Chart Roam (previous version)

• Start Chart Roam previous version
• Overview
• Navigating in Roam
• Searching for a location
• Understanding map views
• Map content
• Get information about marine features
• Annotation Tools
• Printing
• Map Information
• My Maps
• Measurement Tools

Start Chart Roam previous version

You can access Chart Roam from the Marine Digimap home page.

Choose Marine then previous version of Chart Roam.

Overview

Chart Roam enables you to view and print Raster Charts at one of 11 predefined scales. Prints can be created in A4 to A0 size with a landscape or portrait orientation at user defined scales.

1. Map window - Where the maps are displayed.

2. View Name - Each scale of map has a View Name

3. Overview Map - Click to view a smaller scale map of the current map view.

4. Map content - Click to view map legend.

5. Map Information - To view details about the current map view.

6. Open - Open saved maps and annotations

7. Save - Store maps and annotations to retrieve at a later date.

8. Print - Click to go to print options.  Click to produce printable PDF, PNG, JPEG files of your map.

9. Map Tools - Annotation Tools and Measurement Tools.

10. Feature Information Tool - use this tool to view chart details of currently displayed Raster Charts.

11. Zoom to area -Use to click and drag on the map to zoom to a specific area.

12. Zoom to full extent - Click to zoom out to GB view.

13. Previous/next map - Click to go back/forwards through previous views.

14. Search - Click to search for places, postcodes, grid references and coordinates.

15. Navigation controls - Click to navigate the map.

16. Zoom slider - Use to zoom in/out.

17. Help - Click to view the Help Pages.

Note: To expand/collapse the left hand panel click the or icons.

Navigating in Roam

You can navigate in Roam by panning (moving the map in any direction) and by zooming in and out of the map.

To pan you can either:

• Click and drag the map i.e. click and hold the left mouse button, then drag to move the map.
• Use the navigation control to move north, south, east or west:

Click the relevant arrow to pan the map in that direction.

To zoom in/out of the map, you can:

• Double click to zoom in.
• Use the mouse scroll wheel to zoom in or out.
• Use the + and - keys on your keyboard.
• Use the zoom slider bar to zoom in or out:

• Click the to zoom in and click the to zoom out.
  
  
• Click and drag the blue marker to zoom in or out.
  
  
• Or click anywhere on the slider bar to zoom to that scale.
  
  

Searching for a location

You can search for a location in Roam using a place name, road name, postcode, grid reference, easting/northing or latitude/longitude. Click on the main menu bar to expand the search box.

• Type the place name, road name, partial postcode or full postcode (e.g. EH9 1PR) in the relevant search box, and click .
• If there is more than one match for your place name, the search results will be displayed below the search box. Click the place name you are interested in to view in the map window.
• Partial postcodes (e.g. EH9) only work if they are the only term searched for.

Coordinate Search

• Type the Grid Reference (e.g. TL4685) in the relevant box and click . The map will automatically navigate to that location.
• Enter Easting/Northing defined by coordinates on British National Grid e.g. 545030 138305
• Enter Latitude/Longitude coordinates to go a specific location defined by geographicals. Formats accepted can be either decimal degrees e.g. 55.123456 -5.123456 or in degrees minutes seconds e.g. 55 07 24.3N, 05 08 04.7W

Understanding map views

Chart Roam has 11 different predefined map scales, called views. The views consist of different Raster Charts which are appropriate for each view's scale.

Once you have found your location of interest, you can zoom in and out to find the appropriate view for your map. The following table lists the scale and map products used for each view, to help you decide which view is appropriate for your purpose.

Map content

The Map Content panel displays a legend of the features included in Raster Charts which are grouped together in to categories to make it easier to identify the feature you are looking for.

Get information about marine features

After clicking the Get Feature Info button subsequent clicks on the map will open up the Feature Information box. The Feature Information box will list all displayed Raster Charts located at that point on the map. Clicking on an entry in the Feature(s) list will display specific information about each chart including Edition Date, Title and Scale.

Annotation Tools

The annotation tools in Digimap Roam allow you to draw symbols, lines, polygons and text on your maps. You can add labels to these features and have the ability to select colours and styles for them too.

There is a short video showing you how to use the annotation tools:

Below is a summary of main Annotation Tools and how to use them.  Detailed help on all the tools and functions available can be found in the How to use the Annotation Tools help page.

