WebGIS user documentation

Basics

• What is the Finding Sanctuary Interactive Map?
• What will happen to the data once it has been entered?
• How will Finding Sanctuary be using this information?
• Confidentiality and the data protection act
• How can I help Finding Sanctuary collect more information?

Registering with Finding Sanctuary

Using the map interface

• Moving around the map (panning and zooming)
• Switching the map between 'Map', 'Satellite' and 'Hybrid' views
• Using the 'Search Map' function

Using the view tab

• Displaying the current data set
• Displaying boundaries, limits and additional useful information

Adding your own information to the map

• Selecting an activity
• Adding your activity details to the map
• Drawing a new shape on the map
• Adding a new feature/mark
• Adding information for other people
• Selecting, cloning and deleting shapes/features
• Updating the information associated with a shape/feature

What is the Finding Sanctuary Interactive Map?

The Finding Sanctuary Interactive Map is a type of WebGIS (Web based Geographic Information System). This is essentially a way of displaying interactive maps online. The Interactive Map allows you to view maps of the South West and display additional relevant information above it (e.g. international boundaries, fishing information), using layers selected from our marine spatial planning database. The tool also allows you add your own information to the map by drawing and labelling areas that you use or have information about. The Finding Sanctuary WebGIS is based around the familiar Google Maps interface, and in many cases the controls will be exactly the same. This similarity will be become apparent as you start to use the tool.
We are using the Interactive Map to achieve two goals:

We are using the WebGIS to achieve two goals:

1. To communicate the diversity and range of information that is being used by the Finding Sanctuary project. We hope that you find the investigation of the spatial data to be an interesting experience and that you discover more about the relationship between mankind and the coasts and seas of the South West.
2. To collect information from people who are using the seas around South-West England. We have been collecting information from commercial fishermen for some time and have recently extended this to other stakeholder groups such as sea anglers and SCUBA divers. Using the Interactive Map, everyone with an active interest in the sea can draw and label areas they use or places where they know certain species and habitats occur.

What will happen to the data once it has been entered?

Once your data has been entered it will be collated, processed and validated by Finding Sanctuary's team of GIS specialists. Once the information has been validated it will be fed back into the Interactive Map as part of a map layer that summarises a stakeholder group's activities. This summarising of individual responses removes individual details from the material that we are publishing on the interactive map.

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How will Finding Sanctuary be using this information?

The activity maps that you create will become incorporated into Finding Sanctuary's stakeholder database. This database is one of the key materials used in the creation of the Finding Sanctuary Regional Profile, our comprehensive review of the marine environment in South West England. Finding Sanctuary's Steering Group will be using the Regional Profile to provide them with information on the coasts and seas of the Southwest.

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Confidentiality and the Data Protection Act (1998)

All personal information entered into the Finding Sanctuary website is held within the remit of the Data Protection Act (1998) and will not be disclosed to other parties without the consent of the individual whom it is about. All data entered into the Interactive Map has the personal details removed from it and stored separately. Once this has occurred there will be no way to link information of a commercial or sensitive nature with your personal details. As was noted in 'What will happen to the data once it has been entered?'; the information you add to the Interactive Map is summarised by the finding sanctuary team - removing individual details.

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Registering with Finding Sanctuary

To register with Finding Sanctuary's WebGIS system, click the Register link displayed on the WebGIS home page. The system will then ask what role you want to register as. If you are going to record your own information, select 'Individual'. This will then present a further option to select the stakeholder group you wish to enter information for. If you want to add information for another group you can do so once you are logged in to the system.

If you are working as a volunteer and collecting information from other people on behalf of Finding Sanctuary, please select 'Volunteer'.
Click 'Next' to continue your registration. On the following page please select a username that is unrelated to your actual name and fill out the rest of the form correctly. If you have picked a username that has already been chosen by someone else, the system will inform you and request that you pick a different one.
Click 'Create User' to complete the process. Once you have registered you will need to wait for your account to be verified. Generally this should take less than 24 hours and an email will be sent to you once this is complete. You can then log in using the 'Sign In' link on the Interactive Map home page.

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How can I help Finding Sanctuary collect more information?

Finding Sanctuary is trying to create as comprehensive a picture as possible of how people are using the sea in the South West. If you would like to volunteer to help collect information from other people, please contact Sarah McLintock, the Finding Sanctuary Liaison Support Coordinator (sarah.mclintock@southwestfoodanddrink.com).

Using the map interface

The WebGIS controls for moving around the map window are taken directly from the Google Maps interface. The image below describes the controls that are available.

If you have already entered information for this stakeholder group (e.g. divers) it will be displayed along with the map. Please be aware that if web traffic is very high, some of your points may not be displayed. Reloading the page should resolve this.

To pan (move the map) you can either move the mouse cursor over the map, click and drag the map or use the navigation buttons (1) on the top left of the map to navigate North, South, East or West. To zoom in or out, use the zoom tool as highlighted in the image above. Clicking the '+' or '-' buttons (2) will zoom in or out a small amount or you can drag the zoom slider (2) up or down to zoom in or out incrementally. You can also pan around using the overview map (3) - this helps you locate your position in the context of a larger geographical area. If you wish to hide the overview map, click the arrow in the bottom right corner.

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Switching the map between 'Map', 'Satellite' and 'Hybrid' views

You can view your map in three different ways. The default view is 'hybrid' which shows you a satellite view with place names and roads overlaid on top. As you zoom in, smaller roads and population centres will become visible. You can also view the map as a satellite image only view, if you find that the default option is too cluttered. You can also choose to view the map as a traditional depiction with roads and borders.

