The Maps web page allows you to view and edit the trees, furniture and site boundaries on the estate.

  • The normal web map controls are available to pan and zoom around the online maps and the maps/plans that you have loaded.
  • Each coloured icon on the map shows the location of a tree (circle), group of trees or hedge (polygon), or items of site furniture (squares, triangles, stars, lines and polygons).

Filter by Site and by Survey

The Site/Survey filter allows you to focus on what you want to view or edit. Only one set of survey data can be edited at a time, the rest are read-only.

  • Site Filter: The Site dropdown box at the top of the page allows you to view different parts of the estate.
    • The map will automatically zoom in to show the items on the selected site(s).
  • Survey Type: This dropdown box allows you to select which survey type to focus on, and which surveys are presented in the Survey box.
  • Survey Filter: The Survey dropdown changes which trees/item inspections are presented.
    • The most recent inspection option shows all the items in the selected site(s) and the icons’ colour shows the most recently recorded data for “Condition”, Risk Category, etc. See the section on Map Colours below.
    • When a specific survey is selected, the icons’ colour shows the survey data as recorded in the selected survey. Items that were not part of the selected survey are shown as grey icons.
    • Active/editable surveys are shown prefixed by a ‘*’. You can only update a survey when it has been selected in the Survey box.
    • Work stage surveys are shown prefixed by a ‘#’. You can only update a survey when it has been selected in the Survey box.
    • Over time, an estate will build up a history of survey data. Selecting each survey in turn will visually show how the condition of the items has changed over time.

Search for…

Press the Search for… button to search for a postcode, an address, a What 3 Words place, a particular tree or a photo’s location.

  • Search by Reference. Type in the complete reference and press Search button. The map will zoom to the specified item.
  • The Address/Postcode button allows you to enter a postcode or full postal address and it will automatically move the map to that location. This feature is helpful when initially creating sites and plotting site boundaries.
  • The ///What3Words button allows to enter a set of words and it will automatically move the map to that location. This feature is helpful when initially creating sites and plotting site boundaries.
  • The Photo button allows you to select a photo from your select the photo (from your hard disk). If the photo has embedded GPS information then the map will go to that location.

Map Controls

The usual online map controls allow you to drag the map, zoom in and out, etc.

May be useful for Printing, your can rotate the map buy Holding down the ALT and the SHIFT keys and click and drag to rotate map. Click the ‘arrow’ button on the top right corner of the map to return to normal.

Maps and Layers

The panels to the left of the map allow you to control how the data is shown on the map.

  • Select which base map you want to use.
    • Select one of the online world/aerial maps as a base, then you can overlay the user loaded maps on top of the selected base map. Note: there may be slight distortions on overlaid maps – see the Notes section below.
    • Select one of the estate’s maps as a base map.
    • If you have selected a Site (above) that is linked to a plan with no geo-spatial information, then you can only use that plan – not the online, world maps.
  • Show or hide user loaded maps.
  • If you have loaded your own geo-referenced Site Map into OTISS, then you have the option of viewing just your site map, or viewing your site map overlaid on top of the OpenStreetMap or Google base maps. You can also use a slider to make your site map partially transparent so that you can see both the base map and your site map. This makes it easier to plot items accurately by viewing two maps at once.
  • Show or hide the different types of surveyed items. This is useful when the maps gets very cluttered.

Map Icons & Labels

For each type of survey, there is a set of Options to control the icons, labels and colours.

  • Show or hide the label showing the items’ tag/reference. You can control the position of the labels, placing them in the centre or around the icons. If the standard placement results in cluttered or overlapping labels, then you can use the Label tool to drag labels around to improve layout (see tutorial below).
  • Change the icon size.
    • Very Small, Small, Medium, Large, Very Large: These icons stay the same size at all zoom levels.
    • 1m Fixed, 2m Fixed, 5m Fixed: All items are drawn as a fixed ‘n’ metre icon. These icons get very small as you zoom out.
    • Crown Spread (Actual Size): The icons are drawn at actual size as recorded in; the TreeSafety ‘CrownRadius’ field, the Furniture ‘width’ or ‘length’ field. These icons get very small as you zoom out.
    • For BS5837, the Crown Spread option shows the asymmetric north, south, east and west measurements, and also the actual Stem Diameter.
    • For BS5837, You also have the option of drawing the calculated RPA circle for trees (using the RPA radius calculations defined in the standard). RPAs are not drawn for trees of category ‘U’ (of course). If no stem diameter is specified, the no RPA is drawn. The RPA for groups, hedges, etc. is the same polygon for the crown – but with a 1 metre buffer.
  • The colour of the map icons can be configured based on the values assigned to some of the survey fields – e.g. condition, life expectancy, risk category, work due, customText, etc. The Icon Colours dropdown is used select which field to display. Use the Customise Survey buttons to set up the survey fields and configure which values are mapped to which colours. The BS5837 standard has defined the icon colours – so there is no configuration needed.

