B.C. Frogwatch Program

Using the Frogwatch Atlas to Enter Locations Online

The Community Mapping Network folks have made us an online Frogwatch Atlas so that you can zoom in to your location in the province. You will still need to fill out the regular Frogwatch Sighting Form, but the location will automatically be filled in when you click the point on the map. (The maps are really fun to play with, too, even if you haven't any observations to report at the moment!)

The program used for the Frogwatch Atlas was developed for Microsoft Internet Explorer, and some of the functions may not work as well with Netscape or other programs. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. You will need to have frames enabled on your browser (this is the normal setting).

Please print a copy of the Frogwatch Sighting Form instructions as well as the mapping instructions below before you enter any data, and keep the printouts handy. This will help us avoid errors in the data and make it far more useful. Thank you!

Getting Started

1. You will need to download a free map viewer from Autodesk Mapguide to begin. You will only need to do this once. The latest version of Mapguide was released in early 2002.
    
   1. Click on the "Frogwatch Atlas" link, which will take you to the mapping site for the Community Mapping Network program. At the top of the page is a link which will take you to the AutoDesk Mapguide site to download the Mapguide viewer. (It's free!)
       
   2. Once on the download page, select the correct options, for example, OS: Windows 98/2000/NT/XP; Browser: Microsoft Internet Explorer; Language: English; Viewer Type: ActiveX Control Viewer.
       
   3. Download the program to your hard drive, remembering which folder you put it in ("temp" is usually best). The file is called "MGControl60.exe"
       
   4. Close your browser window and any other windows you have open, and go to the folder where you have stored the file.
       
   5. Double-click on its icon to bring up the installation wizard. Follow its instructions to finish the installation. You may be prompted to restart your computer.
       
2. You'll need a Frogwatch password in order to enter data through the Atlas. However, you can work with the maps, familiarise yourself with them, and use them to determine your coordinates without a password, and you can still submit data via the Frogwatch form.

   
    

   Using the Atlas

3. Once you have the map viewer installed, come back to the Frogwatch Atlas page. You should see a map of the whole province, with no features yet, and a menu on the left with layers (map features) that you can select to display. You can double click on the headings to expand or collapse categories of layers; you can use check boxes to turn categories on and off, or to select individual layers within the categories.
    
   1. The tools for working with the maps are quite simple and self-explanatory, with a little label that appears when you float the mouse pointer over them.
       
   1. Magnifying glasses let you zoom closer or farther away (+ and - symbols), or zoom to a specific scale (a little arrow). To use the "zoom in" tool, you select the tool, then click and drag to outline a small rectangle on the map. When you release the mouse button, the map will show the small rectangle you just outlined.
       
   2. A little "hand" tool lets you "pan" across the map - you "grab" and drag the map across the viewing window by clicking and holding the mouse button down as you move it across.
       
   3. There is a Help library as well - just click on the question mark icon in the toolbar and a window will pop up with a list of topics.
       
   2. Interesting layers to play with are the roads, parks (under "Boundaries") and BC Communities. Lakes and rivers will also help you orient yourself on the map.
       
   3. You can "hover" the mouse pointer over community symbols and parks to see their names. Unfortunately the water bodies such as lakes and rivers don't have these labels. One very interesting layer is the "Rivers with FISS reports" (under Hydrology). With this layer on, any named river or stream which has had fish inventory done will show the name when you hover the pointer over the river.
       
   4. More layers will become available as you zoom in on the map and get to resolutions where they can display.
       
   5. You can also use the satellite and digital images of the province (in the "Raster Images" category) to get a spy-eye view of BC. Be patient when you are using the images, because there is a lot of information in them and they may be slower to load than the other layers. You might want to look at some of the other map pages on the CMN site. Some of them have air photographs for the Lower Mainland and southeastern Vancouver Island.
       
4. Right click anywhere on the map and select "Help", then "Preferences." Under "Map Units" select "Metric", tick the "display mouse position" box and the "display map scale" box, and select "Latitude, Longitude" under "Units." Then click "OK." Now, when you move your mouse over the map, the latitude and longitude of your cursor will be displayed on the bar below the map, as well as the scale of the map. You can use this to determine the location of your observations. You should zoom in to a scale of at least 1:50000 or even closer before doing this, though, or the coordinates will not be very accurate. Please don't submit points from broader scales - they will not be accurate enough to be useful, but the coordinates will be misleadingly precise. (Think of an archer hitting the bulls eye - but on someone else's target! There's a bulls eye, all right, but if you used that to determine that the archer was a good shot, you would be wrong.)
    


 

Got a Password?

5. Frogwatchers can apply for a Frogwatch password in order to enter data directly through the Atlas. You can work with the maps and familiarise yourself with them without a password, but you won't be able to submit data.
    
1. Click "Get a Password" at the top of the Atlas window and fill in the form that pops up. Be sure to fill in the email field, as we need that to contact you.
    
2. Choose a password and enter it in the "other" field at the bottom of the form. When you submit the form it will be emailed to BC Frogwatch and we'll set up your name and password, then email you with a confirmation.
    

Entering Data

6. Using the Zoom tool at the top of the window (a little magnifying glass icon with a plus sign - easy enough!), click and drag to select a smaller area of the province. The tool stays selected until you select something else, so you can continue to zoom in step by step. (Keep an eye on the different layers that appear as you zoom in, and play with them to find the ones most useful to you). The map scale will appear in the bottom border of the map window.
    


 

7. When you have zoomed in past the 1:50,000 scale on the map, you can locate and digitize (submit) your sighting location. Please don't submit points from broader scales!
    
1. Log in using the button in the top frame. A small window will pop up for you to enter your user name and password. When you click "enter" it will say "Valid Login entry" and show a button marked "proceed." Click this button to close the small window and continue with your session. (You only have to log in once for each session, no matter how many points you wish to enter). Please remember that we'll need a few days to get your name and password set up when you first join us.
    
2. Click "Digitize" in the top frame (this is one of the options that appears after you log in). If you cannot see the "digitize" button, check to see if the top frame has a scroll bar on the right-hand side. Sometimes the buttons don't quite fit in the frame as it appears in your browser.
    
1. The cursor will turn into a little hand.
    
2. Click on the location of your sighting.
    
3. Another small window will pop up with the Frogwatch Sighting Form.
    
4. Fill out the form according to the directions that you have printed out for reference (haven't you?!) and your field notes about the sighting. The location will be entered in the form automatically.
    
3. Click "Submit" at the bottom of the form, and your report will be on its way to us! Thanks!