2018

MARPLOT Introduction
VERSION 5.1.1
CITY OF WESTMINSTER

William Moser
Emergency Management Intern
wjmoser35@[Link]
(303) 658-4550
May 2018
Contents
Disclaimer ..................................................................................................................................................... 3
What is MARPLOT ........................................................................................................................................ 4
How to Download MARPLOT ....................................................................................................................... 5
Base Maps..................................................................................................................................................... 6
Getting Started ............................................................................................................................................. 8
Finding GIS Data ........................................................................................................................................ 8
National Resources ................................................................................................................................... 8
Colorado Resources ................................................................................................................................ 10
Finding Census Boundaries and Data in MARPLOT................................................................................. 12
Copying Layers ........................................................................................................................................ 12
Moving Individual Object(s) to Different Layers ..................................................................................... 13
Clipping Data ........................................................................................................................................... 15
Reading Information .................................................................................................................................. 18
Popup Information on a Single Object .................................................................................................... 18
Information on All Objects in a Layer ..................................................................................................... 18
Information on a Single Object ............................................................................................................... 19
Adding Labels to Objects......................................................................................................................... 19
Drawing Shape Objects .............................................................................................................................. 20
Combining Shapes ................................................................................................................................... 20
Creating Shape Layers in MARPLOT ........................................................................................................ 21
Common Graphics and Individual Graphics ............................................................................................ 22
Using Excel Files.......................................................................................................................................... 24
Saving ...................................................................................................................................................... 25
Uploading ................................................................................................................................................ 25
Text Import Settings................................................................................................................................ 26
Layers to Import ...................................................................................................................................... 26
Exporting a Layer as an Excel File............................................................................................................ 27
Copying Data into a Spreadsheet............................................................................................................ 28
Population Estimates ................................................................................................................................. 29
Population data with the selection tool ................................................................................................. 29
Population data on a specific object ....................................................................................................... 30
Population data within distance of an object ......................................................................................... 31

1
Boxes and Legends ..................................................................................................................................... 32
Map Extras .............................................................................................................................................. 32
Info Boxes................................................................................................................................................ 32
Legends ................................................................................................................................................... 33
Attaching Information to Layers and Objects ........................................................................................... 34
Importing Custom Graphics .................................................................................................................... 35

2
Disclaimer
This tutorial has been created to provide a simple, introductory user’s guide for those who would like to
create their own GIS products. The outline of the document was organized based on the drafting of the
City of Westminster Risk Assessment (starting with isolating jurisdictional boundaries and narrowing
down specific datasets). Due to this, some readers may find some sections of greater interest than
others.

As with most computer programs, there may be multiple ways to accomplish the same result. MARPLOT
is user friendly and intuitive, so don’t assume the procedures outlined here are the best or only way to
use this program. If you have recommendations for improvements, please feel free to contact Will
Moser at wjmoser35@[Link].

3
 What is MARPLOT
MARPLOT –Mapping Application for Response, Planning and Local Operational Tasks

Development by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Response and Restoration
in conjunction with Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Emergency Management began in 1988
as part of the CAMEO software suite in order to give first responders better access to chemical inventory
data.

CAMEO (Computer-Aided Management of Emergency Operations) software suite is a set of four

programs:

 CAMEOfm & CAMEO Chemicals: Extensive database applications used to keep track of
information such as chemical inventories and contact information for facilities. This information
is available in a variety of forms including website, mobile app and desktop program. CAMEOfm
is designed to interact with ALOHA and MARPLOT.
 ALOHA (Area Locations of Hazardous Atmospheres): A hazard modeling program used by
entering details about a real or potential chemical release in order to generate threat zone
estimates and plume studies for various types of hazards.
 MARPLOT (Mapping Application for Response, Planning and Local Operational Tasks): A general-
purpose mapping application program. It allows you to create, view and modify maps quickly
and easily. It also allows you to link objects on your computer maps to data in other programs.

4
 How to Download MARPLOT
Website [Link]

5
 Base Maps
Base Maps and Web Mapping Services (WMS) are
background features for data to be overlaid on. There
are several online Base Maps to choose from.

