APPENDIX 1: Map layers

Overview

Ecoplot supports visualization of 5 types of layer: point, shape, NetCDF, typhoon, and image.

Example of five types of map layer in Ecoplot
Example of five types of map layer in Ecoplot
1
Key features of point layer
Different display styles of data observation points

The main function of a point layer is to visually represent data observation points. In a point layer, data observation points can be displayed in different styles. For example, by varying the size (or radius) and color of the points, changes in data values can be expressed.
Changes corresponding to the playback of the time slider: In a point layer, the size and color of observation points may change in response to the playback of the time slider. This allows for the visual capture of data's temporal changes.
Customization of appearance: In a point layer, the appearance of points can be customized by adjusting parameters such as shape, color palette, and opacity. This enables a clearer representation of data.

Example of displaying points with default and modified configurations
Example of displaying points with default and modified configurations

To change display style of observation points, open Config Layer menu and modify Figure settings to your liking.

Figure configuration
Figure configuration
Pop-up

Pop-up is a small menu on the main map screen that shows up when user clicks an observation point. This menu shows detailed statistics about its observation point.

Example of two pop-up styles
Example of two pop-up styles

By default, pop-up will sticks to its observation point no matter how user scales the map. However, pop-up can be pinned to a certain position on the screen for better monitoring. Click the Pin button on the pop-up and drag it to the desired position.

Example of pinned pop-up
Example of pinned pop-up

To configure how pop-ups are displayed, open Config Layer menu and modify Popup settings to your liking.

Popup configuration
Popup configuration
Labels

Label shows the name of an observation point. It whether only shows up on hovering over an observation point or always shows for all points, depending how it is configured.

Example of two display modes of label
Example of two display modes of label

To configure how labels are displayed, open Config Layer menu and modify Label settings to your liking.

Label configuration
Label configuration
Legend

Legend is a panel displayed on the main map screen that shows the data range of its layer and how that range aligns with observation points' color scale.

Example of two display styles of legend
Example of two display styles of legend

To configure how legend is displayed, open Config Layer menu and modify Legend settings to your liking.

Legend configuration
Legend configuration
Points cluster

Points cluster is an unique feature of point layer. When it is enabled, observation points will cluster into groups as user zooms out on map.

Example of points cluster
Example of points cluster

To configure points cluster, open Config Layer menu and modify Points cluster settings to your liking.

Points cluster configuration
Points cluster configuration
Display of NA values

A datasource may have some observation points that consist of only NA values. Point layer supports visualizing these points with many options. You can choose whether to show these points or not, or make them look significantly different from other points.

Example of displaying NA values
Example of displaying NA values

To configure how NA values are displayed, open Config Layer menu and modify NA Value settings to your liking.

NA Value configuration
NA Value configuration
Scale data

Time-series data visualized as a point layer can be scaled by one of four available methods: Log10, Log10+, Normalize, and Standardize.

Example of normal data in comparison with scaled data
Example of normal data in comparison with scaled data

To choose how data are scaled, open Config Layer menu and select a data scaling method in Scale settings. Scaling data through Config Layer menu only affects how data are visualized on Map and does not change the original datasource or affect other analysis tabs.

Scale configuration
Scale configuration
2
Key features of shape layer

Because of the significant similarity between point layer and shape layers, almost all key features of point layer can be seen in shape layer, which are:

  • Different display styles of data observation locations
  • Pop-up
  • Labels
  • Legend
  • Display of NA values
  • Scale data
Shape layer's configuration
Shape layer's configuration

Shape layer is visualized on map as polygons. Unlike points in point layer, polygons do not change its size to show the fluctuation in data value, which makes some key features of shape layer look a little different from point layer when visualized on map. Nevertheless, this difference is minor as shape and point layers are the two layer types that share the most characteristics in common out of five layer types.

3
Key features of NetCDF layer
Different display modes

NetCDF (network Common Data Form) is a file format for storing multidimensional scientific data (variables) such as temperature, humidity, pressure, wind speed, and direction. In Ecoplot, NetCDF data can be visualized with various display modes and styles.

Example of five visualize modes of NetCDF layer
Example of five visualize modes of NetCDF layer

Example of five color palette prefixes of NetCDF layer
Example of five color palette prefixes of NetCDF layer

Example of two background modes of NetCDF layer
Example of two background modes of NetCDF layer

Example of four resample levels of NetCDF data
Example of four resample levels of NetCDF data

Example of two resample methods of NetCDF data
Example of two resample methods of NetCDF data

Example of two legend modes of NetCDF layer
Example of two legend modes of NetCDF layer

To configure how NetCDF data are displayed, open Cofig Layer menu and modify Figure and Legend settings to your liking.

Figure configurations
Figure configuration
Legend configuration
Legend configuration
Pre-render NetCDF

In order to see how NetCDF data are visualized and play NetCDF animation, you have to pre-render NetCDF first. By default, pre-rendering will start right after the creation of a NetCDF layer. You can also configure pre-render by modifying Pre-render settings in Config Layer menu.

Pre-render configuration
Pre-render configuration

Images of NetCDF layer that are generated from pre-rendering are called cache. You can see how far a NetCDF layer is pre-rendered by looking at the cache percentage on Data side panel or at the layer indicator on the time slider.

View pre-render status
View pre-render status
4
Key features of typhoon layer
Pop-up

Typhoon layer, just as what its name means, shows visualization of information on typhoons. Like point and shape layers, typhoon layer supports pop-up, allowing user to view detailed information of a point of the typhoon's trace.

Example of viewing a pop-up of typhoon layer
Example of viewing a pop-up of typhoon layer
Keep traits

You can configure typhoon layer so that the trace of the typhoon will stay on map even after the time slider plays past its time range.

Example of displaying trace of a typhoon beyond its time range
Example of displaying trace of a typhoon beyond its time range

Config Layer menu
Config Layer menu
5
Key features of image layer

Ecoplot supports inserting image into map as a layer. To be able to adjust the image, you have to drag the image layer to the top of the layer list on Data side panel. Image can be adjusted in 5 ways:

  • Move: move image to any location on the map
  • Scale: resize image
  • Distort
  • Rotate
  • Free rotate: rotate and scale at the same time
  • Lock image: disable adjusting image
Example of image layer
Example of image layer