How do I configure Map Overlays on my system?

Created by Mark Eves, Modified on Mon, 17 Jul, 2023 at 11:35 AM by Ben Hayes

The My Council Services platform allows assets from WMS (Web Map Service) layers to be displayed over the map of a Location Picker. Users and Customers are able to select an asset displayed and for the system to retrieve additional information from the layer when selected and to add information to the Service Request.

Note

This feature is only available on the Portal, not the Mobile App.

We support both 1.1.1 and 1.3.0 versions of the OGC (Open Geospatial Consortium) specification.

A WMS URL with GetCapabilities along with GetMap and GetFeatureInfo responses for the required layers will need to be made available to the platform from the relevant network. We support https: only.

We request that any layers associated with the WMS are made available in EPSG:3857 format and if you require information to be extracted that they are queryable.

Layer names should not contain spaces.

What steps do I need to follow to configure Map Overlay features?

1. Go to Administration > General > Plugin

2. The following screen will appear. Click on "Map Overlay".

3. From here, Admin Users can view and edit existing map overlays on their system.

Click on Add to start creating a new map overlay.

4. Set the Type to "WMS", provide a Name, and specify the Version. Provide the service URL, the Map Format, and the Information Format.

'Is namespace available' is set to 'Yes' this will retrieve attribute data using the namespace from the GetFeatureInfo xml output. If set to 'No' this will default values according to the Version number set in the plugin.

You can also provide Copyright details and a Description, which are both optional.

Click on Add to create the Map Overlay.

5. Go back into your new Map Overlay, and scroll to the bottom. You will now have the ability to add Layers. These are the Layers that will appear over the map (e.g. for all streetlights, potholes, etc). Any layer configured here which requires attributes to be returned will need to be set as a Queryable layer.

Click on Add to start creating a new Layer.

6. Provide the Layer Code (from GetCapabilities), and a Name. You will need to select a Reference System to generate geographical entities from the options provided. Choose one of the available Projections - the Coordinate Reference System (CRS) or Spatial Reference System (SRS). Specify the Map image Format (also available from GetCapabilities).

Select "Yes" for Queryable if you want to display more information about the Asset. The Min/Max Zoom Level and Width/Height are optional fields.

Enter a 'Search Radius' value, this will default to a value of '3' if a value is not entered. This value may need to be amended to return the appropriate attributes for the feature selected.

You can also enter an optional Description.

Click Add to apply the Layer.

Location Picker plugin settings for Map Overlays

To enable a Location Picker to display WMS Map Overlays, these must be configured within Forms.

1. Go to Administration > Forms Builder, and select the Form where you want to configure the Map Overlay.

2. Add a new Item, and configure it as a Location Picker plugin. Go into the settings.

3. Select "Yes" for Map Overlay, and choose the relevant WMS

Overlay from the list.

4. Click on Save to apply the changes.

Note

Admin Users can also populate Textfield, Display Text or Hidden Items with the attributes value of a feature in the WMS Layer by creating the appropriate mappings.

Enter an Input Source value - this will be the name of the attribute. The Input Source path will be determined by the Version number configured on the plugin and does not need to be entered. Select an output item to populate the required value. This item will need to be on the same page as the location picker.

Any feature set to "Output Item" can be configured with Access Levels and Roles to restrict visible information to appropriate Users.

When a customer or User goes through this Form, the Layer will display the assets specified in the configurations.