Map Viewer

For a downloadable and printable glossary of all buttons used in the Map Viewer including a description of each, check out the GeoSask Icon Glossary.

General Map Viewer Tools

  • New Map - Click to remove all services and start a new map.
  • Add Services - Click to add map secured and non-secured services. When the Add Services window opens, to add services provided by GeoSask, simply click OK (GeoSask is the default option contained in the 'Look In GeoSask Portal Internet Server List' drop-down menu). If you would like to add services not provided by GeoSask, enter the URL in the 'Map Server URL' field and click OK.  For more information on adding Web Feature or Web Mapping Services, see the 'Adding a Web Feature or Web Map Service to the Map Viewer' section below.
  • Remove Services - Click to remove one or more map services. When the dialog displays, highlight a map service or multiple services by using the Ctrl or Shift keys and click Remove. Then click Close.
  • Move Services - Click to change the order in which map services are displayed. When the dialog displays, highlight a map service and click the up or down arrow. This moves the map service up or down. Repeat until you have the map services in the desired order. Click Refresh Map, and click the Cancel button to close this window.
  • Set Transparency - Click to set transparencies for map services. Type a desired transparency value for each map service. Repeat for all desired map services. Click Refresh Map, and then click Close to dismiss the dialog. By default, all map services are set to 25%. Once you change the transparency of a map service, it remains that way until you change it again. Changing the order of map services down does not change the transparency of the services.
  • Stop Loading - Click to stop refreshing or loading a map.
  • Refresh Map - Click to reload the map.

Map Viewer Navigational Tools

  • Zoom In - Single click or click and drag a rectangle on the map to zoom into an area. The smaller the rectangle the greater the zoom in.
  • Zoom Out - Single click or click and drag a rectangle on the map to zoom out from an area. The smaller the rectangle the greater the zoom out. You cannot zoom out past the full extent of the map (i.e. Province of Saskatchewan extents).
  • Pan - Click and drag the map to change the center of the map.
  • Zoom to Visible Services - Click to zoom to the extent of all visible services.
  • Zoom to Full Extent - Click to display the full extent of the map. This will zoom in to the largest extent of all services present on the map.
  • Back to Previous Map - Click to return to the previous map display.
  • Forward to Next Map - Click to return to a map display after using the Back to Previous Map button.
  • Identify - Click to display attributes for a map feature. When the dialog displays, select a layer from the drop-down list and click on the map. The feature under the pointer will be identified for that layer if data is available.
  • View Map Legend - Click to display the legend for all map services. Click Close to dismiss the dialog. Note this window is resizable and may be adjusted in order to view all layers in the legend.
  • Measure Distance - Click to measure the distance, in metres between points.  With each click after the first click, the segment distance is displayed.  The total distance is the total distance for all segments summed together.
  • Draw Search Area - When searching for data in GeoSask, you can use the Map Viewer to define the search's geographic extent. Click this button to draw the search area as a box on the Map Viewer. To change the search area, simply draw a new box.  If you already have the Metadata Search page open you should see the map on the Metadata Search page update to reflect the search area you drew on the Map Viewer. If the map doesn't update to show your search area, click the Get Box Already Drawn On Viewer button on the Metadata Search page to force a read of the defined bounding extent.
  • Draw Search Area by Line/Polygon - Select features by using a line or a polygon. To create the polygon, click on a starting point, then click on successive points along a line or forming corners of a polygon. When finished, choose the Complete Polygon & Select button from the options offered below the map area. A bounding box will displayed encompassing the entire area in and around the polygon.
  • Define Search Area by Selecting Feature - Use this tool if you want to use the extent of a particular feature in your map as the search area. Click this button and in the dialog that appears choose the name of the layer that you will be selecting a feature from. Then click on the feature. The search area will be drawn on the map covering the feature you selected.
  • Buffer Selection - Select a buffer around a predefined search area.  Enter the desired buffer distance in metres and click the Buffer button located beneath the map window.
  • Remove Search Area - Remove the currently defined search from the map. This button has no effect if your map doesn't have a search area drawn on it.
  • Open Saved Map - Click to open a map you have saved. To do this, you must be logged in. Select the map to open from the list and click Open. The selected map will be displayed. If you already had a map displayed before you clicked the Open Saved Map button, you will be given the option to save it before opening the selected map.
  • Save Map - There are two (2) ways in which your map can be saved:
    • Save a Map in the Database - Click the Save button. A dialog box appears with two options. Click the Save Map option and click the Save button. Type in a name for the map and click the Save button again. A dialog box appears confirming that your map was successfully saved. You are allowed to save up to a maximum of 10 maps at any one time.
    • Create a Map Link - Click the Save button. A dialog box appears with two options. Click the Create Map Link option and click the Save button. A dialog box appears displaying the URL (link) to your current map. You can copy this URL and paste it into your web browser's address bar, an email, your own web page, etc. You must be logged in to your GeoSask account to perform any of these actions.
  • Open Print Page - Click for a printable version of the map display.
  • Download Spatial Data - Clicking will bring up the Download Centre upon acceptance of the Terms and Conditions. For a detailed look at downloading data, click on the Need Help link located in the Download Data screen that opens.

