The sliding marker can be moved up and down to zoom in and zoom out by clicking on the little arrows above and below the slider bar.  Approximate scale range options are indexed and noted on the left side, e.g. “Municipality” or “Neighborhood” scale.

 The County Map displays the boundaries of adjacent counties and the borders of all municipalities and unincorporated areas within Cook County.  It also automatically displays all railroad, street, bodies of water, and forest preserve boundary information.

The Aerial Photo Map displays the 2008 aerial photos of the county.  To help navigate, municipal boundaries and road labels will also be displayed at different scale ranges.  The Aerial Photos have a lot of detail and may take some extra time to load.

The Map Features option opens up a dialog box with an interactive list of features that you can customize to appear on the map.  Clicking on the ‘+’ signs expands the list.  To see a map feature layer displayed on your map click in the check box next to the layer.  To remove a layer from the map click on the check in the check box.  Be aware, that if you do not see the feature appear on the map you may need to zoom in because the display of features is dependant on the scale.  Plus, you may only see the label for a feature because the boundary is not visible in your current view of the map.

To identify and access more details about a feature, first click on the identify button- to the right of the desired layer.  Next, click on the individual feature in that layer that you would like to identify.  For example, if you would like to know more about a Commissioner District like the name of the Commissioner for that district, first click on the next to the Commissioner District layer and then click in the map on the District you would like to identify.  To see details about the data collection of each layer click on the metadata button- .

The Overview Map option opens up a dialog box that displays the area of the map that you are looking at set at a larger scale.

The Legend opens up a dialog box that shows what all the map symbols represent.

This Zoom In Tool allows you to see more detail and look at a smaller scale of your map.  Click and hold the left mouse button to draw a box around the area you would like to zoom into closer.  Then when you have your box release the button and the map will zoom in.

This Zoom Out Tool allows you to get a broader view of the area at a larger scale.  Click once and the map will zoom out keeping the area where you clicked in the middle of the map.

This Full Extent Tool brings the map to display the entire region and the largest scale.

This Move Map Tool allows you to move up, down, left, and right around the map without changing scales.  Click and hold the left mouse button and drag the map in the direction you would like to move.  When you have finished moving the map release the mouse button.

This Previous Tool allows you to go back to previous extents and scales.

This Next Tool allows you to shuffle forward through extents and scales.

This QuickSearch Tool allows you to search for a specific property in Cook County. After entering either the 14 digit Property Identification Number (PIN) or the street address and city of a parcel, CookViewer will find the property on the map.

If the property you are trying to find is not a condo and you only know the 10 digit PIN add 4 zeroes to the end of the PIN and you will have your 14 digit PIN.  For the best address search results please type the address similar to the following: "Street: 69 W Washington Ave" and "City: Chicago".

This Locate Tool allows you to find a place on the map by entering the latitude and longitude or street address.  You can find out latitutde and longitude information with your own GPS device or with the Coordinates Tool in CookViewer.  If you would like to locate a place by address click on the in the top of the dialog box for the Locate Tool and then enter the street and city.

This Select Tool allows you to select features either by shape (highlighting the feature you see on the map) or by text in order to find out more information about that feature.  To Select by Shape open the Select Tool or click on the .  To Select by Text open the select tool and click on the .  You might Select by Shape if you are interested in a feature in the part of the map you are currently looking at and you might Select by Text if you know the name of a feature, would like to search by text you enter, and find it somehwere on the map.  After selecting something on the map you will be able to browse the associated detailed information about the features that you selected.

To select, first, specify the layer you would like to select from with the drop down menu next to "Search Layer:".  Then if you are searching by shape click on the within the Select Tool dialog box and then click on the features you are interested in selecting.  If you are searching by text you will be prompted to enter something by which to search in a grey box, usually either a name or district number.  CookViewer will return results which you can browse.

This District Info Tool allows you to click on any area of the map and find out political boundaries, tax districts, and zip code information about that spot.  CookViewer will return results which you can browse by clicking in the list to uncover the details about each district.

This Draw Tool allows you to draw or add text on the map.  In the Draw Tool dialog box there are a number of options for shapes to draw.  Below that there is a box to enter text that can be added to the map, a drop down menu to change the color of your drawing or text, and a drop down menu to change the size of either a line or text.

To draw new points on the map click on the .  Then whereever you click in the map a point will appear.  Make different color points by changing the color in the color drop down menu.

To draw a new straight line on the map click on the .  Then wherever you click in the map you will create a point in your line.  After you are finished drawing your line double click and it will be added to your map.  Make lines that have different thickness and color by using the size and color drop down menus.

To draw a new rectangle on the map click on the .  Then draw a new rectangle by pressing and holding the left mouse button down, and dragging out a new rectangle.  When the rectangle is large enough release the left mouse button.  Make different colored rectangles by changing the color in the color drop down menu.

To draw a free form polygon click on the .  Then click on the map to begin drawing, everywhere you click will be a point in your shape.  When you have finished drawing the shape double click.  Make different color shapes by changing the color in the color drop down menu.

To draw a line free hand click on the .  Then draw by pressing and holding the left mouse button, and moving the mouse to draw the line.  When you have finished your line release the left mouse button.  Make lines that have different thickness and color by using the size and color drop down menus.

To draw a shape free hand click on the .  Then draw the shape by pressing and holding the left mouse button, and moving the mouse to draw the boundary of your shape.  When you have finished release the left mouse button.  Make different colored shapes by changing the color in the color drop down menu.

To add your own text click on the .  Then type the text you would like to add in the "Text:" box and then click the location of where you would like the text to appear.  Change the color and the size of the text with the dropdown menus.

To clear all of your shapes or text click on the .

This Measure Tool allows you to measure distances and areas on the map.  To measure distance, near the top of the Measure dialog box, click on the .  Then wherever you click in the map you will create a point in your line.  When you are finished drawing the line of the distance you would like to measure double click and CookViewer will return the distance of that line in feet.

To measure an area, near the top of the Measure dialog box, click on the .  Then click on the map to begin drawing, everywhere you click will be a point in your shape.  When you have finished drawing the shape of the area you would like to measure, double click and CookViewer will return the length in feet of the perimeter and the area of the shape in square feet.

This Coordinates Tool allows you to find out the latitude and longitude of any spot on the map.  Click on the map and keep the mouse still and CookViewer will return the latitude and longitude of that point in decimal degrees.  If you want to find the coordinates of another spot just move the mouse and click the new spot.

This Print Tool allows you to print a copy of the map that you created or save it as a pdf.  You can change the map title by typing in the "Map Title:" box.  You can choose if you want to print in portrait or landscape orientation.  When you hover over the page orientation buttons you will see the area in dotted lines that will be shown in the print out.

This opens up a dialog box that shows some of the production details about the CookViewer application.

This opens up an eloquent and concise description of the various tools in CookViewer.

This links to the Cook County Government Homepage.