Polylines

Within Coasts in Mind, a polyline is an open-ended digital map annotation to define a linear feature or the boundary between two landscape characteristics.

When to draw polylines – polylines are a useful marker to define a path or a linear boundary, like an old coastline extent which has been recorded. The following list will give pointers for appropriate use-cases for a polyline as a record annotation:

• Use a polyline when the record relates to a route or pathway which is defined by a record. This could be a walk or journey described in an oral history account, or the line of a road which is no longer present but can be traced from a historic map.
• If you have evidence of a former coastline extent which can be accurately mapped into Coasts in Mind, a polyline is the best tool to use. This could be present on a historic map, or visible in an image relative to identifiable landmarks.
• A polyline would be suitable to use to mark the location of a former administrative boundary or other intangible division which is geographically known and identifiable.

When not to draw polylines – this section will help you decide when a polyline isn’t the best way to add annotation to a record:

• When the mappable record relates to a path or route but you can’t accurately identify the exact line it took, a point marker in the most central and accurate location you can manage is preferable to making up a polyline.

How to draw polylines - within the Contribute system you will find the ‘Annotator’ tab, here you will be prompted to add additional information to your record which will display on the map under certain circumstances. Select ‘add Polyline’ - the button is represented by two points connected by a line.

• To draw a segmented polyline, start by left-clicking where you want to begin defining your feature. Keep clicking with your mouse or trackpad along the feature route/line, using as many clicks/points as you need to make a nice, accurate representation.
• Keep as close to the line of the feature as possible.
• When you’ve finished drawing, click the final point again to complete and save the polyline.
• To edit the polyline you have drawn, click the select button which is represented by a pointing finger, then click on the polyline you have drawn. You can then click and drag each point to reposition them or hover over a line between points and click to add a new point.
• To delete a polyline, use the select tool to click on it. The box that opens will have the word DELETE at the bottom. Click this to delete the polyline