Gauteng City-Region Viewer - Help
Viewer Menus
Explore the Viewer
Additional information
Prioritizing ranks
Viewer Menus
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Base Maps
Displays the available Google maps, i.e. Google Street, Satellite, Hybrid and
Physical maps. Open Street Maps are also available. The user may
change the background map of the Viewer by selecting the
appropriate map from this menu. The GCRO Bookmarks are predefined locations that a user can select to zoom
to those locations, e.g. the GCRO Offices. The Overview Map opens another window that shows the location of the current Viewer within a broader context,
i.e. the Gauteng region as it is located within South Africa.
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GCRO Bookmarks
- Bookmarks
- Add Bookmarks
- Docked
- Lock Widget Transparency
- Minimise
- Close
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Overview Map
- Docked
- Lock Widget Transparency
- Minimise
- Close
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GCRO Dynamic Data
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Navigation
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Zoom In
This tool allows the user to zoom into an area of interest. Click and while holding the mouse button in drag a rectangle over the area you wish to zoom to. Once the mouse button is released the map will zoom in to the area of the rectangle.
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Zoom Out
This tool allows the user to zoom out of an area of interest. Click and while holding the mouse button in drag a rectangle over the area you wish to zoom to. Once the mouse button is released the map will zoom out of the area of the rectangle.
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Full Extent
Clicking this tool will zoom the extent of the Viewer to that of when the Viewer first opened.
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Pan Map
This tool allows the user to pan over the map area. Click then hold the left mouse button on the map and drag the map. The map will be re-centred with the location dragged at the location you dropped it.
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Zoom Previous
This tool allows the user to step the map back to the previous extent.
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Zoom Next
This tool allows the user to step the map back to the next extent.
NOTE: All these tools are also available as icons on the GCRO Viewer toolbar.
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Tools
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Help
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Additional Functionality
There are a number of additional tools that do not form part of a specific menu
provided in the Viewer.
There are 5 menus on the GCRO Viewer toolbar which include Base Maps, GCRO Dynamic Data, Navigation, Tools and Help.
Each menu can be expanded further by hovering above or by selecting the icon that represents the tool, which then
displays a static drop down menu. This menu will collapse if the mouse pointer is no longer hovered over the icon(s).
On selection of an option in the menu, a separate window is opened on the
right side of the Viewer. As the cursor moves away from the window the transparency of the window changes
to enable complete visibility of the map. The windows can be collapsed by clicking on the double arrows present
on the top far right of the window.
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The Bookmarks tool allows the user to zoom to predefined locations. Alternatively the user may also add his/her own locations to this tool. To zoom to a bookmark the user must simply click on the bookmark in
the table. Bookmarks may be added to or deleted from the list by clicking the
icon next to a bookmark's name. The list below gives a brief overview of the use of the Bookmarks tool.
Clicking on this icon will bring up the list of current bookmarks.
Clicking on this icon allows the user to add new bookmarks. When this icon is clicked a new panel opens where the user types in the new bookmark's name. Once the bookmark has been added it gets added to the bookmark list.
Clicking on this icon will dock the tool on the right-hand side of the Viewer. A tool is undocked if it is manually moved around the Viewer.
This icon sets the tool's transparency to 0%, i.e. when this icon is clicked the tool will not be transparent anymore and the map won't be seen through the tool.
Clicking this icon will minimise the tool, i.e. collapse the tool.
The tool may be closed by clicking on this icon.
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The Overview window displays a generalised, smaller-scale map with the full extent of the map seen in the viewer along with its surrounding area. Clicking on the Overview map icon allows the user to open the overview map. The current view will be indicated by a red rectangle within the overview window. Clicking on the tool will open a separate window on the top right hand side of the Viewer. The list below gives a brief overview of the use of this tool.
Clicking on this icon will dock the tool on the right-hand side of the Viewer. A tool is undocked if it is manually moved around the Viewer.
