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Visual Sample Plan
Quick-Start Guide 4.0
(For people who don’t like to read manuals)
The purpose of this guide is to introduce the user to the features of Visual Sample Plan (VSP). This guide
is arranged as a set of tutorials that allow the user to learn the basics of VSP in a “hands-on” environment.
Example 1:
The Basics
Open the Project
1.
Open the project named “Example1.vsp”. The project may be opened by selecting File / Open
Project on the menu and choosing Example1.vsp in the File Open dialog box. The File Open
dialog box may also be accessed by clicking the Open button of the toolbar or by using the
keyboard shortcut Ctrl-O.
Map View
2.
When first opened, the Map view is the default view for the project. The Map view shows a plan
view of the project site. The area colored red is the survey unit, or “sample area.” Samples only
appear inside of sample areas. In this project, the samples are the light blue circles with crosses in
them. A project can contain many sample areas. Expand the project window by pressing the
Maximize button on the upper right corner of the project window.
3.
On the Map view, you can zoom in to examine details of the project site. Choose View / Zoom In
from the menu (or click on the Zoom In button on the toolbar, which is the magnifying glass with
a plus sign in it). The cursor becomes a magnifying glass. Clicking on the map with the
magnifying glass will center that point in the window and make the view larger. Click a couple of
times on the map to see how it is magnified.
4.
You can also zoom out to see a larger area of the project map. Choose View / Zoom Out from the
menu (or click on the Zoom Out button on the toolbar, which is the magnifying glass with the
minus sign in it). ). The cursor becomes a magnifying glass. Clicking on the map with the
magnifying glass will center that point in the window and make the view smaller. Click a couple
of times on the map to see how it shrinks.
5.
To see site map as large as possible while keeping it all visible in the window choose View /
Zoom Max from the menu. Do this now to restore the map view.
6.
To focus in on a specific area of the site map use the Zoom Window feature. Choose View /
Zoom Window from the menu (or click on the Zoom Window button on the toolbar). The cursor
becomes a magnifying glass with a cross inside it. Take the cursor to the upper left corner of the
sample area. Press and hold the left mouse button while dragging the cursor to the lower right
corner of the sample area. (You will see a rectangle being drawn on the map – this indicates the
area that will be magnified.) When the rectangle encloses the sample area release the mouse
button and the map view will be magnified to show the area selected. If you didn’t quite get the
area you wanted, do Zoom Max and try again.
7.
Use the Pan feature to position the map where you want it on your screen. Choose View / Pan
from the menu (or click on the Pan button on the toolbar). The cursor will become a hand
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indicating you are in Pan mode. Hold the left mouse button down and move the mouse to
reposition the map. Turn off the Pan mode once the map is positioned to your satisfaction.
8.
The sample area can be turned on or off (selected / deselected). Put the cursor on the sample area
and left-click the mouse. The sample area is now deselected and is shown as a colored outline. A
deselected sample area is protected from sampling operations. This is important when there are
several sample areas on a map, and you want to perform different operations on them. Click on
the sample area again to select it. (These operations can also be accomplished by using Edit /
Sample Areas / Select/Deselect Sample Areas on the menu.)
9.
Information about individual sample points is available by right clicking on them with the mouse.
Try this and note the dialog box that pops up. It shows the sample type, coordinates, and label.
The label is empty by default, but can be changed by the user. Enter some text in the Label box
and press the OK button. Note the label is displayed on the map. The label display can be turned
off by deselecting View / Labels from the menu (or unchecking the View Labels button on the
main toolbar).
Graph View
10.
The Graph view shows a graph relating to some aspect of the sampling design. Certain sampling
designs do not have an associated graph. Select the graph view by clicking the Graph View
button on the toolbar. (It may also be selected using View / Graph on the menu.)
11.
This sampling plan is designed to provide data for a one-sample t-test. The associated graph
shows the probability of deciding the sample area is contaminated on the y-axis vs. a range of
possible, but unknown, true mean values on the x-axis. The graph is interactive. You can move
the cursor to a value on the x-axis (true mean in this case) and see the related probability value on
the y-axis. These cross hairs can be turned on or off by choosing Options / Graph / Display
Cross Hairs from the menu. The values also appear on the status bar at the bottom of the window
in numerical format.
