Use map tools

Note:

ArcGIS Community Analyst is being retired. See Deprecation notice for ArcGIS Community Analyst: Transition to ArcGIS Business Analyst Web App for more information.

Use the map tools to search the map, create a pin, pan and zoom the map, select items, view the map legend, and more. The map tools described below are available in ArcGIS Community Analyst. Only one map tool can be enabled at a time. The enabled map tool is highlighted in gray.

Search

The Search tool allows you to search for an address, location, area, business, or web map. Search options vary based on the data source you selected. To use the Search tool, do the following:

1. In the Maps tab, in the Search bar, click the drop-down menu to select a search type.
2. Select Add a pin, Add a boundary, Zoom to an area, Points of interest search, or Web maps search.
3. Provide search terms in the Search bar. Press Enter, click Search , or click one of the suggestions.
   • For Add a pin, provide an address, location, or latitude and longitude coordinates.
   • For Add a boundary or Zoom to an area, provide a geographic boundary such as a ZIP Code, city, county, or state.
   • For Points of interest search, provide a business or facility name or type.

   • For Web maps search , provide keywords to search for web maps.

   If you used Add a pin or Add a boundary, the location appears on the map as a pin or boundary. You can use the location's pop-up menu to create a site and perform further actions.

   If you used Zoom to an area, the map zooms to the specified area.

   If you used Points of interest search, the points of interest search workflow pane appears.

   If you used Web maps search, the Web maps and layers window appears showing the search results.

Pin

The Pin tool defines a point on the map and is used to create sites for analysis. For detailed instructions on how to use the Pin tool, see Create sites.

Pan and zoom

The Pan and zoom tool allows you to pan the map and click features on the map to select them. You can also combine these features to create one site. To use the Pan and zoom tool, do the following:

1. In the map tools, click Pan and zoom .
2. Do any of the following:
   • Hover over a feature to view a pop-up with attributes.
   • Click and drag to pan the map.
   • Click a feature on the map to select it. This also deselects any other selected features.
   • Press Shift or Ctrl while clicking a feature to select and add it to any other selected features.
   • Press Shift while clicking and dragging to zoom to an area of the map.

Select

The Select tool allows you to select features on the map such as points, polygons, heat maps, color-coded maps, smart map search results, or features on a web map. You can also combine these features to create one site. To use the Select tool, do the following:

1. In the map tools, click Select .
2. Do any of the following:
   • Hover over a feature to view a pop-up with attributes.
   • Click a feature on the map to select it.
   • To select multiple features, click and drag to draw a rectangle around the features.
   • Press Shift while clicking, or press Shift while clicking and dragging to select and add features to the currently selected features.
   • Press Ctrl while clicking, or press Ctrl while clicking and dragging to change the selection.

   • Press Ctrl+Shift while clicking or press Ctrl+Shift while dragging to remove items from the selection area.

   If you select multiple features, you can combine them to create one site.

3. On the sites' combined pop-up menu, confirm the selections by scrolling through the selected sites using the arrows. Click Create site for combined areas.

   The selected features are combined into one site and saved in My Polygons under Polygons (sites) in the project pane.

Zoom in and Zoom out

The Zoom in tool and Zoom out tool allow you to specify a map extent to zoom to. To use the tools, do the following:

1. In the map tools, click Zoom in or Zoom out to enable the tool.
2. Click and drag to draw a rectangle specifying where to zoom in or out, or click the map to zoom in or out.
3. Optionally, click Previous map extent or Next map extent to undo or redo the zooming action.

Measure

The Measure tool allows you to measure the distance between points on the map and the area of a polygon. To use the tool, do the following:

1. In the map tools, click Measure .
2. In the Measure window, click Distance or Area.
   • To measure a straight-line distance, click a place on the map and double-click to stop drawing. You can also click the map once for every vertex of the line you want to measure, then double-click to complete the line.
   • To measure an area, click a place on the map and click to create more points. Double-click to stop drawing.

   • Optionally, check the Show grids check box to apply grid lines to the map. Choose Automatically resize to use automatically generated grid lines based on the zoom level. Choose Manual to set a grid size. Customize grid lines using the Width drop-down menu and Color swatch.

   The measurement appears next to the pointer and in the text box in the Measure window.

3. To view the measurement in different units, use the drop-down menu next to the text field to select a unit of measurement.
4. Click Clear to remove all measurements. Click Done to close the Measure window.

Annotation

The Annotation tool allows you to add text, shapes, drawings, and images to the map. To use the tool, do the following:

1. In the map tools, click Annotation .

   The Annotation window appears.

2. Click Text, Shape, Draw, or Image.
3. Create an annotation:
   • Text—Provide text and style the font, size, and color. Use bold, italic, or underline. Check the Preview styled text check box to preview the text before adding it to the map.
   • Shape—Select a shape and format its fill and border.
   • Draw—Select the polygon or freehand tool for your drawing and format its fill and border. Draw a polygon of any shape using the cursor.

