Input & Graphics
Introduction
The main Ranges panel allows you to open and visualize existing Ranges files, create new files, import text files, modify file contents and export files. Note that the options modify, export and save only become available after a file has been opened using open, new or import. The data tables for files are editable (with the exception of edge files), and the map display is mouse sensitive allowing selection and creation of locations and vector points as well as zooming.
Open
Use this to open existing Ranges format files, allowing you to visualize the data, edit data points, modify file attributes and export to text files.
On pressing the open button, the file filter will show files of any Ranges type. List specific Ranges file types using the Files of type drop down. Location files contain the locations of animals whereas the Vector files and Raster files are two different ways of storing maps. Location files contain location data in groups which may represent individuals or ranges, and have the potential to store associated information on both the locations and the groups. Vector files store point information which may define points, lines or shapes. Raster files contain grid based data, where each cell in the grid is represented by a value, usually representing a habitat. Edge files store the coordinates of home-range shapes generated in location analyses they cannot be edited but may be exported. For edge files, if you hold the pointer over the filename a description of the analysis used to create the analysis will be displayed. Utilisation files are created in location analyses and contain the areas of range cores at 5% intervals (e.g. for convex polygons), if you select Utilisation files (providing there is *.uti & *.edg file with the same prefix), a utilisation plot will be displayed. Incremental files are also created in location analyses and contain the areas of ranges created from sub-samples of locations, starting from the first three and finishing with the entire set (e.g. for clusters). Opening them here will display the location file and corresponding Incremental plots. Ranges Image files are images aligned for display with other map files. RADA files contain the output of a resource area dependency analysis. Survival files contain dates and fate data for use with Kaplan Meier analysis; this analysis outputs Kaplan Meier Survival graph files.
See File types for more details on the difference between these.
On clicking Open, the file will be opened in the panel. Depending on the type, the left-hand column tables will populated with data, a map will be shown and a chart will be displayed in a new window.
New
Use New to create new Location, Vector or Raster map or Survival files, either by entering data directly from the keyboard or by copying and pasting from another application such as a spreadsheet or word processor. Vector files can be added to using the right mouse button for on-screen digitising. Before entering the data itself, you will have to enter attribute information that will be used in the creation of the file.
Location file
You will be prompted to enter location file parameters. This allows you to determine the attributes of the file to be created, including the age and sex labels, the number of location-qualifying variables (LQVs), map scale and tracking resolution and UTM (Universal Transverse Mercator coordinate syste,) ellipsoid and zone data to align with the real world. Location file attributes are explained here. After OK is pressed, a file with a single range and no locations is created. Refer to ‘Data tables’ for details on how to add data to this minimal file.
Vector file
You will be prompted to set vector file attributes (more details here). This determines the attributes of the file to be created, including whether it is a point, line or shape file, UTM data, the scale and the number, name and colour of vector map categories. After OK is pressed, an empty file is created, you may add to this using on-screen digitising or other methods outlined in ‘Data tables’.
Raster file
You will be prompted to set raster file attributes (more details here). This determines the attributes of the file to be created, including its size, edge coordinates, habitat names and colours. After OK is pressed, an empty file is created Refer to ‘Data tables’ for details on how to add data to the file.
Survival file
Survival files do not contain any map data. You will only be prompted to choose age and sex labels.
