Drawing your farm map (from GPS points or an aerial photograph)

Once you have collected enough points with your GPS to start drawing your farm map, you can download them and draw your farm map using WMC Map.

To find WMC Map click on:
Start menu -> Programs -> WMC Technology -> WMCMap -> WMCMap

Opening your farm map file

If you have already started a map and wish to add to or edit it, click on ‘File’ -> ‘Open’ and navigate to where you saved the farm map you wish to edit, then open that file.

Create a new farm map

If you are starting a new map, you will need to create a new farm database.

To begin a new farm map:

Click on the ‘New’ button on the toolbar, then click ‘Farm’ in the drop down list.
Fill out your farm details.
Select your country from the drop down list. If your country is not shown, select ‘Northern Hemisphere’ or ‘Southern Hemisphere’.
Click ‘OK’.
Now select a place where you would like to save your farm map file.
We suggest you browse to ‘My Documents’ and use a folder called “Map”.
Double click on the “Map” folder to open it
Type a name in the “File name:” text box such as “johns farm map” then press ‘OK’.

Your farm map file is now set up and ready to go.

If you have an aerial photograph from Wheresmycows.com, you may load it in to WMC map and have it appear as a background layer. Generally if we send you a map file we will not include the photograph as part of your file and you will have to import it yourself.

If you would like an aerial photograph of your farm, please contact Wheresmycows.com farm mapping, and we can tell you if we have photography of your area.

To load an aerial photograph into WMC Map:

Insert the WMC Map CD in your computer.
Cancel any installation programs that start up.
Open “My Computer” from your start menu or desktop.
In My Computer, Right mouse click on your CD drive and then click “Explore”.
You will see a folder called “Map” on the CD. Right mouse click this folder and click “Copy”.
Browse to “My Documents”
Click on “Edit” in the menu across the top of the window. In the drop down edit menu click “Paste”.
The files have now been copied onto your computer.
From WMC Map, open a new or existing farm map then click (‘Import’).
Browse to the folder containing the files for your aerial photograph (My Documents -> Map), and select your aerial photograph.
Press ‘OK’ and your photograph will load. It may take some time to load, but once it has loaded everything should run quickly from then on.
If you do not see your photograph after it has loaded, expand the layers tree (press the ‘+’ button next to your farm name in the top left window) the right click on your photograph layer and click ‘Zoom to layer’.

Downloading GPS points

This section assumes you are using a Garmin GSP60 and USB cable as supplied with the DIY GPS mapping kit. If you are using your own GPS, the steps will be similar, but you may need to set up your GPS to interface with your PC. If you are drawing your map from a photograph and do not have a GPS, you may skip this section and move on to section ‘5.4 Draw your map’.
Steps to import GPS points

Connect your GPS to your PC using the USB cable supplied.
Power on your GPS
(If the found new hardware wizard comes up, repeat to section “1.3 Installing Garmin GPS drivers”). This has happened because you are using a different USB port to what you initially set the GPS up on.
Assuming you have created your farm file (section 5.1) and still have the file open ready to go, click on ‘Download from GPS’ in the Menu at the top of the screen.
Ensure that the GPS type is set to Garmin and port is set to USB and click “Connect to GPS”.
Make sure that your GPS is connected and switched on and press OK in the warning window that pops up. Your GPS waypoints and tracks will then show up in the window.
Be sure to select the waypoint and all tracks, then click ‘Insert selected items into map’.
Your points and track will now have a heading in your map beneath the name of your farm on the left hand side of the screen (you may need to press the + next to the name of your farm to show the GPS layers you just imported). If you can not see the downloaded points in the main part of the screen, you may need to right-click on one of your layers and select ‘Zoom to layer’.

The three common GPS layers created from a download are:

GPS Lines Straight lines between waypoints in the order they were recorded.
GPS Points Waypoints you have recorded, such as fence angles.
Track Lines A track log, showing everywhere you went while recording.

You may show or hide each of these layers by clicking on the checkbox next to the layer name in the tree on the left hand side of the screen. They may also be renamed to something more meaningful to you by right clicking on the layer name and selecting ‘rename’.

Note also that you may change the characteristics of each layer, such as point size, point type, line width and colour, and whether waypoint names are displayed. To do this, click on the layer name you want to edit. In the box below the layer tree, a properties box comes up in which you may alter the characteristics of that layer.

Draw your map

Drawing fields/paddocks

To draw your paddocks onto your map, you must first create a paddocks “layer”.

To create a layer; Click on ‘New’ then ‘Polygon Layer (paddock/area)’. A new polygon layer will appear in the layers tree on the left hand side of your page.

