Help for the
Maps Screen

CONTENTS

• Top Screen Area (Blue Menu Bar)
• Left Screen Area
• Main Display Screen Area
  • Overview
  • User-Selectable Controls
  • Tips and Functionality
• More Information . . .

Main Display Screen Area

   Overview 

      The Main Display Area of the Show Maps Screen displays the maps available (if any) for the active taxon. Several user-selectable controls allow the user to customize the displayed map. Four lines of header information are displayed above each map: (header line 1) taxonomic scope of map [corresponds to the active taxon], (header line 2) geographic scope of map ["map geography"], (header line 3) type of data displayed on map ["map theme"], and (header line 4) map legend.

   User-selectable Controls 

• "Map geography:" combo box - Make a selection from the "Map geography:" combo box to choose a basemap for display. Making a selection from the combo box immediately updates the displayed basemap.
• "Map theme:" combo box - Make a selection from the "Map theme:" combo box to choose a theme for the displayed map. Making a selection from the combo box immediately updates the displayed map.
• "Map dataset(s):" list box - Make one or more selections from the "Map dataset(s):" list box to choose the distribution datasets to be shown on the displayed map. After making new selections from the "Map dataset(s):" list box, click on the "Update map" button to display the new map. The default "Map dataset(s):" list box selection is "all", which displays data from all datasets shown in the list box. See also Tips and Functionality below.
• "Update map" button - Click on the "Update map" button to update the map display after making new selections from the "Map dataset(s):" list box.
• "Dataset profiles" button - Click on the "Dataset profiles" button to open a new browser window and display profiles of the dataset(s) currently selected in the "Map dataset(s):" list box. 
•  Taxon home page icon(s) - Click on a yellow Taxon Home Page Icon to jump to the Home Page for the taxon whose name the icon follows.
• "Lift map" button - Click on the "Lift map" button to open the active map in a new browser window. See also Tips and Functionality below.
• [MapImage] image link - Most TIARA maps are dynamic. Clicking on an active area of a map will lead to further functionality -- either an enlarged map or a list of taxa appropriate to the political area that was clicked on (e.g., county, state). For more information on these features, see Tips and Functionality below.
• "Top" - Click on the Top link (located below the taxon list) to jump to the top of the Main Display Screen Area.
• Scroll Bars - Depending upon your monitor screen size, browser window size and the length of the displayed taxon list, you may see scroll bars on the right and/or bottom of the Main Display Area. Use the scroll bars to move the Main Display Area vertically and/or horizontally to better view its contents.

  Tips and Functionality

• Use the "Map geography:" and "Map theme:" combo boxes, and the "Map dataset(s):" list box, to set the display options for the desired map.
• Use the multiple-selections feature of the "Map dataset(s):" list box to create customized maps based on different, user-selected, combinations of datasets. To make multiple selections from the "Map dataset(s):" list box, hold down either the "Enter" key or the "Shift" key while selecting datasets with your pointing devise.
• Be sure to click the "Update map" button to update the map after making new selections from the "Map dataset(s):" list box.
• Use the "Lift map" button to open the active map in a new, separate, copy of your browser. Because "lifted" maps occupy separate copies of your browser, you can size and position them on your computer screen for concurrent viewing. The multiple "lifted" maps can be from the same or different Taxon Pages, allowing considerable flexability in comparing ranges and relative taxon frequencies. Note however that "lifted" maps are static, not dynamic like the maps on the TIARA Maps screen.
• Most maps available from the TIARA Maps screen are dynamic. Clicking on an active area of a map will lead to further functionality -- either an enlarged map or a list of taxa appropriate to the political area that was clicked on (i.e., county, state, country). The Texas basemap returns county-level taxon lists by clicking on any county. The first click on an active area on the South-central US and North American basemaps generates a larger scale [4x] basemap centered on the click point. Clicking on an active area (county, state, country) on this "enlarged" map returns a taxon list appropriate to the region clicked on. The enlargement functionality of the first click is necessary to ensure the selection of small areas on small-scale basemaps. Note also that the taxon lists generated are coupled to the thematic and dataset options chosen by the user, e.g., family diversity maps generate family lists, genus diversity maps generate genus lists, county maps generate county lists, state maps generate state lists, maps restricted to specific distribution datasets list only the taxa contained in those datasets. Click on Back in the Blue Menu Bar to return to the map that generated the list. Presence/absence maps do not generate taxon lists.

More Information . . . 

• General Overview for Newcomers