Import
On pressing the import button, you will be prompted to choose between the following import file types:
- Location file from column text file
- Vector map from column text file
- Vector map from ArcView shapefile
- Location file from ArcView points shapefile
- Raster map from ArcInfo ASCII Grid format
- Raster map from Idrisi ASCII format
- Image file from JPEG/GIF/PNG/BMP
- Survival file from Ranges location file
Location file from column text file
Use this to import a text column file, as exported from a spreadsheet, into a Ranges7 location file. The minimum requirement is a file with two columns, one containing coordinate eastings and the other containing coordinate northings. Files may also contain columns specifying range attribute variables such as ID, age, sex, month, year and focal site coordinates and up to 50 location-qualifying variables (LQVs). So a typical file to be imported would start like this:
| ID | Age | Sex | Month | Year | Nestx | Nesty | E | N | lqv1 | lqv2 |
| A456 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 02 | 1003 | 586 | 1000 | 500 | 2 | 5 |
| A456 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 02 | 1003 | 586 | 1052 | 510 | 3 | 10 |
| A456 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 02 | 1003 | 586 | 1068 | 513 | 2 | 6 |
| A456 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 02 | 1003 | 586 | 1009 | 525 | 0 | 5 |
| B563-2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 02 | 987 | 556 | 972 | 583 | 3 | 15 |
| B563-2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 02 | 987 | 556 | 988 | 532 | 4 | 2 |
| B563-2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 02 | 987 | 556 | 955 | 551 | 9 | 7 |
| B563-2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 02 | 987 | 556 | 997 | 533 | 2 | 5 |
Try exporting and re-importing a location file to see how the data is assessed. You can look at the exported file in a text editor or spreadsheet such as notepad or excel.
The first prompt is to choose a file for importing. Initially, only files with a .txt extension will be displayed; however, you can alter the Files of Type choice box at the bottom of the dialog to display all files.
Once you have chosen a file, providing that it is in an appropriate format, an import screen will appear. This will display the first 10 lines of the file to be imported, so that you can select which data are in which columns and set other attributes of the location file to be created. If the first row of data is the table header information, check the Header Row checkbox so that ranges does not attempt to import this as data. The Input Data Summary will reflect this,
After OK is pressed the text file will be imported and displayed in the Data Tables and Map Display. The file is not saved in Ranges format until the Save button is pressed.
Vector map from column text file
Use this to import a text column file, as from a spreadsheet, into a Ranges7 vector file. The minimum requirement is a file with two columns, one containing coordinate eastings and the other containing coordinate northings. Files may also contain columns specifying ID, label and colour information.
Each ID can only have one label and colour, the one associated with the first coordinates with a particular ‘No.’ will be used.
‘Holes’ and other secondary polygons (for shapes) should be separated from the primary polygon by a blank row (blank rows are not needed between the primary polygons themselves). Holes should have an ID which is the negative of that of the primary polygon (and secondary polygons should have the same ID as the primary polygon).
The file below would import as one shape with a hole and another shape that fills the hole :
E N Id Label
0 4 7 habitat1
4 4 7 habitat1
4 0 7 habitat1
0 4 7 habitat1
2 3 -7 habitat1
3 3 -7 habitat1
3 2 -7 habitat1
2 3 -7 habitat1
2 3 10 habitat2
3 3 10 habitat2
3 2 10 habitat2
2 3 10 habitat2
For shapes the polygons should close by repeating the first coordinate as above.
The first prompt is to choose a file for importing. Initially only files with a .txt extension will be displayed. However, you can alter the ‘Files of type’ choice box at the bottom of the dialog to display all files. Files can only be displayed in ‘list’ mode; the ‘details’ option is not available.
Once you have chosen a file, providing that it is in an appropriate format an import screen will appear. This will display the first 10 lines of the file to be imported, so that you can select which data are in which columns and set other attributes of the vector file to be created.
The ‘importing a vector column file’ screen
Table displaying the file
The table at the top of the import vector window displays the first 10 lines of the file. If it detects that the first value in the first column is not a number it assumes that the first row is a header row and uses it to add titles to each column. The header row can be switched on and off using the tick box at the top right. The data in this table is not editable, but allows you to check what values are in which columns.
Choice boxes for vector data
On the middle left of the window there are 5 choice boxes with titles E, N, ID, Label, Colour. The selections you make in these boxes will determine which columns in the input file the vector data will be obtained from. If the file has a header row, the choice boxes will contain the column titles, if not they will contain the column numbers. Using an input file with a header row reduces the risk of importing the wrong columns.
