About Syracuse MapsOnline

Syracuse Community Geography, in partnership with the Metropolitan Development Association, and with startup funding from the Gifford Foundation, launched Syracuse MapsOnline (www.mapsonline.net/syracuse) in June 2008. Syracuse MapsOnline is a free, interactive mapping website for Onondaga County. Currently, Syracuse MapsOnline contains 86 layers of data. Anyone accessing MapsOnline can create, save and print maps at a variety of scales within Onondaga County. To view the map layers currently available on MapsOnline, click here.

Learning to use MapsOnline

Learning to use MapsOnline is easy. Usually it just takes a little time playing around with the site’s tools and data layers to get the hang of it. We’ve also created a self-guided tutorial for you to use. The tutorial explains all of the tools and walks you through creating, saving and printing a practice map. We recommend printing the Map Layers List too. With 86 layers of data available, it is sometimes easier to see all the layers in one list.

MapsOnline Workshops

If you think you and/or your colleagues would learn to use MapsOnline more effectively by attending a workshop, please submit a workshop request form. The Syracuse Community Geography office periodically offers free workshops for up to 20 people at a time. During the 1.5-2 hour free workshop, participants learn to use each mapping tool in the program, and how to refine the available data to meet their specific needs. Participants also learn basic cartography and geography principals and how to customize their maps using free design software. Workshop participants are encouraged to discuss their data and mapping needs during the workshop so that they can be shown other web-based statistical data sources that may be useful to their program planning, outreach, educational and grant writing endeavors.

Specific goals of MapsOnline workshops include:

• Demonstrating the visual power of maps and graphics for conveying important and complex information about the community; Familiarizing participants with tools and data layers available in MapsOnline;

• Educating participants about other web-based data resources that can enrich their work;

• Providing workshop attendees an opportunity to discuss their research needs and interests with other attendees to foster communication and connections across organizational divides.

Click here to learn about what past workshop participants have to say about their experience.