Release Notes

Scholars GeoPortal 4.3, Date (May 13, 2016)

• New Metadata Details View and Persistent URLs for metadata
• New functionality for vector index maps (clip-n-ship)
  • Load index map for big data or non-GIS formats, allow the user to clip the index service and retrieve multiple files and formats prepared in a .zip package for download
  • Examples to be released: Ontario Base Mapping (OBM) Vector Database, Digital Terrain Model (DTM) for GTA 2002
• Fixes
  • UofT metadata proxied URLs fix / new GIS Editor release

Scholars GeoPortal 4.2.1, November 18, 2015

• Fixes
  • Various fixes related to the display of "aggregated" records, both the parent records and the child records: now show the correct bounding boxes, correct details button in all geportal views, and correct counts for the number of child records that have been added to the map
  • Dark grey canvas basemap now loads
  • Various fixes correcting how the geoportal zooms to certain datasets or features, from the info pop up menu and the data table view
  • User guide has been updated. Help "?" icon now goes directly to the user guide instead of opening a tab within the GeoPortal.
  • Running an empty search now provides a descriptive error message.

Scholars GeoPortal 4.2.0, April 30, 2015

• Added custom license agreement for a specific data collection.

Scholars GeoPortal 4.1.1, April 23, 2015

• Fix to RSS feed

Scholars GeoPortal 4.1.0, April 15, 2015

• Fixes:
  • Raster "Download all" button has been fixed
• New features:
  • "Aggregated" records. Related records can be grouped under a parent record so that only the parent initially appears in the search results. Clicking on the Add button allows for browsing all the available child records. E.g.: http://geo2.scholarsportal.info/#r/search/_queries@=aer;&fields@=;&sort=relevance&limit=entitled (must authenticate if off campus)
  • Added search support for URIs

Scholars GeoPortal 4.0.1, February 27, 2015

• Fixes
  • Corrected the email address which is provided in error messages for users to contact Scholars Portal
  • Added date type code "deprecated" to the list of date types in the GeoPortal GUI
  • GeoPortal internal RSS feed reader now supports valid RFC822 dates
  • Download buttons occasional misalignment corrected

Scholars GeoPortal 4.0, January 22, 2015

• New features:
  • Superseded datasets are easier to spot in the search results now, as the date the data was “retired” is now indicated in red text. By clicking “Details”, the abstract will typically indicate the more current dataset that should be used. Older versions of data are being kept for the purposes of historical research.
  • Improved support for “direct downloads”. If there is more than one download associated with a dataset, instead of having multiple buttons appear on the search result, there will only be one button. Clicking on it will provide a list of all available downloads. 
  • User’s preferred language (English or French) is now detected and the GeoPortal is automatically opened in that language.
  • Support for Internet Explorer 11
• Fixes
  • It is now possible to make raster datasets open to the world (a bug previously restricted opening of data to vector datasets)
  • The time limit for processing downloads and map exports has been extended to 3:30. After this period of time the download is cancelled.
  • A number of Internet Explorer bugs have been resolved

Release 3.5 Patch, Fall 2013

• Fixed issue with Chrome which recurred whenever new versions were released

Release 3.4 Patch, August 16, 2013

• Fixes:
  • Layer opacity is now remembered when a link is shared. As this change has permnanently affected the URLs associated with maps, any share links created previous to this change will need to be re-created
  • After searching on a place name, it is now possible to remove the place name from the map by clicking on it
  • It is now possible to search for data by date range alone
  • Keyword search behaviour has been modified so that it is checking beyond the first word in a phrase (e.g. typing 'water' as a keyword will also bring up keyword 'inland water')
  • A clear login prompt is now displayed for users accessing a shared link that contains protected data
  • Added an explanatory error message for when users try to download raster data without selecting any tiles
• New data added since May 30, 2013:
  • OGDE vector data: 47 services
  • OGDE radster data: 18 services
  • ESRI world data (vector): 3 services
  • See full list here (.docx)

