Learning Center

The Map Layers panel

Everything in Map Layers: the background (Satellite, US Imagery, None), the Coverage Grid and Benchmarks switches, every layer type the + menu adds, and the layer rows with opacity, show/hide, trash and Clear All.

  • Full Automation Kit
  • Guidance Only Kit
  • Ditch Assist Lite
  • DIG™ Kit

In the app Any map › blue layers button › Map Layers

Map Layers controls what is drawn under your live position on every survey and grade map: the background imagery, the app's own coverage and benchmark layers, and any maps you add on top.

Adding a picture overlay, start to finish. Step by step, with close-ups: Add a map overlay. Overlays aren't kept after an app restart.

Before you start

Time: a minute or two.

  • A screen with a map is open: Survey, or the grade screen of any workflow.
  • For a WMS layer or Drain-IQ: the tablet is on Wi-Fi with internet (Wi-Fi on the tablet). Everything else works offline.

Open Map Layers

  1. Tap the layers button

    Look at the column of dark square buttons at the bottom right of the map. Tap the one with a blue icon of stacked sheets. A window called Map Layers opens.

    Survey screen with satellite imagery. At the bottom right of the map, four dark square buttons are stacked; the second from the top has a blue layers icon.
    1. Layers button. Dark square, blue stacked-sheets icon. It's the top button when there is no green height button above it.

You should see this window. It has three parts: the background, the app's own layers, and the overlays you add.

Map Layers window: + at the top right, BACKGROUND chips Satellite (selected), US Imagery and None, App Layers with Coverage Grid and Benchmarks switches on, an empty OVERLAYS list reading No overlay layers, and Close 1 2 3 4 5
  1. Background. Satellite, US Imagery or None.
  2. Coverage Grid. The coloured heatmap of where the blade has been.
  3. Benchmarks. Saved benchmark flags on the map.
  4. + (Add Layer). Adds a map on top.
  5. Overlays. Every layer you have added, one row each.

Change the background

  1. Tap a background chip

    The three chips sit under BACKGROUND, at the top of the window. The one in use is filled green. The map behind the window changes at once.

    Map Layers window with the None chip selected under BACKGROUND, an IMG overlay row below, and Clear All and Close at the bottom 1
    1. Background chips. Here None is selected: a plain background behind an overlay.
ChipWhat it shows
SatelliteWorldwide aerial imagery. The default.
US ImageryUS farm imagery (USDA NAIP). US only; sometimes more recent over fields.
NoneNo imagery: a plain background. Clean behind your own overlays, and nothing to download.

The app remembers your choice. It's the same setting as Default Background in the MAP section of the app's Settings.

Imagery comes over the internet. On the module Wi-Fi you see only imagery already saved on the tablet. See Offline imagery.

App Layers

Each one has a switch at the right. Tap the switch to turn the layer on or off.

  • Coverage Grid: Color-coded heatmap of where the blade has been. Green is on grade; yellow, orange and red show cutting passes left; blue is overcut. Turn it off to see the imagery under graded ground. It's the same switch as Draw on Map in the GRADING section of Settings. On by default.
  • Benchmarks: Saved benchmark flags on the map. On by default.
  • Cut/Fill Map Opacity: a slider that shows only while a cut/fill map is drawn (Land Forming). Drag it left to see through the colours.

Add a layer (+)

  1. Tap +

    In the top-right corner of the Map Layers window: a green plus sign. A menu of six choices opens.

    Map Layers window with the green plus sign in its top-right corner outlined 1
    1. + (Add Layer). Top-right corner of the window.

  2. Tap the kind of layer you want

    What each one adds is in the table below.

    The plus menu in Map Layers: Add KML, Add WMS, Add Image Overlay, Drain-IQ, My LiDAR Fields, Drainage plan
    The + menu: Add KML, Add WMS, Add Image Overlay, Drain-IQ, My LiDAR Fields, Drainage plan.
ChoiceWhat it adds
Add KMLLines, shapes and points from a .kml file, drawn in plain blue. KMZ isn't accepted. See Add a map overlay.
Add WMSLive map tiles from an online map server (state or county GIS). Needs internet. See below.
Add Image OverlayA picture with its world file, or one ZIP holding both, such as the owner portal's map ZIP. See Add a map overlay.
Drain-IQDrainage layers from a Drain-IQ portal page. See below.
My LiDAR FieldsLayers of fields you prepared on the tablet. See Saved fields and DEMs.
Drainage planA plan saved in the Drainage Planner. See Drainage Planner.

