What are the components of the Advanced Map Viewer?
How do I turn on the data layers I want to display?
Is there a drawing order for the layers listed in the map contents?
Why am I unable to turn on some layers?
How do I view a map legend?
How do I find out more information about each data layer?
How do I pan the map?
How do I zoom the map in and out?
Can I find a street address?
Can I find a Connecticut town?
How do I view the entire state?
How do I go back to a previously viewed area?
How do I use the Magnifier Tool?
Can I enlarge the map view area?
Can I measure a distance on the map?
Can I view more than one data layer at a time?
Can I get database information for an individual feature I see on the map?
Can I print a map?
Can I print a map that highlights and lists database information resulting from using the Identify tool on a feature such as a drainage basin?
Do I need special software to use the Advanced Map Viewer?
How can I get more help using the Advanced Map Viewer?
What are the differences between the Simple Map Viewer and the Advanced Map Viewer?
What type of orthophotography is available for Connecticut from CT ECO?
The Map Contents lists all of available data layers and organizes them by category. For example, all soils related data layers are in the Soils group, drainage basin related data layers are in the Watershed group, aerial photograhpy data layers are the imagery and topo group, and so on. In order to display a data layer on the map, click its checkbox AND the checkbox of the group it is in. Follow the steps outlined in the diagram below. Note, the map will refresh everytime you check and uncheck a data layer or group checkbox so it is best to check one item on or off at a time and wait for the map to refresh before continuing. Depending on you Internet connection speed, you might need to wait a few seconds for the map to refresh. When needing to turn on a lot of layers on or off at once, wait until the status bar in the lower right hand corner of the map disappears before turning on or off the next one. In the example below, the Adminstrative Boundary Index group and the Quad Index layer it contains are both checked on so that the USGS topographic quadrangle index grid is displayed. Checking off either or both of the two checkboxes will turn the Quad Index layer off. the best way to turn on more than one layer in a group is to check on all of the layers you want and then check on the group so that the map only draws once with all the layers you want. If you check on the group first, the map will automatically draw and refresh everytime you turn on a layer in the group and will take longer to finish.
The drawing order for layers in the Map Contents is from bottom to top. Layers lower on the list such as orthophotography draw first and are then covered by other layers turned on higher on the layer list.
Depending on the layer, you may not be able to turn it on or off unless the map is at the correct scale for viewing it. Some layers have specific scale ranges and can only be turned on for display after you're zoomed in some more. Layers in the Map Contents that cannot be turned on or off for this reason are appear grayed out (e.g. disabled). Zooming the map to within the correct range causes the layer name to appear in black (not grayed out) and enables the check box so you can use it.
When zoomed out, the Inland Wetland Soils layer cannot be turned on.
When zoomed in, the Inland Wetland Soils layer can be turned on for display.
To view the legend for a layer, click the plus sign (+) next to it. To close the legend click the minus sign (-).
Choose Data Layer Info function shown below for online reference documents describing all of the data layers in the Advanced Map Viewer. Here you will be able to access the corresponding Basic Data Guide, Complete Resource Guide, GIS metadata for each data layer. The Basic Data Guide describes the nature and purpose of the information along with any limitations on the use of the information. It also links to additional documentation including the Complete Resource Guide for a more thorough description of the map legend and GIS metadata for learning about the underlying GIS data used to generate the map. Only GIS metadata is available for background reference data layers such as town boundaries and waterbodies, and
There are two basic ways to pan the map.
There are two basic ways to zoom the map in and out.
To zoom to the geograhic extent of Connecticut, simply click the Globe button on the toolbar. This tool always displays a map of Connecticut and can be very helpful when zooming to various parts of Connecticut. To easily zoom to a new location in another part of Connecticut, first use this tool to zoom out to the entire state before zooming in somewhere else.
To go return back to a previously viewed area, click Back Arrow button on the button bar. After having gone back, press the Forward Arrow button to go foward.
