Interactive Mapping

ADVANCE TO INTERACTIVE MAPPING SITE

• scan aerial photography to view known vernal pool locations.
• search aerial photography to delineate vernal pools not yet mapped.

If PROBLEMS arise with the display of any of the geographic layers, please understand that they are usually only temporary. If display errors persist, such as the notorious "Unable to Display MapService", clear your browser's cache and return to the page.

Helpful Information

\ Interactive Mapping with ArcIMS:

The interactive mapping link above will bring you to an internet based GIS data viewer. The maps are shown in the centrally located map frame and the geographic extents can be adjusted according to user specifications. Functions of this interactive site include map panning , zooming in and out , as well as the ability to remove certain map layers from the map view. Removing layers can be performed simply by unchecking the box in the "Visible" column corresponding to the desired layer. The "Map Legend" can be activated by clicking , which appears along with the other tools to the left of the map. Upon activation, a small window will appear with the map legend. The "Hide Legend" button should be clicked when further zooming in or out is desired, so as to allow the layers list to be properly updated with the correct layers at the new scale.

\ Interactive Mapping Overview: This interactive mapping site incorporates many fundamentals techniques used in geographic information systems (GIS). Various data layers can be viewed and queried at various scales, however, all data layers will not be available at all scales. The scales at which data can be seen was determined based on visual appeal and the ability to see, understand, and analyze information that appears on-screen. For example, the County layer displays at small scales, and thus appears upon initial load-up. Municipalities will appear as scale increases during zoom-ins, as the Counties layer disappears. At even larger scales, or sub-municipal levels, Aerial Photography layers can be seen, but are only available at large scales (zoomed in to smaller areas) due to their 1-meter spatial resolution. This arrangement allows users to first locate their county of interest and subsequently zoom in to more detailed scales.

Vernal Pool Deliniation on Aerial Photography : The use of aerial photography is quite effective in identifying certain types of vernal pools, though limitations of this technique should be considered when viewing and/or locating vernal pools using aerial photography provided through this website.

The efficacy of deliniating vernal pools is compromised when...

• the size of the pools of interest decrease. Small pools cannot be reliably documented.
• other landscape features are mis-identified as vernal pools. Shadows cast by trees can often be mistaken for small bodies of water.

• a confined basin/depression lacking a permanent outlet.
• harbors documented obligate or facultative vernal habitat species (as identified in N.J.A.C. 7:7A, Appendix 1).
• maintains water for at least two continuous months between March & September of a normal rainfall year.
  
• the area is free of fish populations, or dries up at some time during a normal rainfall year.

  * Refer to the NJDEP Land Use Regulation Program Freshwater Wetlands Vernal Habitat Protocol for further information.