In busy areas, there will often be multiple projects stacked on top of each other.  To access a project which may be hidden underneath another, click on the project.  This will open up a menu on the left hand side which will list all of the projects within the area that you clicked.

You can hover over the project title in the list, and the matching project on the map will highlight.  If you click on the project title, this will take you to the project summary page.  

The Forward Works Viewer has built in clash/opportunity detection.

A clash is a project which is occurring in the same shape boundary, during the same time, as your project.
An opportunity is a project which is occurring in the same shape boundary, at a different time to your project.  The shapes have to overlap on the map for them to be a clash or an opportunity. 

To see if your project has a clash or an opportunity, click on your project (either from the map, 'My Organisation's Projects, or search results). 

On the project summary page you'll see icons at the bottom. 
If they're greyed out then there are no clashes or opportunities.
If they're coloured and have a number next to them, that indicates there is a clash/opportunity, and how many projects there are a clash or opportunity. 

You can click on the clash/opportunity button if it is coloured.  This will bring up a list of projects which are a clash or opportunity. (Note - if the project is a multi-stage project, the number of clashes and opportunities is displayed on the project summary page, but to find out the list of projects clashing you'll need to navigate to the stage page and click on the icon from there)

If you click the 'view project' button in the clash/opportunity list, this will bring up the project details of that clash/opportunity, as below. 

RAMM layers can be published to the NFWV.  If you have data held in RAMM, follow the below steps to create a URL of the data you want to share.

1) Set up a RAMM layer that you want to share. What you see on the RAMM map will be what is published to the NFWV.   The example below uses a dispatch layer with all of the resurfacing job types. 

2) Open up the layer menu by clicking on the layer and navigate to the columns option. Select the columns that you wish to publish to the NFWV.  Don't share anything you don't want to be seen in the NFWV.  Make sure to select 'Apply'.

3) Navigate to the Settings, name the layer something suitable and save the layer. 

4) Open up the layer menu again, select the export option.  Copy the link at the bottom of the export window and send to the NFWV team. You'll also need to let the team know what fields in RAMM relate to the fields in the FWV - the NFWV fields are as follows:
- project name
- project reference
- project description 
- start date
- end date
- contact name
- contact email
- contact phone number
If your RAMM tables don't contain that information - don't worry, for most of the fields we can apply information across all projects through the backend, but the project name and reference need to be in RAMM.  If you get stuck - contact us at support@forwardworks.co.nz

The Forward Works Viewer can ingest data in multiple ways:

1. via an API from your system of record, if available
2. data extracts via your system of record, eg. excel
3. manually input into the FWV.  Most of the instructions in the Help Library relate to manually inputting and editing your projects. 

If projects are input via methods 1 and 2, any manual edit of the published projects will be overwritten next time the data is uploaded by methods 1 or 2. 

Method 1 - bulk upload via an API
We can usually extract data from any systems of record which has an API available, such as an ESRI REST service or a web feature service.  
We work with you to determine which tables will be exposed in the FWV and which fields will match up to the fields we require.  We can use FME to help us do this. 
If your system of record doesn't contain geospatial data, you can send shapefiles to us separately which we can match up to the lines in the table. 
The benefits of this approach mean higher accuracy and confidence in the data, and less work in the long run as only one system of record needs to be kept up to date. 

Method 2 - bulk upload via data extract (excel)
We can also accept data extracts in an excel table with matching shapefiles.  Data from your system of record is extracted on an agreed frequency, put into an excel template, and along with shapefiles, sent to support@forwardworks.co.nz on a regular basis.  We then upload the data and overwrite any previously published projects in the FWV. 
The benefits of this approach mean only one system of record needs to be kept up to date. 

Method 3 - manually input into the FWV
We recommend this option if you don't have many projects to publish, or only have projects on an adhoc basis.  It's very simple to do - simply follow the instructions here.  As the project has no links to your source of record, you'll need to keep your published project updated in the FWV (for example if the dates change).

What data do we need? 
We publish a minimum of:

• Project Name
• Project ID/Reference number (this comes from your organisation and is a unique identifier)
• Brief project description
• Geospatial information (shapefile, land parcel ID, asset ID etc)
• Start and end date of the project
• Contact details of the project manager (name, email, phone number)

Got questions? Email us at support@forwardworks.co.nz

If you need to add an additional shape, click the 'draw polygon' button.   If you need to edit or delete, click the corresponding buttons as labelled below. ​

​Drawing a project boundary
Click the drawing icon. 
Click on the map where you want to start drawing your project.
Using your mouse, click each point along the road/shape you want to draw.  
To finish drawing, double click, or click 'finish' in the drawing menu box. 

