Using the Map Builder > Getting Started > Creating a Map > Creating a Map Using the Map Builder

Creating a Map Using the Map Builder

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To create the map containing the data sources described in Creating a Map, proceed as follows:

  1. Start the Map Builder as described in Running the Map Builder and insert the maps data DVD into your computer.
  2. Choose File>New Map to clear the Map View of any map data.
  3. Choose File>Add Map Data to open the file browser, select the GeoTIFF format, and then select your DVD drive. Now select the data source World2_24M.tif in the directory <DVD_DIR>/MAP-DATA/GeoTIFF, and then choose Open.
    Note
    You can copy all the files to your workstation for faster access.
  4. Click the images/defbldr_getstarteda.gif button to fit the whole world into the view. The Map View pane should look like Figure 1.1.

images/world2_24_1.png

Figure 1.1 The Data Source World2_24M
  1. Choose File>Add Map Data to open the file browser, select the ESRI/Shape format, and then select your DVD drive. Now select the data source ESRI/Shape World_countries.shp in the directory <DVD_DIR>/MAP-DATA/Shape, and then choose Open. The Map View pane should look like Figure 1.2.

images/world_countries_1.png

Figure 1.2 The Data Source World_Countries
  1. Expand the ESRI/Shape branch and select the World_Countries.shp layer in the Map Layers pane to display the corresponding Map Style Property Sheet below it.
  2. Select the Visible in Overview property in the Map Style Property Sheet and check that the value is False so that this data source is not displayed in the Overview pane.
  3. Click in the right column of the Line Color property in the Map Style Property Sheet, click the images/editorbutton.png button, and set the Line Color value to white using the Color Editor displayed. The Map View pane should now look like Figure 1.3.

images/mapoutlinewhite_1.png

Figure 1.3 Setting the Map Outline Color
  1. Select the Filled property in the Map Style Property Sheet and set the value to False. This brings out the map relief, which should now look like Figure 1.4.

images/maprelief_1.png

Figure 1.4 Setting the Map Relief
  1. Click the images/zoomrect.png button on the toolbar and draw a rectangle around the California area to zoom in on it. If necessary, zoom in again to enlarge the map more.
  2. Choose File>Add Map Data to open the file browser, select the GTOPO30-DEM format, and then select your DVD drive. Now select the data source W140N40.DEM in the directory <DVD_DIR>/MAP-DATA/GTOPO30-DEM, and then choose Open. The Map View pane should look like Figure 1.5.

images/importgtopo30_1.png

Figure 1.5 The Data Source GTOPO30-DEM W140N40-DEM
  1. Select the Preferences tab and set the Distances property to International Statute Mile, the Altitudes property to International Foot, and the Coordinates property to UTM.
  2. Select the Map Layers tab and then click the images/fittoview.png button to display the whole map in the Map View pane. The Map View pane should look like Figure 1.6.

images/mapfittoview_1.png

Figure 1.6 The Data Source GTOPO30-DEM W140N40-DEM
  1. Save the current map "look and feel". The theme can be saved without the data and applied to other imported data sources, or together with the map data. For more information about themes, refer to Map Themes and Zoom Levels.
  2. Choose File>Save Map as in the Map Builder main menu and select or deselect the Save Theme Only option as required.
    Note
    The Save Theme Only option saves only a description of the map, without the data. As a result, saving will be quicker and take less disk space, but the theme may be unusable on another machine that does not have the original datasource available.
  3. Click the images/defbldr_continuouszoom.png button, then click and hold the left mouse button on Los Angeles. The map zooms in continuously on the point you have clicked. Do this until the map looks the same as Figure 1.5.
    Note
    To zoom out, press and hold the right mouse button. To pan, press and drag the mouse. The zoom operation pauses as the map pans to the area you want to see.
  4. Choose File>Add Map Data to open the file browser, select the GeoTIFF format, and then select your DVD drive. Now select the data source LA_Houses.tif in the directory <DVD_DIR>/MAP-DATA/GeoTIFF, and then choose Open.
  5. Drag and drop the GeoTIFF layer to the bottom of the Map Layers pane, open the hierarchy, and click the LA_Houses.tif data source to select it.
  6. Click the images/zoomtolayer.png button to zoom the whole LA_Houses.tif layer into the Map View pane.
  7. Click the images/zoomrect.png button, and zoom in on the part of LA_Houses.tif that is of interest. Now zoom in or out using the zoom in\out slider in the Overview pane, until the houses are displayed at the scale you want. The Map View pane should look like Figure 1.7.

images/housedatamap_1.png

Figure 1.7 The Data Source LA_Houses
  1. Choose File>Add Map Data to open the file browser, select the ESRI/Shape format, and then select your DVD drive. Now select the data source LA_Streets.shp in the directory <DVD_DIR>/MAP-DATA/Shape, and then choose Open.
  2. Right-click the ESRI/Shape layer and select Layer to Front in the shortcut menu, then select LA_Streets.shp to display the corresponding Map Data Style Sheet.
  3. Select the Line Color property and set the Line Color value to white using the Color Editor displayed. The Map View pane should look like Figure 1.8.

images/streetdatamap_1.png

Figure 1.8 The Data Source LA_Streets
  1. Choose Option>Show Tooltips on the Map to enable the display of tooltips when you move the mouse pointer over the map.
  2. Click the images/zoomrect.png button, and zoom in on the part of the LA_Houses.tif and LA_Streets.shp data sources that are of interest to you. The Map View pane should look like Figure 1.9.

images/housesandstreets_1.png

Figure 1.9 LA_Streets and LA_Houses
  1. Choose File>Save Map As and save the map under the directory and name of your choice.

You have now completed the map and saved it. You can reopen the map at any time and make any changes to it that you want.

To save your current zoom setting, you can also create areas of interest (see Managing Areas of Interest) which enable you to quickly locate and move between these saved areas.

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