![\"image7\"](\"https:\/\/help.instantatlas.com\/instantatlas-desktop\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2015\/08\/image7.png\")
\u00a0<\/span>The use of map data is subject to the terms of the provider and it is the responsibility of the owner of the report ensure compliance.<\/span><\/p>\nThe background images for a report can come from the following sources:<\/p>\n Any geo-referenced images saved on a local or network drive can be displayed as background mapping. We strongly recommend that each image is no larger than 1 MB in file size. It is important to keep the file size down as the larger the images, the longer it will take for them to load into a report. If your images are larger than 1MB, you can process them to reduce their file size or you can split one image into separate tiles (the report will only load the tiles it needs to fill and map at any given point in time).<\/p>\n To include a layer of background mapping, you must upload an index file into the Publisher. Each layer must have a separate InstantAtlas index file. This index file is an XML file (.xml) that specifies geographic coordinates for each image included in the layer of background mapping. Without this information, InstantAtlas reports would be unable to position background images correctly in the map(s). A sample index file can be found in the \u2018images\u2019 folder created during the installation of your InstantAtlas software. This folder is a convenient place to store all of your background images and index files. It is important that an index file is stored in the same folder as the images that it references.<\/p>\n Click the \u2018Add\u2019 button to upload an index file and click the \u2018Background Image Collection\u2019 option. You can type the pathname to the index file into the \u2018Index file\u2019 box (e.g. \u2018C:\\images\\250k.xml). You can also access a drop down list of the most recently used index files by clicking the arrow to the right of the \u2018Index file\u2019 box. Alternatively, click the \u2018Browse\u2019 button to search for an index file located elsewhere on your computer or network.<\/p>\n The publisher needs to know the file extension of any images that are used. We support JPEG and PNG image formats for use as background mapping, so please specify your image format here. If your images are not in either of these formats you will have to convert them.<\/p>\n The \u2018Min extent\u2019 and \u2018Max extent\u2019 boxes define the range of map widths at which this background mapping layer will display in your report. The units are map units and therefore depend on the geographic coordinate system of your map files. For example, if the coordinate system is British National Grid the units will be metres. The smaller the \u2018Min extent\u2019 value, the further you have to zoom into the map before this background mapping layer disappears. The greater the \u2018Max extent\u2019 value, the further you have to zoom out of the map before this background mapping layer disappears.<\/p>\n The layer shown in the image above will never switch on if the map is displaying an area that is more than 100,000,000 map units wide. If the area shown in the map is less than 100,000,000 map units wide, this background mapping layer will display, no matter how far you zoom into the map.<\/p>\n You might decide to add a second background mapping layer by clicking the \u2018<\/span>Add\u2019<\/span> button and browsing for a new index file called \u2018detailed.xml\u2019. Imagine that the images referenced by \u2018detailed.xml\u2019 are more detailed than those referenced by \u2018coarse.xml\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n You can see that the \u2018Min extent\u2019 and \u2018Max extent\u2019 values have been edited. The coarser (or less detailed) background mapping layer is set to display for map widths between 50,000 and 100,000,000 units. The more detailed background mapping layer is set to display for map widths between 0 and 50,000 map units. As you zoom into the map in this report, you will reach a point at which the area shown is less than 50,000 map units wide. At this point, the background mapping will switch from one layer (the images referenced by \u2018course.xml\u2019) to another (the images referenced by \u2018detailed.xml\u2019).<\/p>\n If you wish to make more advanced settings for background mapping, click the \u2018Properties\u2019 button for a layer. The \u2018Choose Map Features\u2019 dialog will appear.<\/p>\n By default, only the background images that overlap (or intersect) the base geography will be published in the report. As the maps in InstantAtlas reports are centred on the base geography, images that do not overlap the base geography are typically irrelevant. This is therefore the default option.<\/p>\n If, however, you wish to publish all images referenced by the index file irrespective of whether they overlap the base geography or not then click the \u2018Use all features\u2019 radio button. If you wish to select a particular subset of images to publish in the report, click the \u2018Use features highlighted in the table below\u2019 radio button and make your selection.<\/p>\n When you have made your choice, click the \u2018OK\u2019 button. Alternatively, click the \u2018Cancel\u2019 button to cancel your selections.<\/p>\n At the foot of the screen you are asked whether you wish to copy background images to the output folder of your report. The output folder is the folder in which the Publisher saves the published report. By default, InstantAtlas reports look for background images in their output folder. For this reason you will typically switch the radio button to \u2018Yes\u2019. Note that Publisher will only be able to copy images to the output folder if it can find these in the same folder as the index file(s) you have uploaded.