All of the choice boxes, with the exception of E & N, have ‘absent’ as the last option. This is used to indicate that the file doesn’t contain any data for that attribute. The ‘absent’ option isn’t available for E & N as it would be meaningless to create a vector file lacking one or both coordinates.
The ID determines which point group, line or shape that row of data will be read into. Data with the same ID need not be adjacent.
Category label and colour are variables associated with a particular point group, line or shape. The program assigns the label and colour obtained from the first coordinate of each ID. It does NOT check whether the label and colour assigned for subsequent coordinates with the same ID are the same as the first.
After OK is pressed the text file will be imported and displayed in the Data Tables and Map Display. The file is not saved in Ranges7 format until the Save button is pressed.
Vector map from ArcView shapefile
Use this to import an ArcView shapefile to a Ranges7 vector file. (To reverse the process see export, but note that the data format will be changed such that whilst the location and areas of shapes will remain the same the shapefile produced will not be identical to the original).
The following shapefile types are supported : point, polyline, polygon and multipoint. Point and multipoint files are imported as Ranges7 vector points, polyline files as vector lines and polygon files as vector shapes. The modify button can be used to convert between these formats after import.
Choose attribute field
ArcView shapefiles consist of 3 files with the suffixes .shp, .shx and .dbf. If the .dbf file is not present the points will be imported with no attribute information. If the .dbf file is present you will be presented with a choice box, allowing you to choose which column to get the habitat labels from (note that if the attribute fields in the shapefile contain spaces these are replaced by ‘_’ to be suitable Ranges labels). You probably want to choose the field/column that contains the habitat information, in shapefiles that are exported from Ranges this field is called ‘Label’ (if instead you choose ID then each shape will be put into a separate category).
Polygon and polyline details
In polygon and polyline shapefiles, multiple parts (shapes or lines) can be stored in a single record. In contrast, Ranges vector files contain a single shape or line for each record, this conversion takes place during the import process.
Location file from ArcView points shapefile
Use this to import an ArcView point or multipoint shapefile to a Ranges location file.
The coordinates from the .shp file, and any attribute information from the *.dbf file are displayed in an import locations window, allowing you to choose which fields to import.
Raster map from ArcInfo ASCII Grid format
Use this to import a gridascii file into a Ranges7 raster file. A gridascii file is a text file that can be exported from ArcView and other GIS packages. Alternatively it can be created in a spreadsheet or text editor.
(To export a gridascii file from ArcView, choose ‘File, Export data source’, ‘Select export file type, ASCII Raster’ and you will be prompted to choose a Grid file. You can first convert an ArcView shapefile to a Grid file by choosing ‘Theme, Convert to Grid’.)
A gridascii file needs to have a header in the following format :
ncols 200
nrows 200
xllcorner 392000
yllcorner 89000
cellsize 25
NODATA_value -9999
ncols and nrows, specify the number of columns and rows
xllcorner and yllcorner specify the minimum eastings and northings
cell size specifies the number of coordinate units per cell
NODATA_value specifies the value that indicates there is no data for that cell
This can easily be seen by exporting buzzard\buzmap.rst and looking at the exported file in a text editor. However, please be aware that viewing text files in some text editors may add hidden characters to the file which may make the file unsuitable for re-importing.
Following the header, the cell data needs to be in rows separated by line feeds. Within rows, values should be separated by spaces.
Once you have chosen a gridascii file, Ranges7 will read the data and present you with a screen offering options to set raster file attributes. This is the same screen that you will see when creating a raster file from scratch using ‘new’ or modifying an existing raster file using ‘modify’. Large raster files, in excess of a million cells, will take a while to import, for more details see raster files.
Raster map from Idrisi ASCII format
Export a raster map from idrisi choosing the ascii option and it will create two files one .rst and the other .rdc or .doc (depending which version of Idrisi you have). To import to Ranges7 select the .rst file and Ranges7 will automatically look for the associated file. Be careful that Idrisi and Ranges raster files have the same extension (.rst) but are not in the same format, so make sure that you don’t overwrite one with the other.
