Displaying Multiple Map Views

Utilizing multiple 2D map views provides the flexibility of choosing how to view data layers in relation to each other within the workspace. This can be useful when imagery and terrain data for the same location need to be viewed at the same time, viewing certain layers on top of other data, and in many other scenarios.

If you haven’t already downloaded the sample data files, they can be downloaded by clicking here. After downloading, unzip the Intro to Global Mapper folder and copy it to your desktop or some other convenient location.

Setting Up Multiple Map Views

  1. From Global Mapper’s File menu, select Open Data File(s) button and browse to the following location:
    *Intro to Global MapperDataTopographic Map
  2. Select Black Mountain Topo.tif and click the OK button
  3. Repeat this process for the following shapefile:
    *Intro to Global MapperDataParcelsBlack Mountain Parcels.shp

    The process of loading data will be covered in detail later in the course
  4. From the Viewer toolbar, select the Add 2D Map Views button
  5. In the 2D Map View Manager, click the Add Map View button
    This will create a floating window containing a duplicate of the primary map
  6. Using the title bar of the floating window, click and drag the map window towards the right side of your screen so your cursor coincides with the right-pointing arrow button

    This will dock the window next to the primary map
  7. In the 2D Map View Manager window, click the boxes next to Link the Scale… and Link the Center Points…

  8. Pan or zoom either of the maps and note that the other follows
  9. In the 2D Map View Manager window, select Map (2D / Top-Down) [PRIMARY MAP VIEW] and click the Select Layers button
  10. Uncheck the Black Mountain Parcels.shp layer and click the OK button

    The vector parcels layer is no longer visible in the main map view
  11. In the 2D Map View Manager window, select 2D View 1 and click the Select Layers button
  12. Uncheck the Black Mountain Topo.tif layer as well as the Map Layout Layers, and click the OK button
  13. Close the 2D Map View Manager window
    Note that the parcels are isolated in the second map view
  14. Zoom and pan either map and note that they are geographically linked

In this example, we created two map displays but it is possible to create additional views by clicking the Add Map View button again. Each of these maps can display a different dataset and/or a different geographic extent.

Before completing this section, close the 2D View 1 window using the X button in the upper right corner, and use the Ctrl+U keyboard shortcut to unload all of the data.

  • Global Mapper’s multi-map view display offers a way to create different perspectives of a project area
  • The maps can be linked so they are zoomed and panned in tandem
  • They can also contain different layers providing the means to isolate certain types of data within individual windows
  • Click here for more information