User Guide: Drawing Your Map

PLEASE NOTE, IF YOU ARE NEW TO THIS SITE. THE CONTEST IS OVER. WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO STAY INVOLVED USING THE ARIZONA INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING COMMISSION’S INTERACTIVE MAPPING TOOL TO SCRUTINIZE ALL MAPS THAT COME FROM OR ARE SUBMITTED TO THE COMMISSION. VISIT THEIR SITE AT WWW.AZREDISTRICTING.ORG.

THIS PAGE WILL REMAIN HERE FOR ARCHIVING PURPOSES.

THANK YOU.

 

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***For a quick video demonstration on how to use the software, go to our YouTube Page.

When you first go to the “Step 2: Draw” tab, the view is zoomed out as far as possible and any district outlines that have already been drawn will be visible. The map navigation tools on the left side of the screen are similar to Google Maps. As you zoom in, the boundaries of smaller units will be visible. In terms of size from largest to smallest, the boundaries are: district, counties, tract, precinct, and block. Blocks only show up when zoomed in very far.

The three drop down menus toward the left allow you to choose the information you would like shown on your map. The “Show County by” menu allows you to select demographic data. The “Show Districts by” menu allows you to see the population, compactness, or contiguity. The “Show boundaries” menu shows the outline of the smallest unit as you zoom in. (Instructions continue below screen shots.)

Step 2 with Edit Map view

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Editing Your Map

When you click on “Edit Map”, a new tool bar appears. It looks like this:

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In the Edit Map view you see this tool bar:

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Map Tools – Move the map and give you information

Hand Tool – Allows you to move the map around on the screen.
i Tool – Gives you demographic information about the area you click on
d Tool – Tells you what district the area on the map is assigned to already.  For example, if you are zoomed in and cannot see district borders, the d Tool will tell you what district the piece of geography is in.
Assigning Tools – Allow you to assign pieces to districts
Under the “Assigning Tools” (center left) there is a drop down menu.  You can select New District, Unassigned, or a district by number if you already have some drawn.
To put a piece of the state in a district, use one of the selecting tools to choose your area of land then select how where want it assigned from the Assigning Tools drop down menu.
For example, use the selection arrow, click directly on a county, then select “New District” from the drop down menu.  You will then be prompted to assign your new district a number.  After you choose the district number that you want, the county you selected is assigned to that district.

You can also select a piece of geography with a selection tool and then choose the district you want it to go in from the Assignment Tools drop down menu.  Use the selection tool to click on a county.  It will be outlined in yellow.  Then choose the district you want that county to go into from the drop down menu.

Information on Districts

Once you have some geography assigned to a district you can find out information about your district on the right hand side.  The “Current District” drop down menu allows you to select different views on the right side of the screen.

“Demographics” shows you the total population and demographic breakdown of the district.

“Basic Information” also shows the population and whether your districts are contiguous.  It also shows if your districts are over or under the target population.  A blue district is under population.  An orange district is over.  There are also two columns that show compactness as a percent and a check mark or X to let you know the district is contiguous.

If you are unsure what a symbol or color means, click on “Stats Legend” in the bottom right hand corner of the screen.

Anchor Tool

The anchor tool allows you to automatically place any piece of geography into a district.  Click on the anchor tool, then select the district you want from the drop down menu. After that district is anchored, any piece you click on will automatically be assigned to that district.  To turn the anchor off, just click on it again.

Click and Drag

Once you have districts designated, you can use your selection tools to pick a piece of geography and then drag it into that district.
Continue to Evaluate Your Plan