Positioning labels

Once all the trees and items have been plotted you will want to produce clear maps. Different maps may be needed for different purposes, for example, (a) overall condition of tree stock, (b) what trees need work doing, (c) planning applications, etc. Use the features in the Options panel to change the map for each purpose.

Map tools

You must select a specific survey (in the survey filter at the top of the page) in order to edit the inspection data for that survey.  In addition, that survey must be in the Active state and the logged in user must be currently assigned to the survey.

When you have selected an Active survey (prefixed by a ‘*’ in the Survey box), the map tools allow you to create, edit, move and delete trees and items.

When a closed survey or the most recent inspection option is selected, you can view survey information but not change anything – the  Tool buttons will be greyed out.

To carry out an operation on a tree/item, first, click on a ‘tool’ button along the top of the map, then click on the icons to carry out the selected action.

  • Add Tree/Item: Click at the required location on the map to create a new tree or item of furniture in the selected survey. You are then presented with the survey form where you enter a reference and the required data. After filling in the form, you can immediately adjust its position by dragging the icon. Later, you can use the Move tool to re-position the icon.

  • Add Hedge: Hedges are added by clicking the screen at the start and then along the line, finish with a ‘double click’ on the last position – the survey form then appears for you to fill in the details. Each tree’s Structure field is used to choose the map representation – lines for hedges. After filling in the form, you can immediately adjust its position by dragging the lines/vertices. Later, you can use the Reshape and Move tools to re-draw the shape.
  • Add Group: Tree Groups are added by clicking the screen at the edges of the required shape, finish with a ‘double click’ on the last position – the survey form then appears for you to fill in the details. Each tree’s Structure field is used to choose the map representation – polygon for groups and woodland. After filling in the form, you can immediately adjust its position by dragging the lines/vertices. Later, you can use the Reshape and Move tools to re-draw the shape.

  • New Line/Polygon: Lines/polygons are added by clicking the screen at the edges of the required shape, finish with a ‘double click’ on the last position – the survey form then appears for you to fill in the details. After filling in the form, you can immediately adjust its position by dragging the lines/vertices. Later, you can use the Reshape and Move tools to re-draw the shape.

  • Replicate: Click on an existing icon/polygon, then click at the required location on the map to create a duplicate – e.g. copy-and-paste. This action copies the survey data from the existing item to fill in the initial data for the new inspection.
    • When using the Replicate tool, all the fields in the new item (except the reference and location) are pre-populated with the values from the last item that you viewed or clicked.
    • This feature makes it much easier to create a new inspection that is similar to the last one. It is especially useful for creating avenues of similar trees.

  • Move: The symbol appears when you hover the mouse over any item, then you simply click and drag it to a new position. The position of the item that was recorded in any previous or ‘closed’ survey remains unchanged – this is to preserve the audit trail of the previous survey data.

  • Reshape lines and polygons:
    • When you click on a group of trees or polygon/line shape, pale blue circles appear at each vertex to show that it has become selected.
    • A blue dot symbol appears when you hover the mouse over any of these circles or the lines. You can then click and drag to move or create vertices.
    • You can delete a vertex by (a) clicking on it and then press the Remove vertex button that appears, or by (b) pressing the ALT button when you click on the vertex.
    • The position and shape of the item that was recorded in any previous inspections remains unchanged – this is to preserve the audit trail of the previous survey data.

