Tools

Would you like to change the map view in Paikkatietoikkuna? With the help of the map tools, you can, for instance, add your own features on the map, save the map view as an image file or create a link to the map view to be shared with others.

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Go to default view	Go to previous view	Go to next view
Zoom in on map	Pan map view	Measure distance	Measure area
Save map view	Link to map view	Print map view
Terrain height profile
Map marker	Select features	Locate nearest address
Add point	Add line	Add area	Import own data
Locate	Coordinates	Rotate map

Move between map views

Go to the default view, previous view or next view by clicking the corresponding tool. The default view is the basic map view used in the application. You can go to the default view by clicking the button in the middle of the panning arrows.

Zoom in and zoom out on the map

Click the Zoom in on map tool and selecting an area that you would like to show on the map.

You can also zoom in or out by using the following methods:

Double-click a point on the map. The map will be zoomed and centred on the selected point.
Use the scroll wheel of your mouse.

You can select an appropriate scale by using the following methods:

Change the scale by dragging the circle on the zoom bar up or down.
Zoom in on the map by clicking the (+) button and zoom out by clicking the (-) button on the zoom bar.
Zoom in on the map by pressing the (+) key and zoom out by pressing the (-) key on the keyboard.

In the bottom left-hand corner of the map view, there is scale bar showing the distance on the map.

Pan map view

Pan the map by using one of the following methods:

Select the Pan Map View tool and drag the map with the mouse.
Click the panning arrows in the top right-hand corner of the map.
Use the arrow keys on the keyboard.

You can see the coordinates of the focal point and the coordinate system below the zoom bar.

Measure distance

Select the Measure Distance tool and measure the distance between points:

Draw a line by clicking a start point and break points.
Double-click an end point.
Read the distance in metres in the pop-up window.

Measure area

Select the Measure Area tool and measure the area:

Draw the boundary line of an area by clicking the corners.
Double-click the end point.
Read the area as square kilometres in the pop-up window.

Terrain height profile

This tool draws a terrain height profile for a line that you draw on the map. Calculations are based on a terrain model of the National Land Survey of Finland.

Click the Terrain height profile icon.
Draw a line by clicking a start point and break points.
Finally, double-click an end point.

After this the terrain height profile is calculated and drawn. By moving the mouse cursor on top of the height profile, you can see the corresponding location highlighted on the map.

Please note, that terrain height profiles are at maximum calculated based on 100 locations. Therefore the results are not highly realistic for long distances.
For example, for a line of 1000 kilometres, the result would be based on height values every 10 kilometers along the line.

Save map view

Save your map view for later use:

Click the Save Map View tool.
Type a name and a description for your view. The name is mandatory information.
Click the Save button.

You can find your saved map views in the My Data menu on the Map Views tab. On the tab, you can:

open a saved map view
edit the name and description of the map view
remove the map view.

Only signed-in users can save map views.

Link to map view

Make a link to the map view and send it forward.

Select the Link to Map View tool.
Copy the link from the pop-up window by pressing CTRL+C.
Paste the text, for instance, into an e-mail by pressing CTRL+V.

Print map view

Print out your map view as a PNG image or PDF file.

Select the Print View tool.
Click the Continue button.
Select a size and paper orientation for the printout.
In the Additional settings, select file format (PNG image or PDF document).
Give the map a descriptive title.
Select whether you want the logo of the service, the scale of the map and the date to be shown on the printout.
Click the Print button.

The preview image shows the map extent area. The preview image does not show all map layers.

Map marker

Add a map marker on the map:

Select the Map Marker tool.
Click a location of interest on the map.
Select an icon, size and colour for the marker.
Enter a text to be shown next to the marker.
Click the Save button.

You can delete all map markers by selecting the Map Marker tool and clicking the Delete all markers button.

Select features

You can select features from layers that contain feature data. You can see these layers in the Map Layers menu by clicking the Vector layers button.

