DNR WebView

Using your Web browser, you can access and display a subset of Geographic Information System (GIS) data available at the DNR. (Note: This application uses technical terms familiar to GIS professionals.)

What can I do with WebView?

WebView is interactive, which means you determine the type of content and level of detail you see on the maps. In addition, WebView is not just a mapping tool, it gives you direct access to databases held at the DNR. With WebView, you can do things like:

• Create a custom map using DNR GIS data, and then save it to a printable Adobe PDF document
• email a map you created to a friend or colleague
• View digital aerial photos for most locations in Wisconsin
• Answer questions like "What cities or villages are within 25 miles of Ladysmith?", "Where is Pierce county?" or "What USGS 24K quadrangle maps cover the Town of Sherman in Iron County?"
• Calculate the approximate area of a property by tracing the property boundaries from a digital aerial photo on your computer screen
• Measure the distance between two or more points
• ... and much more!

What do I need to use WebView?

All you need is a web browser. WebView requires at least Internet Explorer 5.0 or Netscape Navigator 6.2. We strongly recommend you set your computer screen resolution to 1024 x 768 pixels to get the best results, but WebView will work at 800 x 600.

What's New in WebView?

Those of you familiar with WebView 1.0 will notice significant changes in the latest version. Major improvements have been made in many areas, most notably the "look and feel", and the speed at which WebView operates over dial-up internet connections.

Major Changes or Enhancements

• The "Web Focus" button is now called "Zoom To."
• The "Zoom To" tool no longer makes a distinction between "geolocational" and "administrative" map layers.
• The layer list, previously located on the right side of the screen, now uses expandable folders to organize map layers.
• The cartographic design of the maps in WebView has been improved. In addition, several new map layers were added, and local roads are now labeled.
• The print option now creates printable Adobe PDF documents that you can download and save on your computer.
• The "measure" tool operates much faster, and provides a latitude/longitude coordinate for each point you click on.

New Features

• An online help system is available. The help system describes the function of each button or tool used in WebView.
• Using the "extract" tool it's now possible to clip out and download ESRI Shapefiles for certain data layers in WebView.
• "Themes" are used to further organize the data layers and tools in WebView. In short, a theme is a specialized "view" of WebView for a specific audience, or for a specific task. For example, a GeoData Download theme is used to emphasize tools and data layers most relevant to people who want to acquire GIS data from the DNR.
• Map labels can now be turned on and off.
• The "measure area" tool allows you to draw a shape on the screen and see it's total area in acres or square miles.
• The new "drill down" identify tool displays information about each visible layer at the map position clicked.
• You can now send a map by email to a friend or colleague.
• Use the "Find location" tab to find a location by typing in a map coordinate. The find location tab can also be used to find other areas of interest, such as a city or a PLSS Township/Range/Section.
• User markup: it's now possible to add a simple point symbol and your own text to the map.
• Wisconsin Transverse Mercator (WTM) and latitude/longitude coordinates are displayed in your browser status bar as you move the cursor around the map.
• The "Identify by Radius" tool allows you click anywhere on the map, and view more information about features within a specified radius.
• More advanced users have more "select" options available. This includes select by buffer, select by box, and select by polygon.
• Some map layers in the layer list have links to the prototype Wisconsin Land Information System Explorer for purposes of viewing layer metadata.

As always, We Welcome Your Input

Please send comments on WebView to:

DNR Bureau of Technology Services.