  • Re-survey: Create a new inspection record for the selected item.
    • The map shows grey icons for items that have not yet been surveyed as part of the selected survey. You click on a grey icon to create a new inspection record for that tree/item. When you have finished, the icon will become coloured to show the Condition you have just recorded.
    • The initial values are copied from the selected icon – you should change these as required. In this case: the reference, species, etc. will (normally) remain unchanged  – its the same tree or bench!
    • The original inspection is unchanged and so an audit trail is maintained of inspections carried out for different surveys.

  • Edit: Edit the item’s inspection record.
    • This feature changes the data in the selected survey. This allows extra information to be added or existing values to be changed.
    • Note: there is no audit trail of these edits. The audit trail is kept for the different inspections carried out in different surveys (not within the same survey).

  • View: View the inspection record.

  • Delete: Delete the item.
    • A pop-up form asks you to confirm the deletion and to remind that this action cannot be undone.
    • If the deleted tree/item had no other inspections then it has been completely deleted.
    • If the deleted tree/item has another inspection in a different survey, then the icon will still appear on the map – but it will be coloured grey to show that it is not part of the selected survey.
  • Plot Measurement Markers – see video below.
    • Click on the map to plot (up to 3) measurement markers. Drag these markers around to measure distances.
    • Click on a marker to specify a measured radius.
    • Change to the ‘Move’ or ‘Reshape’ tools to adjust the distance of trees/items from the measurement markers.
    • Click on the Measure Tool again for remove all the markers.
    • Please note that the Measurement Tool is only available with the OTISS Premium subscription.

  • BS5837 Reshape RPA – single trees – see video below.
    • First, tick ‘Show RPA’ on the BS5837 Options panel and tick the ‘Show Area & Length’ option on the Map Options panel.
    • The Map shows the standard and modified RPAs for the trees and groups.
    • Click on a tree’s icon and a small information panel appears at the top of the map with a button.
    • The Modify RPA button will change the BSI RPA circle into a polygon of roughly the same area. You can manually reshape the RPA by clicking-and-dragging the RPA as required.
    • The Revert to Circle button will remove the polygon and revert to the BSI RPA circle.
    • Please note that the RPA Tool is only available with the OTISS Premium subscription. The Standard subscription calculates and draws the BSI standard RPA – but does not allow you to modify it.

  • BS5837 Reshape RPA – groups and hedges – see video below.
    • First, tick ‘Show RPA’ on the BS5837 Options panel and tick the ‘Show Area & Length’ option on the Map Options panel.
    • The Map shows the standard and modified RPAs for the trees and groups.
    • You can manually reshape the group’s RPA by clicking-and-dragging the RPA as required.
    • Also a small information panel appears at the top of the map with two buttons.
    • The Enclose RPAs button will re-draw the RPA to enclose/include all the RPAs of the named and un-named trees within the group’s crown. If you did not enter a stem diameter it assumes there is no RPA needed for that tree and the tree may be outside the RPA.
    • The Revert to Crown button will change the RPA to a shape that gives a 1 metre buffer around the group’s crown.
    • After using the buttons, you can manually reshape the RPA further as required.
    • Please note that the RPA Tool is only available with the OTISS Premium subscription. The Standard subscription calculates the RPA as a 1 metre buffer around the group’s crown – but does not allow you to modify it.

Notes

  • The Google RoadMap and Aerial views do seem have a time lag when you zoom in/out. The drawings seem to lag behind for a second, and then slide into place. This does not happen on OpenStreetMap or your uploaded PDFs/maps or any others we have tried – just the Google ones. This is something to do with the Google maps – over which we have no control.
  • The OpenStreetMap, UK OS and the Google maps are all shown on the same spatial projection, so that you can quickly swap between maps to find the most useful one for each site.
  • Please note that when you upload a UK geo-referenced map or drawing, you may get slight distortions (around the edges) when you overlay it on top of OpenStreetMap/Google – this is normal! For example, if you use the app to draw a perfect square on a drawing, and then change to the OSM/Google base map, the square appears to be slightly distorted – this is normal! No need to worry, all our tree position data is stored as very accurate Long/Lat positions – so can be presented in any spatial map/drawing.

Any suggestions?

OTISS is constantly developing to suit our users’ requirements. Please contact us if you have suggestions for features or options that you would like to see.