Once you have chosen an Idrisi raster file, Ranges7 will read the data and present you with a screen offering options to set raster file attributes. This is the same screen that you will see when creating a raster file from scratch using ‘new’ or modifying an existing raster file using ‘modify’.
Image file from JPEG/GIF/PNG/BMP
TODO
Survival file from Ranges location file
TODO
Modify
Modify a location file
This takes you to a screen entitled “setting location file attributes”. Here you can alter the file attributes, including the age & sex labels, the number of location qualifying variables, map scale and tracking resolution. Location file attributes are explained here.
Filtering locations using Modify
Generally it is useful to have all the data in the file, so that any corrections can be made in one place. However, there are times when subsets of the data are being repeatedly run, so rather than make those choices all the time it is better to create a file of just that subset. Likewise, using just a subset can reduce analysis time. Therefore there is the ability to filter the data and make a subset file.
The button titled ‘OK and sample from file’, allows you to select a subsample of your data by its attributes (e.g. age, sex, time, activity), and to save this to a file with a new name. You will first be prompted for the new filename: it is important to save the new file under a different name to avoid losing the original data. Then the selection frame will appear, once you press OK the new sub-sampled file based on your selections will be loaded.
Random selection of locations using Modify
There are also times when users do not want to use the entire dataset, e.g. to avoid autocorrelation (link to Autorcorrelation) or to investigate how much they had arrange analyses are affected by the number of locations. In the right-hand “locations” panel (you may have to drag the right-hand side of the ranges screen out to see this) there is a “random subsampling” section, where you can determine the percentage of locations to select, or specify a particular number of locations to use and specify if you want a minimum time between each location. Press the OK button once the appropriate choices have been entered.
Modify a vector file
This takes you to a screen entitled “setting vector file attributes” (more details here). This allows attributes of the file to be modified, including whether it is a point, line or shape file, the scale and the number, name and colour of vector map categories.
Modify a raster file
This takes you to a screen entitled “setting raster file attributes” (more details here). This allows you to change the size and scaling of the map, and to alter the categorisation of map cell values (habitats).
Modify an image file
TODO
Modify an edge file
TODO
Modify a survival file
TODO
Export
This exports the active file to a chosen file type.
2.6.1 Export a location file
Text file
Exports the location file in column format. For each location there are 7 columns specifying the range attributes, 2 columns for the location coordinates and as many columns as there are location qualifying variables (LQVs).
The column headings are as follows :
ID, age, sex, month, year, focalE, focalN, E, N, lqv1, lqv2 …
ArcView Shapefile
Creates the 3 files that make up an ESRI shapefile (.shp, .shx & .dbf).
Coordinates will be multiplied by the scale parameter to convert them to metres.
Text file for display in Excel
Creates a text file in a format for display in Excel, see the file Ranges7_Figures_Template1.xls (in the Ranges7 folder) for instructions.
2.6.2 Export a vector file
Text file
This exports the vector file in a column format. For each coordinate pair there are 5 columns.
E N ID Label Colour
E N = coordinates
ID = identity of the feature (point group, line or shape) to which the coordinates belong
Label = label for the feature
Colour = colour for the feature ( red/green/blue 0-255 )
ArcView Shapefile
Creates the 3 files that make up an Esri ArcView shapefile (.shp, .shx & .dbf).
Coordinates will be multiplied by the vector scale parameter to convert them to metres.
Text file for display in Excel
Creates a text file in a format for display in Excel, see the file Ranges7_Figures_Template1.xls (in the Ranges7 folder) for instructions.
2.6.3 Export a raster file
This exports the raster file in gridascii format (see import raster for details) that can be imported to Esri software.
2.6.4 Export an edge file
ArcView Shapefile Polyline
Creates the 3 files that make up an Esri ArcView polyline shapefile (.shp, .shx & .dbf). In ArcView polyline files, shapes are displayed as unfilled lines. Coordinates will be multiplied by the scale parameter from the location file that they were derived to convert them to metres.