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Using the 'Search Map' function

If you want to move the map to a specific geographic location, enter either the place name or postcode in the 'Search map for' box (5) and click 'Search Map'.

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There are different options for adding information to the map for each stakeholder group. Each of them has one or more buttons for adding information about where you go and each group has a button for adding any ecological knowledge you can contribute (e.g. spawning or nursery grounds, any specific habitats you may know about).
You can mark the area that you use by either drawing a shape (polygon) on the map or using a catalogue of known features, also referred to as marks. These include shipwrecks and some fishing marks. If you know the name of a mark, rather than drawing a shape on the map you can select the exact location.

Any shapes and features that you add to the map will be displayed in the polygon list (3). This allows you to see what you have already added and make changes to them as necessary.

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Selecting an activity

Adding your activity details to the map

The first time you try to add a shape or feature to the map, the Interactive Map will take you to a page requesting details about the selected role. Please fill in as much detail as possible and click save to continue. If you want to edit this information later, you can click the 'Edit Details' link (6#). If you are a commercial fisherman, this section allows you to tell us a little more about your fishing vessel. This information is entirely confidential and will not be shared with anyone outside of Finding Sanctuary without your permission. Much of the fishing vessel data is taken from DEFRA's list of registered fishing boats. If you own/skipper/crew multiple boats, each vessel will require you to register with a separate user name - you may want to consider arranging a meeting with one of our liaison officers to minimise the amount of time you need to spend - contact Sarah McLintock at the Finding Sanctuary office (01392 878 340, sarah.mclintock@southwestfoodanddrink.com).

Drawing a new shape on the map

The Interactive Map creates new shapes by joining points (vertexes) together to form a polygon (shape). To create a new shape:

• Locate the correct area on the map and ensure that you zoom in enough to see an appropriate level of detail.
• Select the type of information you want to add from the list on the left (e.g. 'Where you fish', 'Ecological knowledge', etc.); this starts your edit session. The Interactive Map will then ask you if you want to draw a polygon (shape) or select a feature. For this example, select 'Draw Polygon'.
• Create your first vertex by deciding on a start point for the shape and clicking the mouse pointer there (figure 8a)
• Continue creating vertexes by clicking the mouse pointer along the edge of your polygon (figure 8b). The closer together the points, the more accurate your shape.
• When you have finished tracing the edges of the feature, click the start vertex (in red) to close the shape (figure 8c).
• Be careful not to cross the lines of your polygon over themselves, this can lead to shapes with parts that are missing/clipped out (figure 8d).
• If you want your shape to abut the land, make sure you overlap the land by a short distance. Once you have clicked the start vertex the Interactive Map will 'clip' your shape to the land, making it fit to the coast. Don't worry about any small amounts that still overlap the land - these will be removed during the quality assurance procedure (your shape will be cropped to fit the coast exactly). This can be seen in the shape in figure 8c.
• Once you have finished drawing your polygon, the WebGIS will bring up an information bubble for you to fill out.
• The Interactive Map automatically names each shape or feature with your username and a unique number. If you want, you can change these to make them easier to work with.
• Please be sure to fill out as much of the information as you can and click update details to save your polygon. Once you have completed this your shape will appear in the polygon list, where you can update details, clone or delete it.
  

Adding a new feature/mark

If you know the name of a feature, rather than drawing a shape on the map you can select the exact location.

• Locate the correct area on the map and ensure that you zoom in enough to see an appropriate level of detail.
• Select the type of information you want to add from the list on the left (e.g. 'Where you fish', 'Ecological knowledge', etc.); this starts your edit session. The Interactive Map will then ask you if you want to draw a polygon (shape) or select a feature. For this example, select 'Select By Features'.
• The Interactive Map will then display a series of boxes dividing up the study region. Select the box that you think contains the mark you want to add and the map will zoom in and display a red point for each mark within the box. The map will also display a dialog box that lists all of the points within that region.
• To select a mark, click the name in the list and press the 'Add Points' button. If you want to add multiple points, hold down the CTRL key while selecting them from the list. Once you have pressed the 'Add Points' button an information bubble will be displayed for you to fill out - click 'Update Details' to complete the process.
• You can also select multiple points by drawing around them. To do this click 'Select by Polygon' and then draw around the points that you want to include using the same technique as if you were drawing a shape (see above). Once you have completed the shape the map will select all of the points within it and bring up an information bubble to fill out- click the 'Update Details' button once you have finished. The Interactive map will apply the same information to all of these points - if you want to add different information for individual points (for example, maybe at one mark you go bass fishing and at another you go bait digging) you will need to select each mark individually.

Adding information for other people

If you are volunteering for Finding Sanctuary and are adding information from people you have interviewed, there are some additional fields to fill out once you have drawn a shape/selected feature(s). It is crucial that you fill out the name of the person you are interviewing as without this we can't track who the information belongs to.

Selecting, cloning and deleting polygons

Select, Clone and Delete icons.

These three icons appear next to each feature in the polygon list (5). Clicking the select icon selects that polygon and moves the map to show it. Clicking the clone icon creates a duplicate of the shape and will immediately prompt you to enter new information. The delete icon allows you to delete any polygons that are incorrect.

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Updating the information associated with a polygon

Should you need to change the information associated with one of your polygons, or want to check what you have entered, first of all select it (either using the select icon in the polygon list or by left clicking the polygon on the map. Update the details as necessary, paying close attention to the month data, and click the 'Update details' button to save your changes. If you wish to close this window without saving your changes, click the [X] on the top right of the information bubble.

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