This icon sets the tool's transparency to 0%, i.e. when this icon is clicked the tool will not be
transparent anymore and the map won't be seen through the tool.
Clicking this icon will minimise the tool, i.e. collapse the tool.
The tool may be closed by clicking on this icon.Go to Top
This menu consists of a number of themes. Eight themes are currently available for the GCRO Dynamic Data. These include
Admin Boundaries (Administrative Boundaries), Demographics, 2009 Quality of Life,
Economic, Environmental Data, Spatial Structure, Spatial Change and Transport. Each theme consists of available live maps, graphs and metadata.
For more information on these themes see Admin Boundaries or GCRO Themes .
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Basic tools have been included to allow users to zoom in or out of the map, to view the full extent of the map,
as well as pan the map within the viewer. For example, to zoom in: click on the zoom in tool and then hold down
the left click and draw a box around the area to zoom into. Additional zoom capabilities such as zoom previous and zoom next have
been included, which are activated by just clicking on the tool. The list below gives a brief overview of the various navigational tools.
This menu contains a number of tools that improve the functionality of the Viewer. These tools are two
search functions (Google Search and GCRO Search), Identify, Draw, Print and Street View tools as well
as a tool that allows the user to add data to the Viewer (Load Data).The Google Search allows users to
search the maps using Google's search engine. GCRO Search tool allows users to search the GCRO Administrative
Layers which could be a graphical search or a text search. The Identify tool enables a specific location
on the map to be identified and detailed information about that location is returned. The drawing tool
allows users to draw and perform measurements on the map in the viewer. The print functionality offers
printing the Viewer map to PDF. The Street View tool opens Google's street view for a point placed by the
user in the Viewer and the Load Data tool allows the user to add data in a variety of formats to the Viewer.
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The Help tool will open the help manual. This manual explains the use of the
Viewer in detail. The GCRO Home tool is a link to the GCRO homepage Selecting this
option will open the GCRO homepage in another window.
The About option refers to the details of the Sample Flex Viewer powered by Esri Inc.
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Zooming
Additional navigational functionality is also provided by the zoom toolbar. This toolbar is always visible on the left-hand side of the Viewer. The user may zoom into an area or zoom out of an area by clicking in the up arrow or down arrow respectively.
Scale Bar
The scale bar is located at the bottom left of the Viewer and changes as the user zooms in or out of the extent, i.e. the scale bar is dynamic.
GCRO Homepage
The logo of the Gauteng City-Region Observatory is located at the bottom right of the Viewer. Clicking on this logo will open the GCRO homepage in another window.
Terms of Use
The Terms of Use are located underneath the GCRO logo a the bottom right of the Viewer. Clicking in this text will open a document that explains and details Google Maps' Terms and Conditions.
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Explore the Viewer
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Admin Boundaries
- Admin Boundaries (Live Maps)
Clicking this icon will bring the tool back to the list of layers in
the table of content. Ensure the main layer title (Admin Boundaries)
is ticked to ensure the theme layers are displayed. An individual map layer
can be switched on and off by clicking the corresponding check box. Some
layers may have been grouped and the group can be expanded to view the
individual layers by clicking on the expand button (triangle) to the left
of the map layer name.
NOTE: Some layers only display when zoomed in or out to a certain scale, indicated by a "greyed out" tick box next to the layer name.
- Chart Statistics
Clicking this icon allows the user to create charts pertaining to the currently selected theme.
Data may be dynamically linked to the map, i.e. the chart will change as the user
changes values in the Viewer.
NOTE: This particular theme has no chartable data.
- Layer Transparency
This icon will bring up a panel where the user may change the transparency of the various themes.
Changing transparency will only have an effect if the theme is visible, i.e. the check box next
to the theme's name is checked. Transparency is adjusted by moving the arrow along the transparency
toolbar, moving the arrow all the way to the right assigns a transparency of 100% to the theme;
moving the arrow all the way to the left assigns a transparency value of 0%.
