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Below are a list of questions that will help you with specific features of the Long Island Index interactive map

Please email us to suggest other questions we should add.


Navigating the map

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1. I've selected a village, but how do I get rid of the orange highlight?

In the village pull-down list Zoom to village, choose "Zoom to village..." and the highlighting on the map will disappear.


2. How does the red marker red marker work?

Popup window

  • When you click once on the map, a red marker appears on the spot you clicked. This also highlights the village in which you clicked, and displays village statistics to the left of the map.
  • When you click the red marker itself, a pop-up window is displayed that includes several tabs with information about the area around the marker. The "Detailed View" tab shows a "bird's eye" photo view of the area around the marker. The "Downtown" tab provides detailed info about the downtown area, *if* there happens to be a downtown in the village you clicked in.


3. How do I remove the red marker from the map?

If you want to remove the red marker without changing the map, simply right-click it.


4. Can I make the map bigger?

Enlarge map arrows Yes. Click the double-arrow button doublearrowbutton to the left of the village pull-down list. This will "collapse" the left panel and enlarge the map.


5. What does the "Map Options" button in the toolbar do?

The "Map Options" toolbar item displays two options:

  • The Transportation & Reference link opens a legend that lists features on the map such as bus routes, the LIE, LIRR stations, special districts, and more. You can check the box next to each of these items to "turn on" or "turn off" the display of this item on the map.
  • The Regional Views link opens a new window that enables you to add regional views to the map showing villages that meet certain demographic characteristics, such as all the villages with more than 10% population growth from 1990 to 2000, or all the villages with population densities of 10,000 people or more per square mile.


6. I've opened the "Transportation & Reference" legend, but I can't click some of the checkboxes. What do I do?

Some items can only be turned on or off if you're zoomed in close enough on the map. Once you zoom in beyond a certain point (and it might be a different "zoom level" for each feature), you'll be able to check or uncheck these boxes.


7. How can I zoom in and out on the map?

Zoom tools There are several ways to zoom in and out. These are:
a) Click the "In" or "Out" buttons on the zoom slider [see image at right];
b) Move the slider up or down;
c) Double-click on the map (this will zoom in one level); or
d) Hold down the shift key on your keyboard and simultaneously use your mouse to "draw a box" on the map. When you let go off your mouse button, the map will zoom in to the area of the box.
Zoom box


8. How do I zoom out to show all of Long Island?

Zoom out to Long Island The map navigation buttons can be used to zoom all the way out in one click. Just click the Long Island Index logo LI Index logo in the middle of the North/South/East/West arrows and the map will zoom all the way out.


9. I clicked in the wrong place and the map jumped around. How do I go back to the map I was just looking at?

There are "Back" and "Forward" buttons above the map navigation tools Back/forward buttons. If you click the "Back" button, the map will revert to the exact area you were just looking at before you clicked in error. You can click "Back" for up to 5 previous map views, or "Forward" for the same number of views. If either button is gray, there aren't any map views to jump to.


10. Can I zoom in to a particular landmark like a park, shopping center, or housing development?

At this point the only geographic area you can automatically zoom to is a village, using the pull-down list above the map. But once you've zoomed in close enough, areas of interest such as colleges, parks, and major retail centers are labeled on the map.


11. Can I use the "Overview Map" to move around on the main map?

Overview map Yes. The red box on the Overview Map highlights the area of the main map that you've zoomed to. You can move this red box within the Overview Map to jump to another area of Long Island. The main map will stay at the same zoom level.
NB: you can also minimize the Overview Map if it's blocking the main map -- just click the "Close" button. You can re-open it when you'd like to see it again.

Info about data on the maps

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1. The map shows villages, but does it also show hamlets (i.e., unincorporated villages)?

The maps use a list of 290 villages across Long Island from the U.S. Census Bureau. This includes traditional, or "incorporated", villages as well as all other communities that are sometimes referred to as hamlets or unincorporated villages. For example, the incorporated village of Roslyn is included as well as the unincorporated area of Roslyn Heights (in the Town of North Hempstead). The Census Bureau created boundaries for all of these areas that match the official boundaries of the incorporated villages as well as the generally accepted boundaries of the unincorporated areas. For convenience, all of the communities are referred to on the maps as "villages."


2. How recent is the land use information? What about the photos? Is the Census data from 2000?

  • The land use data for Nassau County is from April 2009. The land use data for Suffolk County is from September 2007;
  • The aerial photos are from 2006 (but the "bird's eye view" photos are circa 2008-2009); and
  • The Census data that we used for the maps is from 2000, but we also include comparison statistics for each village from 1990, and for several towns and Long Island overall from 1990, 2000, and 2005-2007.


