Iowa DNR Interactive Mapping, Help Files

Legend

The Legend lists all of the layers that are available to view at the current scale of the Interactive Map As you zoom in to the map, more layers will appear in the Legend.

In the Legend, the name of each layer is linkable. For example, this is what the County layer looks like as displayed in the Legend:

If the image above is not what your legend layer looks like, then your interactive map uses the DB Legend.

In this example, if you click the "County" text, the Iowa Natural Resources GIS Library website will open, pointing to the County layer. In this new site you will find a brief description of the layer, a "Meta" button you can click to open the metadata (detailed information about the data layer), and a link to download the layer for use in your own GIS software.

The Legend contains a "V" column (Visible) that allows you to make a layer visible or not visible. The "V" column boxes are outlined in the IDNR yellow color. By checking the box in the "V" column and clicking the Redraw Map Button, you will display the layer on the Interactive Map. If the box is not checked in front of a layer then the layer will not be displayed on the map.

The Legend contains a "L" column (Label) that allows you to turn on and off labels for layers on the Interactive Map. Some labels are set to display only at certain scales, so you might have to zoom in on the map in order to see them.

The Legend contains an "A" column (Active) that allows you to make a layer active. You can only activate one layer at a time. By clicking the radio button, a new window will appear stating that a new layer is now active. Several of the website's tools in the Toolbar only work on the layer that is active.

Finally, the Legend displays the symbology of the layers available in the application. When you select the Print Map button and print out a map, the Legend is printed to the side of the printed page.

Legend Columns

V = Visible
Check the box in front of the layer in the "V" column in the Legend to make the layer visible. Click the Redraw Map button. Uncheck the box to make it not visible.

L = Label
Check the box in front of the layer in the "L" column in the Legend to turn on labels for each layer. Click the Redraw Map button. Uncheck the box to turn labels off.

A = Active
Check the box in front of the layer in the "A" column in the Legend to make the layer active. Click the Redraw Map button. Only one layer can be active.