- Metadata
This icon will open a panel where the user may view the metadata
of the various layers. All available data will have their metadata displayed here, independent of
whether or not the layer is currently visible.
Clicking on any of the metadata buttons will open a new window containing the metadata of that particular layer. The user may also navigate back to the list of metadata by clicking the
button.
- Map Legend
- Docked
Clicking on this icon will dock the tool on the right-hand side of the Viewer. A tool is undocked if it is manually moved around the Viewer.
- Lock Widget Transparency
This icon sets the tool's transparency to 0%, i.e. when this icon is clicked the tool will not be
transparent anymore and the map won't be seen through the tool.
- Minimise
Clicking this icon will minimise the tool, i.e. collapse the tool.
- Close
The tool may be closed by clicking on this icon.
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Each theme in this menu provides different information to the user. Each item in
the drop-down menu will open a tool with a number of additional functionality pertaining
to that particular tool. This functionality and how it may be accessed is common
to all the different themes.
- Docked
Clicking on this icon will dock the tool on the right-hand side of the Viewer. A tool is undocked if it is manually moved around the Viewer.
- Lock Widget Transparency
This icon sets the tool's transparency to 0%, i.e. when this icon is clicked the tool will not be
transparent anymore and the map won't be seen through the tool.
- Minimise
Clicking this icon will minimise the tool, i.e. collapse the tool.
- Close
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Google Search
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GCRO Search
- Text Search: Select one of the fields mentioned above from the drop down list to search within. Thereafter enter a name in the textbox and select the search button. To perform a new search, select the clear button and repeat the above process.
- Graphical Search: Select a field from the drop down list to search within. Thereafter select a drawing tool from the options provided. Use this tool to select a region on the map to search in.
- Select by Point;
- Select by Line;
- Select by Rectangle; and
- Select by Polygon.
Identify Widget
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Draw Widget
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Select the draw icon on the draw widget and choose one of the drawing tools,
i.e. shapes.
After the tool is selected click on the map to start drawing. The dimensions and appearance of
the drawing can be modified by changing the colour and size of the tool. Each tool is used differently. To
return to the default panel of the tool click the
at the top right side
of the tool.
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Point:
Click a position on the screen to draw a point. -
Line:
Select a position on the map to start drawing the line. To change the direction in which the line id drawn, click another point on the map to stop and thereafter change the direction. To complete the drawing the line, double click on the final point on the map. -
Freehand Line:
Click a position on the map to start drawing. Keep the left mouse button down to continue drawing the line freehand. Release the mouse button to stop drawing. -
Polygon and Freehand Polygon:
To start drawing click a position on the map. To continue drawing the polygon keep the left mouse button down. When the polygon is complete release the mouse button. -
Text:
Enter text in the Text field. Select the font name, colour and appearance of the text. Thereafter click a position on the map to place the text. -
Recycle Bin:
Removes all previously drawn images.
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Point:
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Measurements can be performed by selecting the
icon in the toolbar of the widget.
Check the checkbox, before you start drawing for measurements to be shown on the map. Select the
units of measurement and the graphical appearance of the measurements. Then go back to the drawing
tool icon and select the shape to be drawn/measured and draw the shape on the map - the measurements will
display after a few seconds.
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Consolidated Ranks
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Printing
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Street View
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Load Data
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System requirements
Additional requirements
- A reasonable Internet connection
- JavaScript enabled web browser
- Adobe Flash Player 9 or higher
Contacts and comments
Please contact Chris Wray for any assistance or comments giswebsite@gcro.ac.za.
This tool contains various boundary data for the region.
A map layer from this table of contents can be switched on by clicking on the check box
next to the layer. To switch off the map the layer, the check box must be un-ticked.
To remove all the Admin Boundaries, the check box next to the title 'Admin Boundaries' must be
unchecked. Admin Boundaries consist of:
- Live Maps;
- Layer Transparency for each theme;
- Metadata;
- Map Legend;
- Docked;
- Minimise; and
- Close.