12.
See Example 2: Beyond the Basics for more information on the Decision Performance Goal
Diagram (DPGD) which is the graph used in this example. You can interactively change design
parameters from the DPGD graph view.
Report View
13.
The Report view shows detailed information about the current sampling design. You can
interactively modify the sensitivity analysis table by right-clicking on the report view. The report
can be copied to the clipboard (Edit / Copy) so that it can be pasted into a word processor and
further formatted. Select the report view by clicking the Report View button on the toolbar. (It
may also be selected using View / Report on the menu.)
Coordinate View
14.
The Coordinate view shows the coordinates for each sample point on the map. Coordinates are
segregated by sample area. These coordinates can be copied and pasted into a spreadsheet or word
processor.
Miscellaneous
15.
Edit / Copy can be used to transfer information to other Windows programs. The map view and
graph view can be placed in the clipboard and then be placed in a graphics program such as
Windows Paint. The report view text can be transferred to a word processor. The coordinate view
can be transferred to a word processor or spreadsheet.
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16.
Edit / Paste can be used to transfer sample information into a sampling project. Paste is only
active on the coordinate and map views. The information must be ASCII text (as from a
spreadsheet, text editor, or word processor).
A. To paste sample data into the coordinate view, it must contain at a minimum the X and Y
coordinates of each sample point to be placed in the project. The coordinates must fall inside a
sample area or they will be ignored. Additional information may be included. For details on the
sample data format, choose Help / Help Topics from the menu and click on the Index tab. Select
the Sample Data Format topic to read about the various sample data formats.
B. To paste polyline data into the map view, it must contain an X and Y coordinate for each vertex of
the polyline. Polylines are separated by a blank line.
17.
Largest Unsampled spot can be used to see where deficiencies in sample coverage may exist. It
shows where the largest circle can be placed inside each sample area without overlapping a
sample. To see how this works, choose Tools / Largest Unsampled Spot / Find. A dialog box
appears. Accept the default parameters by pressing the OK button. It may take a few moments to
find, depending on the number of samples, the complexity of the sample area, the accuracy
requested, and the speed of your computer. When the spot is found, it will be displayed along
with a dialog box describing its size. The spot can be hidden by choosing View / Largest
Unsampled Spots on the menu.
18.
Double / Triple / Quad Window. Multiple windows can be opened for a single project, each
with a different view. The easiest way to achieve this is by choosing Window / Quad Window
from the menu. This opens four windows, selects the four views (map, graph, report, coordinate),
and arranges them on the screen. Double Window shows only the map and graph views. Triple
Window shows the map, graph, and report views.
Example 2:
Beyond the Basics
1.
Open the project named “Example2.vsp”.
2.
Note that the samples are arranged in a systematic grid. They were produced using Sampling
Goals / Compare Average to Fixed Threshold / Can assume data will be normally
distributed / Ordinary Sampling and selecting the Systematic grid sampling radio button on
the Sample Placement tab. Position the cursor near one of the samples and right-click with the
mouse. Note that the type is “Systematic Sample” rather than a “Random Sample” as in the
previous example.
Change the Grid Angle
3.
Note that the grid is aligned with the axis of the map rather than being aligned with the building.
To change the alignment of the grid click select Edit / Sample Areas / Select Grid Angle on the
menu.
4.
The cursor becomes a crosshair, indicating you are in angle selection mode. Position the
crosshairs on the lower left corner of the sample area. Hold down the Shift key and click with the
mouse. (Holding the Shift key attaches the angle selector to the corner point on the building.
This results in the most accurate method of angle selection.)
5.
A stretching line is now attached to the cursor indicating the angle of the grid. Select the second
point of the angle by positioning the cursor over the lower right corner of the building. Hold down
the Shift key and click with the mouse. (As before, holding the Shift key attaches the other end of
the angle selector to the corner of the building.)
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6.