Esri tiles can be downloaded for offline use. Esri tiles

are downloaded based on county and level of detail.
Greater detailed maps (that can be magnified up to
19) are large files that can take several hours to
download. Other maps require online access.

Web Mapping Services are basic backgrounds with

ArcGIS data (developed by Esri) that give access to
weather and wildfire information.

Base Maps

 Google: Based on Google Maps, traffic can be

toggled on through Basemap options
 Esri: GIS supplier out of CA, can download
map cells for offline use of dynamic quality
(more cells with better resolution take more
memory)
 Open Street Maps: free editable collaborative
online mapping source
 NOAA Nautical Charts: based on charts covering 95,000 miles of shoreline and 3.4
million square nautical miles of water
 Uploaded Raster Maps: Raster maps are GeoTiff (.tif or .tiff), MrSID
Basemap options
(.sid) and JPEG2000 (.jp2) files with georeferenced information
(either in the file itself or an appropriate external file in the same
directory) that can be downloaded into MARPLOT in order to create custom basemaps

These menus access

Esri files to download
tiles for offline use

6
Example Basemaps: The following are several visuals showing some of the default basemaps that appear with MARPLOT.

Google Streets Google Satellite

Esri Streets Esri Physical

7
 Getting Started
Finding GIS Data: Depending on the size of a community, the easiest way to find data is to request
information from either local or state colleagues, or to create files from scratch by drawing shapes or
importing Excel spreadsheets. The following is a list of various websites with available GIS data.

MARPLOT utilizes Excel files and zip files to create map layers. In the websites below look for files with
these extensions:
 .mpz: MAPLOT zip file for sharing files with other MARPLOT users and backups
 .shp: shapefile sets used by Esri ArcGIS products and other programs
 .kmz: zip file used by Google Earth and Google Maps

National Resources
[Link]
EPA: starter files
 Brownfield
 Census data
[Link]
EPA: federally regulated facilities
 Air – UV, Greenhouse Gases, Releases  Toxics – Pollution Prevention, Toxic
 Land – Hazardous Waste, Brownfield, Substances Control, Toxic Release
Superfund, Cleanups Inventory
 Water – Sample Collection (systems  Radiation – Facilities, Monitoring Stations
serving 100,000+), Permit Compliance,  Facility – Environmental Interest,
Safe Drinking Water Regulatory Programs
 Waste – Hazardous Waste, Superfund,  Compliance – Environmental Records
Waste Handlers  Other – Grants, Multisystem, UV
[Link]
DHS’ Homeland Infrastructure Foundation-Level Data: information on hazards and critical
infrastructure
 Agriculture  Government
 Borders  Law Enforcement
 Boundaries  Mail Shipping
 Chemicals  Mining
 Commercial  National Flood Hazard
 Communications  Natural Hazards
 Education  Public Health
 Emergency Services  Public Venues
 Energy  Transportation – Air
 Finance  Transportation – Ground
 Food Industry  Transportation – Water
 Geonames  Water Supply
[Link]
Bureau of Land Management: land use
 National Parks
 Conservation

8
[Link]
state-based
Census Bureau; [Link]: jurisdictional and census data
 Census Data
[Link]
Energy Information Administration: energy related critical infrastructure
 Energy Disruptions  Major Oil and Gas Plays
 Flood Vulnerability Assessment Map  State Energy Profile Maps
 Gulf of Mexico Fact Sheet  U.S. Energy Mapping Systems
[Link]
National Register of Historic Places
 Historic Places
[Link]
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: storm prediction center
 Tornados
 Hail
 Wind
[Link]
NOAA: 1000 year events
 Precipitation Frequency in Inches
[Link]
NOAA: storm events database
 Storm data
[Link]
National Weather Service: severe weather records (303 494-3210)
 Climate and Past Weather Data (enter address)

