Map Service - User Manual
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About the Service
Helsinki Map Service is powered by SpatialWeb by Sitowise. It offers
an interactive way of using maps and inspecting map features. You
can navigate freely between different map and data layers, use
search functions, change layers, choose what kind of data you want
to be shown on the map.
It also offers various functions such as: measuring distances and
areas, downloading data, sharing links and creating embedded maps.
Technical requirements
The service has been tested on the following internet browsers:
Internet Explorer 11 and newer, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox,
Google Chrome and Apple Safari.
It also supports mobile versions, and the UI scales responsively.
The browser must support javascript and cookies.
We recommend using the service with Google Chrome.
Quick start and navigation
Default language of the service is Finnish, but the user can change
the language to their preferred one from the language menu which is
located on the top right edge of the page.
The service opens in a default view with a Guide map as the base
map. The view is focused to southern Helsinki, centered to the city
centre. The various tools the service offers are also visible when
the page is loaded.
Tools related to the map can be seen on a gray background on top of
the map view. Other tools are located in the left side panel. The
user has to open the Layers menu to be able to access and change map
layers.
Navigating on the map
Navigation on the map happens by dragging it. The user can drag the
map by holding down either the left or the right mouse button while
moving the pointer. It is also possible to change the view by using
the minimap and moving the map frame there. The black rectangle in
the minimap window resizes according to the scale of the map view.
It is possible to zoom in and out by scrolling the mouse wheel, or
by using the navigation buttons on the compass located in the upper
right corner of the map view. The user can also rotate the map by
moving the north arrow alongside the compass circle. It is possible
to return the map to north orientation by clicking the arrow in the
middle of the compass.
Map tools
There is a map tool toolbar in the upper left corner of the map
view. The label of the tool is shown when hovered over.
The dimming tool alters the opacity of the map layers on the map.
The measuring tool allows the user to measure distances and areas:
both by free hand and also by selecting map features, if the map
layer allows it. The naming tool shows object labels if the user has
a map layer with features which support labels. The fit view tool
fits the map view so that all the features on the map can be seen at
the same time. The coordinate tool allows the user to view the
coordinates of a selected point on the map in two different
coordinate systems (EPSG:3879 or WGS84).
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Search function can be found
from the menu on the left. With search the user can search
addressess and spatial features. It has a prediction algorithm which
requires at least three letters and after that provides suggestions.
In addition to the basic search the service also has Advanced
Search.
Basic search
At the moment in addition to addressess the user can search for
named points of interest, properties, regional divisions, features
in service map, nature features etc.
Advanced Search (nature information)
Choose the object group first and after that you can give more
precise filters, such as name of the species to be searched.
Search results
Search results will be listed below the search window. It will
return the results classified to their respective classification.
The results will also be shown on the map.
Once the user selects a result from the list, the map view will be
paned to show the selected feature. If there are multiple results at
the same location, a dropdown menu will be shown and the user can
then choose a feature to be inspected.
There are two symbols on the right side of the search results'
class: fit to view and make a spreadsheet. The fit to view symbol
will zoom and pan the map view so that all search results can be
seen at once. The spreadsheet symbol will transform the results to a
spreadsheet which can be then exported to various file formats.
Supported formats include GML, Excel, KML, MapInfo, AutoCAD DWG,
Geopackage etc.
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Layers to be viewed in the map
view can be chosen from the Layers menu.
Viewing and changing layers
Map layers and data sets that are shown in the map windows are
chosen from the menu tree. The user can choose layers to be active
by clicking their name or checking the box next to the layer name.
Multiple layers can be active at the same time and they will be
drawn on top of each other. The layers can be closed by unchecking
the box.
The opacity of the layers can be changed, so it is easy to view them
simultaneously. Instructions for this can be found at Now
on map.
Layer search
Now the Map Service also has a layer search functionality!
In the example below a white base map is drawn on top of an
ortophotograph.
Metadata
Each layer has an info button next to it in the map layer menu. By
clicking on this button the user can open a metadata window, which
fetches the metadata from Helsinki's GIS register. The register is
updated by the data provider if any changes are made to the layer.
If the layer is a "map set" consisting of multiple layers, it will
not have an info button, but the metadata of each separate layer can
be accessed through the Now on Map listing, which will show the info
buttons.
Map features
It is possible to view multiple map features on the map at the same
time. The user can select an object by clicking it or by hovering
the mouse pointer on top of it. If multiple objects cover the same
location, a list will be shown so the user can choose which object's
information they want to view. Mouse hover usually shows basic
information such as the name of the object, but clicking often opens
up an info window which provides additional information.
If a more detailed information window is enabled for the layer,
clicking an object will open a window, often to the right side of
the browser window.