The sample grid is now aligned with the bottom edge of the building rather than with the axis of
the map. This simplifies the process of locating samples inside a building.
Display All Views
7.
Simultaneously show all the views for this sample plan by choosing Window / Quad Window
from the menu.
Systematic Grid Sampling
8.
Choose Sampling Goals / Compare Average to Fixed Threshold / Can assume data will be
normally distributed / Ordinary sampling from the menu.
9.
Note that this sampling design calls for a minimum of 57 samples. Also note that the report view
probably shows that there are more or fewer than 57 samples in the sample area. This discrepancy
exists because a systematic grid cannot always produce the minimum number of samples needed.
There were 57 samples when you first opened the project, but realigning the grid angle caused the
number of samples to change. The grid defaults to a random-start option, which varies the
position of the first sample and evenly spaces the remaining samples from that position.
10.
The systematic grid sampling designs try several times to get the exact minimum number of
samples needed. Press the Apply button to resample. You should now see 57 samples. If not,
you will see more than 57 samples. The systematic grid sampling designs keep resampling until
you have at least the minimum number of samples required by the design.
11.
VSP provides three different types of grids: square, triangular, and rectangular. View the grid
options by clicking on the Sample Placement tab of the Mean vs. Action Level dialog. The
triangular grid typically provides the best coverage (the smallest unsampled spot) for a given
number of samples. Click on the Triangular grid radio button and press the Apply button. You
should now see 57 samples. If not, press the Apply button again.
12.
Once you have a grid that is acceptable, you can keep it by pressing the small Close button on the
upper right corner of the dialog window or by pressing the large Close button at the bottom of the
dialog.
Decision Performance Goal Diagram
13.
Click the Maximize button on the upper right corner of the Graph view window. The graph that
corresponds to the Parametric / Mean vs. Action Level sampling design is the typical EPA
Decision Performance Goal Diagram (DPGD).
14.
Choose Sampling Goals / Compare Average to Fixed Threshold / Can assume data will be
normally distributed / Ordinary sampling from the menu. Drag the dialog to the left until you
can see the vertical red line on the graph. This red line is the Action Level that is entered by the
user. Type 100 in the Action Level text box on the dialog and click the Apply button. Notice that
the vertical red line is now located at 100 on the x-axis.
15.
The dashed blue line near the top of the graph represents that Alpha error rate. This is where the
decision function crosses the Action level. In this case, Alpha is 5% and is offset from 1(resulting
in a value of 0.95). Type 15 in the Alpha text box on the dialog and click the Apply button.
Notice that the decision function now crosses the action level at 0.85.
16.
Drag the dialog box up until you can see the bottom blue line. This dashed blue line represents the
Beta error rate. This is where the decision function crosses the outer bound of the gray region. In
this case, Beta is 20% and is offset from 0 (resulting in a value of 0.20). Type 25 in the Beta text
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box on the dialog and click the Apply button. Notice the decision function now crosses the edge
of the gray region at 0.25.
17.
The decision function is based on the null hypothesis. In this case, the null hypothesis is that the
true mean is greater than or equal to the action level (i.e., the site is dirty). The resulting decision
function is the probability of deciding that the mean is greater than or equal to the action level
when the true mean is a particular level. Click on the True Mean <= Action Level (Assume Site
is Clean) radio button and press the Apply button. Now, the null hypothesis is that the site is
clean and the decision function is the probability of deciding that the true mean is greater than the
action level when the true mean is a particular level.
18.
The decision function of the DPGD is not very intuitive. VSP provides an option that makes the
meaning of the decision function more clear. Choose Options / Graph / Probability of Correct
Decision from the menu. The DPGD decision function is now the probability of making the
correct decision when the true mean is a particular level.
19.
Each of the parameters can be modified by manipulating the graph as follows:
Alpha: drag the horizontal blue dashed line up or down
Beta: drag the horizontal blue dashed line up or down
Delta (and lower or upper bound of the gray region – LBGR, UBGR): drag the vertical edge
of the shaded gray area left or right
Standard Deviation: drag the vertical section of the green line left or right
Action Level: drag the vertical red line left or right
Null Hypothesis: click on the y-axis title
As you change these parameters, you can see the new value of the parameter on the status bar.