ArcView Shapefile Polyline – 1 per range
As in the previous option, but creates one shapefile for each range in your edge file. This can be useful if you want to choose which ranges to display within ArcView. A warning message is generated because this could create a very large number of files if your edge file has lots of ranges. The filenames will be based on the name you choose with _r[range_num] added to each, e.g. if you chose the name fox.shp, the files would be named fox_r0.shp, fox_r1.shp, fox_r2.shp etc. Any existing files with the same names will be overwritten without prompting.
ArcView Shapefile Polygon
Creates the 3 files that make up an Esri ArcView polygon shapefile (.shp, .shx & .dbf). In ArcView polygon files, shapes are displayed as filled polygons. Coordinates will be multiplied by the scale parameter from the location file that they were derived to convert them to metres.
Text file for display in Excel
Creates a text file in a format for display in Excel, see the file Ranges7_Figures_Template1.xls (in the Ranges7 folder) for instructions.
Separate Ranges Edge files – 1 per range
Subdivides your edge file, creating one edge file for each range. (This can be useful for viewing individual ranges against the locations used to produce them within the Input & Graphics display, loading the location file as the primary file, and the individual range edge file as the background file.) A warning message is generated because this could create a very large number of files if your edge file has lots of ranges. The filenames will be based on the name you choose with _r[range_num] added to each, e.g. if you chose the name fox.edg, the files would be named fox_r0.edg, fox_r1.edg, fox_r2.edg etc. Any existing files with the same names will be overwritten without prompting.
Export to KML
TODO
2.7 Save
This saves the active file in Ranges7 format. You will be prompted with a dialog box allowing you to browse your files, if you enter a filename with no extension then the appropriate file type extension will be added. If you try to overwrite an existing file you will be warned.
2.8 Data Tables
The two data tables on the left hand side of the ‘Input & Graphics’ panel, display and allow editing of the currently loaded file. The tables differ according to whether the file is a location, vector, raster or edge file.
location files : ranges, locations
vector points file : point groups, points
vector lines file : lines, line vertices
vector shapes file : shapes, shape vertices
raster file : map categories, raster cell values
edge file : edge shapes, edge vertices
The following features are common to each table :
- column widths can be changed by clicking and dragging in the header row
- white cells are editable grey cells are not
- click 3 times in editable cells to overwrite, twice to add.
- multiple rows can be selected by using Ctrl click, or shift click to select a series
All editing does not effect the opened file (and is not saved) until the ‘save’ button is pressed.
2.8.1 Location file data tables and incremental plots
Viewing
Within location files, locations are grouped into ranges. The upper table displays the attributes of each range. The lower table displays the locations and location qualifying variables (LQVs) for the range that is selected in the upper table.
Selecting different rows in the ranges table will cause different sets of locations to be displayed in the locations table. To step through all of the ranges in the file, select the first row in the ranges table and then use the down cursor key to display each range in turn. Locations in the selected range are displayed in blue in the map display.
Selecting a row within the locations table will cause that location to be coloured red within the map display.
Clicking on a blue location within the map display causes the row associated with that location to be selected (if there are multiple locations at the same point then all of the relevant rows will be selected).
Editing
Data are non editable if the table cell is grey and editable if the table cell is white. In the ranges table Age, Sex & Month cells have pull down menus with available options, these are activated by a left mouse click.
For other editable cells, use the left button of the mouse to click once or twice within the cell and you will be able to add to or delete from the existing cell contents. Click three times and you can overwrite the cell contents.
In the locations table, you can use Ctrl C to copy and Ctrl V to paste blocks of data between portions of the table or between the table and a spreadsheet such as Microsoft Excel. Please note, if you wish to copy more than one column you have to select them by moving the cursor right or left, even though that doesn’t alter the look of the cell.
