Tantalis GATOR: Helpful Hints

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• Introduction
• General Search Operation and Wildcard (%)
• Locating Different Parcel Types
• Searching Wellsite Data
• Image Plugins
• Image Facts
• Manipulating Images
• Printing Images
• Saving Image Options
• Other Information

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Introduction

We have organized our tips into the subject areas you see below. Click the topic that interests you to navigate directly to that section of this document. A link labelled Top will bring you back to the table of contents. Also see our Glossary of Terms for definitions of the language used within Tantalis GATOR.

General Search Operation and Wildcard (%)

• Position the cursor in a blank field before commencing to type.
• Use either upper or lower case. Search results will be the same.
• When using a dropdown list (e.g. for Land Districts), key in the first letter of your search term to navigate more quickly.
• When your search returns multiple results, scroll to the bottom of the first page and click the Next button to view successive pages. Click the Count button at the bottom of the page to determine the total number of items returned in your search.
• Note the maximum number of returns per page is 50.
• In Tantalis GATOR, the % sign functions as a Wildcard, providing more search flexibility. Here's how it works: Let's say you are searching for a company in the Interested Parties field. You're not sure if the correct name is "Dolittle & Steele" or "Dolittle and Steele" entering Dolittle% will bring back all companies that start with Dolittle. If you're not sure of the order of the two names, typing %Dolittle% will find ALL Dolittles in the system, regardless of exactly where the name occurs in the field.
• The Glossary can be accessed within Tantalis GATOR. Click on a term or heading (which may be in black) that is underlined. You will be linked to definitions within the Glossary. Click the Back button on your browser window to return to Tantalis GATOR.
• Tantalis GATOR Quickguide [DOC] provides details about the two major search options, along with an explanation of the information that is returned.

Locating Different Parcel Types

• You can search for a Mineral Claim using its name as a search criterion (i.e. the "Blackbird Fraction").  Select Legal Description as the search option and type the name in the Parcel Name field. You can also use the % sign as a wildcard with a portion of the name, as described above.
• You can search for Indian Reserves by name using the Parcel Name field under Legal Description, as well as by legal description, as described above.
• You can search for a specific Interested Parties under Interest using the wildcard with a portion of the family or corporate name, as described above. If your searches do not produce the expected results, use only three or four letters with a proceeding and following wildcard, as in %hydro%.
• If survey parcel searches for Vancouver Island properties do not produce the expected returns, they may be E&N or VL&M parcels. Click the Clear button on your search screen. Enter the Land District and the parcel number, followed by the % sign wildcard, as in District Lot 12%. The parcel you are looking for will more than likely be among the additional returns. If this does not produce the desired results, try your parcel number with the wildcard in the Section or Block field, rather than the District Lot field.
• See our listing of Hudson Bay Company grants (MS Excel) for descriptors that can be used to easily locate images for these unique grants. These descriptors include grant document number, parcel identification number (PIN) and parcel legal description.
• To search for a Park, Protected Area or OIC Ecological Reserve by it's name click on the Admin Area link under the Survey Details search option. Select the desired Park or Reserve from the drop down menu provided. Then enter the Park, Protected Area or OIC Ecological Reserve Name in the field provided and press the Submit Query button. As with other name searches, if the search does not produce the expected returns, use a portion of the name with the % sign as a wildcard (e.g. %banana%).
• To search for a Land Title Office plan by plan number click on the LTO Plan option under Survey Details search option. Then type the Land Title Office Plan Number in the field provided and press the Submit Query button (e.g. 8888).
• To search for a particular Interest by Type, Purpose, Sub Type or Sub Purpose click on the query by BCGS Mapsheet under Interest heading. Then type in the BCGS grid number and select the desired Purpose or Type from the drop down menu provided and press the Submit Query button. This search option must be used in conjunction with the BCGS Mapsheet number.
• It is possible to search for a particular Interest Type by Region Name as well as BCGS Mapsheet. To search by Region Name click on the query by BCGS Mapsheet under Interest heading. Then type in the BCGS grid number and select the desired Region Name as well as the Purpose or Type from the drop down menu provided and press the Submit Query button. This search option must be used in conjunction with the BCGS Mapsheet number.
• To search by a partial description for a subdivision parcel click on the Legal Description link under Survey Parcel search option. Then enter a portion of the parcel description with the % sign as a wildcard (e.g. %BLOCK 10%) in the Legal Description Substring field and press the Submit Query button. This search option can be used in conjunction with other identifiers such as Land District, District Lot and others.

