Last Updated: 4/7/2026
Data Layers Reference
“Where Did They Go?” provides nine distinct data layers that visualize different aspects of Kansas geography, infrastructure, and community services from 1860 to 2020. Each layer can be toggled on or off using the filter panel, and some layers are only available at specific zoom levels.
Infrastructure Layers
Infrastructure layers show the physical systems that connected Kansas communities over time.
Railroads
What it shows: Railroad lines across Kansas, displayed as green dashed lines.
Zoom levels: State View and County View
Timeline behavior: Railroads fade in when they were constructed and remain visible for all subsequent years. Each railroad segment has an “In Operation By” year that determines when it appears.
Hover information: None
Status: Available
Filter label: “Railroads”
Interstates
What it shows: Interstate highway routes through Kansas, displayed as solid blue lines.
Zoom levels: State View and County View
Timeline behavior: Interstate segments appear when they were opened to traffic. Each segment has a “year_open” property that controls visibility.
Hover information: None
Status: Available
Filter label: “Interstates”
Rivers
What it shows: Major rivers and waterways in Kansas, displayed as light blue lines.
Zoom levels: State View and County View
Timeline behavior: Rivers are static geographic features and do not change with the timeline.
Hover information: None
Status: Available
Filter label: “Rivers”
Lakes
What it shows: Lakes and reservoirs in Kansas, displayed as light blue filled polygons with blue outlines.
Zoom levels: State View and County View
Timeline behavior: Lakes are static geographic features and do not change with the timeline.
Hover information: None
Status: Available
Filter label: “Lakes”
Community & Services Layers
These layers show population centers and essential services that supported Kansas communities.
Borders
What it shows: County boundaries across Kansas, displayed as black outlines. Includes an optional heat map overlay that colors counties based on population.
Zoom levels: Always visible (borders cannot be disabled)
Timeline behavior: County boundaries update every decade to reflect historical changes in county organization. The optional heat map colors counties from light blue (lower population) to dark blue (higher population) based on normalized population data for each year.
Hover information: None (but counties are clickable to enter County View)
Status: Available
Filter label: “County Pop Heat Map” (for the heat map overlay only)
Cities
What it shows: Incorporated cities and towns, displayed as red dots. In County View, city names and population numbers appear as blue text labels.
Zoom levels: State View and County View
Timeline behavior: City locations update to reflect historical data. Population numbers (visible in County View) update with the timeline for years 1970-2020.
Hover information: In State View, hovering over a city displays its name and population (if available). In County View, names and populations are always visible as text labels.
Status: Available
Filter label: “Cities”
Schools
What it shows: Individual school buildings in Kansas, displayed as small black circles.
Zoom levels: County View only
Timeline behavior: Schools are filtered to show only those within the currently visible county boundaries.
Hover information: Hovering over a school displays:
- Building Name (bldg_name)
- District (org_name and org_no)
- Building Number (bldg_no)
- Level (Buildng Level)
- Date Opened (Date_Opened)
- Homepage (homepage_addr)
- Address (Address, City, State, Zip)
Status: Available
Filter label: “Schools”
Healthcare Facilities
What it shows: Hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, and other healthcare facilities, displayed as colored squares with letter symbols.
Zoom levels: County View only
Timeline behavior: Healthcare facilities are filtered to show only those within the currently visible county boundaries.
Hover information: Hovering over a facility displays:
- Name (standard_name)
- Type (healthcare_type)
- Address (ADDRESS or Address)
- City (CITY or City)
- Phone (TELEPHONE, if available)
- Beds (BEDS, for hospitals)
- Trauma Level (TRAUMA, for hospitals)
Symbol key:
- H (red) — Hospital
- P (green) — Pharmacy
- A (blue) — EMS
- L (orange) — Laboratory
- S (light blue) — Public Health
- + (purple) — Urgent Care
- V (dark gray) — VA Facility
Status: Available
Filter label: “Healthcare Facilities”
Census Tracts (Food Access)
What it shows: Census tract boundaries within counties, displayed as red dashed lines. Tracts are geographic areas used by the U.S. Census Bureau for demographic data collection.
Zoom levels: County View only
Timeline behavior: Tracts are filtered to show only those within the currently visible county boundaries.
Hover information: None
Status: Available (data from 2000 census)
Filter label: “Tracts”
Using the Filter Panel
The filter panel appears on the right side of the map and lists all available data layers for your current zoom level. Each layer has a checkbox:
- Checked — Layer is visible on the map
- Unchecked — Layer is hidden
Some filters are enabled by default (Cities, Railroads, Interstates, Rivers, Lakes), while others start disabled (Schools, Healthcare, Tracts, County Pop Heat Map). You can toggle any filter at any time.
Layer Groups
Data layers are organized into two groups:
Infrastructure — Railroads, Interstates, Rivers, Lakes
Other — Cities, Schools, Healthcare Facilities, Census Tracts, County Pop Heat Map
These groups help organize the filter panel and may support future features like “toggle all infrastructure” controls.
What’s Next
- County View – Learn how to zoom into counties to access detailed local data layers
- Timeline And Playback – Understand how the timeline slider controls which data appears on the map
- System Architecture – For developers: explore how data layers are implemented as Vue components