Zoom in. Zooms in to area represented by rectangle drawn on the map.
Zoom out. Zooms out based on the size of the rectangle drawn. A smaller rectangle results in a larger zoom.
Pan. Hold the left mouse button down and drag the map to recenter
Zoom in 2x. Zoom in 2x when selected.
Zoom out 2x. Zoom out 2x when selected.
Query. Returns info for features in the query layer (the query layer is selected by a checkbox under the map layers tab). Holding the pointer over a feature displays a popup window with some basic information about the underlying feature. Clicking on the feature will return information about the feature in the query results tab. Drawing a rectangle around multiple features returns info on features within the rectangle.
Reset. Resets the map to a state-wide extent
Redraw. Redraws the map at the current extent (e.g. after turning layers on/off)
Find. Displays a dialog to search for, and zoom to, geographical features. The dialog appears in the lower frame below the map display. The feature search/zoom uses the USGS geographic names database, containing over 25,000 named features from USGS maps. Features include towns, streams, airports, mountains, churches and many others.
The section below the map contains several tabs that organize information associated with the map.
map layers This tab contains the list of available map layers, a checkbox for turning the layers on/off, a checkbox for selecting the layer to query, and a legend symbol.
overview map Shows a state-wide map and a rectangle indicating the current extent of the main map.
locate place Search for places in the geographic names database and zoom to them on the map, or zoom to a longitude/latitude coordinate.
query results Tab that shows the results of map queries.
help Guide to tabs, map controls, and layers.
about Detail on application environment.

The map layers tab below the map contains infotmation and controls for the various layers. The left checkbox beside each layer turns the layer on/off. Use the redraw button to refresh the map display after turning layers on or off. The right checkbox selects which layer will be queryed. Only one layer can be selected as the query layer.

The aerial photography and topographic map layers are larger datasets and may require longer to draw. It may be better to zoom to a desired area, using the other layers as a guide, before turning these layers on.

Some layers contain too much detail and will not draw until zoomed in. Viewable layers will be labeled using a dark color in the legend, while layers labeled with a lighter color will not be drawn.. Road, stream, and town layers use increasingly detailed datasets depending on the scale.

County boundaries. Digitized from 7.5' USGS DRGs. Demographic info from Census Bureau, via ERSI Data & Maps CDROM 2003.
2007 Aerial Photography. 1-meter color infrared aerial photography flown in 2007. Constructed from 16,515 tiles clipped from the original source data. Layer will ony display at scales larger than 1:40,000 due to database size and server speed limitations. Querying the doqq layer will display the source quarter-quadrangle.
USGS Topographic Map. USGS 1:24,000 topographic maps, consisting of 2,742 5000x5000 meter tiles covering the entire state. Layer will ony display at scales larger than 1:50,000 due to server speed limitations.
FEMA Q3 Floodplain. This is a partial coverage for 23 counties, depicting 100 and 500 year floodplain deliniations. BFE stands for "Base Flood Elevation" The Q3 Flood Data product can be a valuable tool to assist in screening property addresses within a GIS to determine flood risks. However, as the geographic processing performed to develop the Q3 Flood Data may introduce differences with the source hardcopy FIRMs, users must apply considerable care and judgement in the application of this product.
Mining Permit Boundaries. Developed to manage mining activity within the state, permit boundaries were created by digitizing features from georeferenced permit maps. As of October 2006, the database contained over 98% of active permits. Many older, closed permits are not available, so the layer should not be used to evaulate historical mining activity. Querying the layer shows basic information about individual permits. Detailed information from WVDEP's ERIS database is available by clicking on the link associated with the permit ID.
Watersheds. 11-digit watersheds from the Natural Resource Conservation Service. Query will produce statistics for selected landcover types (based on MRLC landcover data from USEPA) and wetlands (based on NWI wetlands data). Though widely used, This dataset has been superseded and may be replaced.
Streams. At scales of 1/50,000 and larger-- 1/24,000 scale National Hydrology Dataset, including polygon waterbodies and wide streams, and wetlands. From 1/50,000-1/100,000-- 1/100,000 scale EPA Reach. At 1/100,000 and smaller-- subset of 1/100,000 scale EPA Reach. Querys always reference 1:24,000 scale layer, so stream names may be returned even though they are not displayed.
Roads. Displays primary highways at small scales, 1/100,000 scale roads (from TIGER Dataset) at scales greater than 1/75,000.
Towns/Populated Places. Displays major towns at scales smaller than 1/100,000 or populated place names from the USGS GNIS database at scales greater than 1/100,000.
Abandoned Mine Lands. Point locations of problems identified by the OSM AMLIS Database. Query returns problem area name, problem type (highwall, portal, subsidence, etc.) and priority designation.
Toxics Release Inventory Sites. Facilities reporting under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) of 1986. Querying this layer returns tables and graphs of reported chemical releases and links to chemical safety fact sheets, material data safety sheets, and profiles from the Agency to Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR).
Open Dump Cleanup Projects. Displays locations of cleanup projects managed by WVDEP's Pollution Prevention and Open Dump (PPOD) program. Selected projects have photos. Projects completed prior to January 1, 2004 may not appear on the map.
Voluntary Remediation Sites. Locations of projects associated with the voluntary remediation program. Not all voluntary remediation sites have coordinates. The Voluntary Remediation and Redevelopment Act (VRRA) was enacted by the West Virginia (WV) Legislature for the purpose of encouraging the voluntary clean-up of contaminated sites and redevelopment of abandoned and under-utilized properties. Properties in the state are not being productively used because of contamination or the perception of contamination. Because many of these properties are located in areas with existing industrial infrastructure, redevelopment of these sites can be less costly to society than developing pristine sites. The VRRA encourages voluntary remediation and redevelopment through an administrative program set out in the WV Code of State Regulations, Title 60, Series 3 entitled the Voluntary Remediation and Redevelopment Rule (the Rule), which became effective on July 1, 1997. The VRRA limits enforcement actions by the WV Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP), provides financial incentives to entice investment in Brownfield sites, and limits liability under environmental laws and rules for those who remediate sites under the standards provided in the Rule.