In the ranges table use the ‘Add’ button to add a blank range and the ‘Delete Selected’ to remove selected ranges.
In the locations table simply type additional locations into the blank cells immediately following the existing locations. If you need extra blank rows use the ‘Add Rows’ button. If data are pasted in the number of rows in the table will increase to accommodate them. Use the ‘Delete Selected’ button to delete selected locations.
Incremental area plots
If ‘Incremental file’ was selected following Open (*.inc, created in location analysis), an incremental plot will be displayed in place of the lower table, this allows you to examine how the range area changes as successive locations are added. The plot will display the range that is selected in the upper table, so move down through the upper table to display other ranges. The incremental plot can be printed from here by pressing the print button immediately above it. For more details see Incremental area plots.
2.8.2 Vector file data tables
Viewing
In Vector files groups of coordinates are stored in a similar way to location files.
For ‘Vector Points’ the upper table displays point groups and the lower table points.
For ‘Vector Lines’ the upper table displays lines and the lower table line vertices.
For ‘Vector Shapes’ the upper table displays shape polygons and the lower table shape vertices.
As for location file data tables changing the row that is selected in the upper table changes which data are displayed in the lower table. The selected point group, line or shape is displayed in blue in the map display.
Selecting a row within the points, line vertices or shape vertices table will cause that location to be coloured red within the map display.
Clicking on a blue location within the map display causes the row associated with that point, line vertex or shape vertex to be selected (if there are multiple features at the same point then all of the relevant rows will be selected).
Editing
The upper table (point groups, lines or shapes) contains No., ID & Category.
No. : non editable
ID : editable, must be an integer
Category : a pull down list of available categories, choose modify to add categories
Features with the same ‘No.’ have the same ‘ID’ and ‘Category’. If ‘ID’ or ‘Category’ is edited to be different for the same ‘No.’, a warning will be generated on saving and they will be set to that for the first feature with that ‘No.’.
For shapes, holes are represented as secondary polygons with the same ‘No.’ and have ‘(hole)’ in the ‘No.’ column. Holes cannot be entered directly within Input & Graphics but can be entered via import.
Use the ‘Add’ button to create a new feature, and ‘Delete Selected’ to remove selected features.
The lower table (points, line vertices or shape vertices) contains the coordinate data.
Use Ctrl C to copy and Ctrl V to paste blocks of data between portions of the table or between the table and a spreadsheet such as Microsoft Excel. If you are pasting in data the number of rows in the table will increase to accommodate all of the data. Please note, if you wish to copy more than one column you have to select them by moving the cursor right or left, even though that doesn’t alter the appearance of the cells.
Use the ‘Delete Selected’ button to delete selected coordinates.
On-screen digitising
For vector files, using the right or middle mouse buttons when the cursor is within the map display will add the corresponding point to the currently selected shape. You can use this to create new vector files by tracing around an existing file loaded as a background. This is a good way of creating a vector shape file that can be used in habitat analyses from an image file (perhaps from a scanned map or aerial photograph). For vector shape files coordinates should always be added in a clockwise direction. You can add a hole by digitising its outline, and then going to the Shapes table and add a ‘–’ before the number in the ID column to make it negative (and the hole must be of the same category as the shape it is a hole in). To add a shape that fills the hole, simply add another shape and then copy all the coordinates (Ctrl C) from the table for hole into that for the new shape (Ctrl V).
2.8.3 Raster file data tables
Viewing
For Raster files the upper table contains the map categories and the lower table the raster cell values.
Clicking on a cell in the raster cell values table draws a white box at that point in the map display.
Editing
The map categories table is not editable, press the modify button to edit attributes of the raster map.
The raster cell values table is editable, and changes made will be shown in the map display. Use Ctrl C to copy and Ctrl V to paste blocks of data between portions of the table or between the table and a spreadsheet such as Microsoft Excel.
2.8.4 Edge file data tables and utilisation plots
Viewing
For Edge files the upper table contains the edge shapes and the lower table the coordinates specifying the edge vertices (unless it is replaced by a utilisation plot).
