MapSherpa Mapping Application Help

This is the MapSherpa Help page. It has opened in a new browser window or tab, your map is still open in another window or tab. You can safely close this window without losing your work at any time.

Table of Contents

Introduction to MapSherpa's Mapping Application
Introduction to the Interface
Maps
Print & Screen - The Differences
Getting Started
Your Initial View
Help
Name Map and Choose Layout
Navigation & Searching
Finding Locations
Previous/Next Views
Bookmarked Views
Changing the Scale(Zooming)
Grabbing and Moving the Map (Panning)
Key Window
Drawing Features
Introduction
Points
Lines
Polygons
Text
Distance Measurement
When You Are Done Creating Your Map
Save & Close
Add to Cart
Completing Your Purchase

Introduction to MapSherpa's Mapping Application

Introduction to the Interface

MapSherpa's mapping interface has been designed to be simple to use yet offer a great deal of functionality to the user. The interface can be divided into the following components:

Maps

MapSherpa currently covers Canada for the following 3 types of maps:

Terrain
Terrain maps depict traditional cartographic features such as contours, water, and roads. They also have a detailed hill shade serving as the base layer. The hill shade layer provides users with a sense of elevation for the surrounding topography. These maps are particularly nice for posters or descriptive uses.
Topographic
Topographic maps provide information about land elevation, as well as other information including natural land features and some human made features. The element that distinguishes them from other maps is the presence of elevation data as represented by contour lines.
Urban Streets
The Urban Streets map integrates a variety of urban information along with fully labeled streets, traffic direction, etc. This information is scale dependent so may not be visible at the scale you have selected so play around until you create the map with the right level of detail for your purpose.

All of our maps have the following information supplied with them:

Depending on the map template you choose, it can also include a legend describing the land feature symbols.

To select a map, click one of the following buttons in the mapping toolbar:

Print & Screen - The Differences

MapSherpa has put a lot of effort into designing a user interface and infrastructure that allows you to create a map on your screen that will translate well to a print medium. Generally speaking, the level of detail will be higher on the printed medium than it will appear on your monitor.

Getting Started

Remembering a few general points about the map interface will make your life easier when you are creating your map:

Your Initial View

Whether you select "Create New Map", "New Map" or select one of your saved maps from "My Maps", when the map application opens the initial screen layout will look like this.



There are five main sections to the map window. The features in each of these areas are described more fully in this help document.

Left Hand Column
Toolbar (above the map)
Key Map
Map Window

Help

When the map window first opens, a small black pop-up will appear next to the help button . It describes the help tool which is useful if you are new to MapSherpa or need a refresher on the general workflow. Clicking the help icon darkens the map window and presents you with Five Easy Steps to creating your custom map. Hover over the numbers with orange backgrounds to obtain a description of what you need to do in the various steps along the way.

  1. Name Your Map & Choose a Layout
  2. Choose a Base Map
  3. Find Your Location
  4. Add Some Custom Features
  5. Add to Cart

This help feature can be accessed at any time if you are unsure of what is required at any particular step. By pressing the "Close Help" button in the bottom right or by hitting the escape button on your computer you return to your map window.

Name Your Map and Choose a Layout

Naming your map and choosing a layout is an important first step in the mapping process. The initial description and layout will be dependent on how you entered the map window. If you entered by clicking on "Create New Map" or "New Map" a default name will appear as "Untitled Map". If you have a map with the same name in your "My Maps" it will increment to show "Untitled Map (1)". The default layout will be 11" x 8.5" pdf and will show a price of $2.99. At this point you can proceed to customize your map but it is better if you review this information to ensure you have selected the right template and have given your map a name. The dialog to make these selections is opened when you either click the "Options" button or click on the map name. If you enter the mapping application by selecting a map from "My Maps" the mapping window will open with the information you saved from your last session.

Remember: in order to save your work, you need to be registered with MapSherpa and log into your account.

The "Change Map Details" dialog allows you to modify the map title, added a brief description and select the map layout you desire. The display to the right shows the general design of the layout you select. When you are satisfied, select "Ok" in the bottom right of the dialog window to return to your map. This information can be updated at any point in the mapping process.

From the point that you open the mapping application, MapSherpa begins saving your work. If you are not logged in, it will be saved for the duration of your session. If you are logged in to your account, it will be saved in your "My Maps" so that even if you log out and return later, you can resume working with the map you created the last time you visited MapSherpa.

Navigation & Searching

The following provides a description of the various tools - their purpose and how they work.

