As you move your cursor across the map it will alter according to what will happen if you click in that location. Often this will be information about what will happen if you send your civilian to that terrain tile. You can safely experiment because any order you give can be canceled at no cost.
An “eye” means the explorer will search the tile for minerals.
A “hammer” means the builder will build a development , the engineer will build a port or fort, or the spy will begin gathering information.
A “green arrow” means the civilian moves to the tile but performs no work this turn.
“Gold coins” means the merchant will buy the land.
A “road” means the engineer will construct a road from his present tile into the tile where you click.
A civilian unit who is working on a project animates. A question mark cursor appears when you place the mouse over a working unit. Click on the unit and a dialog box informs you what he is doing and lets you cancel or confirm the orders.