Be sure you have read Using Autodesk MapGuide and installed the MapGuide Viewer before proceeding.
Start by going to Pima County MapGuide Maps. Review the introductory links on that page and then pick "Main MapGuide Map" to see the main map and then get started with MapGuide:
Pick "Main MapGuide Map" to see the main map and then get started with MapGuide:
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Autodesk MapGuide Viewer Compatibility Issues
describes computer, operating system, web browser, pop-up blocker, add-on, and network situations
that can cause problems using the MapGuide Viewer.
Our GIS Data Library metadata includes
the Date of Last Update, as well as the Source Date and a Maintenance Description for each layer.
This update information is maintained manually. Certain updates may not be reflected in the metadata.
Conversely, the update date may be the date we updated the library and may not necessarily be
true date of the underlying layer.
When the update date is important to you, you should seek confirmation of the data from official sources.
If you aren't using Internet Explorer on Windows,
there is a link at the bottom of our main MapGuide Maps page
that lets you
Enter latitude and longitude and zoom to a MapGuide map location
by opening a new map window.
See Arizona Counties for links to other county maps we know of.
You may also find these state-wide Arizona maps helpful:
The data is on map layers and becomes visible or
selectable depending on map scale (zoom factor).
The bigger the map, the more detail you see.
Some layers are only available at certain scales.
For instance, you need to zoom in to see parcels and zoom out to see
major streets and routes.
The legend to the left of the map adjusts automatically to show
the layers available at the current scale.
A check mark next to the layer name indicates that the layer is being displayed.
You can check boxes to add layers and un-check them to remove layers.
For tips, see Developing Search Criteria for Addresses and other Map Features in MapGuide
For tips, see Zoom Goto Tool Tips
See
MapGuide Toolbar Buttons for a list of button graphics and their use
and the Popup Menu Command Summary
for the right-click menu options.
The Select, Pan, Zoom and Zoom Out MapGuide map toolbar tools "stick".
That is, the tools stay active until you pick another map tool or press the Esc key.
You can pick the Zoom tool and keep clicking on the map to zoom, zoom, zoom.
Remember that you can press the keyboard Esc key to get back to the default tool and map cursor.
Or, you can simply pick the "Select" tool on the MapGuide tool bar to get back to the default tool.
The "Map Tools & Map Info." drop-down list in the title frame at the top of the map provides Internet Explorer users
with several custom tools for drawing on the map, linking to oblique aerial photos, getting areas, getting latitude/longitude values,
and zooming to latitude/longitude coordinates.
Click on the table column headings below for detailed instructions.
With a few exceptions, layers are sorted alphabetically on the
Main MapGuide Map
within the following groups:
While there are layer six groups above, it's usually sufficient to think of three: points, lines and polygons with orthophotos on the bottom.
A few inconsistencies remain, primarily to keep related layers together in the legend.
For instance, sanitary sewer pipes (lines) are included with the three other sanitary sewer point-type features.
Also, layers that are just text labels or identifiers are generally just above the
corresponding layer.
Some layers that should be logically grouped together are separated because the layers
are different feature types.
For instance "Infrastructure - Pima County DOT - Points" and "Infrastructure - Pima County DOT - Linear" are
separated in different groups.
Since the legend order determines which layers appear "on top" of other layers in the map, we
need to retain the point/line/polygon grouping so one layer doesn't unnecessarily cover
another layer. For instance, we don't want Jurisdictions to cover the Street Network.
It isn't possible with current software to eliminate the feature type grouping and have all the layers sorted alphabetically.
Layers can be hard to find in the legend. There are lot's of them!
You may be able to find layers more quickly by typing the first few letters of the layer name.
Then the legend cursor moves to the layer starting with what you type.
This is a great way to find layers in the legend.
You need to do three things to make this work:
The same approach also works with Zoom Goto Category selection on the map's right-click menu.
Instead scrolling the category list and picking what you want to zoom to,
simply type the first letter or letters of the category and it jumps right to it.
The trick to Zoom Goto is remembering to set the appropriate "Zoom to width" (whether it's in feet of miles)
before you zoom.
In the case of finding parcels, it's a good idea to set the zoom width very small or close, perhaps .1 miles or 500 feet.
