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TROUBLESHOOTING and Help

Accessing help documents and links

You can access a variety of resources such as videos, our Quick Start Guide, Release Notes (which contain details about known issues and/or potential bugs), and much more. While in DisasterAWARE, click the Help icon as shown below to view the help panel.

Troubleshooting

Bookmarks

Copy and paste of bookmark URLs not working when I click “Share.”

Some browsers support the automatic copying of hazard links and bookmark URLs to your clipboard, while some will require you to manually copy the link from the dialog box.

Cameras

Why can’t I see the video feed from a camera that is listed on the map?

Individual live cameras can experience down time or may become permanently unavailable from the host/provider. The cameras are also color coded for quick reference: green indicates cameras enabled by you for viewing, blue indicates online cameras and red indicates offline.

Drawing

I am unable to add drawings to the map. The drawing tool isn’t working.

If you are unable to add drawings on the map or are experiencing problems with the drawing tools, you may be zoomed in to the map too closely. Zoom out a bit and then try again. [Drawing link]

Layers

Why isn’t the layer I’ve selected showing up on the map?

Some layers require the map to be zoomed to a minimum extent or to a specific location in order to display the information.

Click the zoom icon to the right of the layer if you are having trouble viewing the layer you’ve selected. The map will zoom and re-center the map to bring the information into view.

Why doesn’t DisasterAWARE remember the layers I had on during my previous session?

Layers from previous sessions don’t stay visible once you log out, unless they are included in your default Bookmark. To quickly access recent layers you’ve visited, you can open the Layers panel and scroll down to the Recent folder.

I cannot remember where to find a specific layer.

The quickest way to find a specific layer is go to the Layers panel and enter a keyword into the Search tab. The layer you are looking for might have been hidden during a previous session. To unhide layers, click the Layers icon on the left toolbar and then the Edit tab.

A black background with a black square Description automatically generated with medium confidence Unhide folders and layers you want to see by clicking the open Eye icon next to the layer.

Map Navigation

Why do I see a camera icon in place of my base background map?

If your base map is displaying a camera icon, this indicates that you have zoomed in beyond the viewable scale threshold of the base map image. To correct this, zoom out until the base map image becomes visible, or try selecting a different base map image.

Products

Why am I unable to open products associated with a hazard?

Products cannot be opened when an ad or pop-up blocker is running on your browser. Turn off or pause the ad blocker to access products. For instructions, go to http://disasteraware.pdc.org/help/How_To_Disable_AdBlockers.pdf.

Tips for better performance

If you experience an issue with the application freezing and/or not performing as expected, please conduct the following steps:

  • Refresh your browser.

  • If the problem persists, clear your browser’s cache, then close and reopen your browser and begin a new DisasterAWARE session.

  • If the issue remains, please email a detailed description of the issue to disaster@pdc.org.

Freezing of the application can occur due to:

  • Outdated browsers

  • A poor or slow internet connection

Browser-specific issues

Firefox

Firefox hazard creation: Users may experience problems creating hazards when using Firefox in a private window.

User may experience problems manually expiring hazards when using Firefox in a private window. Workaround: Users may need to refresh their browser to see the hazard expire from the map.

Internet Explorer 11

  • Product thumbnails do not appear in the IE InPrivate browsing window.

  • New bookmarks and bookmark edits may not appear in IE 11 until the cache is cleared. Default bookmarks may also not take effect in IE 11 until the cache is cleared.

  • The Free Line and Free Polygon tools may shift away from their intended location (cursor position) while being drawn.

  • IE 11 users cannot change attachments for file products. Workaround: switch to a different browser or create a new product with the new file. You can hide the original product by adding it to the “Recycle Bin” parent folder.

  • IE11 users may experience slowdowns when moving the map, opening menus, and opening products. Users may also experience intermittent program crashes.

Safari

  • Save to File: The bookmark option to “Save to File” feature is currently not available for Safari users.