Overview

Features are key areas of infrastructure or activity at a site, which collectively form the Site Plan. The Site Plan enables users to create and manage multiple features, each with a defined location on a map. Features can be mapped as a point (latitude/longitude) when an address is known or as a line or polygon if more detailed spatial information is available.

Adding features helps visualize the site’s overall layout and unlocks additional capabilities in nVIRO:

Features can be referenced as permit features (for example, an outfall feature with specific discharge limits).
Features can be made available for reference on submission forms.
Features with defined locations are available as spatial layers in nSITE Explorer.

To access the Site Plan, navigate to the Site Plan tab of the Site Details page.

The Site Plan tab

Navigating the Site Plan Map

The Site Plan tab includes two components: an interactive map of the site and its features and a right sidebar with information about each feature.

Use the following controls to navigate the map:

Zoom: Zoom in or out to view the site, its features, and the surrounding area using the Zoom In (+) and Zoom Out (−) buttons or the mouse wheel.
Move the map: Click and drag to move to a different area.
Center the map on a selected area: Hold the Shift key and drag to draw a box, then release to zoom to the selected area.
Center the map on an address: Enter an address in the search box and click the search icon to zoom to to it.

Map Tools

The Site Plan map tools are displayed across the top of the map, including options to show or hide feature labels, apply GIS spatial layers, print the map, and measure areas and distances.

Site Plan map tools

Filters

The Filters dropdown includes two options: Show Only Active Permitted Features and Show Program Feature Types. For more information on these filters, see the Filtering Site Features section below.

Show/Hide Labels

When a Site Plan has multiple features, labels can be displayed to help with identification. To display labels, click the Show Labels button. When labels are enabled, the same button changes to Hide Labels, which can be clicked to hide them.

Labels may overlap depending on the map zoom level.

Applying GIS Spatial Layers

GIS spatial layers are categorized into base layers, such as Street, Satellite, or Topo, and custom layers, such as Environmental, Wetlands, or Coastal. One base layer is always displayed, while multiple custom layers can be displayed simultaneously.

nVIRO supports ESRI and Bing base layers. Bing layers require a Bing Maps Key.

GIS spatial layers can be applied to the Site Plan by both internal and external users. However, external users can only select and apply spatial layers configured to be public. For more information, see the Spatial Layers page.

To change the base layer:

Click the [Base Layer Name] button (the button name reflects the current base layer) to open a list of available base layers.
Click the desired base layer.

To add or remove custom layers:

Click the Layers button to open a list of custom layer categories.
Click a category to display its custom layers.
Use the checkboxes to add or remove layers.

Zoom In/Out

For information on zooming in and out on the map, see the Navigating the Site Plan Map section above.

Tools

The Tools button on the map provides access to the following additional tools:

Print: Prints the Site Plan map and legend data for features and GIS spatial layers.
Measure Area: Measures an area on the map. Click the map to start, add additional points as needed, then double-click to finish and display the measurement. To exit, click the X button.
Measure Distance: Measures the distance between points on the map. Click the map to start, add additional points as needed, then double-click to finish and display the measurement. To exit, click the X button.
Inspect Intersections: When one or more custom layers are applied, identifies layer intersections at a selected point on the map and displays any associated metadata. For more information on intersections, see the Viewing and Reporting Intersections section below.

Custom Search Configuration/Map Centering

The Site Plan can be configured to support custom search functionality. This requires loading an agency-provided GIS layer into an nVIRO search table. For example, a Township/Range/Section (TRS) layer may be configured to allow searches in a specific format, such as “S31-T11S-R16E,” to center the map on that location.

Creating a Feature

Features can be created automatically through a submission designed to create a site location or feature (for more information, see the nFORM–nCORE Data Integration Tags) or manually, following the steps below.

To add a new feature:

Click the Add New button in the right sidebar of the Site Plan tab.
Select a feature type.
- If desired, filter the list by selecting a feature type for a specific program area in the Show Program Feature Types field or by entering text in the filter box. If the current user has a default program area configured, the filter is automatically applied.

Filtering feature types

Enter the feature information in the following fields.

Field	Description	Notes

Field	Description	Notes
Feature Identifier	The name of the feature.	The feature identifier must be unique within the site.
Description	A brief description of the feature.
Collection Method	The method used to identify the feature location.
Feature Type	The selected feature type.	Sites are automatically assigned a Site Location feature type, used to define the site’s primary location on the Site Plan map. For more information on feature types, see the Feature Types page.
Location Verified	A checkbox used to indicate that the feature location has been verified.

Add the feature location (see next sections).
Click the Save button.

Adding a Feature Location

A feature location can be added when creating a new feature or editing an existing one. Features without a location have a Place button next to them in the right sidebar.

Locations may be a point, polygon, line, or directional line.

