Part 2—Create Maps of Specific Locations and Coverages
Step 1 – Begin Using the Voyager Mapping Tool for Earth
Click the Earth link in the list on the left side of the Jules Verne Voyager Homepage.
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All the map data and the computational work it takes to produce Voyager images are on a server in Boulder, Colorado. Your browser software, running the Voyager Java applet, is only used to request images and display the results when they arrive.
Whenever you request a new image, the Status Bar (bottom left of your browser window) shows the message "Creating Map at UNAVCO Boulder Facility Archive..." Wait until you see your new map before you click anything else.
Step 2 – Zoom In and Out
- Click and drag a rectangle over one of the continents and wait until you see a new image. The "rubberband box" you draw defines the boundaries of the next image. You appear to "zoom in" to the image when the area inside the box is enlarged.
- Zoom in again by dragging another rectangle over an area of interest.
- Drag one more rubberband box to zoom in further.
- Click the Index button to create a view of Earth from space.
- Click the Local button to return to your zoomed in view. Use the Up, Down, Index, and Local buttons to move between the various zoom levels.
Index maps show a magenta box outlining the previous zoom location. Maps like these are useful in showing the location of a small area in relation to the whole globe.
The series of zoomed images you created are referred to as a zoom stack. Once these views are created, you can move quickly between them by clicking the buttons because the images do not need to be regenerated on Voyager's server (until you pan to a new center or zoom in on one of the intermediate images). A series of images that zoom in on a location are useful for illustrating the relative size of a mapped area.
Step 3 – Define a New Center Point for the Next Image (panning)
- Click your browser's Back or Refresh button or open a new instance of Voyager to start over with Voyager's base map for Earth.
NOTE: Use your browser's navigation buttons ONLY when you want to go back to the initial state of the world you are mapping. While you are requesting specific maps, use the buttons that are part of the map tool. - Drag a rubberband box over an interesting area to zoom in on once.
- On the new image, make a single click on any location and wait for the next map.
A single click on any zoomed map image defines the new center point for the next image. No enlargement or reduction occurs. This is referred to as "panning" on a map image. On un-zoomed images, only the longitude you click is re-centered.