New Polygon layer

If you do not see the new polygon layer, you may need to expand the tree by clicking the ‘+’ sign next to your farm name at the top of the tree.
It is important to name each layer with a name that describes what that layer is. That way you can easily edit and display or hide layers. To name the layer you just created, right-click on the layer name (New Polygon Layer) then left-click on ‘Rename’. You can then change the name. Type “paddocks”, as this layer is going to be your paddocks layer. Press ‘Enter’ to secure the name change.
Making sure that the ‘Paddocks’ layer is highlighted, click on the ‘Edit’ icon at the top of the page, then click ‘Add’. This will enable you to draw your paddocks onto your farm map.
Using your track log and Waypoints (if you are drawing from GPS points), you should be able to see where you went on your farm, and work out where the fences should be. If you are drawing from a photograph, you can see where to draw your fences from the photo. You must draw each paddock separately.
Drawing paddocks is easier when you have zoomed in to the paddock you wish to draw. To zoom in, hold down the shift key on your keyboard (this temporarily takes WMC Map out of draw mode and into view mode). While holding down shift, move your mouse to where you want to zoom in to and then click and drag upwards to zoom in, or click and drag downwards to zoom out. Right clicking and moving the mouse pans the map. Remember to hold down shift while you zoom or you will start drawing paddocks!
To draw a paddock, take your finger off the shift key then click on one of the corner points of the paddock, then move your mouse to the next point along the fence line and click on that corner. Continue to do this until you have clicked on all corners of the paddock. Once you’ve finished, click back on the first point you used to start drawing your paddock, and the area will fill in a solid colour. Your paddock has been created.

To cancel drawing a paddock part way through, press the “Esc” key on your keyboard or click on the Cancel cross cross in the grey box at the top right hand side of the map window.
If you make a mistake while drawing a paddock, press backspace on your keyboard to erase the last point you clicked and then click in a new position.

Holding down the ‘Ctrl’ key while clicking temporarily disables automatic snapping to existing points. This will enable you to click near an existing point without the cursor jumping onto it.

Note, if the paddock does not appear to be filled in a solid colour, check that the ‘FillColour’ property is not set to white, transparent, or another hard to see colour. To change the colour of the paddock fill, while the paddock layer is selected in the layer tree, click on ‘FillColour’ in the properties box, and click another colour to change the colour. You may also change other properties including the line colour, text colour, and whether text including paddock names and areas is displayed.

Handy Hint: To move around on the map while in edit mode, hold down the shift key while clicking and dragging the mouse.
Shift + left click drag = zoom
Shift + right click drag = pan
You can then reposition the map and continue drawing

Naming fields/paddocks/polygons

After creating your paddocks, you may want a text name shown in each paddock.
To name paddocks:

Click on the layer (in the layer tree on the left hand side of your screen) you want to show names of (eg, paddocks).
Make sure that ‘Show Names?’ is set to ‘True’ in the properties window.

Show polygon names in properties

Click on ‘Edit’ then ‘Select’ in the menu bar at the top of the screen, then click on the paddock you want to name. The properties box then updates to the properties of that particular paddock.

Name property

Enter the name for that paddock in ‘Name’ and press Enter.

Refer to “Rotate text” for instructions on rotating and changing text scale.

You may then select and name other paddocks.

Displaying areas

WMC Map automatically calculates the area of paddocks as they are created. To display the area of paddocks, click on the paddocks layer then in the properties or that layer change ‘Show Areas?’ to ‘True’. This can also be done by double clicking on ‘Show Areas?’. Note the WMC Map trial will show all paddock areas as ‘0ha’. When you register with a full license the areas will show correctly.

Select measurement units

To change measurement units between metric and imperial units click on the ‘Edit’ menu then scroll down to ‘Units’. To the right of units, select imperial for feet and acres, or metric for metres and hectares.

Editing paddocks

After you have drawn your paddocks you may edit them. As you edit the paddock, the size of your paddocks will be continuously updated.
To edit paddocks:

Select the layer you want to edit, in this case, paddocks.
Click on ‘Edit’, then ‘Move’
Select a fence line or a corner of two or more fence lines and click and drag to alter the paddock(s).

To add angles in a fence line:

Select the layer you want to edit, in this case, paddocks.
In ‘Edit’ mode, click on ‘Insert’
Click in the position on the fence line you would like to create the angle, then use the ‘Move’ tool to drag the newly created angle around.

You may edit other layers by clicking on the layer name and dragging points around in a similar fashion.

Drawing other features

After you have drawn in all of the paddocks, you may add in any other features you wish. To do this, you may either “draw them in by hand”, or go and take more points with your GPS and download them in to your map.

Recording other features with your GPS

Clear the memory (explained in section 2.4 “Clearing the Memory”), then go out and record more waypoints or track logs as explained in section 3 “Recording points”. You can record creeks, waterlines, tree plantations, trough locations, or anything else you wish to record. You may record features such as creeks as a sequence of points, and individual points such as troughs separately.

Drawing lines and points

After downloading your GPS points on your PC, you may draw polygons (bounded objects such as paddocks, buildings, etc), polylines (such as creeks, roads, tracks), and points (such as troughs, power poles, etc).

You must create a new layer for each separate item you want to draw before you can draw it on the map.

Steps to drawing features in new layers:

Click ‘New’ at the top left of the screen and create a new layer that corresponds to what you want to draw.
Right-click on the new layer you have created, then click ‘Rename’ to change the name. Type a new name and press Enter.
Click on ‘Edit’ then ‘Add’ to start drawing. You might find it useful to turn off some previous layers to make it easier to see what you are drawing.
To finish drawing a polyline (creek, etc), click on the tick button in the top right hand corner of your screen. You may click on the cross to cancel it.
Polylines and points can be named the same way that you name polygons.