Add WMS

A WMS layer shows live map tiles from an online map server, such as a state or county GIS. Get the server details from whoever runs it. WMS tiles load live and are not saved, so a WMS layer is blank on the module Wi-Fi.

  1. Tap Add WMS

    The second line of the + menu. A window called Add WMS Layer opens.

  2. Type a Layer Name

    Tap the Layer Name box. The keyboard opens (Typing and the keyboard). Type any name you'll recognise in the list.

  3. Type the Base URL

    Tap the Base URL box and type the server address you were given.

  4. Type the Layers

    Tap the Layers box and type the layer name or names from the server. All three boxes are needed, or you get Name, URL, and Layers are required.

  5. Leave the rest unless you were told otherwise

    Format: image/png (default) or image/jpeg. CRS: EPSG:3857 (default) or EPSG:4326. Opacity: starts at 70 %. Transparent: on.

  6. Tap Add

    At the bottom right of the window. The layer is added as a row with a WMS badge.

    Add WMS Layer window with Layer Name, Base URL and Layers boxes, Format image/png, CRS EPSG:3857, Opacity 70%, Transparent switch on, Cancel and Add 1 2
    1. Layer Name, Base URL, Layers. All three are needed.
    2. Add. Adds the layer with these settings.

Drain-IQ

Drain-IQ opens a field browser for drainage layers prepared for you on a Drain-IQ portal page. Its address is the Portal URL in the DRAIN-IQ section of the app's Settings. Change it only when Ditch Assist support gives you one. Fetching needs internet.

  1. Tap Drain-IQ

    The fourth line of the + menu. A window called Drain-IQ opens. The first time it reads No fields loaded.

  2. Tap Fetch Field Catalog

    The blue button in the middle of the window. The list of fields loads.

    Without internet you get Failed to load catalog in red, followed by technical error text. Join internet Wi-Fi and tap the button again.

    Middle of the Drain-IQ window: a water-drop icon, No fields loaded, and a blue Fetch Field Catalog button 1
    1. Fetch Field Catalog. Loads the fields from the portal page.

  3. Pick a field and its layers

    Use Search fields... to find it. Then choose layers: Field Boundary, Flow Routes, Elevation, Ponding Risk, Depressions, and Offline Tiles (z13-17) for imagery.

  4. Download, then Add to map

    Downloaded layers stay on the tablet for offline use. Delete Cached removes them.

To download every field before a trip, use Download All on the Offline Cache row, in the DRAIN-IQ section of Settings. That row's Clear button deletes all downloaded Drain-IQ data after asking Delete All Drain-IQ Data?. It doesn't touch your LiDAR & Mapping fields or cached imagery. See Map and Drain-IQ settings.

Layer rows

Each added layer gets a row with a badge for its type: KML, WMS, IMG (image overlay), DIQ (Drain-IQ), LDR (your LiDAR fields) or PLN (drainage plan).

Map Layers with two overlay rows: an IMG picture expanded to an Opacity 50% slider, and a KML file, each with a switch and a trash icon; Clear All and Close at the bottom 1 2 3 4 5
  1. Arrow. Opens the sliders (pictures, ponding, depressions, Drain-IQ rasters).
  2. Switch. Hides or shows the layer without removing it.
  3. Trash (Remove layer). Removes it at once, no question asked.
  4. Opacity. Lower it to see through.
  5. Clear All. Removes every overlay at once, no question asked.
  • Sliders: pictures start at 100 % and move in 5 % steps. LiDAR ponding also has the cutoff slider (Wet last … Wet first). KML, WMS, flow lines and plans have no arrow.
  • Trash and Clear All only take layers off the map. Your files, saved LiDAR fields and plans stay on the tablet. A plan's trash removes the plan's lines, boundary and ponding together.
  • Layers can't be renamed or reordered.

If it doesn't work

The background is blank or grey in the field

The module Wi-Fi has no internet and the imagery for this spot isn't cached, or the background is set to None. See Offline imagery.

My layers are gone

The app was closed, or someone tapped Clear All. Add them again; nothing on the tablet was deleted.

A WMS layer shows nothing

WMS needs internet the whole time. Check the Base URL and Layers names, and try the other CRS.

Drain-IQ says Failed to load catalog“Failed to load catalog”

No internet, or the Portal URL is wrong. Connect to internet Wi-Fi and try again; ask support for the right Portal URL.

Picture and KML errors: Add a map overlay.

Related

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