How To: Map Behavior

The map on eTourChatham is a customized Google map. The features and behavior of the maps will be familiar to those who have used maps on a computer or smartphone. The basics of map behavior are:

  • A separate map is provided for each eTour.
  • Maps can be zoomed in and out. On touch screens (such as smartphones), this is done with a two-finger swipe.
  • Pins represent locations on the eTour. Touching a pin brings up an information window telling what that pin location is. Touching the link in the information window will bring you to that site’s page. You can also close the information, or touch a different pin. A pin’s color is changed to green when it is touched.
  • On some eTour tours, a route is also marked with a colored line on the map.

Details of map behavior on eTourChatham are:

  • The Home button on the top right re-centers and re-zooms the map back to its default view, that is, the way the map was shown on its initial viewing.
  • If you move the map around, and/or change the zoom, then leave the map to view a location page, the map will be in the same place when you come back to the map (unless you have reloaded any of the eTour pages using the browser reload control).
  • Some locations have more than one pin on the map, and they are coordinated. When one of the set is clicked, they all change color to green. Touching a link in an information window for any of the set brings you to the page for that set of pins. These extra pins are used to show other locations on the map associated with the topic, and are explained on the respective pages.

Using a device’s GPS with the eTour maps:

  • On devices with GPS capability, most eTourChatham maps will display a My Location symbol in the upper left corner. (This is not displayed on regular computers or laptops).
  • Touch this button to turn on the use of the GPS. You may be asked, especially the first time, whether you wish to allow eTourChatham to use your device’s positioning information. Press Yes. (See below for what happens when you press No).
  • Unless an error is encountered, a new pin will be shown on the map, a bullseye style pin, that shows your location on the map. (That is, where your device’s GPS says you are). At the same time, the My Location symbol changes to have an X on it, and touching this will turn off the use of GPS, and remove the bullseye pin.
  • When the bullseye My Location pin is first shown, the map is centered on this pin, and a Tracking button appears in the upper left corner of the map. This indicates the map will stay centered on your location, as you move around. If you cause the map to shift manually, that is move the map or press a pin or the Home button, the map ceases to be automatically centered on your location at the bullseye pin. (The bullseye pin will continue to reflect your location on the map, but the map will not be automatically re-centered on this pin). If you are looking around some other area of the map, you do not want it jumping back to be centered on your own current location. The Tracking button in the upper left changes to Center/Track, and pressing it will re-center the map on your location, and start up the automatic re-centering on the bullseye pin as you move around.
  • If an error occurs in using your device’s GPS, OR you say No when asked if eTourChatham may use you location information, then you will see an error alert message, and the use of the GPS will be turned off. You can try again by pressing the My Location symbol in the upper left corner again.
  • If you never intend to use the GPS to show your own location on the map, you can turn off the showing of the My Location symbol in the upper left corner by going to the Settings page, from the Intro & Info button on the eTourChatham home page.