<\/p>\n If you have chosen to include a large number of background mapping images in your report, you might decide to click the \u2018No\u2019 radio button. The images will not be copied to the output folder and after publication you will have to configure your report to look for images in a different folder. This is for file management reasons: if you have a large number of background images, it is not ideal to replicate these in the output folder of every report you publish. It is more efficient to store the images in one folder and configure each of your reports to read the images from this folder. To configure a report to read images from a different folder you must use the InstantAtlas Designer \u2013 please consult section \u2018The InstantAtlas Designer\u2019, sub-section \u2018Map Properties<\/a>\u2019 under ‘Background Folder’ for more details.<\/p>\n The Web Map Server Connection allows you to build in background layers that come directly from a WMS (Web Map Service) compliant mapping server. You can find out more about the WMS specification at http:\/\/www.opengeospatial.org.<\/a><\/p>\n This option is really intended for users that wish to connect to their own organisation’s WMS. Although public WMS resources can be found, they are in most cases unsuitable for background mapping in reports.<\/p>\n To add images from a WMS, enter the URL address for the WMS service in the Server address box e.g.<\/p>\n https:\/\/ows.terrestris.de\/osm\/service?<\/a><\/p>\n This URL is provided by ‘terrestris’, a German company that specialises on the processing and presentation of spatial data with GIS.<\/p>\n If you wish to use this WMS, please ensure you read the guidance notes at https:\/\/www.terrestris.de\/en\/openstreetmap-wms\/<\/a><\/p>\n When you hit the refresh button, a list of available map layers should appear in the box below:<\/p>\n Pick the relevant layer from the drop down box.<\/p>\n Finally you should pick a coordinate system for the map to come back in. Three of the most commonly used coordinate systems will be EPSG: 4326 for decimal degrees of latitude and longitude, EPSG:3857 for WGS 84 \/ Pseudo-Mercator used in Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, etc.\u00a0and EPSG: 27700 for UK national grid.<\/p>\n It is possible to specify further WMS options, such as multiple layers, image formats and transparency by clicking the \u2018Advanced\u2019 button. This will launch the Web Map Server Settings dialog box as shown in the image below.<\/p>\n The available list of map layers can be found in the left hand side box, and layer groups can be expanded and collapsed. To add layers, navigate through the groupings Layers can be removed individually using the Further settings can be changed by clicking the Settings tab which will open up the dialog box shown below.<\/p>\n Here you can change the name of the WMS Layer. This name will appear in the legend of your dynamic report.<\/p>\n You can choose the coordinate system in which the WMS will send the image data to the report. The \u2018Re-project digital map data?\u2019 property is ticked by default, which means that the Publisher will re-project all base and contextual layers that you have uploaded for your report to match the coordinate system of the WMS.<\/p>\n 1. This re-projection only works if the Publisher knows the coordinate system of your map files. If you are using ESRI shapefiles that include a .prj file, the Publisher can pick up the coordinate system information out of this file. If your shapefile does not have a .prj file or if you are working with MapInfo MID\/MIF or TAB files, you will need to select the appropriate coordinate system from the Layer Properties in the \u2018Coord System\u2019 tab. Alternatively you can re-project these map layers before using them in InstantAtlas.<\/p>\n 2. The re-projection will only work if your map file(s) are in one of the following supported coordinate systems<\/p>\n a. Un-projected coordinate systems (e.g. latitude\/longitude)<\/p>\n b. Coordinate systems that use a Transverse Mercator projection (e.g. British National Grid, UTM zones)<\/p>\n c. Global coordinate systems using a Mercator projection.<\/p>\n d. Lambert Conformal Conic projection<\/p>\n If your map layers are already in the same projection as the WMS you should untick this property.<\/p>\n The image format drop-down returns a list of all available image formats supported by the Web Map Server you are connecting too. Please note that while a large variety of formats may be supported by the WMS server, InstantAtlas will currently only support JPEG (.jpg), PNG (.png) and GIF (.gif) formats, so it is important that one of these formats is chosen.<\/p>\n It is also possible to specify the background colour of the image you request. Imagine choosing a layer that specifies land cover. Rather than leaving the background (areas of no data) white by default, you may wish to request this in blue to represent areas of water. Select the colour you wish to use by clicking the Choose button and selecting a colour from the available palettes. Once you have selected a colour, click \u2018OK\u2019 to return to the previous dialog screen.<\/p>\n Finally, there is a checkbox option to request the image with a transparent background. This option is dependent upon the WMS server supporting the provision of transparent background images. If not, this request will be ignored by the server. If transparency is supported, take care to also select an image format that supports transparency from the image format drop down list. Formats that support transparency are .png and .gif.