Map

A Map is a customizable representation of data where individual values contained in the visual are shown by colors. Fed by Data Series, a Map can show many different types of data, such as power usage, temperature, humidity, etc. A Map does not just need to be an image of your data center, you can place an influence on any transparent image uploaded into LiveDC.

You will need to gather the following information prior to creating a Map:

• Name of the Map
• Width in Pixels of the Map (determined by looking at the properties of the image)
• Height in Pixels of the Map (determined by looking at the properties of the image)
• The Legend that corresponds with the Map (Temp, Humidity, Power, Cost, etc.)
  • This is the representative color scale you see at the bottom of each Map
• The Layers that will make up your Map (Solid Background, Influences Layer, Transparent Floor Layout, etc.)
  • Most Maps are made of those three (3) Layers
  • A good way to make your floor layout transparent is to use an open source program called GIMP, which can be downloaded from the web.
    • Import the floor layout into GIMP
    • Change all colors to “Gray scale” by selecting mode under the image menu
    • Create a Black Border for the floor layout using the selection tool under the Tools menu in GIMP
    • Select ‘Color to Alpha’ from the colors menu to change the selected area into a transparent part fo the image
    • Export the image as a .PNG file and save to your preferred location
    • Import the PNG file into LiveDC utilizing the “Uploaded Images” feature (See “Uploading an Image” for more information)