Adding a location to a new feature

Placing a Point

To specify a point location:

When adding a new feature or editing an existing one, click the Place Point button in the right sidebar.
Click the map at the exact location to place the point.
- To edit the point location, click and drag it to the correct location or click the Shape Options button and select the Redraw as Point option to start over.
Enter a name for the point in the right sidebar. A default name (for example, Point 1) is provided.
Click the Done button. The location appears in the Location section of the feature details; however, it is not added until the feature is saved.
To confirm, click the Save button to save all changes to the feature.

Entering Point Coordinates

Alternatively, a point’s latitude/longitude coordinates may be directly entered. This option is only available for points.

To enter or edit point coordinates:

Follow the instructions above for placing a point, but instead of clicking the map, click the Shape Options button and select the Edit Point Coordinates option.

The Edit Point Coordinates option

When the Edit Point Coordinates dialog opens, enter the coordinates.

The Edit Point Coordinates dialog

Click the Confirm button to close the Edit Point Coordinates dialog.
On the Site Plan tab, click the Done button. The location appears in the Location section of the feature details; however, it is not added until the feature is saved.
To confirm, click the Save button to save all changes to the feature.

All coordinates are saved as Datum WGS84 / EPSG:4326.

Drawing a Polygon

To draw a polygon to represent a feature:

When adding a new feature or editing an existing one, click the Draw Polygon button in the right sidebar.
Click the map at the location of one polygon corner. As the mouse moves, a line extends from this location.
Click the map again to place the next corner of the polygon.
Repeat until all corners are defined, then either double-click to close the shape or click the first corner to close it.
- To move a corner, click and drag it to the correct location. To add a new corner, click and hold the nearest line; a point appears that can be dragged to the desired location. To start over, click the Shape Options button and select the Redraw as Polygon option.
Enter a name for the polygon in the right sidebar. A default name (for example, Polygon 1) is provided.
Click the Done button. The location appears in the Location section of the feature details; however, it is not added until the feature is saved.
To confirm, click the Save button to save all changes to the feature.

Drawing a Line or Directional Line

To draw a line or directional line to represent a feature:

When adding a new feature or editing an existing one, click the Draw Line or Draw Directional Line button in the right sidebar.
Click the map at the starting point. As the mouse moves, a line extends from this location.
Click the map again to add turn points (a line may have multiple turn points).
Repeat until all turn points are defined, then double-click the end point for the line.
- To move a turn point, click and drag it to the correct location. To add a new turn point, click and hold the nearest line; a point appears that can be dragged to the desired location. To start over, click the Shape Options button and select the Redraw as Line or Redraw as Directional Line option.
Enter a name for the line in the right sidebar. A default name (for example, Line 1) is provided.
Click the Done button. The location appears in the Location section of the feature details; however, it is not added until the feature is saved.
To confirm, click the Save button to save all changes to the feature.

Adding Multiple Feature Locations

The Site Plan supports multiple feature locations for a single feature. For example, a feature may consist of several fragments of wetland area. These can be represented as one feature when they relate to a single project impact, such as a new building with multiple discrete impact areas.

To add an additional location to a feature:

Click the feature in the right sidebar of the Site Plan tab.
Click the Add New Location (+) button in the Location section.
Follow the instructions above for adding a feature location.

Uploading Feature Locations (KML/GeoJSON)

Feature locations may also be uploaded from a spatial file.

To upload feature locations via a spatial file:

While adding a new feature or editing an existing one, click the Upload KML/GeoJSON button in the right sidebar.

The Upload KML/GeoJSON button

Browse for the file to upload or drag the file from another window into the “Drop files here to upload” area.
Click the Start Upload button. The system validates the file and adds locations to the feature.

Uploading a spatial file while drawing a feature location will discard any in-progress work.

Supported Spatial File Formats

nVIRO supports KML and GeoJSON spatial file formats. Spatial data must use the EPSG:4326 (World Geodetic System 1984 [WGS84]) coordinate system.

A maximum of 50 features may be uploaded, each containing no more than 50 geometric objects (feature locations). Only points, polygons, or lines can be uploaded; multipart geometries, such as MultiLine or MultiPolygon, are not supported.

Example file snippets and import mapping logic for both file types are included below.

Example:

         <Placemark>
			<name>Point of interest</name>
			<description>American Legion</description>
			<LookAt>
				<longitude>-100.0317945970091</longitude>
				<latitude>37.7377286317814</latitude>
				<altitude>0</altitude>
				<heading>-3.101575429704853</heading>
				<tilt>18.42140640962052</tilt>
				<range>2444.404592399153</range>
				<gx:altitudeMode>relativeToSeaFloor</gx:altitudeMode>
			</LookAt>
			<styleUrl>#m_ylw-pushpin1</styleUrl>
			<Point>
				<gx:drawOrder>1</gx:drawOrder>
				<coordinates>-100.0339076590229,37.73791391402472,0</coordinates>
			</Point>
		</Placemark>

Import mapping logic:

Each Placemark becomes a feature location.
The name element maps to the Feature Location Name.
The coordinates define the feature location layer geometry.
No other elements are used.