   • Image—Click Browse and browse to and select the image on your computer. Use the Transparency slider to set the transparency. You can use .png, .jpg, and .gif files. The recommended image file size is 20 KB.

   Check the Constant size check box to specify that the annotation remains the same size at all zoom levels.

4. Click Add to map.

   The annotation appears on the map.

5. Optionally, click and drag the annotation to reposition it or click the annotation to edit it. Use the rotation handle on the annotation to rotate it.
6. Click Close.

Clear map

The Clear map tool allows you to remove items from the map. Items added through the map tools—such as annotations, boundaries, and measurements—are removed permanently. All other items removed from the map are still accessible in the project. To use the tool, do the following:

1. In the map tools, click Clear map .

   The Clear map window appears.

2. Use the check boxes to select items to remove from the map. Check the All check box to select all items.
3. Click Clear.

   The items are removed from the map. You can add them to the map again by checking their check boxes in the project pane.

Share map to ArcGIS

The Share map to ArcGIS tool allows you to share sites, layers, and maps in ArcGIS Online. For detailed instructions on how to share maps, see Share web maps and layers.

Create PDF or image

The Create PDF or image tool allows you to take a screen capture of a map and save it as a PDF or save the current view as an image file. For detailed instructions on how to create these types of shareable files, see Create a PDF or image.

Map legend

The Map legend tool provides information about the sites and layers on the map. To use the legend, do the following:

1. In the map tools, click Map legend .

   The Legend window opens.

2. Click Legend to view the symbology and edit the labels for the sites and layers.
   • Click Expand to expand or collapse any part of the legend.
   • Click Options . Click Edit labels to rename the element. Click Refresh to restore the original label. Click Remove to remove the item from the legend.
   • Click Legend options and select Present legend to switch to a view without legend controls.
3. Click Map contents to customize how sites and layers are displayed on the map.
   • Drag any item to reorder the map contents.
   • Click Options . Click Move up or Move down to adjust the order. Hover over Transparency to view and use the slider to adjust an item's transparency. For layers, you can click Remove layer to remove the item from the legend.
4. Click Close.

Historical traffic data

The Historical traffic data tool allows you to view traffic count data on the map. To use the tool, do the following:

1. In the map tools, click Historical traffic data .

   The Historical traffic data window opens and all available traffic counts for the current map extent are displayed.

2. Turn off the Show on map toggle button to temporarily remove the traffic counts from the map.
3. Click Filters to specify the traffic displayed on the map.
   • Use the Count type drop-down menu to select All traffic counts, Annual daily traffic, Average Daily Traffic, Annual weekday traffic, or Average weekday traffic.
   • Provide a location in the Street name or location text box.
   • Use the Traffic counts and Years of count sliders to set the ranges for these parameters.
   • Use the Road type drop-down menu to specify All roads, Highways, or Minor and major roadways. Click zoom to enable to zoom to the appropriate map extent for displaying a road type.
4. Click Style to customize the way the traffic data is displayed.
   • Use the drop-down menu to select a drawing style.
   • Use the Theme and Colors drop-down menus to change color styling.
   • Use the Size slider and text fields to specify the range of symbol sizes.
   • Use additional styling options to modify the map, if available.
5. Click Legend to view symbology for the selected map style.
6. Click Close.

Boundaries and labels

The Boundaries and labels tool allows you to display administrative boundaries and labels on the map. To use the tool, do the following:

1. In the map tools, click Boundaries and labels .

   The Boundaries and labels window appears. The boundaries and labels available depend on the data source selected.

2. Use the check boxes to turn boundaries and labels on or off. Click Zoom to enable for geographies that are too small to display at the current map extent.

   The boundaries and labels appear on the map as you check them.

3. Click Close.

Basemaps

A basemap provides a background, or visual context, for the data in a map. For example, a basemap showing streets can provide context for address data. ArcGIS Community Analyst includes several types of basemaps that you can use, including aerial imagery, terrain, streets, and topographic data. You or your organization's administrator can set preferences for the default basemap displayed on the map.

To change the basemap, do the following:

1. Click Basemaps to display the basemap gallery.

   The gallery shows thumbnails of available basemaps. Scroll up and down to browse the gallery.

2. In the gallery, select a basemap.

   The map automatically displays the new basemap.

3. Click Basemaps to close the basemap gallery.

Zoom levels

The Zoom levels tool allows you to zoom in and out of a map area. Click Default extent to return to the default map extent or Find my location to zoom to your current location on the map. To use the Zoom levels tool, do the following:

1. Click the Zoom in or Zoom out button or drag the slider handle.
2. Optionally, hover over the zoom tool.

   

   A pop-up appears, indicating available zoom levels. Zoom levels are determined by the data source you selected in the Data source drop-down menu.

3. Click a zoom level to display it.