Click on the Annotation Tools option under the  menu above the map to open the Annotations Toolbar.

• Add features using the Draw & Create set of tools on the toolbar. Select from the point, text, line or area tools, and click on the map to start drawing.

• Text colour and font size can be set using the Text Settings options.

• Area style settings can be set using the Fill and Stroke settings, to select the colour and opacity of the fill and the colour, style and width of the outline.

• Line style settings can be set using the Stroke settings.

• Use the modify tools to add labels, reposition, resize and reshape features drawn.

• To edit the colour and styling of text, line or areas drawn, click on the Select tool (or the drag to select tool) and then click on the feature you want to edit to select it, it will be highlighted.  Next, change the colour and style settings you want to change.  Then deselect the feature(s) by clicking away from the feature in an area where you have no annotations.

Saving and Opening annotations within Roam

To save a set of annotations you have drawn on top of the map within Roam, use the Save > My Map... tool on the main menu bar. Give your map a name and click save and the map along with any annotations will be saved.  

To open a saved map saved within Roam, click on the Open > My Maps... tool on the main menu bar and select the map you wish to view. This will be displayed together with annotations.

Importing and Exporting Annotations

You can import a dataset you have and want to add as features to the map using the Open > Annotations from file... function on the main menu bar. Browse to the file to import and click Import.

Supported formats are:

• Shapefile (in zip)
• KML
• GPX
• CSV
• GeoJSON

To export a set of annotations you have created to a file suitable for use in a GIS, click the Save > Annotations to file.. tool on the main manu bar, choose a file format, give your file a name and click Export.

Supported formats are:

• Shapefile
• KML
• GeoJSON

For more detail help on the Annotation Tools, please see the How to use the Annotation Tools help page.

Printing

Roam allows you to create printable maps in A4 to A0 size and in portrait or landscape layout in a variety of formats and at user defined scales.

To create a printable map:

1. Click the print button on the main menu bar.
2. Enter a Map Title.
3. Enter the Scale that you want to print the map at.
4. Select the Print Format.
5. Select the Page Size using the drop down menu.
6. Select orientation (landscape or portrait).
7. To exclude your name from the print file select the Do not include my name checkbox.
8. Check the box if you want to include any Annotations you have drawn on the map.
9. Click Generate Print File, this will produce a file which you can save or print.

Use the tab (shown above) to view a small area of the map content that you will get; use the  tab (shown below) to show the extents of the area your map will cover based on the paper size and scale of the map.  Drag the map in either preview window to change the location of your map.

Map Information

The Map Information tab displays spatial reference information about the current map view. The information will update as you pan and zoom the map.

Click Map Information on the Side Menu tab to open.

The panel displays the Map Product name, Map Date (i.e. the date the map was provided by the data provider, current Map Extents (top right and bottom left coordinates of the current map view, note the bottom left coordinates relate to the corner hidden by the left task pane when it is expanded), Default Print Scale, spatial reference information, current cursor coordinates in OS Grid Reference, British National Grid and WGS 84 (lat/long).

Hover over any point on the map to view the coordinates.

My Maps

My Maps enables you to open and save maps you have previously saved.

Save My Maps...

You can save your existing map, and any annotations on it, using --> My Maps...

Note: any annotations you have on the map will be saved with the map.

Open My Maps...

1. Click --> My Maps menu in the main menu bar.
2. Click to select any saved map to view in the map window.
3. Sort the list of saved maps by clicking the column headings.
4. Click Delete Selected to remove the map from your saved maps.
   

If there is a in the Annotations column this indicates that there are annotations present in the saved map.

If you already have annotations present on your map and you try and open another map that also has annotations on it, you will be asked to either delete your existing annotations or to merge existing annotations with ones on the selected map.

Note: You should save your existing annotations before opening another map using --> My Maps...

Measurement Tools

Roam's Measurement Tools enable you to measure distances and areas on your map.

1. Click the --> Measurement Tools button on the main tool bar to open.

1. Select if you wish to measure a line or area.

2. Select the measurement unit.

3. Click once on the map to start measuring.

4. Move the mouse pointer along to the next point.  Clicking once on the map will add a point.

5. Double click to finish measuring.  The total distance or area measurement is displayed in the measurement tools window.
   
   

6. Closing the measurement tools window will clear the line or area from the map.

NB:  Measurements less than 1km in length or 1km2 in area are given in metres and metres squared.