Example:

{
  "type": "FeatureCollection",
  "features": [{
    "type": "Point",
    "name": "Point of Interest",
    "coordinates": [30.0, 10.0]
    ]
}

Import mapping logic:

Each features array item becomes a feature location.
The type element is used to determine whether the location is a point, polygon, or line.
The name element maps to the Feature Location Name.
The coordinates define the feature location layer geometry.

Viewing and Editing Features

All existing features for a site, including the site location, are displayed in the right sidebar of the Site Plan tab.

Filtering Site Features

The feature list can be filtered using any combination of the following options:

Show Only Active Permitted Features: Displays only features referenced on an active permit.
Show Program Feature Types: Displays only features associated with the selected program area (for more information on feature types, see the Feature Types page).
Filter by name: Displays only features that match the entered text. The filter applies to feature names, types, and descriptions.

The Show Only Active Permitted Features and Show Program Feature Types filters are also available as map controls. These controls are synchronized with the sidebar and reflect any changes made there.

The Show Only Active Permitted Features and Show Program Feature Types filters (sidebar and map)

Features filtered out of the list remain visible on the map but are displayed with reduced opacity and a gray, dashed style.

Example hidden features

Viewing Feature Details

To view a feature, click its row in the feature list. The map zooms to the feature location and the feature details are displayed in the right sidebar. Associated permits are also displayed, along with their status. Clicking a permit opens the Features tab of the corresponding Permit Details page.

Example feature details

While a feature is selected, other features appear with increased transparency to distinguish them.

To zoom to a specific feature location, click the shape icon to the left of the location name in the right sidebar.

Editing Features

To edit a feature:

Click the feature’s row in the feature list to open its details.
Click the Edit (pencil) button next to the feature name to open Edit mode.
Edit fields as needed.
Click the Save button.

To edit a feature location:

While viewing or editing the feature details, click the Edit (pencil) button next to the feature location.
Edit the shape on the map (for more information, see the Adding a Feature Location section above) or the location name as needed.
Click the Done button to return to the feature details in Edit mode.
Click the Save button to save all changes to the feature.

To remove a feature location:

Click the Actions (⋮) menu next to the feature location.
Click the Remove option. The location is removed from the list; however, it is not deleted until the feature is saved (if a location was unintentionally removed, click the Cancel button).
To confirm, click the Save button to save all changes to the feature.

Viewing Measurements

To view measurements of a feature location, click the Measurements link below the feature locations.

The Measurements link

The Measurements panel allows users to choose their preferred unit of measure and may contain two measurements, depending on the feature location shape:

Area (polygons only): Provides an estimated area for the shape.
Perimeter/Length (polygons and lines only): Provides an estimated perimeter for polygons or length for lines.

Example measurements

Viewing and Reporting Intersections

Intersections can be viewed to assess proximity to other locations represented by GIS layers. Intersections may be viewed for the entire feature or for individual locations.

Viewing Feature Intersections

To view feature intersections with active GIS layers, click the Intersections link below the feature locations.

GIS layers can be applied before or after clicking the Intersections link using the Layers map tool. For more information, see the Applying GIS Spatial Layers section above.

The Intersections link

The Intersections panel displays any identified intersections. If additional metadata is available for a GIS layer, clicking the intersection name expands or collapses metadata for the intersection.

Example intersections

Viewing Feature Location Intersections

To view intersections for a specific location, click the Actions (⋮) menu next to the feature location and select the View Intersections option.

Applying a Buffer

By default, a small buffer is applied when a feature is first viewed, expanding its footprint by the specified distance. This buffer can be adjusted or cleared to refine intersection calculations.

To apply or modify a buffer:

While viewing feature intersections, enter a buffer value and select the measurement unit.
Click the Apply button.

To clear a buffer, click the Clear button.

Generating an Intersection Report

An intersection report can be generated and saved to a submission record. This is most commonly used to document site information at the time an application is being reviewed.

To generate an intersection report:

While viewing feature intersections, click the Generate Intersect Document button. The Select Submission panel opens.
Select a submission to save the report to, if applicable. (If no submissions exist, the report can still be generated.)
Click the Generate Intersect Document button.
When prompted, click the Download Document button to download the report, or click the Close button to exit without downloading.

Deleting a Feature

Features can be deleted, so long as they are not the Site Location or referenced on a submission or permit.

To delete a feature, click the Delete (trash) button next to to it and confirm when prompted.

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Related Content

Site Plan and Features