Finding Locations

To the immediate left of the map window tool bar you will see a box with a magnifying glass . This is the area where you can search for specific geographic features.

You can search in two ways in our mapping application: by place name and by address. Both methods of search use the same interface. Simply type the name of the place or address you are looking for in the search textbox and hit enter. A result field will show itself with any relevant results. Clicking on a result will take you to that location the map. You can also add the location to your feature list by clicking 'add'. To cancel or clear the results of a search simply click 'clear'.

Searching may take a couple of tries to get satisfactory results. We query multiple services when performing a search and provide results accordingly. If at first you don't find the place you were looking for try a different format.

Remember: When searching for a place name (eg. Ottawa), a comma is required between the place name and the province (ie. Ottawa, Ontario). When searching for an address (eg. 30 Rosemount Ave in Ottawa), a comma is required between the road name and the city, but is optional between the city and the province. (ie. both "30 Rosemount Ave, Ottawa ON" and "30 Rosemount Ave, Ottawa, ON" will work).

Previous/Next Views

The left and right facing arrows in the tool bar can be used to return to a previous map view. This is useful if you decide you like a particular scale, coverage area, etc. that you may have created at a different time in your session. If you have earlier versions of the map the left arrow will be white. If you have later versions, the right arrow will be white. By clicking on the arrows, you can scroll through different views that you have created.

Remember: Previous/Next does not remember changes to your custom features.

Bookmarked Views

The small triangle beside the previous view arrows is for the bookmark function which allows you to name and save specific views. These bookmarks are retained when you save and close the map. So, if you want to create multiple views of a particular area (for instance, maybe a detailed and a regional map of the general area) you can create one, scroll down to "Remember this View" and then add a name in the window that opens. Pressing "Add" saves this view in your bookmarks and allows you to return to it at a later point. The next time you press the Bookmark icon you will see the saved view.

Changing the Scale (Zooming)

There are several ways for you to zoom in and out in the map window.

A simple scale bar is shown below the map window (bottom left). As you zoom in and out, the size of the black bar changes as does the number on the bar, indicating the relative distance the bar represents at that particular scale.

Grabbing and Moving the Map (Panning)

The Pan tool is by default the active tool when you open the map window. When it is active and your cursor is over the map window, holding down the left mouse button and dragging the cursor will allow you to move the map in the direction your cursor moves.

There is a second method for moving around the map. When you move your mouse cursor over the map arrows will appear along the borders of the map. By clicking on one of the arrows, you will slide the map in small increments. For instance, if you want to see something above your current view, click on the arrow at the top of the map window and your map will slide down, showing you the area just above your previous view.

Key Window

In the bottom right corner of the map window there is a "Key Window" which provides a broader regional view of the map area with a red box in the centre indicating the area your map covers. Pointing the cursor over the red box and holding the left mouse button allows you to move the box. When you do this, your map window will readjust to match this movement.

The key window can be closed by clicking on the small arrow in the bottom corner and reopened in the same way.

Drawing Features

Introduction

MapSherpa allows you to customize the content of their map with various points, lines, polygons, and text annotations. Each map you create has its own set of features. This allows you to create content-specific maps for any number of scenarios. Rest assured that all of your customizations are safely stored on our servers and are not shared with anyone.

Points

Points represent single locations on the map. MapSherpa has dozens of different point symbols for you to choose from to help you quickly identify the purpose of the location. To date we have the following categories: Shapes, Places, Recreation, Nature, and Activities. To draw a point:

  1. Click the icon in the toolbar. When clicked the icon will turn blue .
  2. Click on the location on the map that you want to place the marker.
  3. Once placed, a dialog will open on the left hand side of the screen. Here you will be able to edit the name of the point and select the appropriate icon. This dialog will also tell you the geographic location of the point.
  4. To delete the point click the red button to the right of the point name in the feature list.
  5. If you want to keep the point feature but turn off visibility, uncheck the check box at the top far right of the feature list.
  6. You can return to your feature list and modify any feature at any time.
  7. To move a point, select it in the feature list, click on it in the map and drag with your mouse.