The sampling design is updated based on the parameter you modified, and new samples are placed
on the map. For modifying design parameters, you can use the interactive DPGD as an alternative
to the sampling design dialog boxes.
Close any existing projects before proceeding (use File / Close Project on the menu or click the Close
button on the project windows).
Example 3:
Starting from Scratch
1.
Create a new project by choosing File / New Project on the menu or by clicking the New button
on the toolbar. Expand the project window by pressing the Maximize button on the upper right
corner of the project window.
2.
Choose View / Map Drawing Toolbar from the menu. This displays a toolbar used specifically
for drawing a map. Typically a map will be loaded from a DXF file, but if one is not available it
is possible to draw your own map using these tools. This toolbar may also be docked if you prefer
to get it off the project window. All the drawing functions described below are also available on
the menu under Map.
3.
Draw Line. Click the Draw Line button on the toolbar. The cursor become a cross indicating
you are in drawing mode. Click a point on the map. You will now see a line between the cursor
and point you clicked. Continue clicking points to make a complex polygon. If you make a
mistake, click the Undo button on the main toolbar (or select Edit / Undo from the menu or press
Ctrl-Z on the keyboard). This will remove the last point you entered. Points can also be entered
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on the keyboard. Just enter the X, Y coordinates for each point (for example: type 32,48 and press
the Enter key). You can see the coordinates that you are entering on the status bar at the bottom of
the window. To connect a line to a point already entered (for example: to connect the last line to
the first point to create a closed polygon) hold the Shift key while clicking with the mouse.
Holding the Shift key can be used in most drawing operations to select the nearest point on the
map without having to carefully position the cursor. Holding the Ctrl key while moving the
mouse allows you to draw a horizontal or vertical line without having to be careful. To finish the
line, right-click the mouse or click the Draw Line button on the toolbar again.
4.
Draw Rectangle. Click the Draw Rectangle button on the toolbar. Click on a point on the map
that you want to be one corner of a rectangle. Holding the Shift key while clicking causes that
point to be attached to an existing point on the map. Move the cursor to the opposite corner of the
rectangle and click the mouse button. Holding the Ctrl key while moving and clicking forces the
rectangle to be a square. The X, Y coordinates of the corner points can also be entered on the
keyboard.
5.
Draw Ellipse. Click the Draw Ellipse button on the toolbar. Drawing an ellipse is basically the
same as drawing a rectangle. Holding the Ctrl key forces the ellipse to be a circle.
6.
Draw Curve. Click the Draw Curve button on the toolbar. Click a point on the map. Click a
second point on the map. A line is drawn between these first two points. As you move the cursor
around the map, this line is stretched to become a curve. When the curve has the shape you want,
click the mouse (this is the control point). The X, Y coordinates for the three points can also be
entered on the keyboard.
7.
Delete Lines. If you want to remove any line from the map, simple highlight it and press the
delete key. To highlight a map line, left click on or near it with the mouse. A small square at each
vertex of the line indicates that the line is selected. To deselect a line, just click on a blank part of
the map away from any map line. Note also that the Undo button will remove the last drawn map
line.
8.
Now that you are familiar with the drawing functions, remove the sample areas that you have
created by choosing Edit / Sample Areas / Delete Selected Sample Areas (or click on the
Remove Areas button on the Toolbar). Delete all the map lines until the map is clean again.
9.
Draw a single large ellipse in the middle of the map. This will become our sample area. Remove
the map drawing toolbar from the project window (if you haven’t already) by either docking it to
the right of the main toolbar or by choosing View / Map Drawing Toolbar on the menu.
10.
To add samples to the project choose one of the sampling designs. For this exercise, choose
Sampling Goals / Compare Average to Fixed Threshold / Can assume data will be normally
distributed / Ordinary sampling from the menu. A dialog box appears allowing you to set the
parameters for a one-sample t-test. The meaning and usage of these parameters is beyond the
scope of this guide, so select the default parameters by pressing the Apply button. The Costs tab
gives you access to the sample area size information and sample cost parameter. Press the Close
button when finished setting the parameters.