Searching Wellsite Data

• Users can search for Wellsite data by file number, name or location. Location refers to a Wellsite Legal Description. There are two types of Wellsite Legal Descriptions or Locations, Peace River Block type or Petroleum and Natural Gas type.
• Wellsite plan numbers MUST be entered in the Location field with a dash between each number or letter, as in 7-8-79-18-W6M or 93-P-1-F-3-C.
• For Peace River Block Wellsites, the plan or Location number is based upon the Dominion Township survey system within the Peace River Block area. For these plans, the first number is the Legal Subdivision, followed by Section Number, then Township, then  Range and lastly Meridian number, as in 7-8-79-18-W6M.
• For Petroleum and Natural Gas Wellsites, the plan or Location number is based upon the Petroleum and Natural Gas (PNG) grid survey system. The first number and letter are the NTS grid number, followed by the mapsheet number, then Block letter, Unit number, and Quarter Unit letter, as in 93-P-1-F-3-C. Note that the numbering system used might differ slightly from the order of the numbering system used by the Wellsite operators.
• To search for Wellsites using a Wellsite Name as a search criteria, select Query by Wellsite Name, type in a portion of the Wellsite name followed by the % wildcard sign, as in %star, as described above.

Image Plugins

• Our image plug-ins are an optional feature, provided to enhance image viewing, manipulation and printing, however, Tantalis GATOR images may be viewed without them.
• There are two image plug-ins. One plug-in is for use with SID images, the second plug-in is for TIF and GIF images.
• Download your plug-in of choice from the link provided on the main search page. Follow the instructions provided. Help documents are provided to assist with downloading.
• If you can not download the plug-ins then you may not have administrative authority on your computer. Contact your own desktop support staff to download the plug-ins for you.
• Once a plug-in has been downloaded, you will need to ENABLE it prior to use. The Search Results page will display an Enable or Disable button next to each viewer or plug-in option, as well as an indicator as to whether the plug-in is On or Off. To activate either plug-in, click on the Enable button next to it. When a plug-in is activated, the indicators will change to say Disable and On.
• The image plug-ins will remain enabled for your entire session. When you log out of Tantalis GATOR and then log back in, you will need to re-enable the plug-ins.
• For further information, see our Expanded Help on Images [DOC].

Image Facts

• Images are provided in GIF, TIF or SID formats depending upon their size. All images are NOT available in all formats.
• Black and white images are normally provided in a TIF or GIF format. Colour images are usually available in an SID format. Images may be viewed through your Internet browser without the use of the additional software or plug-ins, if desired. The image plug-ins provide more viewing options. See Image Plug-in Section for more details.
• TIF images are MORE detailed than GIF images, but GIF images download faster. If the GIF image is not clear enough, then close out the image and image link page. Then click on the ENABLE button next to the TIF image plug-in and then click on the View Image link again. The TIF image will appear quite clear. The TIF image plug-in must be installed, to do this.
• Some images in Tantalis GATOR are only available in one format. If you click on an image link and no image appears, only a small red X, then close out the image and image link page. Click on the ENABLE button next to the TIF image plug-in and then click on the View Image link again. The image will now be provided in TIF format.
• Many computers come with image editing software that works quite well with these images, once they have been saved. Examples of such software programs are MS Photo Editor, Adobe PhotoShop or Corel Paintshop.
• Some images in Tantalis GATOR are multiple page images. If a multiple page image is flashing rather than showing all the pages, close out the image and image link page. Next click on the ENABLE button next to the TIF image plug-in and then click on the View Image link again. The TIF image plug-in must be installed, to do this.
• Some images in Tantalis GATOR are electronically received and deposited. These images are known as EPC or Electronic Plan Crown. You can search for EPC plans using the Tube or Tray field under the Survey Details section, from the Main Search Menu.

Manipulating Images

• The MrSID plug-in, once Enabled, allows for enhanced viewing of colour images, including the ability to rotate, pan, and zoom in on an image. Once your selected image appears, click the second button from the right on the plug-in toolbar for Other Options. A drop down menu will list the various options.
• The TIF viewer plug-in, once Enabled, also allows for enhanced viewing and printing quality for black and white images, but does not reside inside your Web browser.
• When selecting a black and white image (and the TIF plug-in has been Enabled) a dialogue box will ask if you wish to open the file from its current location or save it to disk. Select Open this file from its current location.
• To resize or rotate an image from within the TIF viewer plug-in, click View on the plug-in toolbar and select the desired option. Images may initially appear at either maximum or minimum zoom. Click Zoom Out or Zoom In on the toolbar to view the image at the desired scale. You may also choose to fit the image to the window to alter the image view.
• Some large plan images may appear to be cut off or cropped. These documents have been scanned in their entirety and are available to view. When viewing such an image WITHOUT the plug-ins, position the cursor over the cropped area and click. This should zoom in and return an image showing the cropped area. If the MrSID plug-in has been Enabled,  select the Pan feature to pull up or down the cropped or missing image portion.
• Note that Windows XP users will not be able to use the downloaded TIF image viewer as the Windows XP viewer will automatically be activated if the TIF viewer button has been Enabled.

