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TIPS
Do not double-click on the map--you only need to use a single-click of the mouse.After selecting a tool or clicking on the map, wait for the response to complete before clicking something else.
When response time is an issue, keep in mind the more layers turned on (especially air photos) and the more territory the map view covers, the slower the response time will be. To compensate, if you know what area of the county you want to focus on, click and hold the mouse button down and drag the mouse to make a small rectangle--when you release the mouse button, the map will zoom to that rectangle. Also, only turn on layers at appropriate scales and only when absolutely necessary.
After one parcel is selected, a window will open with the parcel information. Everything underlined in this window is a link to another website, map layer, or additional information.
Pause your mouse over a tool button to get a description of what the tool does.
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HOW DO I...
Retrieve Parcel Information?There are three main ways to retrieve parcel information.
1) You can
for specific parcels by Owner's Last Name, Parcel Location Address, Parcel ID number, or by criteria. You can limit any search to selected municipalities, zip codes, or user-created graphics. If no municipality, zip code, or graphic is choosen, the entire county is searched. If more than one parcel is found (ie: Last name = Smith) a window will open with a listing of all such parcels. By clicking the parcel id number of a listing, that parcel's information will be selected. When only one parcel has been selected, its information will displayed in a smaller window on the right of the screen. 2) You can interactively select parcels by selecting the
button on the tool bar and then clicking a parcel on the map. 3) Finally, you can select parcels based on user input such as graphics and/or buffers (see below).
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Select All Parcels within a Certain Distance of a Selected Parcel (And Create a Mailing List)?
When one parcel has been selected through either the Search function or ID Parcel method, you will have the ability to create a buffer around it, selecting all parcels within this buffer distance. This information will be presented in a separate window with a table containing information from the selected parcels. You are able to perform this function from the bottom of the second page of the parcel information listing. Enter a number (in feet) and click Map It. To use the information generated from this function for mailing label or envelope purposes, simple highlight (with the cursor) all the table information presented, right-click and copy, then open a Word document and paste the information in. This new Word document can be used as your database for creatinglabels or envelopes.
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Select Parcels by a Line, Circle, or Polygon?
When a line, circle, or polygon graphic has been created using the "Markup" function (see below), all the parcels touching the graphic can be selected from the Markup window.
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Retrieve Information About Other Map Layers?
Use the 
button to retrieve information about layers other than parcels. To use this button, select it and then click once on the feature(s) you want to identify. The information will be displayed in a new window. Please note that information will only be displayed for feature (not image) layers that are currently turned on and within their scale range.
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Navigate around the map?
Use the 
and 
buttons to navigate around the map. Full extent zooms out to the entire county, zoom in enlarges the map while zoom out decreases its size. Pan allows you to move the map around at the same scale and last extent gives you the previous view. The zoom to button allows you to specify a scale to zoom to.
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Add or Remove Map Layers?
To add or remove map layers, select the 
button from the tool bar. The layers are subdivided into content-related categories. To display the layers within a category, click on the category name. To see what layers are included within a category without opening the list, hover over the 
symbol. Within each category, all the available layers are listed with a check box next to them. Simply check a layer to see it or uncheck it to hide it. If a checkbox is grayed out, it means that the layer is not visible at the current scale. After you have checked or unchecked layers, you mustclick
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Know what the map symbology means?
Select the 
button to open the legend window where all currently visible layers will be displayed.
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Print the Parcel Information or Map Display?
To print the parcel information listing, select
button from the tool bar. A window will open asking you to specify a print size and orientation. It will also allow you to select a map title (or leave blank if none is desired). You can also choose whether to print the legend or not. Once these selections have been made, anew window will open with the image at the requested size and with the requested information. (IMPORTANT: Make sure that before you print from this window, you set up your printer to match the options you choose in the first window--ie: landscape to landscape,11 x 17 to 11 x 17.) After you have printed, you may close this window to return to the main application.__________________________________________________________
Save an Image of the Map?
You cannot save map views as static image files (png or bitmap) from the main mapping window. Instead, follow the steps above to set-up and open the print page window. Right-click on this map image and select "Save Picture As..."
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Save a Link to the Current Map View?
To save a link to the current map view, click the 
button on the tool bar. You can either save the view to your favorites, send an email with a link to the current view included, or just get the text of the link for use in your own web pages or documents. The following information will be saved: view extent, visible layers, labels, and any parcel information displayed.
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Retrieve Demographic Information within a Certain Distance of a Selected Parcel?
When one parcel has been selected through either the Search function or ID Parcel method, you will have the ability to retrieve demographic information for a selected radius (in miles) around this parcel. This information will be presented in a separate window with a table containing the selected demographic information. You are able to perform this function from the bottom of the second page of the parcel information listing. Enter a number (in miles) and click Get It.
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Search For Facilities within a Certain Distance of a Selected Parcel?
As with demographic information, when one parcel has been selected you will have the ability to search for facilities within a selected radius (in miles) around the parcel. This information will be presented in a separate window with a table containing the selected facilities. From this window, you can select a facility name to zoom to it on the map, select its address to open a new Google window with its location displayed, or select "Directions" to open a Google window showing driving instructions from the selected parcel to the selected facility. You are able to perform this function from the bottom of the second page of the parcel information listing. Select the type of facility you want to search for from the drop-down box, then enter a number (in miles) and click Get It.
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Measure Distances?