9
Colorado Resources
[Link]
Colorado Info Clearing House
 Agriculture  Health
 Business  Public Safety
 Education  Recreation
 Government  Water
[Link]
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment: community Inclusion in Colorado for
information on vulnerable/special needs populations
 Key Socio-Demographic Indicators  Independent Living and Self Care
 Disabilities Resources
 Ambulatory/Mobility Resources  Vision Resources
 Cognitive Resources  Durable Medical Equipment
 Early Child Care and Disability Resources  Change Over Time
 Hearing Resources
[Link]
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
 Acute Treatment  Home Care Agencies
 Ambulatory Surgical Centers  Hospice
 Assisted Living Residences  Hospitals
 Community Based Healthcare Providers  Nursing Homes
 Community Clinics  Rural Clinics
 Dialysis Treatment Clinics
[Link]
Colorado Oil & Gas Conservation Commission
 Well Surface Location  Oil & Gas Facilities
 Directional Well  Other COGCC Data
 Oil & Gas Location
[Link]
Colorado Department of Labor and Employment: Petroleum regulation (request required for storage
location)
 Petroleum Storage
 Gas Stations
[Link]
Colorado Division of Water Resources
 Points of Diversion  Stream Gages
 Wells  Canals
 Streams/Rivers  Climate Stations
[Link]
Division of Water Resources: dam safety
 Dams
[Link]
International Biological Information System
 Census  Hydrology

10
  Local Affairs  Geology
 Roads  Soil
 Wildlife  Oil & Gas
 Land Management  Natural Resources
[Link]
History Colorado: You can also contact Mary Sullivan at [Link]@[Link] or 303 866-4673 to
request importable files. Archeological files are protected. You can get them for official use only and
must agree to protect them from public disclosure.
 Archeological Sites

11
Finding Census Boundaries and Data in MARPLOT: MARPLOT comes installed with shape layers for
“Places”, “American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian Areas”, “Counties”, and “States” located
in the “Boundaries (U.S.)” folder. These layers show the jurisdictional boundaries of various levels of
state and local government and is attached to federal census data. The following steps show how to
parse out this data and create a map of a single jurisdiction. (For more information on exporting and
importing see the chapter on Excel Files)

Copying Layers: Manipulating the layer will delete and/or break up the data, so the first step is to create
a copy (and backup) of the layer so that the original can remain complete.

1. Export the layer by opening the menu tab and selecting

“Export”

2. In the popup menu select either “.dbz”

or “.shp” and click continue (this will
create either a MARPLOT zip or a
Shapefile, both are convenient ways to
backup data for MARPLOT)

3. In the second popup menu select “Clear All”, mark the

layer to be exported, make sure there is only the one layer
selected and press “Continue”

4. Save the file to a convenient location (generally, a folder

on the desktop)

12
 5. Reimport the layer by opening the layers menu, selecting
“Import” and navigating to the file location

6. In the next popup menu,

change the action to “Create
layer” and change the name
so that the import does not
just overwrite the Places
layer; then click “Import” and
this will create a copy of the
Places layer within MARPLOT

Moving Individual Object(s) to Different Layers: Now that the boundary layer has been copied, the copy
can be manipulated without fear of corrupting the original data. Individual jurisdictions can now be
separated into different layers.

1. Select the needed object

and press the “Move”
action under “Extra
Tools”

13
2. In the popup menu select “New Layer” and name
it. Repeat this step for each object for which an
individual layer is needed.

3. After the object(s) have been removed from the layer and moved, the
copied boundary layer is incomplete and can be deleted in the menu.

4. The selected jurisdictions are now separated into different layers

where data can be analysed more precisely.

14
Clipping Data: This section details how to clip specific data from a larger file. The following is list of all
the microwave towers taken from DHS’ federal database and these are the steps needed to narrow the
data to only those towers located within the boundaries of the City of Westminster.

The first step in narrowing the list to only the microwave towers located within Westminster city limits is
to delete the majority of the unnecessary data (make sure to make a backup file of any layer before
modification).

1. Turn on the
layer that is
being
modified
as well as
specific
geographic
region that it
is being
compared to

15
2. Use the Select
icon to
highlight the
geographic
region, right
click and
select
“Objects
Inside or
Touching
Selected
Area”

Only one layer is selected and press “OK”

3. In the menu, press “Clear All”,

select the layer being modified
and press “OK”

4. In the
Popup
menu select
“Show All on
Map”

16
5. Use the Move
icon under
Extra Tools
and move the
objects to a
new layer

6. The old layer can now be deleted and the new layer will hold all the data specific for that
geographic region

17
 Reading Information
Information attached to layers in MARPLOT can be read and shown in several ways.

Popup Information on a
Single Object: left clicking on
an object will cause a popup
box to appear containing all
information listed in
MARPLOT concerning that
individual object.