Printing Images

• To print an image using the Enabled MrSID plug-in, click on the image and from the MrSID toolbar choose Other Options. Select Print Image and select the printer you wish to use. Click the Properties button to specify image orientation (portrait or landscape), and other options. Indicate the number of copies and click on Print.
• To print from the Enabled TIF viewer, choose File / Print from the toolbar and select the printer you wish to use. Click the Preferences button and specify desired paper size and orientation (portrait or landscape). The Advanced tab will provide other options. Click Print. A new dialogue box will appear, providing enhanced printing options regardless of printer. Select "Best fit to page", "Stretch to fit on page" or another option. Click Print button to output the image.
• To create prints using either Image plug-in, you may right click on the image and click the Print selection from the menu that appears.
• The image products provided in Tantalis GATOR differ from the ORIGINAL hard copy images. Tantalis GATOR images may not necessarily be printed to scale. Print features available also depend upon which printers you have installed on your system or network.
• To print the large official plans from the Mr. Sid Plug-in, for up to E size or 36" x 48" prints, use the Enabled Mr. SID plug-in. Click on the Other Options button from the Mr. Sid Plug-in Tool Bar. Then click on Print. In the Print dialog box, select the 'Entire Image' button, the 'High Quality' button and a select a printer capable of large size prints. Then click on the Properties button. Select the Layout Tab and the Advanced button. Select E size paper or 36" x 48" and an enlarged scale such as 200%. Then click on OK to print. This assumes your printer that is capable of at least 300 to 600 dpi and uses 36" paper. NOTE: The scale option in the plug-in is not accurate and the print dialog box for your printer may have slightly different options.
• To print, without the black border, the large colour official plans or crown grant plans which are SID format just turn the Mr. SID plug-in ON by clicking on the Enable button. Then click on the image link to Open and view the image. Then right click on the image and select Print. In the Print dialog box, select the "Entire Image" button and "Best Quality" button, if your printer dialog box has these options.

  If you want to print a large size copy, click on the Print Properties button or the Advanced button (depending upon your printer) and select the paper size required. Then click on OK and sent to Printer. NOTE: Be sure that your printer has the ability to accept and print large size paper. You may need to make these print selections options for each print. If you want the image enlarged, check the Advance tab in the Print dialog box, which may allow you to enlarge the print to say 150%. You may also want to change the orientation of the print from portrait to landscape, depending upon the plan.

Saving Image Options

• MrSID Viewer - to save a SID image using the Enabled MrSID Viewer plug-in, right click on the image and select the "Save Picture As" selection from the menu, or select Other Options from the MrSID Viewer toolbar. Select the location, rename image if desired, select an image format. The three image formats available for MrSID are SID, BITMAP or JPEG. Select one.
• TIF Viewer - to save a TIF image using the Enabled TIF Viewer plug-in, click on File from the TIF Viewer toolbar and select Save As or click on the image. Select the location, rename image if desired, select an image format. TIF Viewer plug-in allows for numerous image format options.
• Internet Browser - to save an image, zoom into the desired scale or view, place the curser on the image and RIGHT CLICK ON THE IMAGE selecting the "Save Picture As" option. Using this technique, the two image formats available for MrSID images are BITMAP or JPEG. We do not recommend saving the image as an HTML format page or using the File / Save As option on the Internet Browser toolbar. The Internet Browser toolbar option for saving images will only allow a TXT or HTML format.
• What You See Is What You Get - right click on the image, select the location, rename image if desired, select an image format. The resolution of ANY saved Tantalis GATOR image will be EXACTLY the same pixel size as the screen image displayed in Tantalis GATOR which can be 72 to 96 dpi. Remember to zoom into the image to capture the desired parameter of information, as the saved image will reflect only what you see on your monitor (What You See Is What You Get). You may need to save several portions of the image to capture your total area of interest.

Other Information

• The Consolidated Parcel Encumbrance report is just like the old CLR report. It provides a consolidated listing of both survey and interest details for a primary parcel and its subdivision.