Making a solar map is a complicated process. It requires sophisticated instruments to measure certain environmental conditions and a big background in computer science in constructing solar maps. Data Collection First of all, the type of data collected in making a solar map varies to the type of solar map that is being made. There would be some types of solar maps that would include other types of information than others. As long as the information presented on the solar map pertains to information of measurements of Solar Energy or solar radiation the map can be considered a solar map. Types of Data measured and collected In order for a solar map to be made, two main types of data must be collected. Those two types of data include Meteorological Data and Topographical Data. The Meteorological data is used in calculations pertaining to Solar Energy. Such measurements of this type of data include the measurements of the position of the sun, overall atmospheric conditions, latitude, and shading. Topographical data on the other hand, is used in illustrating the amount of area exposed to a certain degree of radiation from the sun or in calculations that present how much area of a physical object is experiencing direct contact with the sun's rays. In some cases, Financial Data may also be collected to be presented on a solar map. When this happens, that means that the solar map would appear online for a certain city. The reasons why financial data is collected and presented on these solar maps is to encourage a certain productive behavior among citizens. Technologies used Some of the complex tools or instrument utilized in developing Solar Maps include LiDAR Technologies, the ESRI ArcGIS server, Solar Automated Feature Extraction (SAFE) technologies, and several others instruments. All these technologies are used in either collecting data, processing data, and even in developing the solar map itself. Roles of Solar Maps According to policy makers in certain cities, a Solar Map serves multiple roles. According to government officials, solar maps help keep track of progress on sustainability goals for the city or town in which they live. If they prefer to establish a more eco-friendly environment, a solar map, in their minds, would be the right tool to use in measuring this goal. Another idea in why a local city government may want to provide a solar map online is to promote