Maps, Publications, and Databases

If you use any of the map services, you should notice that 3 new map layers have been added:

• state boundaries
• major cities/towns in other states
• major highways in other states

These new layers were obtained from the USGS National Atlas. The symbology of the roads and highways has also been updated. The line colors have been lightened up (in order to help distinguish roads from geologic features) and the lines have been dashed. We hope to have links to metadata for all the layers that are available on our map services to be provided soon.

A new feature that provides links to 7.5-minute quadrangle DEMs has been added to the KYGeoPortal (and is also available through the KYMaps link on several Kentucky internet map services). These are the same DEMs that are available through the Kentucky Division of Geographic Information website (http://dgi.ky.gov/data/elevation.htm), but this is another method of getting you to a DEM of interest. When you are zoomed to an area of interest on the KYGeoPortal or a map service with the KYMaps link, go to the Portal Links (or simply open the KYMaps link), and under the Basemaps category there is a new service called "DEM Dowloads". Expand this menu and a list of the 7.5-minute quadrangles in the current view extent will show up. Adjacent to each quadrangle name are links to .zip files of the 30 feet post spacing (10 Meter) DEMs in Kentucky State Plane North and South Coordinate Systems (if available) and Kentucky Single Zone. Click the link to the download, and you will be prompted to open or save the file. Choose "Save" to save it to your hard drive.

Some cosmetic changes have recently been made to the KGSGeoPortal and related functions (like the links seen via the KYMAPS button which is on various map services). None of the functionality has changed, and so you don't need to change any code to link up to KYMAPS or any of the other KGSGeoPortal tools if you are doing that from your map service. Anyway, the changes you'll notice are these:

• added a link from a new "?" icon in front of each service link to the "home page" or, in most cases, the KYGeoNet page that describes the service. Also, if you mouse over that icon, you'll see a brief description of the service - if this is super-annoying, please let me know. I tried to make it as unobtrusive as possible!
• add a key icon which indicates whether the service is something you need to register for. Click the icon, and you'll go to the registration page for that service.
• spruced up the "all service descriptions" list (you can get to this from a link on the portal) - so that all the services are described with a link to their "home page", along with a brief description, etc... You can also sort this list by name, agency, etc...

Anyway, my hope is that these make it much clearer to the user about who developed the services and what type of data they show.

I have been working to remedy the issue of the long load times for viewing the full extent when one first enters the Geologic Map Service. Previously, if you went straight to the map service, it would load up fairly quickly since I "cached" the initial geologic map view, but if you added a LayoutID to the URL (for say viewing the lithologic map, KPI, Coal, or Petroleum map), you would need to wait the time it took to draw the entire state - which could take a minute or longer (a long time if you are sitting in front of a screen). So, I implemented "caching" for the initial views of these different layouts. So, you can provide the following links to the public (which have the appropriate LayoutID assigned), and it will open the map service to the map layout fairly quickly.

These are the URL's that have caching enabled for the initial view - these are the links you would want to provide users in, say, a link from a webpage:

Oil and Gas Layout:
http://kgsmap.uky.edu/website/KGSGeology/viewer.asp?LayoutID=2
OR:
http://kgsmap.uky.edu/website/KGSGeology/viewer.asp?LayoutID=596


KPI Layout:
http://kgsmap.uky.edu/website/KGSGeology/viewer.asp?LayoutID=31
OR:
http://kgsmap.uky.edu/website/KGSGeology/viewer.asp?LayoutID=196


Coal Layout:
http://kgsmap.uky.edu/website/KGSGeology/viewer.asp?LayoutID=33
OR:
http://kgsmap.uky.edu/website/KGSGeology/viewer.asp?LayoutID=192


Litho Layout:
http://kgsmap.uky.edu/website/KGSGeology/viewer.asp?LayoutID=3
OR
http://kgsmap.uky.edu/website/KGSGeology/viewer.asp?LayoutID=244


Caveats:
1) Right now, if you click the "zoom to full extent" button on the map, at this time, the map service will completely redraw - so it'll take some time - I'm gonna work on this - seems like an easy fix. (RESOLVED:)This is the same case with the "Select a Map Layout" Links - if you click one and the map is at the full extent - should be an easy resolve.

2) (RESOLVED:) If you send any sort of extent to the service (say from the KGSGeoPortal), even if you were at the full extent of the state, the map service will completely redraw - the only workaround is to not send any extent in the URL - this is what triggers the code to load a cached image. This may be solved by solving #1 above...

3) the date on the image is the last time the cached image was updated.