---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 15 Sep 1999 16:49:24 -0700
From: Jenny Stone <[log in to unmask]>
To: maps-l <[log in to unmask]>, [log in to unmask]
Subject: SUM: digital topo products
Hi again. A few weeks ago, I posed the following question:
Greetings, all. I've got a patron who is looking for information on the
various digital topographic map products out there. He plans scout hiking
trips, and likes to have 8.5x11" printouts he can hand to each of the kids
to follow the trail. He's used Delorme's TopoUSA, but is hoping to find
something that handles contours and custom labels a little better. Can
anyone provide their personal or patrons' opinions of any of the other
products that use the USGS topos as a base?
Below are the messages I received, listing several topo products I was
unaware of. Thanks to everyone who responded.
Jenny Stone
___________________________________
GIS Librarian * Map Collection
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900 * Seattle, WA 98195-2900
phone: 206.543.9392
| ---------- Forwarded message ----------
| Date: Fri, 3 Sep 1999 08:56:01 -0400
| From: Mabel Ney <[log in to unmask]>
| To: 'Maps and Air Photo Systems Forum' <[log in to unmask]>
| Subject: RE: digital topo products (fwd)
|
| Jenny-
|
| If your patron is using TopoUSA version 1.0, I would suggest he check our
| web site- www.delorme.com/topousa to review the improvements we've made in
| version 2.0. This major new upgrade of Topo USA features 20-foot contour
| intervals for all states (except Alaska, which has 100-foot intervals),
| 300,000 miles of trails, a clean new interface and nine times more 3-D
data
| than version 1.0. This product also features a new user interface with
| extended draw functions to further customize the map.
|
| Mabel Ney
| Director of Research and Design
| DeLorme Mapping
|
|
----- Original Message -----
From: Kevin Howald <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, September 03, 1999 7:27 AM
Subject: RE: digital topo products (fwd)
Try http://www.maptech.com
Kevin
"If it's pixels, it's MrSID."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Kevin Howald telephone: 330-928-5672
LizardTech, Inc. facsimile: 330-928-5673
Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44221 email: [log in to unmask]
USA web site: http://www.lizardtech.com
LizardTech Confidential Information.
Copyright © 1999, LizardTech, Inc. All rights reserved.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
| ---------- Forwarded message ----------
| Date: Fri, 03 Sep 1999 06:33:00 -0800
| From: Michael Carson <[log in to unmask]>
| To: [log in to unmask]
| Subject: Re: digital topo products (fwd)
|
| Take a look at TOPO! by Wildflower Productions (http://www.topo.com).
|
| mike
|
| Michael A. Carson
| Senior GIS Programmer/Analyst
| City of Santa Monica - Water Division
| 1212 5th St., Santa Monica, CA, 90401
| Tel: 310-458-8231
| Fax: 310-393-6697
| Email: [log in to unmask]
| Web: www.santa-monica.org
|
| >___________________________________
|
| I have, use and enjoy DeLorme's TOPO Version 2.0 but recognize its
| shortcomings. However, the under-$100 price covers a lot of sins for the
| amateur.
|
| 10-foot contours would be nice but that would take the current six
| CD-ROM
| set, (only one if you have a DVD CD-ROM), to as many as 20CD-ROMs.
|
| A control by the operator that decides when one goes from 50-foot
to
| 20-foot contours would also be helpful instead of the automatic change
| which, sometimes, requires such a small footptint as to be not very
helpful.
|
| However, when looking for other sources, (GIS World magazine is a
| good
| place), most other contour software are many hundreds to several thousands
| of dollars.
|
| Fred Schaff
|
| ---------- Forwarded message ----------
| Date: Fri, 3 Sep 1999 09:29:53 -0700 (Pacific Daylight Time)
| From: Philip Hoehn <[log in to unmask]>
| To: Maps and Air Photo Systems Forum <[log in to unmask]>
| Subject: digital topo products
|
| I've used Topo! from Sunflower for just this purpose (for
| San Francisco Bay Area) and was satisfied with the results.
| Don't know if they do Washington.
|
| ---------- Forwarded message ----------
| Date: Tue, 7 Sep 1999 11:14:16 -0600
| From: Eugene Kleca <[log in to unmask]>
| To: Maps and Air Photo Systems Forum <[log in to unmask]>
| Subject: RE: digital topo products (fwd)
|
| Have you looked into the Fugawi package, www.fugawi.com. I believe it
will
| do everything you are looking for. The Fugawi package also accepts
| ChartTiff data, see www.ChartTiff.com, which is collarless and seemless
USGS
| DRG's that can be purchased by the state, county or degree at a cost as
low
| as $0.78 per quad. The data sets include the 1:24,000 1:100,000 and
| 1:250,000 files. All of Washington State is available.
