YMap Instructions

This document contains brief instructions of how to use the the YMap demo.

Dynamic Query using sliders:

• A data column is represented as a slider on the right side panel. An example of a data column is Population Indensity (of a geographical region).

• Drag the two thumbs on a slider will change the query criteria of the data column the slider represents. The current query range is shown below each slider. If the data related to a geographical region falls out of the query range, then that region is “filtered out”. Filtered-out regions show up as gray on the map.

• A region will not be filtered out, if and only if none of the data columns related to the region fall out of the query range of the corresponding slider.

Reset all:

• Click the “Reset All” button on the top right corner will set all sliders to their min/max values.

View more data columns:

• Click the "Add/Del Sliders" button on the top right corner. A window will open up, let you choose data columns that you wish to add as a slider to the main window. 14 data attributes are available in the current demo.

Data distribution:

• The yellow histogram bars in a slider show data distributions. Mouseover the bars will show popup tips of the distribution information.

Change shaders:

• Select a data column from the top left selectable list to use to color-code the map.

Change scale:

• Two different slider/shader scales are provided. The purpose is to provide alternatives for scattering out data records in overcrowded parts of sliders/shader, so filtering/shading could be more gradual. 

• By default, linear scales are used for both the shader, and the sliders.

• You can switch the scale used for both the shader (on top), and each slider (on right side), by click the log checkbox.

Detail information panel:

• It is the panel on the bottom, that shows the data of selected regions, and the data of the region the mouse brushes over.

• Highlight a region: When you move mouse over a region, the data of that region shows in the “Detail information panel”. There are also yellow vertical sticks appearing on sliders, that shows the position of the data of that region.

• Select/Lock the data of multiple regions: You can select regions to lock the data of multiple regions on the detail panel, by clicking the “Select/Deselect” button on the top to switch to selecting mode, and then pressing and holding any key, and clicking the regions on the map that you want the data to be locked/shown in the detail panel.

Zoom in:

• Click "Zoom In" button on the top, followed by a click on the map.

• Or click the wished zoom level on the top, followed by a click on the map.

Zoom out:

• Click "Zoom Out" button on the top.

• Or click the wished zoom level on the top.

Pan:

• Click the "Pan" Button to switch to panning mode, then use mouse to drag the map

• Or click the scrollbars beside/below the map.

Switch between state view and county view:

• You can toggle between state and county view by clicking the “Change View” button on the top.