Select features by drawing a geometry around or on them:

Select the Select Features tool.
Select the geometry for selecting features.
Select whether you want to select features from the topmost layer or from all layers.
Draw a geometry.
The features within the geometry are highlighted on the map and in the Feature Data table.

The following geometries are available.

Point: Click on a desired location on the map. The selection includes all features on which the point you have drawn is located.
Line: Draw a line by clicking a start point and break points. Finally, double-click an end point. The selection includes all features that intersect with this line.
Area: Click the break points of the area. Finally, double-click one of the break points. The selection includes all features that are partly or totally inside the area.
Rectangle: Draw a rectangle by clicking and holding the left mouse button at one corner point and moving the mouse pointer to the opposite corner point. Finally, release the mouse button. The selection includes all features that are partly or totally inside the rectangle.
Circle: Draw a circle by clicking and holding the left mouse button at the centre point of the circle and moving it away from the centre point to increase the size of the circle. Finally, release the mouse button. The selection includes all features that are partly or totally inside the circle.

Locate nearest address

Click a location of interest on the map. The information about the nearest address is shown in the pop-up window that opens up on the map.

Add own features

As a signed-in user, you can add your own features on the map and save them. You can find the saved content in the My Data menu. Please note that you cannot download this content to you own computer.

Add point:

Select the Add Point tool.
Draw a point by clicking a desired point on the map.
You can draw more points, if you want.
Click the Save button and define attribute data.

Add line:

Select the Add Line tool.
Draw a line by clicking a start point and break points.
Finally, double-click an end point.
You can draw more lines, if you want.
Click the Save button and define attribute data.

Add area:

Select the Add Area tool.
Draw an area by clicking a start point and break points on the boundary line.
Finally, double-click one of the break points.
You can draw more areas, if you want.
Click the Save button and define attribute data.

Define the attribute data.

Place name: Give the feature a descriptive name.
Place description: Give a short description of the feature.
Text visible on the map: Enter a text to be shown next to the feature on the map.
Link to additional information: Enter a link to a website providing more information about the feature.
Link to feature image: Enter a link to an image of the feature.

Finally, select a map layer where to save the feature. You can either select an existing map layer or create a new map layer. Give the new map layer a name and define the presentation styles for the feature types.

Points: Select an icon, size and colour for point features.
Lines: Select the format, width and colour of dashes, endings and corners.
Areas: Define a format, width and colour for line dashes and corners and a fill colour and pattern for the area.

Import of own datasets

As a signed-in user, you can add your own dataset and use it as a map layer:

Click the Import Dataset tool. Then select a file from your computer. Allowed file formats are shp, gpx and mif/mid as zip files and kml as kmz files (zipped kml file).
Type a name, a description and a data source for your dataset. Define style for points, lines and areas.
Click the Import button.

You can find the dataset you imported in the My Data menu on the Datasets tab.

Locate

By using the Locate tool, you can centre the map view to your location, if you have permitted Paikkatietoikkuna to pinpoint your location. You can find the tool on the right-hand side of the map view below the zoom bar.

Coordinates

You can find the Coordinates tool on the right-hand side of the map view below the zoom bar. The tool shows as default the ETRS-TM35FIN plane coordinates as well as the geographic WGS84 coordinates recommended for emergency calls for the focal point of the map view.

With the Coordinates tool you can also:

Click a point on the map to see the coordinates for the point.
Enter coordinates and centre the map on them.
Click the Show mouse cursor coordinates selection box to make the coordinates change according to the movement of the mouse.
Add markers on the map on coordinate-defined points by using the Add Marker button.
Select a coordinate system from the drop-down menu.
Convert the coordinates you have entered. You can do this by first selecting a coordinate system from the drop-down menu and entering the coordinates in that format and then selecting another coordinate system from the drop-down menu to which you want to convert the coordinates.

Rotate map

To rotate the map use Alt+Shift+Drag combination. If you wish to return to initial orientation (north up), press this compass icon.