This way, your zoom lands right on top of the parcel so you can't miss which one it is.
Then use the Zoom Out tool once or twice to zoom the map out to an appropriate view that shows the surrounding area you want to see.
If you think you might lose track of the particular parcel when zooming out,
select the parcel before zooming out by single-clicking the parcel with your mouse to turn it black.
Then you will be able to see the parcel clearly as you zoom out.
Virtually all useful maps, whether paper or electronic, display overlapping map data.
For example, streets typically overlay city limits areas.
Also, identifying annotation may overlap some map features.
We call each type of map data in the map legend a layer.
Map layers overlap like transparencies (or sheets of pasta in lasagna!).
Well-designed paper maps order overlapping layers so maps both look good and work well for their intended purposes.
With MapGuide and many other electronic maps, users interact with the maps and adjust map information by
panning, zooming, and:
By turning layers on and off, MapGuide users add and remove overlapping map data.
Understanding overlapping map data is essential to getting the most out of MapGuide as well
as helping ensure you see what you need on the map.
Using MapGuide, there are two ways that overlapping data may be in your map view.
When you move the mouse pointer over an object that is linked to a another web page,
the pointer changes from an arrow to a pointing hand.
This means you can double-click on the map feature to load and display
a page with more information about the object.
Only selected data layers are linked to more data.
Popular layers with double-clicked linked data include
Parcels, Subdivisions, Annexations, Census, Section Grid, and Zoning.
Many other data layers may have this feature.
Look for the pointing hand when you move the mouse over a map feature to know when you
can double-click for more information.
If you zoom in far enough to see the "Parcels - Pima" layer, it is actually "on top" of
other polygonal layers.
In this case you need to turn off the "Parcels - Pima" layer to double-click on a the layer of interest
"below" the "Parcels - Pima" layer or to see its map tips.
The usual methods of using the browser's Print button or "File", "Print..."
menu options usually doesn't work. Don't even bother trying.
To print your MapGuide map, move your cursor into the map display window, right-click somewhere within the map area
and then select "Print Current View" from the popup menu.
The "Print Current View" option in the right-click menu prints the map using the standard Windows printer dialog.
There is no "Print Preview" option and there is no way to preview your printed map before printing.
Autodesk MapGuide Print Samples shows examples of what the major print options look like when printed.
Prior to printing, you can right-click and select "Page Setup..." (just below "Print Current View")
to customize some of the printed map's printed appearance by adding or removing a
title, legend, scale bar, north arrow, URL address and date/time.
The default "Scale plot to fit page" is usually the best choice.
Most users want the map to fill the printed page.
Therefore, on most of our maps, we have changed the defaults so the
title, legend, scale bar, north arrow, URL address and date/time are not printed on the map.
You can customize your map by turning on
one or more of those extra features.
These options are under Page Setup... in the map's right-click menu.
It's usually best to select the Landscape option in your printer's "Print Setup..." dialog
to make the map fit the printed page better.
By leaving all the optional print features off and using your printer's Landscape mode, the map fills the printed page.
If map details don't print well, try using the techniques for
Optimizing Orthophotos, Imagery and Map Details.
If you don't have a color printer, areas filled with color appear as
a shade of gray on your printed copy.
If you have problems printing from MapGuide:
MapGuide uses a simple ratio for the viewing and printing scale, such as 1:2400.
This means that one unit on the displayed map equals to 2400 units on the ground.
For instance:
The simple ratio that MapGuide uses means the units are the same for both sides of the ratio.
You may prefer to think of scale as 1 inch to some number of feet rather than a simple ratio.
That is, inches to feet rather than inches to inches, or feet to feet.
If so, you need to convert your scale to a simple ratio.
For example, for a scale of 1 inch equals 200 feet, the scale must be converted to have the same units
on both sides to make a simple ratio.
In this case it's easiest to convert feet to inches by multiplying 200 feet by 12 inches per foot,
giving an equivalent simple ratio of 1:2400 (1 inch to 2400 inches).
To print to a specific scale:
You may see the message "The entire map cannot fit on a single page
at the specified print scale. The map will be cropped to fit on the
printed page. Do you want to continue printing?"
If it won't fit, there is nothing the print process can do to make it
fit at your specified scale without cropping.
You may have trouble getting imagery, such as orthophotos, or map details to appear sharp on printed output, particularly when making large format prints.
MapGuide optimizes the delivery of imagery for screen display, not printing.
MapGuide looks at the current displayed map scale as well as the pixel size of your screen window and re-samples the original image data so it is optimized for your display.
This is how MapGuide enables fast display of imagery from source files that are many gigabytes in size.
While not usually a problem, you may have similar problems making large prints of vector data (points, lines) if your screen size is small.
There are a few things you can do to get the best possible resolution and detail when printing MapGuide maps:
Here's a sample image captured from the screen of a tall and narrow parcel area. We used all of the above techniques to get the largest possible image with the
most detail. The captured image size is 1186 x 1486 pixels or over 1.7 megapixels. It was captured using a 20 inch, 1600 x 1200 LCD where the displayed
image was rotated 90 degrees to be in a "portrait" mode more suitable to the tall and narrow parcel.
(If you don't have to scroll the image to see it all, your web browser may be set to resize images to fit the current window.)
Remember that screen or printed detail is always limited by the resolution of the underlying imagery and will not appear sharp if you zoom in too close.
You cannot download map data and imagery to files directly using MapGuide.
It is primarily an interactive viewer, not a data delivery or data download system.
That is, if you need the underlying vector or imagery data to use with other software such a ArcGIS, ArcView or AutoCAD,
then the best thing you can do it to get the vector data from the Pima County DOT
GIS Data Library or aerial imagery from Pima Association of Governments.
However, depending on your needs, you may be able to capture adequate data from the screen.
There are two ways you can capture the viewed data using the Internet:
To ensure that you are getting the best possible image to view, copy or print, see
Optimizing Orthophotos, Imagery and Map Details above.
You can capture vector and image data from the displayed map in PostScript format using a little trick.
This works with any software that can import PostScript format, certainly including most software from Adobe, among others.
There does not appear to be an easy or direct way to import PostScript into AutoCAD, at least without converting the vector data to a bitmap image.
(One possibility for AutoCAD is to convert the PostScript to PDF using Adobe Acrobat Professional and then
use techniques described in
Importing PDF into CAD Drawings.
Scroll down to "PDF Conversion Method".)
To capture vector and image data from a displayed MapGuide map in PostScript:
By using this technique, you get the vector data, but all georeferencing information (position on the ground) is lost.
You may be able to place and scale the captured data with sufficient accuracy for your needs by using an orthophoto
or other base layer of known position and visually finding references common to both the base layer and the captured data you are placing.
Common Questions
Scale and Zooming
Search Criteria for Addresseses and other Map Features
Zoom Goto Tool Tips
What do the MapGuide Toolbar Buttons and right-click options do?
"Sticky" Toolbar Buttons
"Map Tools & Map Info." Drop-down List Tools
MapGuide Drawing Tools Help
Other MapGuide Tools Help
- Draw Point Symbol
- Draw Line
- Draw Circle
- Draw Polygon
- Draw Text
- Oblique Aerial Photos
- Zoom to Google Maps
- Calculate Area
- Calculate Length
- Get Lat/Lon
- Zoom to Lat/Lon
Legend Layer Order
Finding Legend Layers and Zoom Goto Categories Quickly
Using Overlapping Data
Learn more about Overlapping Layers in MapGuide.
Learn more about Overlapping Data in a MapGuide Layer.
Double-clicking on Map Features to get More Information
Printing the Displayed Map
Printing to Scale
Viewing Orthophoto Imagery
For orthophoto viewing tips, see Viewing Orthophoto Imagery and Information.
Optimizing Orthophotos, Imagery and Map Details
Capturing Your MapGuide View
With either of these data and image capture methods, you lose both the spatial reference of the data as well as the exact scale.
You may not be able to capture the entire scope of the image you need with sufficient resolution.
If you attempt to zoom in on or "blow up" your copy, you will not see the added detail that you would see by zooming
in on the map in MapGuide.
Zoom to the desired scale before printing or copying to the clipboard.
Capturing Vector Data from the Screen
