The map window is used to display the locations of the sites and to show the results of your analyses.

The control panel at the top of the map lets you set the underlying satellite images to be aerial data or road layout information. You can also opt to display labels on the map:

Satellite images are provided by Bing Maps and is downloaded from the Internet when required. You will need an active Internet connection to be able to view this data. The level of detail available varies from area to area.

Interacting with the map

You can pan and zoom the map by using the mouse as follows:

• You can pan the map by left-clicking and dragging the map itself
• You can zoom into map by double-clicking (with the left mouse button) on the point of interest or by using the scroll-wheel on your mouse.

You can also control the zoom level and map location from the control panel in the top left corner:

Using 3D mode

The map can be put into 3D mode by clicking on the 3D button on the map view control. The 3D map is fairly memory intensive, and we recommend that you switch into this mode on startup if you are thinking of using it.

Microsoft Virtual Earth 3D lets you view 3D buildings and landmarks in many popular cities and areas. With your mouse, keyboard, or an Xbox 360 Controller for Windows, you can navigate 3D perspectives of land and cities.

When you view a location in 3D, Virtual Earth 3D first downloads a low resolution image of the area. If higher resolution images are available, Virtual Earth 3D updates the map with them while you view the map. The map view may appear blurry until Virtual Earth 3D downloads the higher resolution images. You can also see any maps generated by Overture in the 3D view; again these may appear blurry until the higher-resolution images are generated.

To view maps in 3D, you must install Microsoft Virtual Earth 3D. Note that you must be logged on to your computer as an Administrator before you try to install Virtual Earth 3D. If you receive a Windows Internet Explorer security warning, click Run to continue the installation

The satellite and building data is provided by Microsoft Virtual Earth and is downloaded from the Internet when required. You will need an active Internet connection to be able to view this data. The level of detail available varies from area to area.

Three-dimensional data is available for the whole world. However, 3D buildings aren't available for every city. To find out where 3D buildings are available, please see the Current 3D Cities collection that is hosted online at Bing maps.

Using the birds-eye view

Bird's eye images are low-angle, very high-resolution aerial images. Unlike the other map styles, bird's eye images exist only for specific regions and do not provide continuous map coverage.

The map can be put into Bird's Eye view by clicking on the Bird's Eye button:

You can use the navigation controls to rotate the view to the north, south, east and west.

Map sub-windows

The map has two sub-windows: Search and Layers. These can be positioned anywhere inside the map window by using the window controls at the top of each pane.