Click on 'GeoSask Icon Glossary' at the bottom of this page for a downloadable Icon Glossary showing all available functions including icon images and descriptions.  Note you will need an Adobe reader to view this document.


Adding a Web Feature or Web Map Service to the Map Viewer

Adding Web Feature Services (WFS) and Web Mapping Services (WMS) to GeoSask depends on the supported projections of the WFS/WMS, matching of these projections to GeoSask base services and so forth.

To add a Web Feature Service (WFS) or a Web Mapping Service (WMS) to GeoSask do the following:

  1. Connect to GeoSask (www.GeoSask.ca).
  2. Open the Map Viewer.
  3. Click the Add Services button.
  4. In the pop-up window that opens, select the type of service you would like to add (i.e. WFS or WMS) from the Look In GeoSask Portal Internet Server List drop-down menu
  5. Enter the URL of the WFS/WMS in the Map Server URL text box and hit OK.
  6. Select the service(s) that you would like to add from the list of services available from the WFS/WMS and click Add.
Scenario: Add Saskatchewan Government Imagery Collaborative (SGIC) public data to GeoSask
SGIC is a partnership of organizations sharing knowledge and costs relating to acquisition and use of remotely sensed imagery for mutual and public benefit.  SGIC maintains a web map service at www.flysask.ca which provides access to geospatial imagery.  To add the SGIC WMS to GeoSask, follow the steps above using this URL:

http://www.flysask.ca/cgi-bin/public.cgi?

NOTE: To enhance viewability, click on the Set Transparency button in the Map Viewer to manipulate the transparency of the services.  Also, use the Move Services button to manipulate the order in which services are displayed.

Any questions on adding WMS/WFS services should be directed to the ISC Geomatics Distribution Centre.  See the 'Contact Us' link on the GeoSask home page for contact information.


Using Find

Introduced in January 2009, the new Find tab in the Map Viewer allows you to zoom to your area of interest on the map faster than ever before!  It is important to note that when using the 'Find' options the map will zoom to a scale appropriate to the feature (e.g. urban municipality, rural municipality, township, etc.) you are finding, many times resulting in a map window that appears to be blank.  To create the view that meets your needs, simply toggle the services and layers in the map viewer directory to the left of the map window and hit the Refresh the Map button.

The following outlines the many ways you can 'find' the area you are looking for:

