Acorn MapServer Help Page:
Below is a picture of the Acorn MapServer with information about the MapServer controls and their use. Clicking on the picture will open the real MapServer in a new window.
******* New - Get Help with Aerial Photo Interpretation *******
Map Window - Clicking a point in the map window will cause a new map to be shown. The point you clicked will become the CENTER of the new map. Any changes in layer or zoom settings will apply to the new map. Back to Original Map - returns to the default map, useful if you get lost !
Home - back to the ACORN homepage
Help - back to this help page

Refresh- Use this button to create a new map with the same center as the current map.
Go To ACORN MapServer
Scale Bar - shows distance in miles or fractions of miles for any zoom level. The map's Scale is shown to the right . 		Go to ACORN MapServer Get Information - select this radio button and click a point on the map to open a new window with all available information about that point. Select
Create a Map to return to map mode.
Select Background - Only one or the other background can be viewed.
Select Layers - click the layers you want to display. All layers will become more detailed as you zoom in. More about layers.
Select Pan and click on the map to create a new map. The point you click will become the CENTER of the new map. Select
Zoom In or Zoom Out for zooming.
Reference Map - As you zoom in, a red square will appear inside the reference map showing the size and position of the area in the map window. The Legend shows layers that have been selected for viewing along with the color associated with the features for each layer. Type a number from
2 to 25 in the Zoom Size text box to zoom more or less.
Users with slow internet connections should read the Example below.
Go To ACORN MapServer!
Example:   Follow these instructions to find your home or property.
    Click one of the MapServer images above or click the "Go To MapServer" link above to open MapServer in another window.  Leave the Select Background to Display checkboxes unchecked.   Check the "Roads" and "Rivers/Lakes" layers in the Select Layers to Display section, and leave the "Town Boundaries" checkbox checked.  Click the Zoom In radio button and leave the Zoom Size set to 2.  Now, click a point on the map that seems close to your property.  Notice that a red box in the Reference Map shows the area and position displayed in the map when the new map appears.  Based on the roads and other landmarks you see, click a point you think is nearest to your property.  As you zoom in, more roads, lakes and streams will appear.  Repeat the process until you have found the streets adjacent to your property and are confident your property is included in the current map. Now, select the Pan radio button (selecting Pan stops zooming). Check the "Half Meter Resolution Aerial Photograph" checkbox, and then click the Refresh button.  Note that the center of the new map will remain the same when you click Refresh rather than clicking a point on the map. You should now see an aerial photograph that includes your property with roads, lakes and streams overlaid.   Click the Zoom In radio button and leave the Zoom Size set to 2. Now click on the map as many times necessary to zoom into your home or property. You may see your car in the driveway!  Note that the maximum Scale (visible to the right of the Scalebar) is
    1000 : 1.  Select other layers and zoom in and out to get more visual information about your property and the area surrounding it.  Please check the "Layer Information" section below for more about the accuracy and origins of the data displayed in MapServer.

Information about the data used in MapServer:  

All the data currently used in ACORN MapServer were obtained from the Vermont Center for Geographic Information (VCGI) and the Vermont Mapping Program. VCGI and the State of Vermont make no representations of any kind, including but not limited to the warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular use, nor are any such warranties to be implied with respect to the data.  It is possible to draw maps with the ACORN MapServer that juxtapose very accurate data and less accurate data. Please examine the table below before drawing conclusions about the accuracy of any map you create!

Information about Layers :

Layer Name Source Source Date Approximate Accuracy Resolution Comments
Aerial Photograph Aerial Orthophotography 1994 or later 5 meters with 90% confidence .5 meter most areas photographed in the year 2000
Land Cover Satellite Images circa 1992 not applicable 30 meter land cover classifications from satellite imagery are only approximate

Deer Wintering

 VT Fish & Wildlife 1993 updated yearly +/- 175 meters not applicable gives only a rough idea of likely deer wintering areas
Rivers/Lakes Various state and federal Varies 10 meters with 95% confidence not applicable corresponds very well with aerial photographs
Town Boundaries Various Varies hundreds of meters not applicable Vermont town's parcel boundaries can disagree by hundreds of meters
Elevation USGS National Elevation Dataset Varies about 1/2 a contour not applicable Check lake boundaries to get an idea of accuracy. Less accurate in flat areas.
Roads 911 Emergency Roads Layer Updated 1996-1998 +/- 6 meters not applicable "Most" road centers within 6 meters of true ground location
Wetlands Vermont Significant Wetlands Inventory 1975-1978 several hundred meters not applicable Approximate only.  Wetland boundaries can be as much as 500 meters from true locations.
Forest Health Vermont Agency of Natural Resources 2003 see comments not applicable Barbara Burns, a forest health specialist, viewed damaged areas from an aircraft and hand sketched them onto a map. For more information click here
Conservation Lands Tax maps for most of the private and muncipal lands, 1:24,000 topo maps for Forest Service parcels & some state lands. 2004 Spatial Accuracy is quite variable depending on source data. not applicable

Layer Creation by UVM Spatial Analysis Lab. Data processing done by Windham Regional Committee.

 
NOTE:
CONSERVED LAND DOES NOT IMPLY PUBLIC ACCESS, SEEK APPROPRIATE PERMISSIONS.

The University of Massachusetts

© 2004 University of Massachusetts Amherst. (413) 577-1562.
ACORN MapServer powered by MapServer
ACORN MapServer development by Bob English

"Originally funded by the Northeastern States Research Cooperative (NSRC), a competitive research grant program for the Northern Forest jointly managed by The Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Vermont and the USDA Forest Service Northeastern Research Station, Hubbard Brook Project. ACORN is currently maintained and supported by the Department of Natural Resources Conservation's ACORN project, which is supported by the National Research Initiative of the USDA Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service, grant number 2006-55101-16564