The Locator Map displays a small index map showing the region currently displayed in the Map View Area relative to the surrounding area. On the Tool Bar, click Locator Map tool to open and close this small index map in the upper right corner of the Map View Area.
The Magnifier tool allows a specific area on the map to be magnified at a larger scale. This tool saves time because you do not need to zoom your entire map view to see detail. You can magnify an area from 2 times (2x) to 10 times (10x) the original view by using the choices at the bottom left of the Magnifier Tool. Click the Magnifer Tool on the Toolbar to open and close the Magnifier Tool. You can move the magnifier around by clicking and dragging its top blue bar. When you release the mouse button, the magnified view will appear. The time it takes the Magnify Tool to magnify a area depends on your Internet connection speed.
The example below shows the town of Windham, with the Magnifier Tool magnified at 4 times (4x) to display the Windam High School in detail.
Yes. To enlarge the Map View Area, you need to enlarge the Advanced Map Viewer's Window by clicking the Window's Maximize button located in the upper right corner, as shown below. This operation enlarges the map view area and leaves the Map Contents area unchanged. Unlike the Simple Map Viewer, you can also collapse and expand the Map Contents area, thereby enlarging the Map View Area. Click on the small gray arrow along the left border of the Map Viewer Area to expand and collapse the Map Contents.
Note, enlarging the map may have a negative impact on performance and slow down the Advanced Map Viewer because a larger Map View Area covers a larger geographic area, resulting in more information involved with every pan and zoom. Depending on your Internet connection speed, keeping the Map View Area to a moderate size by not maximizing the Advanced Map Viewer's Window may yield faster results.
The Map Identify tool displays information about a specific feature or features located at a point on your map. To use this tool, click it to activate, then click at the point on your map where you would like information about a feature or features. The information that will be displayed is the attribute information from the database for each datalayer that is currently visible. Information for datalayers that are not visible on the map are not shown.
In the example above, clicking on the map in the town of Sharon with the ground water quality, elevation contours, and surficial materials datalayers turns on results in an identify box on your screen. Holding your mouse over the name of the town, in this case, "Sharon", will show you an arrow. Clicking on this arrow displays a list of all of the visible features located at the point where you clicked on the map. .
From the list of layers, click on one, in this example, Surficial Materials, to see the database information for the feature you clicked on (see below illustration). Here, the point on the map is located in a surficial material of Sand, and this area of sand is 56 acres or .087652 square miles in size.
Some datalayers contain more database information than others. If you need to know how to interpret any of the database information, refer to the Advanced Map Viewer Datalayer List, which lists all of the data available in this map viewer. Each datalayer name links to the corresponding Basic Data Guide and GIS Metadata reference documents. The database fields are explained in the GIS Metadata.
The Add to Results link at the bottom of the feature information box will add that data to the Results area of the Table of Contents. To remove the results, right click on the datalayer name and choose Remove.
Note that the x and y coordinates are also shown for location on the map that you clicked. These x,y values are in Connecticut State Plane feet and not in latitude and longitude.
Yes. The Advanced Viewer includes a tool for measuring the length of lines, geographic area of areas, and x and y coordinates of point locations drawn on the map. Click this tool to open the Measure (popup) window and then choose the type of measurement to perform: point, line, or area. Line is the default.
To measure the length of a straight line, click once to set the beginning of the line and then double-click to set the end point. To measure a curved distance, click once to set the beginning of the line, once at each vertex (turning point), and double-click at the end point. Do not hold the mouse button down and attempt to draw or trace a line. Click (and release the mouse button) to begin, click (and release the mouse button) at each point along a curve, and double click to end the line. Measurements can be displayed in feet, miles, kilometers and meters. To measure the area of a polygon drawn on the map, choose the area meause tool, click on the map to begin, click at each vertex (turning point), and to finish double-click the mouse to create a vertex before the beginning point. Measurment results are displayed for both the polygon perimeter and area. If you choose to measure points, x and y coordinates (in Connecticut State Plane Feet, NAD83) are displayed for locations clicked on the map.
Yes. Use the Find an Address or Find a Town functions.