11.
By default, a pseudo-random number generator is used to create the sampling locations. Using
pseudo-random numbers it is possible for sample to appear close together. A quasi-random
number generator forces samples to be more dispersed. Choose Options / Random Numbers /
Quasi-random Numbers from the menu to see the effects of the different generator. Choose
Options / Random Numbers / Pseudo-random Numbers from the menu to see the clumping
effect again.
12.
VSP allows you to add new samples into previously sampled areas. Assume that the samples that
now exist in you sampling design are from a previous sampling event, and that you want to take
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additional samples in the area. Choose Options / Sample Placement / Adaptive Fill from the
menu. Now select Sampling Goals / Compare Average to Fixed Threshold / Can assume
data will be normally distributed / Ordinary sampling from the menu again. When you press
the Apply button VSP adds samples filling in spaces between previous samples.
13.
Look at the Graph, Report, and Coordinate views to see how the sampling plan affects the views.
Example 4:
Starting with a map
1.
Start with a blank sample design (choose File / New Project from the menu or press the New
button on the Toolbar).
2.
Load a map file. Choose Map / Load Map from File from the menu or press the Load Map
button on the Toolbar. From the file dialog, choose the file named “base.dxf” and press the Open
button.
Note: If you load a DXF file and nothing appears, it could be that you didn’t start with a blank
map. If you load two DXF files that have different coordinate extents, they disappear because
they are so far apart that they become tiny specks in the corner of the map view.
3.
Define a Sample Area. A sample area has to be defined in order to make sampling locations.
(You can use any of the sampling designs without a sample area, but they will not create sampling
locations.) Press the New Area button on the toolbar (or choose Edit / Sample Areas / Define
New Sample Area on the menu). A Color dialog box appears. Use this dialog to choose the color
of the sample area. After the color is selected, a tooltip box appears on the map to provide
selection method information. There are two basic ways to select the sample area:
a.
One-Step Method – Position the cursor inside or near one of the buildings on the map
and right-click with the mouse. The sample area is created and a dialog box appears.
This dialog box shows the size of the sample area and allows you to change the units of
the map. Click the OK button on the dialog when done.
b.
Vertex-Selection Method – Position the cursor on each vertex of the sample area and
left-click with the mouse. If you hold down the Shift key while clicking, the vertex will
be attached to the nearest point on the map. If you make a mistake in choosing a vertex,
use the Undo feature. When you have finished defining the sample, click the Finish Area
button on the toolbar or select Edit / Sample Areas / Finish New Sample Area on the
menu. The area dialog box appears allowing you to change the map units.
Note: a sample area cannot cross over itself. If this happens, an error message appears stating,
“The area is invalid and will be removed”.
4.
Practice both methods of selecting sample areas. There are many buildings on this base map from
which to choose.
5.
Add samples to the sample area with one of the sampling design dialogs (e.g. choose Sampling
Goals / Compare Average to Fixed Threshold / Can assume data will be normally
distributed / Ordinary sampling from the menu).
Example 5:
Drawing a room
In VSP, a room is a sample area that has a height greater than zero. A room has wall surfaces and optional
floors and ceiling surfaces, all of which can contain sample points or sample grids.
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1.
Start with a blank sample design (choose File / New Project from the menu or click on the New button
on the Toolbar).
2.
Choose Room / Draw or click the Draw Room button from the Room Toolbar. (Use View / Room
Toolbar to display the Room Toolbar if it is not visible.)
3.
At this point, there are 3 ways to draw the room:
1.
2.
3.
Click 2 points on the map with the mouse to define opposite corners of the room
Enter 2 corner points on the keyboard “0,0<Enter>12,10<Enter>”.
Enter the dimensions of the room on the keyboard “10x12x8<Enter>”.
For this exercise, use the option 3 to create the room by entering “12x10x8<Enter>” on the
keyboard. Note: <Enter> means press the key marked “Enter” on the keyboard. You will now
have a room that is 12 feet long, 10 feet wide and 8 feet high.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
The room appears on the map as a rectangle with a thick border.
