The drop-down menu in the top left corner of the window allows you to pick a task
that you would like to perform. Once a task has been chosen the window will make
those features available to you automatically.
Navigating around the map is achieved by zooming, where you change
the scale of the map to get more or less detail & panning where
you remain at the same scale, but drag/manipulate the map to bring new sections
of the map into view.
Fixed Zoom In or Out - Click the "Plus" button to zoom further
in, click the "Minus" button to zoom out.
(Alternatively you can use the "+" and "-" keys on the keyboard to achieve this.)
Zoom Box - Click the "Zoom Box" tool to activate it, then click
and drag a rectangle on the map to define the area you want to zoom into.
Zoom to the "Full Extent" - Click the "Full Extent" button to zoom
the map out to the start position.
Fixed Panning - Click on any of the four "Fixed Pan" buttons to
move the map "Up", "Down", "Left" or "Right".
(Alternatively you can use the arrow keys on the keyboard to achieve this.)
Continuous Panning - Click the "Pan" tool to activate it, then
click and drag the map in the direction you want to go.
*Hint* There is a keyboard shortcut
to the Zoom Box by holding down the SHIFT key.
*Hint* You can also zoom in and out
using the mouse wheel.
*Hint* You can also zoom in and out
using the mouse wheel.
Choose "Find a Location" in the drop-down menu in the top left corner of the window.
Now enter an address, place postcode or street into the textbox and click "Search".

Any locations matching your search phrase will be presented in a list below. An
icon to the left of the location will indicate whether the location is a point,
line or area.
Clicking the Location text (in black) will highlight the location on the map, whereas
clicking the "zoom to on map" link will highlight the feature and zoom into it on
the map.
*Hint* An autocomplete mechanism will
begin after 3 characters, which will assist you by predicting possible locations
as you type.
The Legend allows you to control what & how much information you see on the
map. The Legend can be activated by clicking on the "Show Legend" button in the
toolbar above the map.
Information on the map is grouped together into similar types and presented as "layers"
which can be added or removed as desired. There are two types of layers that can
be controlled with the legend Base Layers & Overlay Layers.
Base Layers provide background information and context. Using the
legend a base layer is made visible by checking on the radio button next to it.
Only one base layer can be shown at a time.
Overlay layers are added above base layers as desired, perhaps
to answer a specific question. Overlay layers tend to be more numerous than base
layers, so the legend control handles this by organising overlays into Layer
Groups. The layers in a layer group can be hidden or displayed by clicking
the "Layer Group Name". When a layer group is display an overlay layer can be made
visible by checking the checkbox next to it, or rendered invisible by unchecking
the the checkbox.
*Hint* Turn all the layer on/off in
a layer group by checking the Layer Group Name checkbox.
Choose "Search for Planning Information" in the drop-down menu in the top left corner
of the window. Choose one of the tools to draw a shape on the map. (e.g. Draw a
rectangle)
Once you have completed drawing your shape a popup will appear with a drop-down
list of locations. The tool will default to the "All" option, which will find matches
on any selectable layers, but you can change this to find only matches on a layer
you are interested in simply by picking it from the list. When you have made your
selection click the "Search" button. (Or click "Remove Shape" to start again)
Any matches will be displayed in the left hand pane. Click "Zoom to Feature" to
see the entire shape of the policy on the map. (N.B. Click "Clear Results" to start
over again.
Click the link next to a policy to read more about it.
*Hint* You can click the "Download
Results" to save the information onto your local machine.
The overview map is turned on by clicking on the following button in the bottom
right corner of the map.
Its purpose is to help you locate where your current map view is relative to the
wider surrounding area. This is indicated by a red box drawn on the Overview Map.
The size of this box will vary with the zoom level.
The measure tool is activated by clicking the following button on the mapping toolbar.
Click on the map to measure a distance, each single click will create a new line
segment. Double click to finish measuring and get the distance. Hold down the SHIFT key for freehand drawing.
The measure area tool is activated by clicking the following button on the mapping toolbar.
Click on the map to measure a distance, each single click will create a new side
of a shape. Double click to finish measuring and get the area. Hold down the SHIFT key for freehand drawing.
The printing tool is activated by clicking the following button on the mapping toolbar.
Type a title for your map into the text box and click the "print this map" link.