Release 3.3 Patch, May 30, 2013

• Fixes:
  • Introduced a new message system which clarifies for users what is happening with their download submission. The "clip and ship" functionality is now enabled for all datasets. If it is not possible to retrieve the clipped dataset within the timout threshold (2 minutes) the user is prompted to choose a smaller clip area of interest, or use the "download entire datasets" option instead.
  • Message indicated that a download has completed will fade from the screen after a few seconds, they do not need to be closed manually.
• New data since April 11, 2013:
  • Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources:
    • UTM 100km grid, 10km grid, 5km grid
    • Conservation Areas
    • Conservation Authority Administration Area
    • Crown Land - MNR Non-Freehold Dispositions Public
    • Crown Land - MNR Unpatented Land Public
    • HYDAT Database - Canada
    • HYDAT Flow Gauge Watersheds
    • Forest Resource Inventory (FRI), Digital Aerial Imagery (Blocks S, R, H, C, Q, Y)
    • Fisheries Data Catalog - Niagrara area, Guelph area, Huron-Perth area
    • Ontario In-filled Climate Data
    • Greater Toronto Area (GTA) Orthophotography Project 2005

Release 3.2 Patch, April 11, 2013

• Fixes:
  • Issues with off-campus downloading of raster data have been fixed
  • ESRI Topographic basemap had disappeared from the Basemap Gallery; it has now been replaced
  • Default basemap has been changed to ESRI Topographic, in light of upcoming changes to Bing basemap availability through ESRI (http://www.esri.com/software/arcgis/arcgisonline/services/bing-maps)
  • Maximum number of raster tiles which can be downloaded in one batch has been reduced to 250, to avoid timeout errors
• New data since February 26, 2013:
  • Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources:
    • Greenbelt Natural Heritage System (2 data layers)
    • Wintering Area
    • County of Simcoe, Muskoka and Dufferin Orthophotography Project, 2008
    • City of Kingston Orthophotography, 2004
    • Wind Power Allocation Block
    • Wilderness Area
    • Great Lakes - St. Lawrence Basin Watersheds
    • UTM 1KM Grid
    • Natural Heritage Values Area
    • Water Lot
    • Conservation Reserve Regulated
    • Provincial Park Regulated
    • Forest Insect Damage Event, Forest Abiotic Damage Event, Forest Misc. Damage Event, Forest Disease Damage Event
    • Forest Processing Facility
    • Agricultural Operation Inventory
    • Indian Reserve
    • MNR District, MNR Region
    • Forest Management Unit
    • Borehole
    • Wooded Area
    • Ecological Land Classification (ELC) of Ontario
    • Lot Fabric Improved
    • Forest Cover
    • Ontario Road Network (ORN) (2 data layers)
    • Ontario Trail Network (2 data layers)
    • Family Health Teams Site Locations
    • Community Health Centre Locations
    • Hospital Locations
    • Family Health Teams Contract Locations
    • Licensed Laboratory and Specimen Collection Centre Locations
    • SubLHINS, LHINs Boundary Files
  • Statistics Canada
    • Forward Sortation Areas, 2011 (French & English, Digital & Cartographic boundary files)
  • DMTI Spatial Inc.
    • CanMap Rail (2011, 2012)

Release 3.2 Patch, February 26, 2013

• New feature: drag & drop to re-order layers on the Map tab
• New feature: limit your search by date (choose "Date Range" from the drop-down menu). Note: must be combined with another search option at this time, a date search cannot be submitted alone.
• Improvement: more informative notification message system (the messages in the top right-hand corner of the screen)
• Fixes:
  • Links from the Details view will now open in a new tab
  • Issues experienced by some institutions with off-campus downloading of vector data have been fixed
  • Navigation accordion menu for smaller browser resolutions fixed
  • "Download All" button for raster data has been removed for all downloads estimated to be over 4GB. Download by individual tile instead.
• New data added since January 1, 2013:
  • Digital Terrain Model GTA (2002) - direct download only
  • DMTI Enhanced Points of Interest (2010, 2011, 2012) - direct download only
  • Statistics Canada Road Network files, 2006, 2010 (Intercensal), 2011, French & English
  • Statistics Canada Population Ecumene files, 2006 & 2011, French & English
  • Statistics Canada Agricultural Ecumene files, 2006 & 2011, French & English
  • Statistics Canada Census Agricultural Regions files, 2006 & 2011, French & English
  • DMTI CanMap Water (2011, 2012)
  • Forest Resource Inventory, Planning Composite Inventory layer
  • Forest Resource Inventory, raster data - block F, W, X and Z