3. When I'm viewing the "brain drain population" map, I notice areas here and there with high concentrations of people age 18-34. Why would these patterns seem so random?

Map example of 18-34 year olds near college campus It's likely that these areas are near colleges or other institutions of higher education [see image on right]. If you zoom in close enough, you'll see college names on the map located nearby. The Census block groups likely include dorms or other college housing.


4. How come you have 2005-2007 Census data for only some villages and towns?

The 2005-2007 Census data is from the latest publicly available American Community Survey (ACS). This is a sample survey that the Census started collecting annually starting in 2004. Data for 2005-2007 represent a three-year average . However, this information is only available for areas with a population of 20,000 or more. Also, the ACS suppresses data even for areas with 20,000 or more people if the sample size is too small, and this threshold applies to each Census variables. So it's possible that the Index map displays 2005-2007 population density for a particular village but does not display "brain drain" data for that same village. In this case, the sample size for specific age categories may have been too small, while the overall population statistic met the Census Bureau's threshold.


5. How often will you update the maps?

The maps will be updated as follows:

  • whenever existing data is updated by the source agencies (for example, we expect that we will update the land use maps and statistics with 2008 data when both counties provide that information sometime in 2009; or when the Census Bureau updates its information with the 2010 decennial Census);
  • when new data is added, such as information about health indicators or mortgage statistics that we expect to add later in 2009; and
  • when more comprehensive data is provided, such as more detailed land use information.

The photos will be updated if and when new aerial imagery is provided by the New York State GIS Clearinghouse, likely in 2009.


6. Why did you use Census block groups -- instead of tracts or some other geographic area -- for your maps?

  • Census block groups generally contain between 600 and 3,000 people. Block groups are smaller than Census tracts, and are the smallest unit of geography for which the Census Bureau provides detailed population data. Census blocks are the smallest unit of geography used by the Census, but the data available at the block level is limited to basic population and housing counts, not the more detailed socio-demographic statistics at larger geographies.
  • We did not use the more common Census tracts to create the maps of population and housing data for this website because in many cases tracts were as big if not larger than villages. This meant that we could not display variation or patterns within villages if we used tracts for the maps.


7. I'd like to map some demographic characteristics that you don't have as an option -- such as hospital locations and health statistics. Can I do that?

Currently we don't have the ability for users to upload their own information. However, please email us if you have suggestions for data that would improve/enhance the maps and we will consider adding it. Ideally the information would help inform the issues that have been raised by the Long Island Index in its reports, public opinion surveys, and special analyses.


Viewing satellite/aerial photos

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1. I clicked the "Satellite" option in the toolbar, but nothing seemed to happen. What do I need to do to make the photos appear?

By default, the satellite (or aerial) photos are displayed underneath the other map information such as land use or Census patterns. You'll either need to use the transparency tool (ext.js transparency image) to "see through" the Census maps or land use patterns (by making them partially or 100% transparent), or turn off the display of the land use or Census maps.


2. How do I access the "Bird's Eye" photos?

Simply click once on the map. When the red marker appears, click the marker and a pop-up window is displayed that includes several tabs with information about the area around the marker. The "Detailed View" tab shows a "bird's eye" photo view of the area around the marker. You can double-click the photo to zoom out or in slightly, and you can click the "plus" sign Plus sign image to increase the size of the photo. If you click the "X" X image the window & photo will disappear.
NB: If you only click the "X" X image, the red marker will still be on the map. You can right-click the marker to make that disappear.


3. When I click on the red marker red marker to display a bird's eye photo, how does the area of the photo correspond to the spot I clicked on the map?

Example of crosshair on Bird's Eye photo There is a light red crosshair in the middle of the photo. This corresponds to the spot on the map that you clicked. This should help you compare locations.


4. I've clicked on the marker and the photo appears, but I can't move the popup window to see the whole photo. What do I do?

You'll need to move the map itself by dragging it so the full photo comes into view. The photo is "anchored" to the red marker, and the red marker is anchored to the map. So moving the map, in effect, moves the photo.


5. How come the satellite photos seem to change as I zoom in? (when I'm zoomed out the photos look greenish, but when I zoom in they become more brown)

When you're zoomed out, satellite imagery is displayed that comes from a web service provided by the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI); when you're zoomed in the photos are from a web service provided by the NYS GIS Clearinghouse (via the US Geological Survey). The difference in color and "look and feel" is likely due to different image technology used by the different photo sources.