To see all the room surfaces, switch to the Room View. Choose View / Room from the menu or click
the Room View button on the main toolbar.
There are 3 different ways to view the room: Perspective Room, Wall-strip Room, and Splayed Room.
Perspective Room: shows the floor, walls facing toward you, and an optional ceiling in a 3
dimensional perspective view. To see this room view, choose Room / Perspective Room from the
menu or click on the Perspective Room button on the Room toolbar.
Wall strip Room: shows all the wall section laid edge-to-edge in a long strip with the floor attached
to the bottom and the ceiling attached to the top. To see this room view, choose Room / Room with
Wall Strip from the menu or click on the Wall Strip Room button on the Room toolbar.
Splayed Room: shows the floor with all the wall sections splayed out from the floor. Normally, the
ceiling is unattached at the right. If wall sections would overlap each other, they are moved apart with
a dashed red line showing where the wall section should be attached to the floor. To see this room
view, choose Room / Splayed Room from the menu or click on the Splayed Room button on the
Room toolbar.
The perspective and wall strip rooms can be rotated to view the room from a different vantage point.
To rotate the room, choose Room / Rotate Room Left or Room / Rotate Room Right from the menu
or click the Rotate Left or Rotate Right buttons on the Room toolbar.
The height of the room can be modified. Choose Room / Set Room Height from the menu or click
the Set Height button on the Room toolbar. A dialog appears that allows you to enter a new height for
the room. The room height can also be modified from the sample area dialog. This dialog is accessed
by right-clicking on the room on either the Map view or Room view. This dialog also allows you to
turn off or turn on floor or ceiling surfaces. Turning off the floor or ceiling means that surface will not
be displayed in the room view and will not contain sample points or sample grids.
Doors can be added to a room. Choose Room / Insert Door from the menu or click on the Insert
Door button on the Room toolbar. Click on the wall surface where you want the edge of the door, then
click again where you want the other edge of the door. Note that both edges of the door must be on the
same wall surface. Once the door has been inserted, the size and position can be edited by rightclicking on the door with the mouse. The 4 parameters that can be modified from the Object
Information dialog are:
1. Type: An Open door is like a hole that cannot receive sample points; a Fixed door is treated
like part of the wall and can receive sample points.
2. Position X: Positions the left edge of the door relative to the left edge of the wall surface on
which it is located.
3. Width: This is the width of the door.
4. Height: This is the height of the door.
Pressing the Delete button on the dialog completely removes the door from the wall surface.
Windows can be added to a room. Choose Room / Insert Window from the menu or click on the
Insert Window button on the Room toolbar. Click on the wall surface where you want one corner of
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14.
15.
16.
17.
the window, then click again where you want the other corner of the window. Note that both corners
of the window must be on the same wall surface. Once the window has been inserted, the size and
position can be edited by right-clicking on the window with the mouse. The 5 parameters that can be
modified from the Object Information dialog are:
1. Type: An Open window is like a hole that cannot receive sample points; a Fixed window is
treated like part of the wall and can receive sample points.
2. Position X: Positions the left edge of the window relative to the left edge of the wall surface
on which it is located.
3. Position Y: Positions the bottom edge of the window relative to the bottom edge of the wall
surface on which it is located.
4. Width: This is the width of the window.
5. Height: This is the height of the window.
Pressing the Delete button on the dialog completely removes the window from the wall surface.
Annotations (notes) can be added to a room. Choose Room / Insert Annotation from the menu or
click on the Annotation button on the Room toolbar. Click on a room surface where you want the
note to appear. After being attached to the room surface, right-click on the note to edit the text, font
and other attributes.
All of the surfaces of a room can be automatically labeled. Choose Room / Label Surfaces from the
menu. If you are in the Room view, this will create a label on each surface of the Current room. (The
Current room is the room displayed in the Room view). This will replace any labels that have been
previously created by this command. If you are in the Map view, this will replace and create new
labels for all the surfaces in all the selected rooms.