<\/p>\n The image shows a typical request. The transparent background check box is ticked, and we have chosen an appropriate image format that will handle this transparency if the server supports it. If transparency isn\u2019t supported, the image will revert to having a blue background colour.<\/p>\n If the WMS you want to use requires additional parameters, you can enter these into the \u2018Custom parameters\u2019 field.<\/p>\n When you have finished choosing your advanced settings, click \u2018OK\u2019 to return to the \u2018Choose Your Background Images\u2019 screen. The dialog may have been updated to reflect any additional layers that have been chosen. For example, the image below shows we have chosen \u2018Topographic WMS – by terrestris\u2019 and \u2018OSM Overlay WMS – by terrestris\u2019 as our two map layers.<\/p>\n The ArcGIS Server option allows you to incorporate background mapping from a service in ArcGIS Server such as ArcGIS Online. ArcGIS Online provides ready-to-use map services with coverage for many countries. You can find more information about ArcGIS Online\u00a0 Basemaps here:<\/p>\n https:\/\/livingatlas.arcgis.com\/en\/browse\/#d=2&cont=esriOnly&categories=Basemaps:10000<\/a><\/p>\n As an example of incorporating ArcGIS Online maps you can click the ArcGIS Server option and paste the URL below into the box:<\/p>\n https:\/\/server.arcgisonline.com\/ArcGIS\/rest\/services\/World_Street_Map\/MapServer?<\/a><\/p>\n The way the Publisher handles ArcGIS Server map services is very similar to WMS connections. Please refer to the previous section to get further information on this. You will, however, not be able to choose a different background colour for your ArcGIS Server map service.<\/p>\n The OpenStreetMap Connection option allows you to add a background map provided by OpenStreetMap (OSM).<\/p>\n OpenStreetMap is a collaborative project to create a free editable map of the world.\u00a0The resulting free map can be viewed and downloaded from the OpenStreetMap server: <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n http:\/\/www.OpenStreetMap.org<\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n There is a dedicated section in this user guide explaining how to create an IA dynamic report with a Google Maps background. Please refer to section \u2018Google Maps in InstantAtlas Reports<\/a>\u2019.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This step of the publishing process involves choosing background images if these are required. Background images appear in the map(s) of your report to provide additional context and can be switched on and off. The image shows the map in a dynamic report with background mapping switched on. \u00a0The use of map data is subject … Continue reading Choose Your Background Images<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":0,"parent":4421,"menu_order":4,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-15621","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/help.instantatlas.com\/instantatlas-desktop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/15621","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/help.instantatlas.com\/instantatlas-desktop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/help.instantatlas.com\/instantatlas-desktop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/help.instantatlas.com\/instantatlas-desktop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/help.instantatlas.com\/instantatlas-desktop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15621"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/help.instantatlas.com\/instantatlas-desktop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/15621\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/help.instantatlas.com\/instantatlas-desktop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4421"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/help.instantatlas.com\/instantatlas-desktop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15621"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"background\"](\"https:\/\/help.instantatlas.com\/instantatlas-desktop\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2015\/10\/background.png\")
<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n\n
<\/span>When adding multiple background images to a map in a report, it is necessary to check that the coordinate systems of all of the background images are identical to ensure that they will be shown properly in the map.<\/span><\/p>\nAdding Images from a Background Image Collection<\/h3>\n
Information on how to create a background mapping index file can be found here:\u00a0Creating a Background Mapping Index File<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n If you have multiple layers of background mapping, you must ensure that the ranges you specify for the layers do not overlap.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n InstantAtlas reports only support JPG and PNG as formats for background mapping. File extensions listed in index files are irrelevant and are not used by the Publisher \u2013 it is important only that the name of the file (excluding the extension) in the index file matches the name of the JPG or PNG image it relates to.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nAdding Images from a WMS Connection<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n to a map layer . Select the layer(s) you wish to add and click the button to move it to your selected layers list as shown in image below.<\/p>\n button.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n It is vital that you consider the following points:<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n There are a number of issues you should consider when using WMS background mapping:<\/p>\n\n
Adding Images from a ArcGIS Server Map Service<\/h3>\n
Adding Images from\u00a0OpenStreetMap<\/h3>\n
Adding Images from Google Maps<\/h3>\n