To go to a specific address, choose the Find Address function. Enter your desired address with a street number, name and street type, e.g. 79 Elm Street. Enter a Connecticut town name in the Zone text box. Click Find. CT ECO will display either your requested address or other choices that closely match what you entered. The location on the map is displayed with a red push pin. To zoom to your address, right click on the address in the Results area and choose an option - Zoom to, Pan to, or Remove.
If there are multiple addresses returned, roll your mouse over each one and the corresponding push pin will be enlarged.
To go to a town, choose the Find a Town function. Then enter the town name or choose it from the list. As in the Find an Address function shown above, you may right click on the town name for more options.
You must enter only the name of one of Connecticut's 169 towns. Villages or locations within towns such as Kensington or Cos Cob are not towns and will not return a location.
Yes, you may view as many datalayers as you like. Keep in mind, however, that the more datalayers you have turned on, the more cluttered your map will be and the longer it will take to draw. It is suggested that you view only those datalayers that are logically related to each other, such as drainage basins and surface water quality classifications, since this will result in a more understandable map. Use caution when turning on datalayers that might cover each other up. Datalayers draw from the bottom of the list upward. This means that a layer at the top of the list will draw over a layer beneath it. As a general rule, it is best to check them on and off one at a time and wait for the map to finish redrawing before turning another layer on or off.
Remember that there is no Refresh Map button in the advanced map viewer. Each time you click a single datalayer and then its datalayer group, the map redraws automatically.
Yes, follow the instructions below to first use the Map Identify tool and then the Print a Map function to include this database information on a map.
No. All you need is a current Internet Browser like MS Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox to use the Advanced Map Viewer. The Complete Resource Guide that describe some of the map themes in the Advanced Map Viewer are in portable document format (PDF) and require Adobe Reader. 
If you need more help, please contact us (information below) or visit the Training section for additional online resources.
The Simple Map Viewer is designed for viewing one map theme at a time. Each map theme such as Inland Wetland Soils or Aquifer Protection Areas covers a single topic or theme. These are commonly referred to as thematic maps. The Simple Map Viewer is relatively easy to use and provides a fixed list of thematic maps to choose from.
The Advanced Map Viewer is designed for viewing a map theme you author yourself by including the individual data layers that best suit your need. The flexiblity of combining different data layers to create your own map theme differentiates the Advanced Map Viewer from the Simple Map Viewer. Although slightly more complicated to use, the Advanced Map Viewer will show more information on a map than the Simple Map Viewer. For example, with the Advanced Map Viewer, you may combine Aquifer Protection Areas, Water Quality Classifications, and Elevation Contours into one map theme and display it with or without photography in the background. Additionally, you can elect to not display certain background reference data layers such as local roads, waterbodies and labels if this information interferes with you ability to read the map.
Orthophotography available from CT ECO covers the entire state or a particular region in Connectiut, depending on the type and year of the aerial survey. For example, statewide orthophotography is available for 1990, 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2011 in either black and white, full color, or infrared, and either taken during the summer or early spring, depending on the year. Orthophotography for the summer of 2004, 2005, and 2010 in both full color and infrared is available for towns along the Connecticut coastline and Connecticut River. Orthophotography for the Greater Bridgeport, Hartford, and New Haven urban area is available for the spring of 2008. Orthophotograhy for towns covered by the Capitol Region and Plainville is available for the spring of 2009. Photography taken during the summer is generaly referred to as "leaf on" orthophotography, and photography taken during the early spring is generally referred to as "leaf off" photography. Leaf off photography is captured immediately after the snow cover melts and before stream levels rise and leaves blossom on the trees. It is ideal for observing features on the ground surface in developed, open or wooded areas. The leaves on trees and shrubs that would normally obstruct the view from above during the Summer are largely absent in the early spring, allowing for the observation of features such as stone walls, roads, and structures in wooded areas, lawns and yards.
Refer to Connecticut Digital Orthophotography for a list and brief description of orthophotography available from CT ECO.