The size of the room can be modified after drawing. This must be done from the Map view (choose
View / Map from the menu). Hold the Shift key and left click on one edge of the room to select the
wall. You can tell the wall is selected when a small square appears at each end of the wall. To modify
the length of the wall, right-click on the wall that is selected and a dialog will appear that allows you to
enter a new wall length.
The shape of a room may also be modified. To do this, insert a point onto a wall. Choose Map /
Insert Point from the menu. Then click on one edge of the room. You can tell that a point has been
inserted when a small square appears on the wall. To change the shape of the room select one part of
the wall by holding the Shift key and left clicking with the mouse (see step above). After the wall
section is selected, you can grab it with the mouse and drag that part of the wall up or down (or left or
right) to change the shape of the room. You will want to hold down the Ctrl key while dragging to
keep all the walls square. See figure below to visualize the process.
18. The North Arrow that appears on the floor and ceiling of a room can be modified in a couple of ways.
First, the position of the arrow can be changed by grabbing the center top of the “N” and dragging it to
a new location on the floor or ceiling. Second, the direction of the arrow can be modified by choosing
Map / Set Extents from the menu and editing the entry for North Offset (in degrees).
19. The red and black dot that appears at the bottom left of the Current room is called the “Local Origin”.
It is the reference point, from which locations on the floor or ceiling are measured. If samples are
added to the room, you will see entries for LX and LY on the Coordinate view (which is accessed by
choosing View / Coordinates from the menu or clicking the Coordinate View button on the main
toolbar) or the Sample Information dialog box (which is accessed by right-clicking on a sample point).
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LX is the “Local X” coordinate – which is the distance to the right of the local origin. LY is the
“Local Y” coordinate – which is the distance up from the local origin. This local origin for the current
room can be changed by choosing Room / Set Room Origin from the menu and then clicking on the
new location. If changing the local origin from the Map view, holding the Shift key while clicking
allows you to attach the local origin to a particular point on the map.
Example 6:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Creating rooms from a map
Start with a blank sample design (choose File / New Project from the menu or click on the New button
on the Main toolbar).
Load the Floorplan2.dxf building map. Choose Map / Load Map from File or click on the Load Map
button on the Main toolbar and then select the file FloorPlan2.dxf.
Since this map is in inches (instead of the default feet units), choose Map / Set Map Extents from the
menu and change the Units drop list to “Inches”. Click the OK button to set the new map units.
This map does not contain an enclosed polygon for each room, so it will be necessary to use the
Delineate Rooms tool. Choose Room / Delineate Rooms from the menu or click the Delineate Rooms
button on the Map toolbar. Choose the default room height of 96 inches when the dialog appears.
Click the OK button to continue.
At this point, the cursor is now a cross-hair. When you left-click on the map, a red rectangle will be
created. The rectangle is positioned by moving up, down, left and right from the point clicked and
stopping at the first line encountered on the map. It takes practice to avoid having the rectangle go
outside an open door, etc. If a mistake is made, simply choose Edit / Undo from the menu or click on
the Undo button on the main toolbar or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl-z.
Whenever you right click on the map, the existing red rectangles will be converted into rooms. If there
are several red rectangles touching each other, they will be combined into a singe room. See the figure
below to visualize how a room with a complex shape would be created.
Be sure to turn off the delineate room tool when finished (choose Room / Delineate Room again).
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q:
How do I clear sampling locations from my map?
A:
Select the Tools / Reset Sampling Design menu command.
Q:
How do I export my sampling locations to a GPS?
A:
There are two ways to export sampling locations:
1. The easiest way to export sampling locations is to switch to the Coordinate View and copy the
contents to the Windows Clipboard (using Ctrl-C on the keyboard or Edit / Copy on the
menu). Then paste the contents into a text editor, a word processor, a spreadsheet, or your
GPS software.
2. A convenient way to handle sampling locations is to export them to a text file. Choose Map /
Sample Points / Export from the menu. Choose the file name using the dialog box. This
text file can be imported into a spreadsheet, a word processor, a text editor, or your GPS
software.
Q:
How do I center my sample area on the screen?
