Preparing a base map

• Open an OS Land-Line.Plus tile.
• Open the English Nature SSSI map layer.
• Produce a simple  map of Little Wittenham SSSI.

You will need:

1. A zip disk of at least 100 Mb capacity
2. A computer with internet access
3. MapInfo software (at least version 5.5)
4. Decompression software (such as WinZip)

Open an OS Land-Line Plus tile.

Little Wittenham wood falls on four OS Land-Line tiles, su5692, su5693, su5792 and su5793. I have downloaded these (in NTF format), translated them into MapInfo export format and then merged them into a single MapInfo table.

1. Create a folder on your zip disk called "Data".

2. Click here to download a zip file (Little_Wittenham.ZIP) and save it to the Data folder. The zip file contains the following MapInfo files:

Little Wittenham.DAT	173 Kb
Little Wittenham.ID	11 Kb
Little Wittenham.MAP	352 Kb
Little Wittenham.TAB	1 Kb

3. Unzip (or "extract") these files and save them in the Data folder.  You may need to consult the Help facility on your decompression software for details of how to do this.

4. Open MapInfo. In the Quick Start dialogue box select Open a Table and press the Open button.

5. Select the file Little Wittenham.TAB and click Open.

6. A window should open showing part of the Little Wittenham map. This window is probably too small for you to see very much.  In order to see the whole of the map drag the borders of the window out to increase its size and then right click in it to produce a pop-up menu (like the one shown on the right). Select View Entire Layer.... A list box will then appear  in which you should select the layer Little Wittenham.

7. You should now be able to see the whole of the map. Once you have identified Little Wittenham Wood on this map zoom in on it using the zoom tools on the Main toolbar. Zoom in and out until you are satisfied that the whole wood is nicely framed in the window. You can also use the "grabber" tool to move the frame of view.

MapInfo's zoom tools

MapInfo's grabber tool

1. Visit the English Nature homepage and select the GIS Data option under Publications and Maps. When you click on the link above a new window should open. You can continue to follow these instructions in this window.

2. Enter your full name, organisation and email into the registration boxes and then select Option 1 (Data delivered in zip files based on 100km squares). Press Register.

3. You will be taken to a Dataset Download Selection page where you should select Sites of Special Scientific Interest as the dataset type, MapInfo TAB as the format, SU as the 100 km square and the Internet as the download option. After you have read the terms and conditions of use, press I Agree to download the data.

4. Check that the file sussstab.zip is available  and click Download. You will be asked "You are downloading the file: sussstab.zip from www.english-nature.org.uk Would you like to open the file or save it to your computer?" Select Save and save the zip file to the Data folder on your zip disk.

5. The zip file contains the following MapInfo files:

Unzip the file and save these to your Data folder.

6. Return to MapInfo and make sure that the file Little Wittenham.TAB is open and that Little Wittenham wood is nicely centred in the window. Then select File followed by Open Table... The dialogue box pictured on the left will appear. Select Susssi.TAB and Current Mapper as your preferred view. Click Open.

7. A new layer should open in the current window showing the area of Little Wittenham designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest shaded in green.

Produce a simple map of Little Wittenham SSSI.

1. You can arrange and annotate the contents of one or several layers and windows into a single map for printing in the Layout Window. Open a new layout window by either selecting Window and then New Layout Window... from the menu bar or by pressing the New Layout button on the standard toolbar.

The MapInfo New Layout button

2. An option box will appear asking Create a new layout window containing.... You should select the first option  One Frame for Window.

3. The new layout window will appear (often very small!). Drag the window to a convenient size and then zoom in on the preview using the zoom tools. Your map should be shown exactly as it will appear when printed. You can adjust the way the page is set up by selecting File and then Page Setup....

4. Add a suitable title to your map using the Text tool on the Drawing toolbar. Include the line "Map created by <your name>" in the title.

5. Create a folder on your zip disk called "Maps". Select File and then Save Window As.... to save this map layout.

6. A Save Window As.. dialogue box will appear. You can choose to save an image of your layout at the default size or specify a custom size. I suggest you accept the default. Select Same as Window and press Save....

7. Give your file a sensible name (such as SSSI) and save it to the Maps folder on your zip disk. I suggest that you select JPEG File Interchange Format (*.jpg) in the Save as type: box.

8. Print a copy of your map and hand it in to your tutor.

9. Close the layout window. The map on screen is formed from a combination of different files. You can save this combination so that you can return to it in future. MapInfo will remember exactly how you put the map together but it will not alter the original data sources.  Select File on the menu bar and then Save Workspace... Choose an appropriate name and save your workspace as a *.wor file. When you open this *.wor file in future MapInfo will open all the necessary layers in exactly the way that you have them open now.

Going further

You might like to experiment with creating a scale bar for your map. The scale bar is drawn on the Cosmetic Layer of your mapper window (you cannot draw a scale bar in the layout window). Follow these instructions:

1. Click on Tools and select Tool Manager....
2. A Tool Manager dialogue box will appear showing which tools are available (if there are no tools shown consult your tutor). Scroll down the list to ScaleBar and check the Loaded box.

3. Click OK. A new toolbar should appear. Select the Draw Scale Bar button.

4. Click on your map where you would like the scale bar to go. A Draw Distance Scale in Mapper dialogue box will appear in which you can adjust the characteristics of your scale bar.

5. Click OK and the scale bar will be drawn on your map.

6. IMPORTANT Click on the Select (pointer) tool in the Main toolbar before you do anything else. If you click on the map before you do this you will create another scale bar, and another, and another.........

7. If you want to delete a scale bar, right click your map and select Clear Cosmetic Layer.

8. If you want to save your scale bar when you close your map you must select Map on the menu bar and then chose Save Cosmetic Objects....