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User Interface & Navigation

Introduction

This page explains how to access the SAPHEA Tool and presents its GIS-based interface. It walks users through the initial disclaimer screen and outlines the tool’s navigation, highlighting main elements such as the Map Viewer, toolbars, and interactive functions.

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Accessing the Tool

You can access the SAPHEA Tool at the following link: 👉 https://toolbox-saphea.eu/

​The SAPHEA Tool's homepage provides access to a GIS-based interface designed for intuitive interaction. Upon opening the toolbox, users encounter a disclaimer page that includes:​

  • A disclaimer message
  • Information on supported browsers
  • An overview of the SAPHEA project objectives
  • Links to the SAPHEA project website and relevant data repositories​

To proceed, simply press 'GO TO APP' icon (see Figure - Initial page of the SAPHEA Tool).

Figure - Initial page of the SAPHEA Tool displaying the disclaimer and supported browser information

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Interface Layout and Navigation

Once the disclaimer is accepted, the main SAPHEA interface opens, presenting a GIS-based environment focused on spatial analysis of sustainable cooling (SC) demand across the EU-27.

The initial view displays:

  • A satellite map covering the EU-27 region
  • Regional boundaries for reference, with NUTS0 selected by default

This map acts as the foundation for all further analysis. Users can zoom, pan, and explore various territories to assess SC demand at multiple spatial scales.

The interface is organised into three main sections:

  1. Map Viewer and Right Toolbar

    • Map Viewer: A central GIS interface that enables users to visualise spatial datasets, overlay multiple data layers, and carry out interactive exploration.
    • Right Toolbar: Offers tools for area selection, switching basemap styles, and adjusting zoom settings to support map navigation.

  2. LeftToolbar: Hosts core functionalities such as layer selection, accessing indicators, and running computations relevant to the tool's analyses.

  3. Top Toolbar: Includes utilities for location search, map recentring, accessing project-related resources, and managing user sessions (e.g. logging in).

Figure - User interface and layout of the toolbars below shows the user interface and the toolbars of the SAPHEA Tool.

Figure - User interface and layout of the toolbars

Right Toolbar

The following features are included here:

  • Selectable areas: Choose spatial levels such as NUTS 0–3, LAU2, or hectare grids.
  • Background maps: Switch between satellite imagery and road maps for different visualization styles.
  • Zoom Controls: Easily zoom in and out to explore regions at various scales.

Left Toolbar

  1. Tools: tools for selecting a region.
  2. Layers: include various indicators for selected areas.
  3. Calculation Modules: tools for specific calculations in selected areas.

Upon selecting a respective icon on the Left Toolbar, a side panel appears on the left side, enabling users to adjust parameters or interact with tool-specific features (see Figure Left side panel).

Figure Left side panel

Top Toolbar

  • Project logo: Link to the SAPHEA website.
  • Go to Place: Zoom in to a specific region by typing the name.
  • Wiki: Link to this Wiki.
  • Survey: Link to a survey regarding the tool.
  • User Account Functionalities: Register and sign in to the web application.

The following User Account Functionalities are available in the Tool:

  • Register: You can create an account for the SAPHEA website. After submitting the form, shown in Figure Registration form, you will receive an email for activating your account.
  • Sign In: After registering and activating your account you should be able to sign in with your email and password (see Figure Sign in page below).
  • Recover: If you ever forget your password you can recover it, as illustrated in Figure Reset password. You will receive an email like in Figure Reset password email. Please be aware of setting a new password afterward.

Figure Registration form

register

Figure Sign in page

login

Figure Reset password

reset_password

Figure Reset password email

reset_password_email

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How To Cite

Ardak Akhatova, in SAPHEA-Wiki, User Interface & Navigation

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Authors And Reviewers

This page was written by Ardak Akhatova e-think.

This page was reviewed by Giulia Conforto e-think.

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License

Copyright © 2025: Ardak Akhatova

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 International License.

SPDX-License-Identifier: CC-BY-4.0

License-Text: https://spdx.org/licenses/CC-BY-4.0.html

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Acknowledgement

We would like to convey our deepest appreciation to the HORIZON Europe Actions SAPHEA Project (Grant Agreement number 101075510), which co-funded the present investigation.

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