In the upper table :
ID is the range ID, obtained from the original location file.
Category displays the core %.
Note that a core may contain multiple shapes e.g. following cluster analysis or if there is a ‘hole’ generated by contouring. In this case subsequent shapes will have the same ID and category.
As for location file data tables changing the row that is selected in the upper table changes which data are displayed in the lower table. The selected edge shape is displayed in blue in the map display.
Utilisation plots
If ‘Utilisation file’ was selected following Open (*.uti, created in location analysis), a utilisation plot will be displayed in place of the lower table. The plot will display the range that is selected in the upper table, so move down through the upper table to display other ranges (note that each entry in the upper table corresponds to a core in each range so only when you move on to a new range will the utilisation plot change). The utilisation plot can be printed from here by pressing the print button immediately above it.
Examination of utilisation plots (Ford & Krumme 1979) provides a method of deciding on the percentage of locations that define a core range. In Ranges7 utilisation plots display the area of estimated home range cores at 5% intervals from 20-100%. If there are a few locations far from the range centre, the slope of the plot is initially steep, but becomes shallower when only the core locations remain. This slope discontinuity, if present, is a useful indicator of how many locations constitute the core range. For more details see Range Use Plots.
Editing
Edge files are non-editable in Input & Graphics.
2.8.5 Graphs from location analyses
Some location analyses produce graphs, e.g. the distance between locations over time. Pop-up graphs appear automatically in front of the main Ranges GUI, along with the locations and analyses (such as a path between locations). These graphs can be moved to a more convenient place on the desktop by clicking on the top navigation bar and dragging them. They can also be expanded in the usual way, by dragging one of the sides out. This allows more detailed inspection of the graph. There is also the ability to copy the graph graphics onto the Windows clipboard, for pasting into another document, by using the print button in the top left corner.
Some analyses (e.g. utilisation) produce a graph in the bottom left-hand corner of the main ranges GUI. It is possible to get a pop-up screen of this by clicking on the “enlarge” button.
2.9 Map Display
The blue fringed box to the right of the Input & Graphics panel is the map display.
This displays the contents of the loaded location, vector or raster file and is sensitive to mouse clicks allowing selection of features and zooming.
Primary Display options can be selected from the choice box immediately below the help button.
Background files can be chosen on the upper right.
Line colour and thickness options for Location and Edge files can be chosen from the top right of the user interface.
To select a pair of coordinates in the map display, you have 2 options :
1 select the row in the lower table
2 double click on the map display
(2 will select the closest coordinates from the currently selected range, point group, line or shape and the row containing it in the lower table will be selected, if there are multiple features at the same point then all of the relevant rows will be selected. Note that it is not possible to select coordinates from an un-selected range, point group, line or shape.)
2.91 Display options
For location, vector and edge files a pull down list above the top left of the map display (centre of the Ranges GUI) allows you to select whether to display all of the coordinates in the file or just those in the selected group.
Location Files :
display selected …
Displays only those features selected in the upper table.
display all
Displays all ranges or shapes in the file.
animate locations by sequence
For all ranges, animates locations according to their sequence in the file. Additional animation options are made available at the top right corner of the user interface.
animate locations by time
For all ranges, animates locations according to time variables stored in the location qualifying variables (lqvs). This option is only offered if appropriate time variables are stored in the file. Additional animation options are made available at the top right corner of the user interface.
display selected as path
Joins the locations within each selected range into a path.
Edge files :
display selected …
Displays only those features selected in the upper table.
display 1st selected range
Displays all of the cores from the range selected in the upper table. The first selected core% is displayed in blue and others in black. If more than one range is selected, those after the first are displayed in grey.
display cores same as 1st selected
Displays all the cores for all ranges that have the same value as the first selected one. e.g. if the first selected core is 50%, then the 50% cores for all ranges will be shown.
display all
Displays all ranges or shapes in the file.
