This chapter describes how to select a place for use in chart casting, and how to manage the place database and atlas data.

There are  two different sources of place data

•Built-in ACS Atlas – provided within Solar Fire.

•Standalone ACS Atlas – may be purchased as a separate product.

If you have a standalone ACS Atlas installed on your computer, then you can choose whether you wish to use this Atlas in preference to Solar Fire's built-in ACS Atlas. See Atlas to Use for instructions on how to select which Atlas you wish to use.

 

>> To activate the ACS Atlas dialog box:

•When creating a new chart in the "New Chart Data Entry" dialog, select the Place button.

When the ACS PC Atlas dialog appears, the place, date and time boxes will contain the information that was held on the "New Chart Data Entry" dialog . You have the option of changing any of these if you wish to, and then clicking on any of the four main command buttons, which are described below. When you have found the place that you require, then clicking on the OK button will return you to the previous screen, and the displayed place details will be copied automatically onto that screen.

 

Atlas Lookup

You may enter the place to look up using any of the following formats...

•PlaceName

•PlaceName, CountryOrStateName

•PlaceName, CountyOrAdminDivisionName, CountryOrStateName

When you click on the Lookup button, one of the following will occur...

•A Place name with a country name or US State name – (e.g. “Athens, Greece”) If this place name exists as a unique name in the given country or state, then the lookup is performed immediately, and the results shown in this dialog. If there is more than one such place with this name, then you will be presented with a list of these places, from which you can select one. If the place name does not exist, then you will be presented with a list of places in that country or state whose names are closest, alphabetically, to the one you entered.

•A Place name with country name as “US” or “USA” – (e.g. “Athens, USA”) If this place name exists in a US state within the atlas, then you will be presented with a list of all places found with that state name and the local administrative division in which they fall. If the place name does not exist within the atlas, then you will be presented with a list of US state names from which to choose, after which you will be presented with a list of places in the chosen state whose names are closest, alphabetically, to the one you entered.

•A Place name (without country or state name) – (e.g. “Athens”) If this place name exists in the atlas, then you will be presented with a list of all places found with their country or US state name and the local administrative division in which they fall. If the place name does not exist within the atlas, then you will be presented with a list of country or state names from which to choose, after which you will be presented with a list of places in the chosen country or state whose names are closest, alphabetically, to the one you entered.

 

Similar Names

If you click on the Similar Names button, or if the place you are looking for was not found, then you will be presented with the City dialog box.

>> To select the required city

•Click on the required entry and select the OK button, or double-click on the required entry

If you select the Cancel button, then you will return to the ACS Atlas screen after seeing a message indicating that the lookup was not successful.

 

Radius Search

•If you click on the Radius Search Button, then the selection box appears.

The initial settings of the longitude and latitude will be the same as the most recent entry that was found in the atlas. You have the option of altering these if you wish, and of specifying the radius of the search in minutes of arc by editing the Distance box. By default it is set to 1 minute of arc.

 

>> To start the search

•Select the Start Search button

You will be prompted for the country or state in which you wish to search, and the results will be presented in the City dialog box, from which you may select any entry. If no entries are found within the given radius, then you will be returned to the ACS Atlas screen without any result.

 

Zone Changes

>> To see a list of dates and times at which the time zone changes occur

1.Select the Zone Changes button

You may be prompted for the country or state, and for the city for which you wish to see the zone changes and the results will be presented in a dialog box.

2.Selecting the OK button will simply return you to the ACS Atlas screen.

Adding or Deleting Place