Elevation Profile

The MAPublisher Elevation Profile tool obtains elevation data for each point along a selected path. For example, agencies mapping parks or conservation areas often display elevation profiles on their maps in order to give visitors an understanding of the terrain for recreational activities.

Requirements

To create an elevation profile, a single path in a MAP View with a coordinate system must first be selected.

An internet connection is required to retrieve elevation data.

Using Elevation Profile

Click the Elevation Profile button on the MAPublisher toolbar or choose Object > MAPublisher > Elevation Profile.

Elevation profiles must be created on a MAP Legend layer. The option to create a new legend layer will automatically be selected if one is not present in the document.

The following diagram shows all of the customizable elements of the elevation profile chart. The preview updates when settings are changed. Use the Zoom drop-down to control the size of the preview.

Elevation Profile Style

Use the Elevation Profile Style drop-down list to select a preset chart design and click the Apply button to see it in the preview. Choose [Reset Appearance] to return the elevation profile chart to its default settings.

Elevation profile styles can be saved at any time, even when changing settings from a preset style. Beside the Elevation Profile Style drop-down, click the Save button to open the Save Elevation Profile Style As dialog box. In this dialog box, enter a name and select the appropriate settings checkboxes to include with the saved style. Saved styles only contain the settings that were enabled when the style was saved. If certain settings are not included, they will not be saved to the style. Saved elevation profile styles are saved to a location specified in MAPublisher Preferences. Saved profiles can then be pinned as the default elevation profile using the ‘pin’ icon.  Default elevation settings can be reverted to factory defaults at any time using the   button (visible when a new default is set). Only settings contained within a saved style (e.g. units, appearance, labels, etc.) are used in the default.  

 Only settings contained within a saved style are affected when applied. All other settings are unmodified. This means that it is possible to apply settings from another saved style and combine multiple styles together.

Chart Size

Control the size of the chart using the chart size Width and Height controls. Adjust the height of the chart using either page units or vertical exaggeration. Vertical exaggeration is a ratio based on the vertical and horizontal scale. For example, for a map scale of 1:50,000, a horizontal scale of 1 cm on the map is equal to 50,000 cm on the ground. When the vertical scale is the same, there is no vertical exaggeration (50,000 cm / 50,000 cm = 1x). To achieve a vertical exaggeration of 2x, the vertical scale must change to 25,000 cm  (50,000 cm / 25,000 cm = 2x). The vertical exaggeration can vary greatly depending on the scale of the MAP View and the chart size.

Chart Appearance

Click the Edit Chart Appearance link to make changes to the chart title, visibility of the chart border and its style, and the plot area background.

Series Appearance

Click the Edit Series Appearance link to make changes to the plotline appearance (fill and stroke), including the ability to smooth the path. Optionally, plot points can be made visible and styled using their own appearance controls.

Axis Appearance

Click the respective Edit Axis Appearance link for the X Axis or Y Axis to make changes to the tick length and count axis line style, axis value and title text, and axis grid line.

After an elevation profile chart has been created, it is considered a grouped object. To change the settings and appearance of an elevation profile chart without generating a new one, select it and click the Elevation Profile button on the MAP Toolbar. This will re-open the Edit Elevation Profile dialog box with the existing settings available for editing.

 Manually editing the elements of the elevation profile chart is possible, but changes will not be reflected in the Edit Elevation Profile dialog box. Settings from the Edit Elevation Profile dialog box will always override manual edits.

 Ungrouping an elevation profile chart will break the dynamic link between MAPublisher and the elevation profile chart bar and it cannot be edited using the Edit Elevation Profile dialog box.