This icon will bring up the symbolisation of the visible layers. The legend will open in a new window. This window may also be resized by dragging the bottom left corner.
Each theme is composed of:
- The Live Maps available for the corresponding theme;
- The Layer Transparency for each theme;
- Metadata;
- Map Legend;
- Docked;
- Minimise ; and
- Close.
All themes work in a similar fashion and as such only a selected theme will be explained here. The Live Maps for the selected theme of 'Demographics' is shown below. Ensure the main layer title (Demographics) is ticked to ensure the theme layers are displayed. An individual map layer can be switched on and off by clicking the corresponding check box. Some layers may have been grouped and the group can be expanded to view the individual layers by clicking on the expand button (triangle) to the left of the map layer name.NOTE: Some layers only display when zoomed in or out to a certain scale, indicated by a "greyed out" tick box next to the layer name.
The available Layer Transparency for selected themes is shown below. The scale of transparency
for each theme can be adjusted by moving the transparency scale bar for the corresponding layer.This icon will bring up a panel where the user may change the transparency of the various themes.
Changing transparency will only have an effect if the theme is visible, i.e. the check box next
to the theme's name is checked. Transparency is adjusted by moving the arrow along the transparency
toolbar, moving the arrow all the way to the right assigns a transparency of 100% to the theme;
moving the arrow all the way to the left assigns a transparency value of 0%.
The Chart Statistics provides a list of layers from which a dynamic graph may be
created and displayed. An option has been provided to only show the graph or show the graph
dynamically linked to the map.
Once a graph is selected from the list, the graph for the selected layer is then displayed and the name
of the selected layer is shown above the graph.
If only the graph option was selected (i.e. dynamically link graph to map is not selected), only a graph will be displayed. When moving the mouse over the data on the graph, the actual statistics and details of each region will be shown as a label.
If the graph dynamically linked to map option is selected, the region from where the data is extracted
for the graph will be outlined and coloured on the map. It may take a while to load the highlighted map.
When the user hovers over data on the graph the actual statistics and details of each region will be shown
as a label and in addition the corresponding region on the map will be highlighted. When one of the graph
feature is clicked, the map will zoom to the selected feature.
To remove the highlight dynamically linked map, close the theme widget, or select chart statistics again.
The user may also export the carted data to a CSV file. To do this he/she must simply click on the
button. This will bring up a dialog box for saving the data. This is
dependent on the user's operating system and local machine specifications.
The metadata provides a list of layers from which metadata can be displayed.
This icon will open a panel where the user may view the metadata
of the various layers. All available data will have their metadata displayed here, independent of
whether or not the layer is currently visible. 
Clicking on any of the metadata buttons will open a new window containing the metadata of that particular layer. The user may also navigate back to the list of metadata by clicking the
button.
A Map Legend for the selected theme is available be selecting the flag icon. This icon will bring up the symbolisation of the visible layers. The legend will open in a new window. This window may also be resized by dragging the bottom left corner.
The tool may be closed by clicking on this icon.Go to Top
The Google search extends across Google maps and the following items may be searched for,
- Address;
- City/ Town; and
- Business/ Point of Interest.
When clicking 
the tool will be populated with possible results.
Clicking on any of the results as they appear in the tool will zoom the user to the location of the result.
The result will be indicated by a red pin, as can be seen below.
The GCRO search extends across the GCRO layers and the following fields maybe searched within:
Cities and Towns, Municipalities, Wards 2011.
Two types of searches are available:
- Text Search 
- Graphical Search 
Available graphical selection tools are:
You may also clear all selected features by clicking the
icon.
The Identify widget allows users to identify a point on the map, with two sets of data returned,
including Google data and GCRO data.
To use the Identify widget select one of the GCRO Dynamic Data layers from the drop down menu.
