The UKHab & BNG Platform #2: Working with baseline data using the map
In this user guide we’ll look at how to navigate the map in the baseline tab and how to make use of all the included features. We’ll assume you’ve already completed your pre-survey and collected your UKHab survey data in the field before reaching this stage.
Navigating the Map
Once you are logged back into the portal and have selected the project you are working on you will be taken to the Baseline tab. This page, much like the pre-survey page, is divided into two parts: an interactive map and records table. Both sections are now populated with the records you have collected in the field. Records on the map are colour coded using the official UKHab symbology.
Just as on the pre-survey tab, the spatial element of your data can be edited if corrections are required.
Note: UKHab specific data cannot be edited in the Baseline tab. You will need to update a record’s UKHab data using the app.
There are a number of useful tools and options you can use within the map to easily check your data.
The map is interactive. You can:
- Pan around the map by clicking and dragging.
- Zoom in and out by using your mouse or by using the plus and minus button on the left hand side of the screen.
- Rotate the map by clicking and holding the right mouse button.
- Should you need to reorient the map you can use the two arrows icon to orient your map north.
- Centre the map on your location by selecting the crosshair icon. (You will need to grant location permissions in your browser of choice).
- View your map in fullscreen by clicking the full screen icon in the top left corner of the map.
Hovering your cursor over a record will show you a window containing headline information including UKHab habitat type, the date the record was submitted, condition score and the area of the parcel in hectares.
- To select a record in the map simply click it.
The selected record will be bordered in black and highlighted in blue in the records table. You can also open the record detail view (we’ll cover this further in a separate user guide) by double clicking the record.
Map Layers
Options for changing the layers on the map are found by clicking the white ‘Layer Switcher’ icon on the left-hand side of the map.
There are several options in this window, the first allows you to change the base layer of your map. Currently there are 3 options for you to choose from:
- Streets: This is a vector map.
- Satellite (default)
- Empty: No base map, instead a neutral grey background will be displayed
When checking and editing you may wish to switch between these layers for a number of reasons, you might use the empty layer to more clearly help with identifying gaps between your habitats, for example.
- To switch between layers simply click the layer you wish to use.
You can also change the opacity of your geometry using the slider, by default this will be set at full opacity.
Finally, there is a list of different protected sites under data layers which can be added to your map for reference.
- To add protected sites to your map simply click on the layer of your choice.
- Click again to toggle the layer off
You can have multiple different protected site layers active at once
Filtering
If you have a lot of records you may want to filter them as you work. You can filter your records by habitat or survey id using the ‘Filter’ tab on the right hand side of the map (there are several other tabs here some of which we’ll cover later in the document).
- Click the ‘Filter’ tab
- Click the habitat(s) you wish to filter by or enter a survey id into the search bar
You can reset your filters by clicking the ‘Clear Filters’ button in the upper right of the filters tab.
That’s it for the map basics. In our next user guide we will look at the Records Table.