Map Viewer
Main Content
Map Viewer Guidance
These notes are intended to provide a brief overview of the Neighbourhood Statistics Map Viewer, also known as The Boundary Viewer, available from the Neighbourhood Statistics home page
The notes are not a comprehensive set of instructions as each user will have different requirements and expectations of the facility, and it is hoped that users will use the facility to suit their individual needs.
Map Viewer is a tool to allow the viewing of boundaries bordering a selected geographic area. It is a purely illustrative device and does not have any functions to manipulate data. If you wish to create a thematic map to display data for a specific area please use the 'create a custom table chart or map' function. Full instructions for using the 'custom' facility can be found in the User Guide.
Please note, to create thematic maps within Neighbourhood Statistics you need to have SVG software enabled. Most modern browsers come with a SVG component, however if your browser does not have it, itcan be downloaded free of charge from the Adobe website. You may also find it useful to read our Viewing Requirements page in order to get the best from the Neighbourhood Statistics website.
Using a postcode gives the greatest flexibility and provides the best range of results.
Simply type in the postcode, and select the search button
If you are not sure of a postcode, Royal Mail provide a free
It is possible to see boundaries by searching on a place name.
Type in the place name, and select Search.
This will give you results similar to
From the search results presented, you can then select an area level required. For example, if you choose Placename (1) Halewood, Knowlsey from the above example, you are presented with a high level view of Halewood, Knowsley and the surrounding areas.
By using the Pan and Zoom tool
you can 'centre' onto the required area down to the level you require. You can also click and drag the map to centre it onto a specific area. This is particularly useful in the example above where the required area is located towards the edge of the resulting map.
you can then view which boundaries affect the area you are viewing by selecting up to six boundary types from the Display Tab options presented
Then clicking on the Update Map button
The actual boundaries shown will be dependent on the zoom level you have selected. For example National and Authority boundaries may not be visible at a low level, unless that boundary actually borders the area selected. Similarly low level boundaries, such as output areas may not be visible in a high level view.
You can view boundaries at low levels, such as Lower Layer Super Output Area (LSOA) level.
To view boundaries at a lower level, for example (LSOA) level, type in the area name
This will provide a result similar to
You can even view at Output Area (OA) level if you know the name of a specific OA
It should be remembered when searching on small areas that the level of detail provided will be dependent on the type of area selected. For example a rural area may display few if any boundaries. Alternatively an urban area may contain a variety of boundaries.
Using the options provided in the Settings Tab you can change the colours of the various boundaries.
The Settings tab also includes an option to display the background map in colour
The 'Download Map' and 'Print View' options
allow you to save a map as a jpeg image for including in reports and documents or to print a map.
A central repository for items and articles relating to NeSS Geography can be found at the Neighbourhood Statistics Geography page.
