Displaying a map

This product provides three types of map views. The maps that are available depend on the application that you are working with.

Before you begin

Before you map records in one of the applications that offer this capability, an administrator must go to the Map Manager application (Administration > Map Manager) and enable your default insert site. You can also specify the map provider, along with the initial settings (zooming level, latitude and longitude) for a number of sites. The site that you set is used to authenticate that you can see the map; the zooming level determines how to position the map initially.

Optionally, an administrator can go to the Service Address application to create service addresses using the Map tab. The formatted address, latitude, and longitudes are required to show the address on the map.

About this task

The three types of map views include the following:
  • The Map tab that is available when a single record is open. You use this tab to populate the map based on the required service address informatio for the record.
  • The Map - Side by Side and Map - Below tabs, which are displayed beside the List tab in some of the applications. Use this tab to display multiple records on the map, along with a route starting from your current location to the mapped records.
  • The Related CIs Map tab, which is displayed in the Configuration Items (CI) application when a CI record is open. This tab is used to show the locations of the current CI and its related CIs in the CI topology view.
  • Map tab: mapping a single record - all mapping applications except CI
    If an application has a Map tab displayed after you open a record, you can use the tab to display a map that shows the geographic location of the open record. For example, after you open a Change record, you can use the Map tab to map that change. You can also display your location.
  • Related CIs Map tab: mapping related CIs - CI application
    After you open a configuration item (CI) record in the CIs application, you can use the Related CIs Map tab to display a map that shows the current CI and its related CIs. This tab and the Service Address tab are displayed only if the asset or physical location associated with the CI has a service address.
  • Map - Side by Side and Map - Below tabs: mapping multiple records
    The Assets, Changes, Releases, Incidents, Service Requests, Problems, and CI applications provide two mapping-related tabs beside the List tab: the Map - Side by Side tab, and the Map - Below tab. Use these tabs to draw maps of some or all of the records in the list.
  • Features of the map display
    With minor exceptions, the map that is displayed from the Map tab for a single record is the same as the one displayed from the Map - Below or Map - Side by Side tab for one or more records. The single-record map and the related CIs map do not have routes drawn in the map.
  • Map tab: mapping a single record - all mapping applications except CI
    If an application has a Map tab displayed after you open a record, you can use the tab to display a map that shows the geographic location of the open record. For example, after you open a Change record, you can use the Map tab to map that change. You can also display your location.
  • Related CIs Map tab: mapping related CIs - CI application
    After you open a configuration item (CI) record in the CIs application, you can use the Related CIs Map tab to display a map that shows the current CI and its related CIs. This tab and the Service Address tab are displayed only if the asset or physical location associated with the CI has a service address.
  • Map - Side by Side and Map - Below tabs: mapping multiple records
    The Assets, Changes, Releases, Incidents, Service Requests, Problems, and CI applications provide two mapping-related tabs beside the List tab: the Map - Side by Side tab, and the Map - Below tab. Use these tabs to draw maps of some or all of the records in the list.
  • Features of the map display
    With minor exceptions, the map that is displayed from the Map tab for a single record is the same as the one displayed from the Map - Below or Map - Side by Side tab for one or more records. The single-record map and the related CIs map do not have routes drawn in the map.
Parent topic: Using maps
Parent topic: Using maps

Map tab: Mapping a single record - all mapping applications except CI

If an application has a Map tab displayed after you open a record, you can use the tab to display a map that shows the geographic location of the open record. For example, after you open a Change record, you can use the Map tab to map that change. You can also display your location.

About this task

The Map tab for a single record is provided in the Service Address, Assets, Locations, Changes, Releases, Incidents, Service Requests, Problems, Activities and Tasks, and Work Order Tracking applications.

The Service Provider edition of this product also offers mapping in the Configuration Processes and Process Requests applications.

When you map a record using the Map tab, you do not see the route between your location and the mapped record. Routing is not supported in this map view. Otherwise, the map display and behavior is similar to that of the multiple-records map.

Related CIs Map tab: Mapping related CIs - CI application

After you open a configuration item (CI) record in the CIs application, you can use the Related CIs Map tab to display a map that shows the current CI and its related CIs. This tab and the Service Address tab are displayed only if the asset or physical location associated with the CI has a service address.

About this task

If the CI has both an asset and a physical location, and both have service addresses, the service address for the asset is used. The CI itself does not have a service address; the Service Address tab of the CI application is read-only. To change the service address that is shown for the CI, you must change the address for the asset or the physical location, depending on which of these addresses is used for the CI.

When the map is drawn, the related CIs are displayed in the same way as in the CI topology business view. To be shown in the related CIs map, a related CI must have a service address pulled from its associated asset or location. If one or more related CI nodes are displayed in the topology view but not in the related CIs view, those nodes do not have service addresses associated with their assets or locations.

See "Viewing a topology" for information about viewing the CI topology and about the topology business view. The same underlying mechanism is used to display the related CIs map.

Map - Side by Side and Map - Below tabs: Mapping multiple records

The Assets, Changes, Releases, Incidents, Service Requests, Problems, and CI applications provide two mapping-related tabs beside the List tab: the Map - Side by Side tab, and the Map - Below tab. Use these tabs to draw maps of all of the records in the list; filter from the table or run a query to select the records that you want to show in the map. Maps display the geographic locations of all selected records. A route is drawn among the records, in the order of records shown on the table. You can reorder the records by using the sort feature from the table column.

Procedure

Perform these steps to map one or more records with a route between records:

  1. Open the application that contains the records that you want to map.
  2. Select all records, or query or filter to limit the records to map. Since the route is enabled by default, you must have at least two nodes to map (your location and one record).
  3. To view a map beside the list of records, click Map - Side by Side. Click Map - Below to view the map below the table.

Features of the map display

With minor exceptions, the map that is displayed from the Map tab for a single record is the same as the one displayed from the Map - Below or Map - Side by Side tab for one or more records. The single-record map and the related CIs map do not have routes drawn in the map.

Results

Note the following characteristics of the display:
  • (Not provided by the single-record map or the related CIs map.) By default, when you draw a map for one or more records below or beside the record list, a route is displayed between records; your location is the starting location on the route. The map for a single record does not provide a route.
  • For side-by-side and below-table maps, the records are routed in the order in which they are displayed in the record list.
  • The record list has fewer columns than the one shown without the map. A new column, Zip/Postal Code, is included; this column enables you to view, at a glance, the zip or postal code that corresponds to the location of the records listed in the table.
  • You can filter the table to limit the number of records to show. You can also sort the table column to change the order of the table.
  • The records are shows as symbols containing legends that indicate the attribute that is set for that record in the presentation.xml file. For example, by default in the shipped product, a Change record legend indicates the current priority of the Change. The two map types display different attributes by default; you can view the attributes and temporarily change the attribute shown for the current browser session. See "Managing the map display" for details.
  • You can change the number of symbols to display by changing the mxe.map.queryLimit system property.
  • You can use the icons and other controls in the map display to manipulate the view in various ways. See "Managing the map display" for more information.

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