value. Note that changes in the Mag setting in the D2D toolbar will apply to all maps, while changing the setting in a map’s menu only will apply to that map.

Density

For some maps like cities, the level of detail visible on different zoom levels can be adjusted. The number of markers or labels visible on a specific map is controlled under the “Density” option of the map legend menu. There are nine different Density settings available from 0 to Max, with 1 being a default baseline value and 0 not displaying anything. Like the Mag setting, the Density setting in the D2D toolbar will apply to all maps, while changing the setting in a map’s menu only will apply to that map.

Move Up/Down

Each map and product is a layer that can be moved up or down in the order in which they are displayed.