Release 3.1 Patch, October 4, 2012

• Improvements to "Login" experience; both Shibboleth and EZProxy logins take place from the "Login"/"My GeoPortal" tab
• Preparations for the inclusion of U of T metadata collections in Scholars GeoPortal
• Changed default base map to Bing Maps Roads for performance reasons
• Updated terminology of the "Subject Categories" browse options
• Bug fixes
  • Identify tool now functions correctly immediately after the use of the zoom in button
  • Dialog boxes all function correctly after the use of the Save option
  • "Same as input" coordinate system option when downloading now produces files in the correct original coordinate system, rather than the GeoPortal base map coordinate system

Release 3, August 29, 2012

• New feature: URL now tracks information about the application’s state. Consequently:
  • Browser back and forward buttons now function, for navigating between portal panel views (does not affect map views – use map navigation tools to alter the map view)
  • After running a search, you can copy and paste the URL in order to share the results of a search with others.
• New feature: Select multiple download areas
  • It is now possible to select multiple download areas at once – simply keep clicking on the different areas you wish to include!
  • Generally, the Download tab has been redesigned to be easier to read; more instructions have been provided
• New feature: “My GeoPortal”
  • Replaces old “My Account” tab
  • Users no longer lose their work when they log into “My GeoPortal”
  • Click "Save" on the main toolbar to save a map or user drawn area. A prompt will notify the user that the items are being saved in "My GeoPortal"
• New feature: Place search results are now powered by Bing. Results display has been streamlined.
• New feature: “Save” button on main toolbar
  • Automatically saves the map, as well as any user-drawn extent which is on the map
  • History tab has been removed, to simplify the user interface. History tab’s “share” functionality is still available:
    • “Share” button allows you to share link to map
    • Copy-paste URL from browser allows you to share link to search results
• Side panel has been narrowed in response to observations that it significantly reduced the screen space for the map view on lower resolution monitors. In order to accomplish this:
  • Search tab design has been streamlined for both the browse options and the search results
  • History tab has been removed (see above)
• Within the Map tab, Legend is no longer a separate sub-tab but has been merged into the Data Layers sub-tab.
• Help tab changes
  • Only “Help” content is now in the Help tab
  • Better integration between the portal and the Scholars GeoPortal User Guide
• Dramatic improvements have been made to data table loading speed
• New data:
  • 2006 census: French Digital Boundary files (13 files) – concludes load of 2006 boundary files
  • 2011 census: English Cartographic Boundary Files (11 files - 3 had been published earlier), English Digital Boundary Files (12 files), French Cartographic Boundary Files (14 files), French Digital Boundary Files (12 files)
  • DMTI CanMap Water, 2010: Minor Water Regions, Minor Name Points, Minor Water Lines, Minor Water Points, Intermittent Water (5 files)
  • DMTI  CanMap Route Logistics, 2010: PTL, PTP, PRR, LLP, WER, OTL, OTP, PHL, PHP, VER, PTR, PRL, PRP, OTR, WLP, RLL, HYR, HSP, IRL, IRP, BPP, HYL, HYP, BFR, HSL, HSR, IRR (27 files)

Official Release 2, May 31, 2012

• New feature: Raster download now includes a "download all" option for single-click downloading of up to 500 raster tiles at a time. Please note the size estimate before downloading - raster data can be very large!
• New features in the Data Table view:
  • Option to limit the data table display to show only features which appear in the current map extent. Note that when this option is selected, queries will also only include the features in the current extent.
  • The Export Result option will export the current result set (query results, features in current extent, or the full table, depending on the options you have chosen)
  • The Export Result option now allows you to download in Shapefile format, meaning you can download a Shapefile of your query results.
  • Data table view has been redesigned for ease of navigation.
• Side panel widened for easier browsing and working with search results (panel can still be docked to make more room for map viewing)
• "Refine" options have been introduced in the search results display
• "Sort by" now updates immediately when changed
• Accordian-style submenus have been removed in favour of more traditional sub-tabs, for easier movement between tasks (on "Map" tab and "My Account" tab)
• Print and Export are now separate options on the top menu bar
• Export process now occurs in the background and users can perform other tasks while waiting for the export to complete. Progress updates appear in the top right-hand corner of the map view. Completed file will open automatically (once the site has been allowed by the user's pop up blocker) and will also appear in their download list within the portal.
• French-English interface toggle has been moved to top right of the screen in the menu bar
• The map overview in the bottom right-hand corner is now closed by default so that it doesn't cover any of the map view. It can be opened with a click if needed.
• Several notification messages related to data download have been made more descriptive and visible.
• Recently added data:
  • English Digital Boundary Files, 2006 census (13 files)
  • English Cartographic Boundary Files, 2011 census (3 files - Designated Place, Census Tracts, Dissemination Areas)
  • DMTI CanMap Route Logistics, 2010: REN, MUN, XIT, TLC
  • DMTI CanMap Water, 2010: Major Water Regions, Major Water Points, Major Name Points
  • OGDE: Agricultural Land, Aggregate Site Authorized
  • Sample researcher dataset from the International Polar Year project: "Shorebird surveys in the Queen Elizabeth Islands"