Information on All Objects in

a Layer: opening the “Layer
options” for an individual
layer and selecting “Get Info
on All Objects” will open a
popup Object List containing
all information listed in
MARPLOT concerning all
objects in that layer.

18
Information on a Single
Object: this is similar to
popup information on a
single object, but the
information is listed in the
form of a spreadsheet
instead of a popup, this
allows for multiple objects to
be selects by Shift-clicking on
additional objects or using
the Select tool. Highlight the
object (or objects) and right click; in the popup menu click on “Selected Objects” in the “Get Info on”
section. This will open an Object List with all selected objects listed.

Adding Labels to Objects: this is a feature

to turn on labels that show on the map
and is toggled on and off by clicking on
the box next to “Show labels on map”.
The label text is taken from any column
in the layer data and is chosen using the
pulldown “Label field”.

19
 Drawing Shape Objects
When drawing shapes on MARPLOT, the safest way is to create shapes in the “Temporary Layer” and
then move the object(s) to a new layer. This layer can then be exported as a backup before combining or
overwriting layers. More experienced MARPLOT users can edit layers directly, but this runs the risk of
erasing or overwriting information.

 Under the “Edit” section of

the header, select
“Temporary Layer”
 The primary features are
drawing shapes, delete and
undo/redo

The options available for drawing

shapes are:

 Edit and drag selected objects

and/or vertices
 Placing Points
 Rectangles
 Circles
 Polylines
 Polygon

Combining Shapes: Shape objects can be combined to create new objects in several ways:

 Edit Settings: Used to adjust graphics for

the highlighted objects and add popup
notes
 Buffer Zone: Creates a new object that is
projected a radius around the highlighted
objects
 Combine: Creates a new object that is
the combined size of the selected objects
 Intersect: Creates a new object that is
the shared area of the selected objects
 Difference: Creates a new object that is
the size of one object subtracted from
another (highlight the first object and
shift-click the second object that is to be
subtracted from the first)
 Move: Move highlighted objects from
one layer to another layer

20
Creating Shape Layers in
MARPLOT:

Step 1 – Use the edit tools to

create the shapes needed for the
new layer

Step 2 – Highlight the shapes that are to be in

the new layer by Shift-clicking on each
individual shape.

Then press the Move Object icon

When the popup box appears, name the new

layer and press “OK”

A new layer has now been added to MARPLOT. Before combining this layer with others, it should be first
exported as a MARPLOT zip or Shapefile in order to create a backup. Never combine, modify or replace
layers without first creating backup copies.

21
Common Graphics and
Individual Graphics:

Common graphic will show

every shape in the layer with
the same colors, line style and
fill patter.

It is set by clicking on the

icons next to the layer name.

Then select “Common Graphics Mode”

in the popup box.

Colors, line style and fill pattern can

then be defined in the “Layer Graphics”
and click “Save” to finish editing the
objects in the layer.

Individual Graphics are created by

opening the Layer Settings and instead
selecting “Individual Graphics Mode” in
the popup window and clicking “Save”.

22
Now, graphics are adjusted by highlighting an object
and clicking “Edit Settings” icon above the map.

Now, navigate to the “Graphics” tab.

Here color, line style and fill pattern can be selected.

Click “Save” to finish editing the object.

23
 Using Excel Files
Excel spreadsheets can be uploaded into, and downloaded from, MARPLOT. These can be used to create points on a map with data attached,
they cannot be used for shapes.

