Cook County Mapmaker Help
When the webpage opens, a standard map of the County’s Commissioner Districts appears in the viewing area found on the left hand side. The user can then change the view via the tabs found across the top of the viewing area and the data access area found on the right side of the page. A review of the functions of the tabs follows:
The “Map” Tab
When this tab is active, a map will appear on the left hand side. Various functions listed in the “Layers” Tab and “Search” Tab sections below will activate the Map area. The map can be navigated by means of the tools along the top edge of the map. One can “zoom in” or “zoom out,” either by a click or by dragging a box with the cursor. One can “pan” the map, either by a click or by dragging with the cursor. The “full county” button will return the map to a view of the entire county. The “identify” button permits the user to click and identify certain data layers. The results are reported under “Search Results” on the left hand side. A “Print” label is available that sends the current map to a printer device defined by the user. A dialogue will appear with two layout options (portrait and landscape, both 8 1/2 x 11 inches).
The “Report” Tab
As a toggle with the Map Tab, the Report Tab, when active, will display various information related to a feature that has been selected via processes described in the Search Tab section below. A “Print” label is available that sends the current report to a printer device defined by the user.
The “Layers” Tab
When this tab is active, the user can see a list of the available map layers. Each layer is labeled and indicates its symbol as found on the map. The user can also turn individual layers on and off via a checkbox placed before each layer. Once various layers have been checked on or off, the user must click on the “Refresh Map” label at the top of the table of contents in order to redraw the map with the new changes. When checkboxes appear grey at certain times, it indicates that these particular layers will not draw at the current map size (the sheer amount of data would make it difficult to read). These layers will only become visible when sufficiently zoomed in (in order to ensure legibility).
There are some layers listed in a bold font. These indicate a grouping of layers. For example, the “Transportation” group contains sublayers relevant to roads and railways. The checkbox in front of the “Transportation” label acts as a master for the layers contained within. Alternately, the individual sublayers can also be turned on and off, assuming the master checkbox is active.
If at any time you wish to turn off all visible layers at once, click the “Clear All” button found at the top of the table of contents.
The “Search” Tab
When this tab is active, the user can select a specific layer from the “Search For” pulldown list from which a selection is made. After a layer is selected, a simple pulldown list appears showing all possible features for that layer. After a feature is selected, the result is posted in the “Search Results” area directly below along with the options to “Show on Map” or to produce a “Report” in their corresponding viewing tabs. By default, a map of the selection (highlighted in light blue) is drawn in the Map area. The user may also click the Report tab and display the “Overview” page, which opens with a list of various data layers (“Related Features”) that pertain to the selected feature. Each layer is preceded by a box with a plus sign. When clicked, a list expands indicating all features of that particular layer. The same box will now contain a hyphen, meaning that when it is clicked it will collapse the list once again.
On the Report area, a second page can be activated by clicking the “Assessment Details” label. A sampling of assessment, building and tax information will appear along with an image of the property.
In two cases, however, the search is performed, not by pulldowns, but via input boxes: the Tax Parcel data layer and the Address data layer. The Tax Parcel option displays four boxes to enter the components of the PIN. The map of the selected parcel will then appear in the Map area.
The Address option requests the user to enter an address and the municipality. The corresponding PIN appears in the “Search Results” area directly below along with options to “Show on Map” or to produce a “Report” in the viewing area.
Data Currency