Patch, May 15, 2012

• Fix for reported problems with map saving
• Change default base map to Esri Topographic correction: Open Street Map

Official Release 1, March 1, 2012

• New feature: Annotate your map. Choose "Annotate" in top toolbar, or from within Map tab.
• New feature: Print. In the "Export" dialog, you can do a direct print in addition to exporting a PDF/image file.
• "Search" and "Results" tabs have been merged for ease of navigation.
• Browse by Producer option has been added.
• Help tab has been improved with more links to Help Guide. Many new in-context "Tips" have been inserted throughout the portal, some of which also link to the Help Guide.
• Former "Activities" window has been renamed "History" and moved to its own tab.
• Notifications remain on screen longer.
• Bug fixes with respect to what function occurs when the user clicks on the screen in different parts of the site
• Fix for problem of delayed server response for first layer added
• Recently added data:
  • SWOOP 2010 (JP2 format)
  • DRAPE (MrSID format)
  • French cartographic boundary files, 2006 census (13 files)
  • DMTI Canmap Route Logistics, 2010: LRC, TRN, TRR, HPC, FSA, HSC, rds_csd96, MRC, EXC, rds_lut, HWY, HRD, LNK, rte_lut, MAF, WAT
  • Wetland Unit
  • An externally hosted map service: Great Lakes Bathymetry service, hosted by ESRI Canada. Allows Add, Identify, and Query functions, no Download or Export Table.

Beta Release 5, January 27, 2012

• Significant improvements to the download tools:
  • Download raster tiles in all formats provided by data producer. Typically each raster product is available in two of the following formats: SID, TIFF, and/or JP2. Earlier feature which provided conversion to compressed files (jpg etc.) has been removed as these outputs did not meet user needs.
  • Download up to 500 raster tiles in one batch
  • Download the full dataset without using clip & ship (vector only)
  • Clip & ship by pre-existing boundaries. Currently included: Provinces and Territories, CMAs, CDs, CSDs, CTs. Currently it is only possible to select one pre-defined area at a time (e.g. one CMA or one CT). Multi-area selection will come in a future release
  • Better alerts about download status in "My Downloads"
• New feature: View and query attribute tables, and export tables. Select "Data Table" in top toolbar.
• Search tools have been redesigned to improve clarity and functionality
• Browse options have been renamed based on feedback received. "Series" browse has been removed in favour of "Keywords". "Browse by data producer" is coming in the next release.
• User interface has been restyled throughout to streamline the display.
• "Help" has been made more prominent. Additional "tips" (marked by a question mark icon) have been added - more to come in the next release.
• All downloaded tables and maps appear in the "My Downloads" area, with dataset downloads
• Recently added data:
  • Digital Elevation Model, 2006, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources
  • Additional file formats for all existing raster datasets:
    • City of Ottawa, 2005 - MrSid, TIFF
    • GTA, 2007 - MrSid, TIFF
    • Quickbird, Multi-spectral true colour - jpeg2000, MrSid
    • Quickbird, Multi-spectral false colour - jpeg2000, MrSid
    • Quickbird, Panchromatic, greyscale - jpeg2000, MrSid
    • Quickbird, Pan sharpened, false colour - jpeg2000, MrSid
    • Quickbird, Pan sharpened, true colour - jpeg2000, MrSid
    • SWOOP, 2006 - MrSid, TIFF