Drawing parallel lines

This feature is only available in polyline layers. (WMC Map Design version only)
If you wish to replicate a line parallel to the original:

With your polyline layer selected, click on ‘Edit’ then ‘Add’ to start drawing. At the top right of the drawing window click on (parallel line tool).
Click on the original line you wish to replicate, it will then turn pink. Drag the mouse out to where you want the parallel line to be placed and then click to place it. You will notice another pink line with a distance on it telling you how far away you are placing the new line.

Adding Text

To add text notes to your map, you can create a text layer, then place and move text around on your map. You may make several text layers and give them different names.
To create a text layer and add text:

Click ‘New’ at the top left of the screen and then click on ‘Text’ to create a new text layer.
Right-click on the new layer you have created, then click ‘Rename’ to change the name. Type a new name (such as “Text Notes” and press Enter.
Click on ‘Edit’ then ‘Add’. Be sure that your new text layer is also selected by clicking on it in the layers tree.
Click in the position you want to place your text.
Enter your text in the box provided, then click ‘OK’
To move your text, click on ‘Move’ then move your mouse to the centre of your text, then downwards until you see the cursor change to a pen with a black dot next to it . Click and drag to move your text.

Rotate text

If your text does not fit inside a paddock, you may wish to rotate it. To rotate text:

Click on the layer that contains the text you wish to rotate (e.g. paddocks layer)
Click on the ‘Edit’ button.
Click on the ‘Select’ tool
Click inside the paddock, or on the text you wish to rotate
In the properties section (the box below the layer tree box) is a section labelled ‘Appearance’. Below ‘Apparance’ is ‘Scale’ and ‘Rotation’.

Scale properties can be set between 0 and 1.
Rotation properties can be set between -360 and 360

To change scale or rotation properties, simply click on the property and type in a new number, then press enter. Your text will then update to reflect your changes. Repeat this process until the text looks how you want it.

Layer order

When you create a new layer, it is automatically placed at the top of the layer tree. This tree shows the order layers are drawn on the map. Layers that appear higher on the tree than others will appear in front of them. To change the position of a layer on the layer tree, right click on that layer and click one of the move options in the menu that appears.

Key, scale, north arrow and border

If you have many layers of information on your map, you may want a key and border to make your map look more complete.
Insert a key:

Click on the ‘New’ button, then click ‘Key’ in the drop down menu.
Move your mouse over the map and your key should appear in the middle of the screen.
To move your key, click on the ‘Edit’ button at the top of the window, then be sure to select the ‘Key’ layer in the layer tree.
Click on the ‘Move’ button at the top of the screen.
Place your mouse over the top item in the key layer and then click and drag to move your key around on the screen. Place it somewhere it will print but not obstruct your map.
As you show or hide layers on your map you can update the key by clicking twice on the tick to the left of the Key layer in the layer tree to hide and then show the key. When the key is redrawn it will include what ever layers are currently being displayed on the map
You may change the key size, text colour, border colour, thickness and corner radius in the key properties section (below the layer tree section).
To enter extra text at the bottom of the key, use the ‘Extra Text’ property in the key properties.
Click the ‘View’ button, then ‘Yes’ to “Accept Data Changes?” to confirm your key.

Insert scale and north arrow:

Click on the ‘New’ button, then click ‘Scale in the drop down menu.
Move your mouse over the map and your scale and north arrow should appear in the middle of the screen.
To move your scale, click on the ‘Edit’ button at the top of the window, then be sure to select the ‘Scale layer in the layer tree.
Click on the ‘Move’ button at the top of the screen.
Place your mouse over the top left hand corner of the scale layer and then click and drag to move your scale around on the screen. Place it somewhere it will print but not obstruct your map.
As you show or hide layers on your map you can update the key by clicking twice on the tick to the left of the Key layer in the layer tree to hide and then show the key. When the key is redrawn it will include what ever layers are currently being displayed on the map
You may change the scale size, text colour, border colour and thickness and corner radius in the key properties section (below the layer tree section).

Insert a border:

Click on the ‘New’ button at the top of the screen, then click on ‘border’
When you move your mouse over the map you will see a border appear in the centre of the screen.
Click on the ‘Edit’ button at the top of the screen, then select the ‘Border’ layer in the layer tree by clicking on ‘Border’. Click on the ‘Move’ button.
Drag each corner of the border to make the border surround your map and key. To drag a corner, move the mouse near the corner of the boarder and notice when the curser changes to a pen with a black dot just below it when you move the mouse just inside the corner of the border. When you see the cursor change click and drag the corner. Do this for all four corners to place your border in the correct position.
You can change the border thickness and colour in the properties section.
Click the ‘View’ button with the picture of a camera on it, then ‘Yes’ to “Accept Data Changes?” to confirm your border.

Save your map.

It is a good idea to save your map frequently while working on it, as well as when you have finished before you close it. Saving is simply done by clicking on the Save button.