Thereafter select the identify tool and click a point on the map. The data returned
are shown within
the widget, with the Google address shown first. Scroll down to view the GCRO data identified.
For a
new identify task click on the 
. This
will return the user to the first panel of the tool. Then select
to clear the results of the previous identification task and perform the above process again.
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The Draw tool enables different types of shapes to be drawn on the
map. The tool also offers for measurements to be performed on the map. Depending on your network connection, this
tool may react slowly and should be used with a degree of patience.
How to use the tool:
The Consolidated Ranks tool, ranks the 508 wards in the Gauteng Region area according to selected attributes and their specified weights.
The Change Indicator and Weights tool, 
, opens the Measure Definition window.
This window allows the user to interactively decide the ranked values of the indicators. Use the arrow buttons to determine the number of times a
specific indicator's value will be counted during the summating process.
The Display settings function, 
, defines the manner in which the ranked wards
are displayed on the map.
The user has the ability to define the number of top ranked wards to display on the map, as well as the color and transparency of the wards.
The top ranked wards are highlighted as grey in the list. The functions also allows the user to decide whether or not to display all the wards
that are ranked below the mean as well as determine their color and transparency.
The Export to CSV button exports the current rank order of the wards to a CSV file. Press the
button,
select the location for the CSV file and click save.
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Printing is completed in three steps:
1) A base layer for the printing tool must be selected by either choosing one of the Google Maps as a base layer (except for satellite which is not available as per the Permission Guidelines for Google Maps and Google Earth) or a blank background with only the GCRO layers and themes visible (none - GCRO Data only).
2) Choose what to print: The user may choose to print everything he/she sees in
the Viewer
or to print the map information only, i.e. no elements such as the
scale bar or widgets.
3) The user may define whether or not to print the datagrid, as well as select the number of records that should be printed.
Once the user has set his/her printing preferences he must click the 
button. Depending on the user's operating system and local machine specifications the map will
be printed to PDF.
This tool allows the user to open Google Street View for a location they choose on the map.
NOTE: The tool will not open Street View if Street view is not available for the location the user chose. The tools requires three steps to be performed by the user:
1) The user may choose to show the Street View by itself or together with other content such as e.g. Google Maps. Select the content to be displayed from Dual View, Bing Map, Google Maps, Street View Only or Street View-Google Map. These are all options provided in the first drop-down menu. Then zoom in to the area you wish to open Street View for.
2) Choose to open the result inside the GCRO Viewer or alternatively in a new window, i.e.
outside the GCRO Viewer. 
3) Click on the 
icon provided in the tool and then click on the map at the location for which
you would like to open Street View.
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This tool allows the user to add data to the Viewer. The user can add
Esri Online map services, WMS services, KML/KMZ files as well as shapefiles.
When the tool first opens the user will see four panels to the tool. Each panel
works the same in how data are uploaded, the only difference being in which format
the data must be.1) Adding Esri Online map services:
Type the URL to the map service into the text box provided. Then click the
icon. Wait for the service to be uploaded.
Once the 
has disappeared the 
button will be come active. Click on this button to add the service to the map.
2) Adding WMS:
Type the URL to the map service into the text box provided. Then click the
icon. Wait for the service to be uploaded.
Once the has disappeared the
button will be come active. Click on this button to add the service to the map.
3) Adding KML/KMZ files:
Click the 
icon to browse to the location on your computer of the
file to be uploaded. Wait for the file to be uploaded.
Once the has disappeared the
button will be come active. Click on this button to add the file to the map.
4) Adding shapefiles:
Click the icon to browse to the location on your computer of the
shapefile to be uploaded. Wait for the shapefile to be uploaded.
Once the has disappeared the
button will be come active. Click on this button to add the shapefile to the map.NOTE: You can only add one shapefile at a time. The shapefile must be in the WGS84 Web Mercator projection and it must be contained within a zipped folder. If any of these parameters are not valid you won't be able to upload the shapefile.
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