Beta Release 4, November 23, 2011

• "Export" feature added - generate a map in PDF, PNG, JPG, GIF, or SVG format and print or save it
• Download functionality moved to a new tab labelled "Download". This tab contains both the download options and the completed download lists.
• A number of additional vector download formats have been added.
• Tweak made to the accordion panels (submenus) so that all menu options are visible at the top of the information panel rather than at the bottom
• "Options" menu renamed "Help"
• New options added to basemap selector window, to add transparency to the basemap or to deactivate basemaps altogether (basemaps can be turned back on at any time from the same window)
• Help tooltips added to the Browse tab - please provide feedback on the look and feel, as more tooltips will be added throughout the portal for the next build.
• Thumbnail images added to metadata details view
• Additional documentation files added to metadata details view
• Recently added data:
  • QuickBird Satellite Imagery - Source Water Protection: Multi-spectral imagery, false colour & true colour, Pan sharpened imagery, false colour, Panchromatic imagery, greyscale
  • Ontario Hydro Network - Shoreline, Waterbody, Hydrographic point, Hydrographic polygon, Watercourse
  • Contours 5m/10m intervals
  • CanMap Route Logistics - Daylight Saving Time Zones, Standard Time Zones,
  • Sample openly available data layers from NRCan - Canadian Permafrost Thickness, State of Canada's Ecosystems in Maps, Flood Disasters in Canada

Beta Release 3, October 25, 2011

• New "link" feature lets you generate a link which can be shared to others. Link will load the Scholars GeoPortal with your selected layers and zoom settings
• New "activity history" feature lets you see the actions you've taken. You can then replay them or share them. Sharing generates a link which will load the Scholars GeoPortal and perform your action (e.g. perform a search, or draw an extent). In a future release this will also allow for saving of actions into a user account.
• RSS feed of "New Data" now available from the Browse tab (note that initially all existing datasets have same load date; from this point forward datasets will appear at the top of the feed with their loaded date)
• French-English interface toggle, "Help", "Terms of Use", "Privacy Statement", and "Contact Support" have been moved to an "Options" drop-down menu on the main toolbar
• Navigation tools have been simplified to a "Zoom" tool and a "Full Extent" tool and these have been moved into the map area next to the zoom level bar.
• The "Identify" tool has been removed from the main toolbar. "Identify" is now the default function when a single click is made on a map that has at least one data layer added to it.
• Basemaps have been renamed in the selection window to clarify the host organization for the basemap (e.g. ESRI, Bing).
• General refinement of user interface appearance. A number of buttons have been redesigned. Subtabs of the "Map" tab now appear as an accordian panel.
• "Topic Category" search option removed from the "More Search Options" menu.
• Off-campus proxy login now available for Lakehead University

Beta Release 2, September 19th 2011

• New "Help" link at top of screen points to LibGuide created by Teaching & Learning Working Group
• Place name searching implemented
  • Use "Place or address" toggle option
  • Searches a) Canadian Geographic Names Service and b) ESRI geocoding service which allows for searching of addresses and postal codes
  • Select "Explore" to zoom in and explore a place
  • Select "Search" to search for data available for that place
• Toolbar for zooming, panning, etc. added
• Inset map added in lower right corner, to provide context
• Standard SP footer with Terms Of Use, Privacy, and Contact Support added
• Recently added data
  • Ontario soils ("Soil Survey Complex" from OGDE)
  • Surficial Geology - points and polygonsn (from OGDE)

Beta Release, August 25th

• Full-text searching
• Geographic searching by drawing a box on the map
• Browsing by Topic and Series
• Adding data to the map view to preview it
• Changing transparency and draw order of layers on the map
• Selecting from a variety of base maps
• Identifying features on the map
• Downloading data in various formats and projections
• Both French and English language interfaces
• Datasets included as of Aug 25th include:
  • Select layers from DMTI 2010 CanMap Route Logistics, including land use; roads; points of interest (e.g. healthcare, weigh stations, aerodromes, toll booths, education, care pool lots, golf courses); boundaries (provinces, regional municipalities, area codes, topographic boundaries)
  • Select layers from OGDE, including SWOOP 2006, GTA Orthophotos 2007, City of Ottawa Orthophotography 2005
  • DLI 2006 cartographic boundary files, including census tracts, dissemination areas, economic regions, CMAs and CAs, census consolidated subdivisions, designated places, federal electoral districts, urban areas, census subdivisions, census divisions, provinces and territories, dissemination blocks, forward sortation areas, and hydrography