Part 2—Launch My World and Explore Land Use Data
Step 1 – Launch My World GIS

- Launch My World GIS by double-clicking its icon on your desktop or by clicking its icon in the dock (Mac) or Launch Bar (PC).
- Choose File > Open Project and navigate to the file, Wetlands.m3vz. Select it and then click Open.
When the project opens, a World map displays. It shows a map of Land Cover Classification with the outlines of Countries and U.S. States overlaid on top. Layers not visible on the map include: Macclenny, Florida, NWI Macclenny Wetlands, Florida Interstate 10, Major Highways, U.S. Counties, U.S. Cities, Macclenny Wetlands Topo, and Income and Employment.
Step 2 – Locate the United States, Zoom In, and Explore Land Cover Data
Explore Active Layers
To the left of the map view is a listing of Layers, called the Layer List. In the Layer List, notice the checkbox to the right of the name of a layer. Click once in this box to turn a layer on and make it visible. Notice that when a layer is on, it is visible and there is an eye in the checkbox.- Turn on U.S. Cities by clicking in the box next to its name. Layers that are on (visible) have an eye
in the check box.
- Notice that as you turn on a layer there is a legend for that Layer. To turn a legend on and off, click on the L symbol next to the words "Category List".
- Click anywhere in the box next to the name of a layer. The box will turn white and have a yellow highlight. This indicates that this layer is the Active layer. In the image below, U.S. Cities layer is the active layer and the Legend for the U.S. Cities is on. The radio button in the highlight mode shows that a selection, "U.S. Cities with Population > 500,000", is being displayed on the map. To see all U.S. Cities, click the All (highlighting off) radio button.
- Make U.S. States active, and click the Zoom to Selection layer
button. Your map will zoom in to the extent of this layer.
- Click on the Zoom to Previous Extents button
and re-center your map on the World.
- Turn off the legend for U.S. Cities.
- Make U.S. States the active layer, turn on its Category List (legend) and use the legend, to the right of the map, to find Florida.
When you click on the name of a layer, it is highlighted and becomes active, which tells My World GIS to pay attention to it. Understanding the difference between a layer that is turned on and one that is active can save you time and help prevent frustration. A layer may be on or off as well as active or not. Layers that are on have a checked box (show an eye in the box) while layers that are active are highlighted white with a yellow border. More than one layer can be on but only one layer can be active.