For example, in the picture below a layer "Buildings (areas)" is
active, and the building visible in the picture has been clicked.
The information related to the particular building has been pulled
from the city's building register.
If there are multiple features on top of each other on the map, a
menu will be shown from which the user can choose which object they
want to examine. In the example below, multiple layers are active
and their names are shown. After clicking the menu, another window
is shown which shows only the layers which provide additional
information when clicked on their features. In this example three
different layers have this "additional information" function
attached to them.
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In the bottom right
corner of the map view there is a Now on Map window. It lists all
the active map layers. Below it there is a minimap, which shows a
map of whole Helsinki and a black rectangle representing the area
which is viewed in the map view at the time.
Now on map
Metadata related to each of the active layers can be viewed by
clicking the info button next to the layer name. From the cogwheel
symbol the user can access opacity setting of the layer. From the X
symbol the user can remove the layer from the active ones. Also the
drawing order of the layers is shown from top to bottom.
Opacity
The user can change the layers' opacities with a slider which can be
accessed through the cogwheel. On the right side of the slider there
is a numerical representation of the opacity (1 % = transparent, 100
% = completely opaque).
Drawing order of the map layers
The layer on the bottom of the list will be drawn first, and the
subsequent layers will be drawn "on top" of it in their order from
bottom to the top. The user can change the order of the layers by
dragging and dropping them to their desired places.
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Share function can be
accessed through the left menu. By clicking on the Share button a
window opens providing some settings for the sharing function.
Create a link
With this function the user can create a hyperlink to the current
map view. Drawings and a comment can be added before sharing.
Create an embedded map
The user can also create an embedded map. The tool can be accessed
through the button, which will open another window. There the user
can select some UI components to be shown in the embedded map, also
the size of the map can be set. In the preview window it is possible
to get a glimpse of how the embedded map will look like.
After the settings have been set correctly, the user can then copy a
HTML code snippet to be included in their web page.
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The print tool can be accessed
through the left menu.
Select paper size.
Select paper orientation.
Select scale.
Write a comment if wanted. It will be shown in the print.
If "Include Now on map" is selected, a list of active layers will be
included in the print.
After the settings are correct, the user can select the area to be
printed in the map view. An orange rectangle demonstrating the paper
size will appear. Clicking the area into place and then clicking
print will create a .pdf file, which can then be printed to paper if
wanted.
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Download tool can be accessed
through the left menu. After pressing the menu button a new tool
window will open on top of the map view.
The tool allows the user to download data, if the layers support
downloading. The data to be downloaded can be selected with a few
filters.
No selection will download all available data.
Visible area will download data currently in view in the map view.
Radius will let the user click on the map to determine a circle
buffer around a point, which will show the area from which feature
information will be downloaded.
Line buffer will let the user to draw a line with a buffer zone from
which feature information will be downloaded.
There is also a free-draw option so the user can draw an area which
is shaped however the user wants to be used as the boundaries of the
download.
The file format of the export can be selected from multiple
different formats. With some of the file formats the creation of the
file can take some time, so the user is kindly asked to wait
patiently for the file to be available for download. However, if the
download is not starting after waiting for a couple of minutes, an
error/feedback report is greatly appreciated to ensure smooth
operation of the Map Service and its functions.
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3D map navigation tools enable the
user to do all this: zoom in and out, tilt up and down, and rotate
the map. Additionally, the slider below navigation tools allows the
user to switch between top-down view (2D) and perspective view (3D).
You can switch between the 2D and 3D views by using the slider under
the navigation wheel. Clicking the slider switches between the 2D
and 3D views.
Image: control buttons and the 2D–3D selection slider
Image: control buttons in 3D view; zoom,
positioning buttons and angle adjustment (up and down arrows)
More detailed 3d-manual can be found here
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The map services includes a few
special layers implemented with the thematic map application. Many
of these are found under the Statistics (Tilastot) main heading. A
variety of ready-made views from the Helsinki Region Area Database
have been compiled under this heading and sorted by area based on
statistics.
For now, the statistical themes area datasets are available for the
materials shown in the image.
You can select the one you want in the materials tree. The area
values pertaining to the theme are highlighted on the map using
various colours, which are explained in the ‘On the Map Now’
(Kartalla nyt) window. The settings and time can be adjusted using
the dropdown menus and slider. The setting parameters and their
number vary based on the each specific material. Generally speaking,
a yearly dataset is available, which means that the timeline slider
can be used.
The settings of the thematic map can be hidden and displayed with
the button that appears in the toolbar.
You can open an info sheet on the areas shown on the map, which
typically includes a line diagram that depicts temporal variation
and reference diagrams (bar chart or pie chart, depending on the
materials) linked to the data of other areas.
Move the mouse cursor over the diagrams to display more detailed
information.
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