Filling in Latitude and Longitude Coordinates Things to remember:

Signed Degrees Format: A latitude or longitude with 8 decimal
places pinpoints a location to within 1 millimeter (1/16 inch)  The first row should be made of headers with no spaces
 Precede South latitudes and West longitudes with a minus  Latitude and Longitude are the only necessary columns
sign  All other columns can be treated as text
 Latitudes range from -90 to 90
 Longitude range from -180 to 180.
Useful sources:
 [Link]
 Google Maps
 [Link]
 Download an Excel add-in or create an algorithm to auto-
populate Latitude and Longitude

24
Saving: In order to upload an Excel file into MARPLOT it needs to be saved as “Text (Tab delimited)”. This
will result in a popup menu warning that
“some features in your workbook might be
lost”. Click yes.

Uploading: Layers can be uploaded by clicking on the “Layers menu” icon and clicking “Import”.

Layers menu

Import here

1. Click “Browse to File”

2. Navigate to the Text (Tab
delimited) file 2
3. Click “Open” 1
4. Click “Next”

(Alternatively, instead of browsing for

files, files can be dragged and
dropped into the MARPLOT window.)
3

25
Text Import Settings: This field verifies
how each column in the spreadsheet
will be interpreted by MARPLOT.
When uploading new spreadsheets, 1 2
most field types will be auto-set to
“Text”, “Number” or “General
(number or text)”. It also defines:

1. How columns are separated

2. Column names
3. Latitude and Longitude 3
4. Click “Next” to continue
4
When uploading other files, Field
Types can be used to determine symbols, colors, coordinates, date, layer and other details.

Layers to Import: This determines

where in MARPLOT the data is
uploaded.
1
 Actions determine if a new
layer is created or if the data 2
is used to modify an existing
layer
 The name of the new layer
 Will the layer go into a folder
and what is the name of the 3
folder
 Click “Import” to finish 4
importing the file

Whenever modifying existing layers, it is important to first export the files in order to have clean
backups.

26
Exporting a Layer as an Excel File: Layers can be
exported as Excel files by going to the Layers
menu and clicking “Export”.

A menu will then popup to choose File Type;

click the option for “.xlsx” and then
“Continue”. It is good to remember that only
point based layers can be exported as an Excel
file. Layers with shape objects will result in an
error message. All files can be exported as
either MARPLOT zip or Shapefiles.

At this point the Layer Selection window will popup.

Now select the layer to be exported and click
“Continue”. Navigate to where the file is to be saved
and click “Save”. The file is now exported.

27
Copying Data into a Spreadsheet: Sometimes it is
useful to get data out of MARPLOT, but it can’t be
exported as an Excel file. In order to do this, first:

 Go to “Layer options”
 Click “Get Info on All Objects”

A page will popup showing all the

information on the layer selected.
On this page click “Copy Table”.

The table can now be “Pasted” into Word or Excel. If the information is in Word and needed in a form
other than a table; highlight the table, go under the “Layout” tab in the header and select “Convert to
Text”.

28
 Population Estimates
There are three ways of acquiring population data and, like many tools in MARPLOT, this will only
function on areas within the United States.

Population data with the selection tool: This works as a quick way of acquiring a population estimate
within a geographic area shaped as either a rectangle or a circle.
1

2
1

3
1

1. Click the “select”

icon in the top left
2. Create the desired 4
area 1

3. Click “Get Population (USA) in the popup window

4. The most current census data will appear at the top of the screen along with area and
perimeter information.

29
Population data on a specific object: This works to acquire population data within a pre-setup object.
This method will not work on “point” objects and will only function on objects with area.

1
1

2
1

1. Turn on the layer,

select an object and
right-click 3
2. In the popup menu find
1

the “Get Population (USA)” section and select “Inside Selected Object”
3. The most current census data will appear at the top of the screen along with area and perimeter
information.

30
Population data within distance of an object: This works to acquire population data within range of a
point on the map or using a pre-setup object. This method will work on any object, including “point”
objects.

1. Click the “select” icon in

the top left
2. Either turn on a layer,
4
select a pre-existing
object and right-click; or
simply right-click on a point in the map 5
3. In the popup menu find the “Get Population (USA)”
section and select “Within a Distance”
4. In the next popup menu define distance from either
the currently selected object or click point and select
“OK”
5. Now a shape will be generated showing the defined
area and the census information will be generated in
the header

31
 Boxes and Legends
The boxes and legends tab has several features that aid in taking
screenshots. Click here to add data
Map Extras: The map extras can be toggled on and off. These features
include compass, date and time, latitude/longitude grid, scale bar and
zoom level bar. The boarders for these features can be adjusted and
each can be moved and placed where needed. The date and time shows
the current time for when the map is generated, can show both 12-hour
and 24-hour format and can be adjusted for time zone.