Lines

Lines on maps can represent a number of things but most commonly they depict routes or delineation of areas. To draw a line:

  1. Click the icon in the tool bar. When clicked the icon will turn blue .
  2. Click on a location in the map where you'd like your line to begin.
  3. Continue clicking around the map to add nodes to your line. You are not limited to the number of nodes a line can have so feel free to make very complex lines if required.
  4. Double-click to end your line at a specific location.
  5. Once finished, a dialog will open on the left hand side of the screen. Here you will be able to edit the name of the line, change the line width, colour, and opacity.
  6. To edit a line, select it in the feature list, place your cursor pointer on a node and drag the node as required. New nodes can be added by selecting and positioning the lighter-coloured nodes that appear between existing nodes.
  7. To delete the line click the red button to the right of the line name in the feature list.
  8. If you want to keep the line feature but turn off visibility, uncheck the check box at the top far right of the feature list.
  9. You can return to your feature list and modify any feature at any time.
Tip: If you are drawing a line and come to the edge of your map window and still want to continue the line, draw the line to the edge, then move to the arrow along the side of the map window, click it to slide the map over, and then return to your line to continue drawing.

Polygons

  1. Click the icon in the tool bar. When clicked the icon will turn blue .
  2. Click on a location in the map where you'd like your polygon to begin.
  3. Continue clicking around the map to add nodes to your polygon. You are not limited to the number of nodes a polygon can have so feel free to make very complex shapes if required.
  4. Double-click to end your polygon at a specific location.
  5. Once finished, a dialog will open on the left hand side of the screen. Here you will be able to edit the name of the polygon, change the line and fill colour, line width, and shape opacity.
  6. To edit a polygon, select it in the feature list, place your cursor pointer on a node and drag the node as required. New nodes can be added by selecting and positioning the lighter-coloured nodes that appear between existing nodes.
  7. To delete the polygon click the red button to the right of the line name in the feature list.
  8. If you want to keep the polygon feature but turn off visibility, uncheck the check box at the top far right of the feature list.
  9. You can return to your feature list and modify any feature at any time.

Text

  1. Click the icon in the tool bar. When clicked the icon will turn blue .
  2. Click on a location in the map where you'd like your text annotation to be placed.
  3. Once placed, a dialog will open on the left hand side of the screen. Here you will be able to edit the label of the annotation and change appearance of the icon. This dialog will also tell you the geographic location of the marker.
  4. To move a label click on it in the map and drag with your mouse.
  5. To delete the label click the red button to the right of the line name in the feature list.
  6. If you want to keep the label feature but turn off visibility, uncheck the check box at the top far right of the feature list.
  7. You can return to your feature list and modify any feature at any time.

Distance Measurement

The triangle symbol in the tool bar allows you to measure distances on your map. The tool allows you to calculate distance by segment and also shows you the total distance in information box to the right of the measurement icon.

  1. Click the icon in the tool bar. When clicked the icon will turn blue.
  2. Click on a location in the map where you would like to begin your measurement.
  3. Move the cursor to your next point. As you do, a line will follow the cursor. When you are at your desired point click the mouse to lock that segment. You can add additional segments along your distance measurement as required.
  4. When you have created all the segments, double click the left mouse button and you will stop calculating distances.
  5. Double clicking will also lock the total distance in the dialog window to the right of the measurement tool in the tool bar. Your measurements will remain visible on the map until you close the Total Distance dialog window by clicking the "X" in side the window.

Remember: Distance measurement segments will not be saved for printing.

When You Are Done Creating Your Map

MapSherpa has an autosave capability so your work is save regularly. When you are done creating your map, you have two options: Save & Close, or Add to Cart.

Save & Close

If you are done mapping and wish to save your map and do not wish to download a printable version or order a poster map, click the Save & Close button in the upper right corner of the map window. This will save your map, close the map window and take you to your My Maps area. You can then scroll through your maps to find the one you just saved. Each map shows the original creation date as well as the date when it was last modified. There is no limit to the number of saved maps you can have per account.

Remember: If you have not logged in, your map will be saved to "My Maps" but it will not be retained if you leave MapSherpa.

In order to retain your maps between mapping sessions you must have a MapSherpa account. It's free and only takes 1 minute to sign up. Plus, MapSherpa members get perks such as promotions and discounts, as well as notifications of new and exciting additions to our service.

Add to Cart

If you are finished creating your map and want to add it to your cart, click "Add to Cart" to the left of the map window. A dialog will pop up saying the cart has been updated. At this point you have the option to return to the map window or proceed to checkout where you will be asked to provide your purchase details.

Completing your Purchase

Proceed to your shopping cart to complete your map purchase. This is done by either following the directions after you have added a map to your cart or by clicking on the shopping cart at the top of the MapSherpa window.

When you are in the cart, you have several options: