Draw/Edit

The Draw/Edit toolbar opens automatically upon choosing to Create a Project or add a spatial feature via Make a Map.

If accessed via Create a Project and the map is not zoomed in closer than 1:72,224, only the Upload Shapes tool will be available. To access the other draw tools, zoom in to 1:72,224 or closer using the Scale Bar or Zoom to Coordinates or Scale tool.

A number of different tools are provided on the Draw/Edit toolbar, enabling various actions ranging from digitizing a shape, to moving boundaries, to removing an area from within feature, to buffering a polygon. Some of these tasks require different modes, which are displayed on the lower left of the toolbar.

• Draw Shape
• Edit Shape:
• Edit Geometries
• Erase Inside Drawn Area
• Crop Outside Drawn Area
• Upload Shapes
• Buffer Shape
• Additional Mapping Options:
• Map Layers
• Make a Map
• Coordinates
• Drawing a point or line feature(s)
• Other Draw/Edit Tools:
• Undo
• Redo
• Clear Shape
• Draw Settings
• Drawing Options
• Editing Options
• Measuring Options

Draw Shape

The default tool within the Draw/Edit toolbar, Draw Shape, is limited to drawing polygonal features. To digitize a point or line feature(s), utilize the Drawing option within the Additional Mapping Options tool.

• Features can be digitized using either the default drawing tool, which utilizes vertices, or a freehand tool.

Use default Draw Shape tool:

• If not already in Draw mode, click the Draw Shape icon.
• Single click to draw a point.
• For lines and polygons, click every location a vertex is to be placed and double-click to complete feature.
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Use Freehand drawing tool:

• From the Draw Settings dropdown, select Use Freehand.
• 
• Holding down the mouse button, draw the feature.
• Release the mouse button to finish digitizing the feature.
• 
• Click Accept to complete the feature.
• Alternatively, use the edit tools described in the following sections to make changes to the feature before clicking Accept to save.

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Edit Shape

Edit Entire Shape and/or Vertices

• Enter Edit mode by clicking the Edit Shape icon.
• The vertices and extent of the feature will be displayed.
• Edit feature by:
• Dragging, rotating, expanding, or shrinking the entire feature; and/or by
• Adding, deleting, or dragging vertices.
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Erase Inside Drawn Area

• Enter Erase mode by clicking the Erase Inside Drawn Area icon.
• Digitize a polygon circumscribing the area to be cut from the feature by single-clicking to add each vertex, and double-clicking to complete the polygon.
• The area circumscribed by the polygon will be clipped from the original feature.
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Crop Outside Drawn Area

• Enter Crop mode by clicking the Crop Outside Drawn Area icon.
• Digitize a polygon that contains the portion of the feature to be retained, by single-clicking to add each vertex, and double-clicking to complete the polygon.
• The area within the polygon drawn in Crop mode will be retained, while that portion of the feature outside the polygon will be deleted.
• Polygon drawn overlapping feature... area of feature within polygon remains after cropping.
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Upload Shapes

Current functionality allows for ESRI shapefiles to be added. To upload a shapefile, all component files must be zipped into a zip file with no additional directories or files. A valid .prj file must be included in the zip file. Maximum file size not to exceed 2 GB.

• Enter Upload Shapes mode by clicking the Upload Shapes icon.
• Within the Upload Shapes dialog, click Select File to Upload .
• 
• Navigate to and select the shapefile to add.
• NOTE: The following message will appear if a projection file (.prj) is not included in the zip file.
  
• The map will zoom to the extent of the spatial feature(s) within the uploaded file.
• If a file with multiple shapes has been selected, draw a box on the map to select the desired feature(s) within the uploaded layer.
  
• The Details dialog of the selected feature(s) will be displayed. To remove a feature from the selection, from the Tasks menu, select Remove from Include List. Once removed, the option to Add to Include List becomes available in the Tasks menu.
  
• The number of features selected will be displayed in the section to the right of the Select From Resource button along with a View button, which allows the user access to the Details dialog again if they need to remove additional features from the selection. Alternatively, create a new selection by clicking the Select from Resource button again (return to Step 4a for instructions).
  
  
• Click Accept within the Upload Shapes dialog.
• In the Draw/Edit toolbar click Accept.

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Buffer Shape

The Buffer Shape tool can be used in conjunction with the Draw Shape tool or Additional Mapping Options.

• Either draw a shape using the Draw Shape tool or create a shape using the Additional Mapping Options tool.
• Enter Buffer mode by clicking the Buffer Shape icon.
• In the Buffer dialog, enter a buffer Distance and select the desired distance unit from the dropdown. Click Buffer.
• 

• Use of Buffers

 

• A positive distance will buffer outside the feature whereas a negative distance will buffer within the feature. Negative distances cannot exceed the size of the shape, nor can they be used with Point or Line features. The following error will be displayed when the negative distance exceeds the size of the shape.
• 
• Buffers are additive. Thus, if one distance is used to buffer a polygon and then another distance is entered, the second buffer will be added to the first buffer rather than to the original feature. For example, if a feature is first buffered by 5000 m, and then a second buffer distance of 2500 m is specified, the original feature ends up being buffered by 7500 m; the second distance does not replace the first.

 

• To apply different buffers to a polygon without combining them, Undo Last Drawing Change must be used before specifying the second buffer distance. This will cause the original buffer to be removed prior to applying the second.
• The buffer will be applied and the user is returned to the Draw/Edit toolbar to further modify the feature, if desired. Click Next to continue the process.

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Additional Mapping Options

The Additional Mapping Options dialog allows the user to:

• copy a shape from Map Layers
• copy shapes created via Make a Map
• enter Coordinates
• create a Drawing
• This tool can be used reiteratively for multiple edits and use of various tools within a given editing session. As such, the Additional Mapping Options To: is used to indicate how to use the new shape:
• Add to original drawing
• Replace original drawing
• Erase areas of overlap
• Crop to copied feature
• Following are the instances when this dialog will be displayed:
• If there is a drawing in the primary draw toolbar whose feature type (point, line, polygon) is the same as the current shape, then the Add to original drawing and Replace original drawing options will be available.
• If there is a drawing in the primary draw toolbar and the feature type of the current shape is a polygon, then the Erase areas of overlap and Crop to copied feature options will be available.
• If the feature type of the drawing in the primary draw toolbar is polygon, as is that of the current shape, then all 4 options will be available.

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Map Layers

• Click the Additional Mapping Options icon.
• In the Additional Mapping Options dialog, from the Source dropdown menu, select Map Layers.
• From the Resource dropdown menu, select the map resource from which to copy the shape(s). The options depend on the layers available within the Layers section of the map.
• NOTE: If the chosen Resource is comprised of multiple layers, an additional Layer dropdown list will be displayed from which to select the given layer to copy the shape(s).
  
  
• Click the Select from Resource button and holding the mouse button down, draw a box on the map to select the desired feature(s) within the Resource/Layer.
• The Details dialog of the selected feature(s) will be displayed. To remove a feature from the selection, from the Tasks menu, select Remove from Include List. Once removed, the option to Add to Include List becomes available in the Tasks menu.
  
  
• The number of features selected will be displayed to the right of the Select From Resource button along with a View button, which allows the user access to the Details dialog again if they need to remove additional features from the selection. Alternatively, create a new selection by clicking the Select from Resource button again (return to Step 4 for instructions).
  
• To further modify the selected features, click Modify or Next to use the features as they exist.
• In the Draw/Edit toolbar click Accept unless further edits are needed.

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Make a Map

• Click the Additional Mapping Options icon.
• In the Additional Mapping Options dialog, from the Source dropdown menu, select Make a Map.
• Click the Select from Resource button and click on the desired feature(s).
  
• The number of features selected will be displayed in the Spatial Search section to the right of the Select From Resource button along with a View button, which allows the user access to the Details dialog again if they need to remove additional features from the selection. Alternatively, create a new selection by clicking the Select from Resource button again (return to Step 2 for instructions).
  
• To further modify the selected features, click Modify or Next to use the features as they exist.
  
• In the Draw/Edit toolbar click Accept unless further edits are needed.

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Coordinates

• Click the Additional Mapping Options icon.
• In the Additional Mapping Options dialog, from the Source dropdown menu, select Coordinates.
• Select the desired Projection and enter in the formats shown:
• Latitude/Longitude (DMS)
• Latitude (Northing): 42d 42' 44"
• Longitude (Easting): -75d 38' 38"
• Latitude/Longitude (Decimal)
• Latitude (Northing): 42.712326430204115
• Longitude (Easting): -75.64402639639827
• Subnational Projection - the projection used by your HP/CDC within the Biotics application. Contact your Biotics Administrator for further information.
• Define Projection
• NOTE: WKID and WKT values can be found here.
• By Well Known ID (WKID): 3857
• Latitude (Northing): 5268287
• Longitude (Easting): -8420654.5
• By Well Known Text (WKT):
• The WKT can be copied directly from a projection file (.prj). Below is an example.
• PROJCS["WGS_1984_Web_Mercator_Auxiliary_Sphere",GEOGCS["GCS_WGS_1984",DATUM["D_WGS_1984",SPHEROID["WGS_1984",6378137.0,298.257223563]],PRIMEM["Greenwich",0.0],UNIT["Degree",0.0174532925199433]],PROJECTION["Mercator_Auxiliary_Sphere"],PARAMETER["False_Easting",0.0],PARAMETER["False_Northing",0.0],PARAMETER["Central_Meridian",0.0],PARAMETER["Standard_Parallel_1",0.0],PARAMETER["Auxiliary_Sphere_Type",0.0],UNIT["Meter",1.0],AUTHORITY["ESRI","102100"]]
• Latitude (Northing): 5268287
• Longitude (Easting): -8420654.5
  
• Click Zoom and Preview.
• To further modify the selected features click, Modify or Next to use the features as they exist.
• In the Draw/Edit toolbar click Next unless further edits are needed.

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Drawing

This option enables drawing of any feature type (Point, Line, Polygon) whereas the default Draw Shape tool within the Draw/Edit toolbar is limited to polygonal features.

• Click the Additional Mapping Options icon.
• In the Additional Mapping Options dialog, from the Source dropdown menu, select Drawing.
• From the Type dropdown menu, select the type of spatial feature (Point, Line, or Polygon) to draw and click Next.
  
• The Draw shape to use as other Source dialog will be displayed. Draw the desired shape and click Next.
• • Single click to draw a point.
  • For lines and polygons, click every location a vertex is to be placed (unless the Use Freehand option is selected) and double-click to complete feature.

• In the case of a line or polygon feature, the Draw/Edit toolbar will be displayed, allowing the user to edit the feature further. Click Next to continue.

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Other Draw/Edit Tools

• Undo
• Redo
• Clear Shape
• Draw Settings
  The Draw Settings dropdown menu includes two options:
• Drawing Options, which are enabled/disabled by clicking the corresponding checkbox, include:
• Hide Drawing Cursor Tooltips disables the display of tooltips to prevent the tooltip from obscuring the view
• Use Freehand provides the ability to digitize a feature freehand rather than by clicking to add individual vertices.
• Disable Navigation while Drawing - a setting that is on by default - improves drawing performance by switching map navigation (i.e., pan and zoom functionality) off once the first vertex of a shape has been placed, and re-enabling navigation when the shape is closed. Leaving this draw setting enabled prevents the application from interpreting a longer touch on the cursor while digitizing as an attempt to pan, which would cause the map to be refreshed and any vertices digitized to be lost.
  
• Editing Options, which are enabled/disabled by clicking the corresponding checkbox, include:
• Allow Vertices Moving
• Allow Adding and Removing Vertices
• Allow Moving Geometry
• Allow Rotating Geometry
• Allow Scaling Geometry
• Scale Uniformly to Maintain Aspect
  
• Measure Options allow the user to select the desired Area Units & Length Units in which to display the measurements.
  
  

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Related Topics:

• Create a Project
• Make a Map
• Projected Coordinate System Tables (WKID lookup)
• Scale Bar
• Zoom to Coordinates or Scale