Searching maps

The collection uses so-called geographic search. Its main advantage is that the user is shown maps covering the area he or she is interested in. The extent of the area is set graphically by panning and zooming the current map in the map window. Thumbnails of maps matching the entered parameters are shown in the right column of the application, and hovering the mouse over a thumbnail displays the map's coverage (its BBox) in the map window.

Other criteria that can be used to refine the search are the scale (Scale) and the year the map was published (Publication date). The ranges of these criteria can be adjusted continuously using sliders. Another search criterion is the map name (Name). The Location field lets the user find a town or city anywhere in the world and move the map window directly above that place. The application works in real-time mode — any change to a search parameter immediately returns a new result.

Clicking a map thumbnail in the right column opens the map in a new window. The map can then be viewed in full resolution, zoomed in and out with the "+" and "-" buttons or controlled with the mouse button and wheel. Even though high-resolution maps in large formats are published here, loading is fast and smooth. To protect against unauthorised use, the maps are protected by a multi-level watermark. The right column shows more detailed information about the map, which can be minimised to the edge of the window.