To measure a distance, select the 
button from the tool bar. Then, click a point on the map where you want to start measuring from. In a few seconds, a point will appear at that location. (IMPORTANT: Please wait until the first point appears on the map screen before clicking on the map again.) Then, click where you want to end your measurement. Wait a few seconds and another dot will appear with a line connecting them. The distance will be displayed in a small window inside the map window to the upper right. If you keep selecting points, you can continuously measure. To delete only the last point created, click 
To delete all the measurement points and lines, click 
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Measure Area (Acres)?
To measure an area, select the button from the tool bar. Then, click points on the map representing the outline of the area. Be sure to go either clockwise or counter-clockwise, but never in an erratic pattern. Once three or more points have been added, the area of the polygon created will be displayed in both acres and square feet. To delete the measurement points and lines, click from the toolbar.
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Create Labels on the Map?
To create custom labels, select the 
button from the tool bar. A new window will open instructing you on how to proceed. Label size and color can be changed and labels can also be deleted from the map using this window. Labels created using this method will be saved with the map. Text can also be added using the "Markup" tool (see below); however, this text is not saved with the map.
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Create Graphics and/or Text on the Map (Redlining)
Graphic functions are accessed by selecting the 
button from the tool bar. A new window will open with all the relevant graphic functions. From this window you can add multiple points, lines, circles, polygons, and text to the map. The symbology, color, font, etc. can be adjusted for each graphic added. For lines the total length is indicated, for circles the radius is indicated, and for polygons the total area is indicated. These units can be changed by the user. You can select parcels using a line, circle, or polygon graphic (see above) and also include a buffer distance around the graphic. These graphics can also be used in a parcel "Search" to limit the spatial extent to a selected graphic. Point features can automatically be labeled by comments or descriptions that you provide when creating the graphic. Markup "sessions" can be saved to your computer (as a cookie) and opened at a later time.
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Display or Find Latitude Longitude or Other Coordinates?
To determine coordinates from a point clicked on the map or to find user-entered coordinates, click the 
button on the toolbar. A new window will open with instructions on how to proceed.
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Know Where I Am In the County?
To locate your position within the county, click the 
button on the toolbar. A small overview map will open in the upper-left corner of the main map window with a red outline indicating your current position within the county. By clicking on a location in this overview map, you can change your location on the main map window.
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SELECTED LAYER INFORMATION:
| Layer Name: | Currentness: | Spatial Accuracy: | Attribute Accuracy: | Feature Completeness: | Source: | Updated: |
| Water & Sewer Features | Current | Good-Excellent | Good | Fair | Municipalities / B.C. GIS | As Required |
| Municipal Boundaries | Current | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | B.C. GIS | As Required |
| Building Outlines | 1989 | Excellent | NA | Good | B.C. Real Property / B.C. GIS | Never |
| Street Centerlines | Current | Good-Excellent | Good | Excellent | B.C. GIS | As Required |
| Rail | Current | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | NYS / B.C. GIS | As Required |
| Major Streams | Current | Fair | Good | Good | NYS | Determined by NYS |
| Hydrology | 1989 | Excellent | NA | Good | B.C. Real Property / B.C. GIS | Never |
| 2-Foot Contours | 2007 | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | B.C. GIS from LiDAR | Never |
| Parcels | Data: June, 2010 Bnds: June, 2010 | Excellent | Good | Excellent | B.C. Real Property / B.C. GIS | Yearly in July |
| DEC Wetlands | Unknown | Fair | NA | Excellent | DEC | Determined by DEC |
| NWI Wetlands | 1980s | Fair | Excellent | Excellent | NWI | Determined by NWI |
| FEMA Flood Zones | 1980s-current | Fair | Excellent | Excellent | FEMA Q3 Data | Determined by FEMA |
| Empire Zone | Current | Excellent | NA | Excellent | B.C. GIS | As Required |
| Ag District & Land Use | Same as parcels | Excellent | Good | Excellent | Generated from Parcel Info | Yearly in July |
| Zoning | Varies by Muni | Excellent | Varies by Muni | Excellent | B.C. GIS | As Required |
| Slope | 2007 | Good | Excellent | Excellent | B.C. GIS from LiDAR | Never |
| Soil | 1971 | Good | Good | Excellent | USDA, NRCS | Determined by USDA |
| Legislative Districts | Current | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | B.C. GIS | As Required |
| 2006 Air Photos | 2006 | Excellent | NA | Excellent | NYS | Never |
| Digital Orthos | Resolution: 1 foot per pixel in urban areas (color), 2 foot per pixel in rural areas (color). | ||||||
| 2002 Air Photos | 2002 | Excellent | NA | Excellent | NYS | Never |
| Digital Orthos | Resolution: 1 foot per pixel in urban areas (color), 2 foot per pixel in rural areas (panchromatic). | ||||||
| 1999 Air Photos | 1999 | Good | NA | Good | NYSEG | Never |
| Simple Rectification | Resolution: 1 foot per pixel in urban areas (color), 2 foot per pixel in rural areas (color). | ||||||
| 1994 Air Photos | 1994 | Excellent | NA | Excellent | NYS | Never |
| Digital Orthos | Resolution: 1 meter per pixel (infrared). | ||||||
| 1937 Air Photos | 1937 | Poor | NA | Fair | B.C. GIS | Never |
| Simple Rectification | Resolution: Approximately 1 meter per pixel (panchromatic). | ||||||