|
| ---------- Forwarded message ----------
| Date: Fri, 3 Sep 1999 15:38:18 -0500
| From: Richard Bremer <[log in to unmask]>
| To: Maps and Air Photo Systems Forum <[log in to unmask]>
| Subject: Re: Re: digital topo products (fwd)
|
| Jenny -
|
| He could download the appropriate TIFFs from the GeoCommunity Web Site
| (www.geocomm.com) and make color prints of them out of AV or even
Photoshop
| or some other graphcis package.
|
| Rich
|
| >---------- Forwarded message ----------
| >Date: Fri, 3 Sep 1999 09:44:03 -0400 (EDT)
| >From: Ken Grabach <[log in to unmask]>
| >To: Maps and Air Photo Systems Forum <[log in to unmask]>
| >Subject: Re: digital topo products (fwd)
| >
| >
| >If someone wants mapping for a hike, would not a small set of topographic
| >quadrangles, at $4.00 per sheet do the trick more quickly and easily?
| >Here's where this question comes from.
| >
| >1. a map to use for hiking will need to be a map one can carry.
| >2. however one can customize a map from a digital source, it is necessary
| >to print it out to use it in the field.
| >3. to print out a map from a digital source requires not just your
average
| >laser printer (if that's what the patron has), but one that can handle
the
| >lines in sufficiently fine detail to be accurate and to handle the
various
| >colors for the meanings they convey. In black and white printing a
stream
| >can appear awfully like a road, and that's about as basic as map
| >interpretation gets! sometimes in black and white printing a (blue)
| >stream won't show up at all, and you can wind up following what you
| >thought was a good trail but with wet feet!
| >4. assuming the patron has access to a printer of high enough quality and
| >standard to do the job, he will need access to paper that is large enough
| >and strong enough to hold up to a hiking trip with a scout troop.
| >5. to buy that equipment and the supplies (large size durable and
| >permanent paper, color toner or color plotting inks) and equipment
| >(printer or plotter to handle the right size of paper) as well as the
| >CD-ROM set, however reasonably priced, to become his own map print shop,
| >requires quite a capital outlay in cash or credit.
| >
| >I can think of a better deal...
| >
| >6. the Geological Survey has that capability and prints maps in color and
| >sells them at $4.00 per sheet. They are available from a number of local
| >suppliers and can be ordered from USGS itself or from some other vendors.
| ________
| >Ken Grabach <[log in to unmask]>
| >Documents and Maps Librarian
| >Miami University Libraries
| >Oxford, Ohio 45056 USA
|
| I'm currently using DeLorme's TOPO-2 and find it much superior to
| USGS
| TOPO maps for several reasons.
|
| 1: At $4/sheet, that can quickly add up to the $70-100, (depending on how
| one orders it), cost of DeLorme's access to the entire USA 50-states.
| 2: The USGS does not always have all of their topo maps in stock at any
one
| time and, moreover, it takes time to order and receive those that they do
| have.
| 3: I can take the DeLorme image to exactly the size and area that I wish.
| 4: Printing out can be done in superb details by almost any current inkjet
| printer with more resolution and color than is in the USGS topo maps as
| delivered. I use an HP-890C at 600x1200dpi at about $400 but that price
was
| paid for speed of printing, not resolution, so that the same 600x1200 can
| be obtained on many brands of inkjet printers at costs under $200.
| 5: Print-out are on either 8.5x11 or 8.5x14 legal which are easier to
carry
| than large USGS topo maps even when one needs multiple sheets to cover the
| entire area of interest.
| 6: Better yet, if there are mulitple hikers separated by miles but
| connected by E-mail, then copies can be sent to any and all.
|
| NOW, THREE DRAWBACKS:
| 1: DeLorme's TOPO-2 has 20-foot contours at best. If one needs 10-foot
| contours then USGS is the only in-expensive choice.
| 2: DeLorme's software decides when to go from 50-foot to 20-foot contours
| in the area which one is viewing. This can be a nusiance but can usually
| have a work-around.
| 3: DeLorme's TOPO-2 "saves" scene being shown as a *.GIF. I find that
| recovery of the "Saved" image produces an image much inferior to what was
| seen on the screen. Currently, when I want to "save" an image or prepare
it
| for sending as attachment to an E-mail, I first print it out, then scan it
| with my scanner, (also 600x1200dpi), and store that image as either a
*.TIF
| for maximum resolution or as a *.JPG for reduced BYTES for attachments to
| E-mail.
|
| Fred Schaff
|
|
| Jenny Stone
| ___________________________________
| GIS Librarian * Map Collection
| University of Washington Libraries
| Box 352900 * Seattle, WA 98195-2900
| phone: 206.543.9392
|
|
|
|
