**Massachusetts Water Indicators Map Viewer Guide**

***By* Lance J. Ostiguy**

GETTING STARTED

OPENING A MAP

### Starting ArcReader by opening an existing published map

1. Download the current version of ESRI ArcReader**1** at the following Web address: http://www.esri.com/software/arcgis/arcreader/index.html.

2. Once ArcReader is installed on your computer, load the disk into the CD drive.  Using Windows Explorer, navigate to the folder where the published map file ( .pmf ) is located.  The pmf file is located in  (CD drive name):\Appendix 2

3. Using your mouse, double-click the left mouse button on the published map file “Massachusetts Water Indicators Ltd.pmf”.  Windows will launch ArcReader and display the map.

### Starting ArcReader from Windows Explorer

1. Open Windows Explorer and right-click the “Massachusetts Water Indicators Ltd.pmf” file.

2. Point to Open With and click ArcReader.exe.  If ArcReader.exe is not listed in the “Open With” list, you may not have installed ArcReader.  If so, install ArcReader. 

Once activated, the application will open a new window on your desktop, showing the electronic map you have chosen to run.  Each time you reopen the electronic map file, the map appearance returns to the initial default view.

THE ARCREADER MAP APPLICATION

THE MAP INTERFACE

The display in the map window comprises several elements.   These separate elements are shown in figure 1.  _____________________________________________________________

**1** Product names are for identification purposes only, and do not imply endorsement of the 

product by the U.S. Geological Survey.

**Figure 1**.  The various elements located within the map window.

A.                B. 

**Figure 2**.  The initial map running inside (A) “layout view”, and B) “data view”.

Two view styles are available for the map user: “layout view” and “data view”.  The layout view is best used when preparing to print a hardcopy or electronic file from the application.  The layout view shows the 8.5” by 11” page size with current map data, as well as additional margin text and graphics, such as the map Explanation.  These additional text and graphics cannot be altered by the user.  There is only one significant difference between the two different available views.  Layout view always retains the appearance of a page, whereas data view does not contain the border outline of the page.  Data view is best used when the user wishes to browse through data.  This view provides a larger working space within the right panel box of the map window.

Figure 3 shows the controls for selecting a view style.  When choosing layout view, click on the “View” menu pull-down and click layout view.  Another toolbar is activated when the view has been set to layout.  This toolbar is known as the layout toolbar.  When choosing data view, click on the “View” menu pull-down, then click on data view, and finally click “MASSACHUSETTS WATER INDICATORS”.  You will notice that the layout toolbar is then deactivated and cannot be used.

**Figure 3**.  The location of the view control function.

THE LAYER STRUCTURE OF THE APPLICATION

THE LEFT-HAND DISPLAY PANEL, TABLE OF CONTENTS ( TOC )

The left panel’s Table of Contents (TOC) box contains links describing all of the available geographic and spatial data for this particular ArcReader application.  The structure is hierarchical, forming a list. In addition to the map title “Massachusetts Water Indicators”, shown in bold text on the top of the TOC box, the list contains two basic structure elements: groups and datalayers (or layers).  Some layers are found within groups, and other layers are independent of any group.

The TOC functions similarly to the left panel of the Microsoft Windows Explorer1 utility, except a map user will find map data instead of computer folders and files.  To look into a group, click the “+” sign; the TOC list will expand, showing the layers contents of the group.  Clicking on the “+” control opposite a layer name will display the symbol representing the layer on the map (for example the line type and color for a particular type of road).  Clicking the “-“ sign will collapse the list and shorten the length of the TOC.  

An upper layer in the TOC panel will obscure all the layers below it, if the top layer is symbolized using color shading.  Top layers symbolized by line symbols will not obscure underlying layer(s).  The default ordering of the TOC is shown in figure 4.

**Figure 4**.  The Table of Contents for the Massachusetts Water Indicators Map Viewer.

THE RIGHT-HAND DISPLAY PANEL DATA FRAME

The right-hand display panel is the location where all map data are shown.  The panel includes a “data frame” which displays map features for each layer listed in the TOC.  To make a layer visible inside the data frame, the user must click on the checkbox appearing to the left of the layer name in the TOC.  In order for a layer within a group to display data, the group containing the layer must also be set to visible.  As previously noted, upper layers obscure lower layers listed beneath them in the TOC list, if the layers are symbolized using a solid shade.  

IDENTIFICATION OF MAP FEATURES

Selected features on the map, including towns, major roads, stream names, subbasins, and state planning basins, are automatically labeled.  Labels turn on or off dynamically, depending on the map scale selected by the user.  The user can change the map scale by using the “zoom in” or “zoom out” tools on the main toolbar at the top of the map.  Different feature labels will appear and disappear at different scales.  For example, the user must zoom in further for stream names to appear than for the names of the state planning basins.  A graphic scale, in milesTo help the user discover the map scale which applies to a specific layer, theranges are listed within the specific layer’s description located inside the map’s “Explanation”.  The Explanation is only visible while in layout view.  

USING THE LOCATION TOOL

Other elements found within the “Identify Features on the Map” window include a geographical coordinate label, which can be set to eleven other units of measure other than latitude and longitude.  Maps published with this report are shown in North American datum of 1983.  A user can locate specific coordinates using the information displayed in this “Location:” box by clicking positions with the left mouse button anywhere inside the “data frame”.  After selecting a specific map feature, coordinate information will be displayed.  The coordinate displayed indicates the centroid of the selected feature currently highlighted in the left-hand panel list.  If more than one feature is selected, then the centroid coordinate for each feature listed can displayed in the “Location:” box by clicking either the specific feature or it’s associated layer name.

SPATIAL BOOKMARKS

A menu selection has been designed to help the map user quickly and easily navigate to a chosen state planning basin.  This tool can be found under the “View” menu pull-down.  Once the “View” menu opens, select “Bookmarks” to open a list of planning basins, the user can choose an appropriate basin name.  The resulting change in map view will show the vicinity surrounding the basin which was chosen.

PRINTING A MAP

Printing a map can be done in either “Data view” or “Layout view”.  However, each view is somewhat different when setting up to print.  In “Data view”, the image area (denoted by the map page in the right-hand panel of the main application) will be scaled automatically according to the page size indicated at the printer or within the printer’s setup window.  Printing from the “Layout view” will always contain the page’s margin information.  The map user should check the box next to the “Scale to Fit Page” option in the “Page Setup” window (fig. 5) to prevent parts of the layout from being printed outside the borders of the page.

**Figure 5.** Page Setup option.

If you need assistance with the Map Viewer, please contact 

Lance J. Ostiguy:

lostiguy@usgs.gov

508-490-5052

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