Q. How do I create a new map?

Click on the "Create Map" link in the top navigation bar of the home page. This will take you to the Create Map page (Figure 1).

• Enter the desired map name.
  
  
• Choose a map type:
  

  1.Normal- Other users can view, but not edit the map.

  2. Wiki- Other users can edit the map.



• Enter the map description
  
  
• Position and zoom the map to the desired state. The marker will adjust itself to show the center of the map.


• When you have made the desired changes, click the "Create Map" button located underneath the map.


• On successful completion, the tool will take you to the newly created map.

Note: The 'Create Map' link only appears on the home page. All other actions are done from the respective map pages.

Q. How do I add a point to the map?

There are two ways to add a point to the map:

a) Add by address: You can use this method only if you know the address of the location you want to map.

• Click on the "Add" tab in the menu located on the Map page.
  
  
• Choose the Point Entry Mode.
  
  
• Fill in the form fields. The Title, Address/Location and the Marker Color fields are all required for the point to map successfully.

The address should be a valid U.S address. We don't currently support international addresses. If you want to add international points, use the 'Add by clicking' method (see below).

b) Add by clicking: Use this method if you don't know /don't want to enter the address of the location you wish to map .

• Locate the required position (and zoom level) on the map you want mark. Click on the map location to create a temporary marker. The temporary marker is black (Figure 4).


• Now click on the "Add" tab - and enter the details (similar to the Add by address method).

Note: In this case the address doesn't have to be a valid U.S. address. This field is still required, so we suggest entering some descriptive information like "Lake Lansing, Okemos MI" in the Address/Location field.

Also, you can create only one temporary marker at a time. To delete a temporary marker, just click on it. You can now create another temporary marker at any location.

Q. How do I add a route to the map?

• Click on the "Add" tab in the menu located on the Map page.


• Choose the Route Entry Mode.


• Click on the map to create the starting point. Now keep clicking along the path you want to create the route to draw lines.
  
  
• If you want to edit the Route- Click on 'Undo last action' to remove the last created marker,


• Fill in the form fields to complete mapping the route.

Q. How do I modify a Point or a Route?

• Click on the "Modify" tab in the menu located on the Map page.


• Select the Title of the Point or the Route you want to modify from the drop down menu.
  
  
• Make the necessary changes and click on 'Modify' button.

Note: You cannot change the address/location of the Point or the Route.

Q. How do I delete a Point or a Route?

• Click on the "Delete" tab in the menu located on the Map page.


• Select the Title of the Point or the Route you want to delete from the drop down menu.
  
  
• Click on the 'Delete' button to delete the Point or the Route

Note: You cannot change any details of the Point or the Route in this section.

Q. How do I change the Map Settings?

Click on the "Map Settings " link in the top navigation bar of the map page.

• Make desired changes similar to creating a Map.

Q. Why did my address give me an error message?

If the address you entered gives you an error, there may be several reasons.

• Firstly, make sure the address you are entering is a valid U.S. address - including city, state, and zip code. If you do not have a valid address, you can add a temporary marker by clicking on the map instead


• An error may be caused by using the wrong address extension, such as using Chester Street, when it is actually Chester road.


• The error could also occur because that address or title is already being used in the map. Grassroots can only map the same address or title once per map. check to see if the address or title is already in use.

Q. Why did the address I added show up in the wrong place?

The process of converting an address into an actual point on the map (called geocoding) is done by an external web site, which runs on the US census database. It is not always accurate and thus the point may be slightly off the mark. At times the geocoder may mistake your entry for a different address. Both these issues are beyond our control.

If you have trouble getting the address to map by entering the location, you can Add by Clicking instead.

If you continue to have a problem mapping your location, write to us using the contact form and we will manually fix the entry if possible.

Q. Why doesn't the map show up in my browser?

Grassroots uses the Google Maps API to create your maps. Your browser must be compatible with Google Maps in order to use Grassroots. Here are the browsers and versions that Google Maps currently supports:

• IE 6.0+
• Firefox 0.8+
• Safari 1.2.4+
• Netscape 7.1+
• Mozilla 1.4+
• Opera 8.02+

For current documentation on Google Maps, visit Google Maps FAQ.

Q. Why doesn't the web site display properly on my monitor?

This web site is designed for a resolution of 800 X 600 or better. If your monitor has a lower resolution, the display may be broken. If your resolution is 800 X 600 and you are still having display problems, please contact us with your OS/ browser information.

Q. There are some bugs in the web site What do I do?

Please note that the tool is still in the testing stages. Please contact us concerning the errors you encounter and we will address them as soon as possible. Your feedback is extremely valuable to creating a product that works best for you.

Q. I have some suggestions about the web site Whom do I contact?

Additional features are currently being added to the system, and we would also find your suggestions very useful. Please use the contact form to write to us.