Info Boxes: Info Boxes are accessed by clicking on the icon to the right in
the blue sidebar. Info Boxes are used to a text box of various
information onto a map. This is mostly for taking screenshots and is not
attached to a layer. The info box popup functions similar to MS Word
with several key differences.

1 2 34

5
4

1. This icon is used to insert graphics

2. Picture size is adjusted by highlighting a picture and selecting this icon
3. This icon adds a link to file on the computer, documents linked in this manner will remain on the
computer hard drive and is not included when exporting files through MARPLOT
4. The Hyperlink icons are used to link text to a webpage. To use, highlight the text and click the
icon. The webpage address can then be pasted into the popup box that appears and the text will
turn blue. Now clicking on the Hyperlinked words will lead to the webpage, this form of link is
transferred when exporting files through MARPLOT.
5. The info box can either be anchored to a latitude/longitude point or a screen point. This changes
the location of the box when the map is moved.
6. When finished editing the info box, click “OK” to create the box/complete the edit

32
Legends: Legends are like Info Boxes in that they
are an extra feature, not attached to a layer, that 1
can be toggled on and off. They are mostly used
when taking screenshots to define what the 2
different graphics on a map represent. Legends are
accessed by clicking on the icon to the right in the
3
blue sidebar. A popup box will appear with several
features:

1. Legend Name: This is the name that

appears under the blue “Legends” box to
the right of the map
2. Title: This is the name that appears on the 4
legend
3. Items: These are all the icons that will 5
appear on the legend, the order can be
arranged by selecting an item and clicking 6
on the “Up” and “Down” buttons
4. Adding, Editing and Deleting: Items can be added with the “Add” button and edited or deleted
by selecting an item and pressing either the “Edit” or “Delete” button
5. Legend Graphics: This section defines the frame and border of the legends, as well as how many
columns are listed in
6. Click “OK” to create the legend 1 2

Selecting Add or Edit will bring up another popup box.

This is used to define each item, take note of each 3
layer that needs to be represented and recreate the
information in these fields:

1. Graphic Type: defines the type of object being

4
represented
2. Description: the name written in the legend 5
3. Graphic Style: the lines, pattern and color
4. Preview: an example of what will be shown on the legend
5. Click “OK”
to update
the
legend
with the
new
graphic

33
 Attaching Information to Layers and Objects
This feature is used to add
links and information to the
popup box(es) for single or
multiple objects.
 Select the desired object
(or objects using shift-
click) and click on
“View/edit settings” in
the Extra Tools

1. A popup menu will

appear; under Object
Popup Notes
2. This icon is used to add
a picture
3. Picture size is adjusted by
highlighting a picture and
selecting this icon 1
4. This icon adds a link to file on
the computer, documents 2 3 4 5
linked in this manner will
remain on the computer hard
drive and is not included when
exporting files through
MARPLOT
5. The Hyperlink icons are used to
link text to a webpage. To use,
highlight the text and click the
icon. The webpage address can 6
then be pasted into the popup
box that appears and the text will
turn blue. Now clicking on the
Hyperlinked words will lead to the
webpage, this form of link is
transferred when exporting files
through MARPLOT.
6. When finished editing the info box,
click “OK” to create the
box/complete the edit

This will add information to the bottom

of the popup box when clicking on
objects

34
Importing Custom Graphics: Graphics can be added to MARPLOT fairly easily. The
simplest way is to find or create the graphic you need and paste it into
PowerPoint.

1. In PowerPoint, edit/crop/remove background the graphic to the

desired shape
2. Right click on the graphic and select “Save as Picture…” and save as a
PNG file

3. In MARPLOT under “Layer Settings →

Layer Graphics → Symbol”, click the
upload button and navigate to the
saved graphic

Graphics added to MARPLOT can be adjusted in size, but

not color.

35