Vector map files :
display selected …
Displays only those features selected in the upper table.
display all, selection colours
Displays all ranges or shapes in the file. Selected coordinates in red, selected ranges in blue, others in black.
display all, range or category colours
For vector files colours are obtained from the file itself (and can be altered using the modify button). For location and edge files a single colour is applied for each range from a set colour scheme. The map display is scaled to the whole file.
2.92 Line colour and thickness
(available just for location and edge files)
There are two choice boxes, the left one determines colour and the right one line thickness.
If one of the location animation options above is chosen then two further choice boxes appear allowing animation attributes to be set.
Colour options :
selection : red=selected locations, blue=selected ranges or shapes, black=others
black : all shown in black
pale : all shown in light grey
sex : red=F, blue=M, black=?
pale sex : pink=F, cyan=M, light grey=?
range : coloured according to range number, 24 potential colours
age : 12 potential colours
range month : 12 colours, spring green, summer red, autumn purple, winter blue
range year : 24 colours
lqv … : the option to colour locations by any of the Location Qualifying Variables in the file. If an LQV is chosen containing HH (hour) data then the colour scheme is set for 24 hours (morning green, midday red, afternoon purple, night blue, midnight nearly black). If not then a colour scheme of 24 colours is used.
Thickness :
Determines the thickness of lines and symbols in numbers of pixels. Note that thicker lines can take longer to display, if you have a large file using thicker lines screen refreshing may take a few seconds.
Animation attributes :
Two choice boxes, the upper one contains numbers and determines the number of locations displayed at one time, the lower one controls the speed of the animation.
2.93 Zoom Control
Press the left mouse button and drag within the map display to create a box, when you release the mouse button this area will be enlarged to fill the map display. Press ‘Zoom out’ to return to a display of the whole map.
2.94 Background map or file
If you tick the check box in the top right hand corner of the Input & Graphics panel you will be able to browse your files to choose a background map. Any Ranges spatial file can be used as a background (location, edge, vector, raster), or you can choose an image file (jpg, gif or png). Ranges raster maps, vector shape files and images will be displayed in colour, other files will be displayed in grey. (The only limitation is that a raster map cannot be used as a background for another raster map).
The file will not be visible if it does not have any features within the region covered by the file loaded for editing. It may be difficult to see the primary file if the colours in a background raster map or vector shape file are dark. You can create a paler version of map files by opening them as the primary file, and pressing modify to change the colours.
Background maps can be used to compare range edges to the locations they were created from, or for comparing range edges created by different methods.
image files (jpg, gif or png) as backgrounds
The first time that you choose an in image file as a background you will prompted to enter the coordinates of the image edges. These coordinates must be in the same units as the foreground file. You will not have to enter them when loading the file again.
Ranges saves the corner coordinates in a text file with the same prefix as the image file and the suffix ‘.corners’. If you wish to change these you can edit the corners file directly, or can delete it and Ranges will prompt you for the corner coordinates when you open the image file.
selected only in background
This option is available for edge and location files and allows you to display just those parts of the background file relating to the currently selected range. For example if you open an edge file as the primary file and the location file used to create it as the background, then choose ‘display 1st selected range’, tick ‘selected only in background’, you will be able to scroll down through the range edges, and see just the locations used to create each. Similarly you can load an edge file created by a different method as the background, and look at the differences for each range in turn.
(This is the default option following location analyses that create edge files, however it only becomes visible if the two files contain the same number of ranges, so will not be available if you used range selections in the creation of your edge file).
just show map within ranges
This option is available for edge files with a raster or vector shape background map. When ticked only those areas of habitat within the ranges are displayed. This is the default option following analysis of ‘habitat in ranges’.
2.95 Print
The print button above the map display will copy what is currently displayed in the window to the windows clipboard (allowing you to paste it directly into MS Word or Powerpoint) and then offer you the option of also sending to your printer. Zoom in and out and change the display options and background maps to alter what is printed (see Instructions for Printing).