  • Urban Municipality Name - select from a drop-down list containing all cities, towns, villages, resort villages, northern towns/villages/hamlets and settlements in Saskatchewan.  To quickly navigate the list, enter the first few characters of the urban municipality name using your keyboard.
  • Rural Municipality Name - select from a drop-down list containing all 297 rural municipalities in Saskatchewan.  The drop-down list contains a list of all rural municipalities including the rural municipality number.  To quickly navigate the list, enter the first few characters of the rural municipality name using your keyboard.
  • Rural Municipality Number - enter in the number of the rural municipality.  Although there are 297 rural municipalities in Saskatchewan, actual Rural Municipality numbers range from 1 to 622.
  • Indian Reserves - select from a drop-down list containing all Indian Reserves in Saskatchewan and their associated number.  An Indian Reserve is an area of land reserved for first nations use.  To quickly navigate the list, enter the first few characters of the Indian Reserve name using your keyboard.
  • Parks - select from a drop-down list containing all parks in Saskatchewan.  A park is an area of land that has restrictions on its use and ownership.  The areas and restrictions are defined in the following Acts, Regulations, and amendments to these Acts: The Parks Act, the Regional Parks Act, The Meewasin Valley Authority Act, The Wakamow Valley Authority Act, and The Wascana Centre Act.  To quickly navigate the list, enter the first few characters of the park name using your keyboard.
  • NTS 1:50K Map Sheet - select from a drop-down list containing all National Topographical System 1:50,000 map sheets in Saskatchewan.  These map sheets cover an area of approximately 1,000 square kilometres.  In the Map Viewer, when selecting any map sheet, the Map Viewer will zoom to the limits of the map sheet that you select.  To quickly navigate the list, enter the first few characters of the NTS 1:50K Map Sheet using your keyboard.
  • Geographic Name - select from a drop-down list of official names of Saskatchewan places and geographical features, as contained in the Canadian Geographical Names Data Base (CGNDB).  To quickly navigate the list, enter the first few characters of the geographic name using your keyboard.
  • Plan - enter in the number of a registered Plan of Survey in Saskatchewan.
  • UTM Coordinate Pair - enter the northing (i.e. 'Y') and easting (i.e. 'X') coordinate based on the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) Grid.  Some GPS units available today accommodate UTM coordinates.
  • Land Description - enter the Section, Township, Range and Meridian of the land location you wish to zoom to.  You can also zoom to a River Lot, if applicable.  Hit the 'Tab' key on your keyboard to quickly advance to the next box within the Land Description entry fields.
NOTE: For all of the above 'Find' options, you must hit the Find Extent button or the 'Enter' key on your keyboard in order for the map to zoom to the area you wish to get to on the Map Viewer.


Using Services

New in January 2009, all base services available in GeoSask are displayed.  Also new in January are direct links to the metadata (i.e. data about data) associated with each Service and Layer displayed.  Clicking the icon to the immediate left of the Service or Layer will take you directly to the metadata associated with that Service or Layer.  This is useful to allow you to quickly locate a description of and the specifications for the Service or Layer you clicked on to see if it meets your needs. The following outlines navigating Services in GeoSask:

  • Expand a Service - click on the + sign to the left of the Service name.
  • Collapse a Service - click on the - sign to the left of the Service name.
  • Add a Service - click on the selection box to the left of the Service name and click the Refresh Map button.
  • Add a Layer - click on the selection box to the left of the Layer name (you will also have to add the Service the layer is within and click Refresh Map for the Layer to be added).
  • Select all layers within a Service - click on the selection box to the left of the Service name and manually click the selection box beside each Layer name then click on the Refresh Map button.
  • De-select all layers within a Service - click on the selection box to the left of the Service name so that it becomes empty and click the Refresh Map button.
  • Select individual layers within a Service - expand the Service by clicking on the + sign to the left of the Service name then select individual layers by clicking on the selection box to the left of each layer and then click the Refresh Map button.   Note that the Service must also be selected for the layer to appear.
  • De-select individual layers within a Service - expand the Service by clicking on the + sign to the left of the Service name then de-select individual layers by clicking on the selection box to the left of each layer.  Note to turn off all layers within a service simply click the selection box to the left of the Service name so that it becomes empty and Refresh Map.
  • Access the metadata for a Service or Layer - click on the icon located to the immediate left of the Service or Layer you wish to view the metadata for.

NOTE: In order for changes made in the Services directory to take effect in the Map Viewer, you must click the 'Refresh Map' button.

For help in adding or removing Services from the Services directory, check out the 'General Map Viewer Tools' section above or download a copy of the GeoSask Icon Glossary at the top of this page.