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1. What is nomad?
2. What's the point of nomad?
3. What does nomad mean?
4. Who runs nomad?
5. How do I access nomad?
6. What do I need to use nomad?
7. I can't use nomad because my web browser isn't supported. Why not?
8. Why does nomad take so long to load on a modem?
9. What is the difference between the broadband and modem versions of nomad?
10. Why are there so many buttons?
11. Why do I keep seeing the message, 'Please wait: Map still loading?'
12. I get a message about 'pop-up blocking' when I try and access the nomad site. What does this mean?
13. How do I view a map of my house?
14. How to I find the nearest school to my house?
15. How can I view aerial photos?
16. I can't switch on the map layer I want to see because it is greyed out - why?
17. What is the nomad statistics site?
18. The data I want to see isn't available. Can I suggest a useful addition to the nomad website?

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What is nomad?

nomad online maps is a website which allows you to view maps of the City of Nottingham and surrounding areas at various levels of detail, and add more information such as schools and libraries.

What's the point of nomad?

It's a lot easier to understand where things are if they're on a map. It's also easier to see where things are in relation to other things - e.g. how close the library is to the housing office. nomad gives you the chance to make your own maps, choose which information you want to see, and how much detail you want to view. It's all about getting to know the city and making the most out of the great facilities provided by Nottingham City Council and other organisations.

What does nomad mean?

nomad stands for Nottingham Online Maps and Data. The word 'nomad' also means a wanderer - who will be able to find his way using the nomad website.

Who runs nomad?

nomad is run by Nottingham City Council's Media and Mapping team, in the City Development department. The data is gathered from various sources: please see our Terms of Use for further details. If you would like to suggest an improvement, or if you can't find the help you need in this help section, please contact us by filling in our feedback form.

How do I access nomad?

The web address is www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/nomad. Alternatively there are links on the Nottingham City Council website, from the 'Maps' button on every page, or from web pages which link to a map of a certain facility.

What do I need to use nomad?

Generally, if you have access to a fairly modern PC or Mac with a fairly recent web browser installed and a connection to the internet, you can use nomad. There are some exceptions, so click here to view a list of system requirements.

I can't use nomad because my web browser isn't supported. Why not?

Unfortunately, nomad isn't compatible with all web browsers. If you use a recent web browser which is not in our list of system requirements, please click here to fill in our feedback form and let us know that you would like to see nomad become compatible with your web browser. (Because of nomad's advanced features, we can't make it compatible with older browsers like Netscape 4.x or below, or Internet Explorer 4 or below).

Why does nomad take so long to load on a modem?

If you're using a dial-up modem to view nomad maps, it takes a minute or two to load the website, particularly the first time you use it. This is because we've packed nomad with so many useful features and lots of useful information. If you choose the 'modem' version of nomad, it will take less time to load as the map is smaller. We hope you agree it is worth the wait.

What is the difference between the broadband and modem versions of nomad?

The modem version's map is fixed to a smaller size, to minimise download times. If you are using a 150k broadband connection, you may find the modem version more convenient to use.

Why are there so many buttons?

nomad is a powerful website, so it takes a bit of time to learn how to use it. Try working through our tutorial, which gives you a guided tour of which button does what. You can view the tutorial as a web page or as a Word document (150kb).

Why do I keep seeing the message, 'Please wait: Map still loading?'

nomad likes you to do one thing at a time. So if you zoom in, please wait till the map has loaded before you zoom in again (the green 'Loading map' icon will disappear when the map has finished loading). Likewise, if you're switching map layers on or off, do them one at a time, waiting for the 'Loading map' icon to disappear each time.

I get a message about 'pop-up blocking' when I try and access the nomad site. What does this mean?

Pop-up blocking is a way of stopping adverts 'popping up' in new windows when you're surfing the web. nomad needs to use these pop-up windows: not to bombard you with adverts, but to show you information about the features on the map.

Some browsers (such as Netscape 7, AOL 9) have pop-up blocking built in - consult your documentation to switch it off. Also, you can download toolbars (e.g. the Google toolbar) or software which block pop-up windows - again, consult your documentation to switch it off.

In some cases, you can enter the web address of sites you want to allow to open pop-up windows (this is sometimes called a 'white list'): in this case, enter 'http://webgis.nottinghamcity.gov.uk' and 'http://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk'.

How do I view a map of my house?

To find any address in Nottingham City or Nottinghamshire, use the 'Find address' tool. This is the first tool in the blue 'Map tools' area of the screen. First, choose the area you want to search: the default is Nottingham City, but from the drop-down list you can choose 'All districts' for the whole of Nottinghamshire, or just one of the districts.

Then simply type in any combination of building name or number, road name, and postcode and press 'Go'. The best matches for your input will pop up in a separate window. Click on the 'Zoom in' button by an address in the list to view that address on the map (marked by a dark blue dot). If you can't find an address, try just typing in part of the road name, or just the postcode. Also, make sure you're searching the right district, or try searching 'All districts'.

How to I find the nearest school to my house?

The 'Find nearest' tool allows you to find the nearest facility to any given point. Let's say you want to find the nearest school to your house.

• First of all, follow the instructions in 'How to view a map of my house' to find your house on the map.
• Then, click on the 'Find nearest' button, which is in the blue 'Map tools' section of the screen.
• Choose the layer of information you want to search from the drop down list. These are in order of category (look at the 'index' in the orange 'Add more information' section if you don't know which category to look for). In this case, "Education: Schools" is the map layer we want. You may see a message asking you if you want to switch this map layer on. Click 'OK' - we can't do a search until the map layer is switched on.
• Choose a distance. The default is to work in metres: if you want to use another measurement, e.g. miles, feet or kilometres, click the 'Change from metres' link. You will be taken to the 'Metric/imperial' tool - choose which measurement you want to use and press 'Go'.
  Now, you can type in a distance. So if you want to find all schools within 2 miles, change the measurement to 'Miles' and type 2 in the Distance box.
• Choose a starting point by clicking on the map. In this case, you've already found your house on the map, so click on that.
• The nearest schools will be displayed in a separate window. They are displayed in order of distances as the crow flies. Click on the Zoom in button by a particular school to see it on the map.

How can I view aerial photos?

Aerial photos are available as a map layer, in the 'basemap' category of the orange 'Add more information' section. Put a tick in the box next to 'Aerial Photos Overview' to switch them on. Please note that they take a little while to load, because they are bigger graphics files.

You will only be able to switch on aerial photos when you are zoomed in to street level. For more information, see 'I can't switch on the map layer I want to see because it is greyed out - why?'.

I can't switch on the map layer I want to see because it is greyed out - why?

Most of the map layers you can switch on in the orange 'Add more information' section are available all the time. However, a few of them can only be viewed at certain scales: for example when you're looking at the whole city, or when you're looking at just one street.

If the map layer you want to view is greyed out and you can't tick the box next to it, that means you need to zoom in or zoom out to be able to use it. The 'More information' button next to that map layer in the list will give you more information about when the map layer is available.

What is the nomad statistics site?

Click here for more information about the nomad statistics website.

The data I want to see isn't available. Can I suggest a useful addition to the nomad website?

We welcome your suggestions to improve nomad - what data would you like to see on the website? Click here to fill in our feedback form and we will evaluate your request.