​Editing a project boundary
To edit an existing boundary, click on the edit tool. This will create anchor points (white squares) around each shape that you can edit. 
Click on an anchor point to move it. Dragging the anchor points will sometimes create additional anchor points either side of the initial anchor point you moved, allowing you to create a more precise shape. 
Click save in the drawing menu bar to commit the change. 
Click 'save project' to save all of your changes. 

Deleting a project boundary
Please note all projects and stages need at least one boundary.  
If you need to delete a project boundary, click on the trash can in the drawing tool.
Then click on the shape you want to delete. This will make the shape disappear.  If there are many shapes to delete, you can select 'clear all' from the drawing tools menu. 
To commit the change, click 'save' in the drawing tool menu. 
Click 'save project' to save all of your changes. 

You can search for projects multiple ways. 

Search for a project on the map

• Use the layers tab to filter for projects of certain types, for example all transport projects. 
• In the layers menu, there is a toggle to 'show project info on hover'. This is switched on by default, and it means if you hover your mouse over any project shape on the map, an information box will pop up identifying the project.
• In the future, you will be able to use this in conjunction with the date range filter, and the location search function.

Important: please only edit/delete your project if you have entered it manually through the FWV platform. If your project has been published via an automatic feed, any edits or deletions you make in the FWV will be overwritten by the automatic feed. Please contact support@forwardworks.co.nz if you're unsure. 

If you selected 'create project' when you entered your project into the FWV, and now want to add additional stages, you can do so. 

• From the project summary screen:
  • Click on the button 'make project multi-stage'
  • This will bring up a pop-up asking you to confirm your decision
  • If you confirm this, it will turn your existing project into the first stage of your project
  • From this screen you will be able to add and edit additional stages

​To find your projects, click on 'My Organisation's Projects' icon. 
​This will bring up a list of up to 50 of your organisation's projects, ordered by those that are in the future and have a start date closest to today's date. 

​Note 1:  we will be introducing additional functionality to this tab in the future, including the ability to show the projects on the map, and a filter function to sort your projects. 

You can also use the 'search' function in the sidebar menu to find your projects. 
You can search for projects using a variety of filters including organisation, contact name, project reference, time frame and type.  The more filters you apply, the better your search results will be. 

How do I turn on different infrastructure layers?

• Click on the layers icon in the sidebar menu. 
  
• Here you can turn on/off various project and contextual layers.
  
• Project layers are split into three categories:
  
  • horizontal projects
    
  • vertical projects
    
  • events
    
• These categories are further broken down into different types. 
  
• You can turn on all layers at once, or have one or several on at one time. 
  
• If you expand the layer you will see a key denoting what colour is used for each infrastructure type. 
  
• A general rule - anything with a black outline means the project is currently in progress.  

What is a contextual layer? 
A contextual layer is any information which is not a project but provides context to the area surrounding it - for example it could be a bus route, haulage routes, notable trees, sites of significance to Māori, planning consents etc. If there's a layer you'd like to see, please contact us.  There is a charge to upload a contextual layer. 

How do I add a contextual layer?
Contextual layers are currently added by the helpdesk and there is a charge to do this.  If there is a geospatial layer you'd like to see in the FWV please contact us.

How do I add traffic impacts?
​Traffic impacts of a project can be added when you create your project, or can be added afterwards by editing your project. The traffic impact will be linked to the boundary of the project. In the future we will be introducing a traffic impact layer, so that you can see traffic impacts on the map. 

How do I change the basemap in the FWV?
​Click on the top right map icon. You can switch between an Open Street Map base, or LINZ world imagery. 

​If you can't remember your login, or want to reset your password for any reason, click 'forgot password?' link on the homepage. 

I have moved to a different organisation and want to keep my FWV account.
​That's OK!
Please email support@forwardworks.co.nz to let us know which organisation you'd like to be associated with and we can adjust it at our end.  If you've got project planner access, you'll only be able to edit projects for the organisation your account is linked to.