A:
Starting with VSP version 2.2 it is possible to use the map Pan function to position the map
exactly how you like it.
Q:
What does MQO mean?
A:
MQO stands for Measurement Quality Objectives. A group of agencies including EPA, DOE,
DOD, and NRC have prepared the Multi-Agency Radiation Laboratory Protocols Manual
(MARLAP). This document introduces the MQO concept as a process of developing analytical
data objectives that build on Data Quality Objectives (DQOs). Information is available at:
http://www.epa.gov/radiation/marlap/
VSP now contains some sampling designs that integrate estimates of measurement variability with
estimates of sampling variability to provide a more realistic estimate of total variability. The
MQO button displays input boxes for these new estimates of variability.
Q:
How do I place an obstacle in my sample area?
A:
Draw the obstacle as a sample area inside the larger sample area then choose Edit / Sample Areas
/ Combine from the menu or click on the Combine Areas button of the main toolbar. This
command is also useful for combining disjoint areas into a single sample area.
Q:
Can I include a photograph of my site in my sampling design?
A:
Yes. For details on background pictures, choose Help / Help Topics from the menu and click on
the Index tab. Select the Map / Background Picture Menu topic to read about the loading and
calibration process.
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Q:
How do I import sampling locations?
A:
There are two ways to import sampling locations:
1. The first way to import sampling locations is to copy them from the Windows Clipboard. Edit
the coordinates in a text editor, a word processor, or a spreadsheet. Sample data is ASCII text
and has one sample per line. Data may be delimited by tabs, spaces, or commas (tabs are
best). Sample data has the following columns: (1) X Coordinate, (2) Y Coordinate, (3) Label
(Name of the sample), (4) Value (Reading, analysis result, or quantity associated with the
sample), (5) Type (Hotspot, Random, Adaptive-Fill, Manual, Unknown, Systematic). The
last 3 columns are optional. The coordinates must lie inside an existing sample area.
Example: Select the following text:
2362.2884
865.2250
2343.4480
1484.3972
1479.1971
2710.5323
2094.8647
863.5294
907.4202
1548.5280
2189.6359
1022.5812
1663.6890
2304.7969
1659.0434
1774.6477
1903.0969
2018.7012
2.
1540.6829
1870.4310
3046.1325
2157.3640
1889.2693
1632.8296
2145.7091
1376.3898
2005.9746
2121.1356
2236.2966
1364.8668
1480.0278
1595.1888
1607.3905
1825.7541
2056.9627
2275.3263
Adaptive1
Adaptive2
Adaptive3
Adaptive4
Random1
Random2
Random3
Random4
System1
System2
System3
System4
System5
System6
Manual1
Manual2
Manual3
Manual4
1
2
3
4
11
12
13
14
21
22
23
24
25
26
31
32
33
34
Adaptive-Fill
Adaptive-Fill
Adaptive-Fill
Adaptive-Fill
Random
Random
Random
Random
Systematic
Systematic
Systematic
Systematic
Systematic
Systematic
Manual
Manual
Manual
Manual
Now press Ctrl-C to copy the text to the Windows clipboard. Run VSP and load
Example2.vsp. Select the Coordinate View. Select Edit / Paste from the menu. The new
samples are added to the existing ones. Use right-click on the map view to see their attributes.
Another convenient way to handle sampling locations is to import them from a text file. The
text file must be formatted as described above. Choose Map / Sample Points / Import from
the menu. Choose the file name using the dialog box.
Q:
How do I design a sampling plan for estimating percentiles or standard deviations?
How do I do sequential, multi-stage sampling designs?
How do I incorporate geostatistical techniques in my sampling designs?
How do I add more lines of text to my titles?
How do I add text, symbols, or arrows at different locations on my map?
A:
These are features we would like to add to future versions of Visual Sample Plan.
Q:
How do I get my favorite feature into VSP?
A:
Please send an e-mail with a description of your desired feature to brent.pulsipher@pnl.gov.
Note that new features require funding to support the design, development, programming and
documentation efforts involved, so please let us know about any potential funding opportunities.
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