----------------------------Original message---------------------------- Some of you may be familiar with this new CD-ROM product from PhD Associates, but most of you won't of heard about it. I received a copy of the CD-ROM and accompanying software on MOnday and I have now had a chance to evaluate it, although not exhaustively by any means. Many of us have probably been quite frustrated by the original DCW on multiple CDs. THere were a number of problems: it ran very S_L_O_W_L_Y; the interface was not particularly well designed, and it was virtually impossible to extract files from the database to import into GIS and desktop mapping packages. In my opinion, DCW in ASCII is an improvement in some ways. It costs $159 US ($195 Canadian) and consists of a single CD-ROM with an accompanying viewing program (called MapIt) on diskette. The datafiles are flat ASCII and they are compressed; the data are organized into 5 degree tiles. Using MapIt installed on the hard drive, a patron can specify a particular archive (e.g., P05N020E.ZIP--in this example the southwest corner of the tile is at 5 degrees north, 20 degrees east), unzip it, then plot the coverages of interest. MapIt allows some elementary customizing such as changing the colour plots (of both text files and line files). But there is no zoom in or zoom out capability. A user can then save the resulting map as a bitmap image (bmp). Or he/she might want to bring the ASCII files into a mapping package such as MapInfo, AutoCAD, or IDRISI. A simple conversion utility is available for $24.95 US ($29.95 Can) to convert to ASCII files that each of these packages will recognize. I purchased the MapInfo utility and it works just fine; the conversion takes about 30 seconds. It converts DCW's LLP and LLT files into MIF and MID files. Plots take no time at all. However, I find it a bit of a nuisance to have to select a file, choose a colour, plot the file, go back and clear out the previous file, select another file, choose another colour, and so on--but this is basically what we had to do with the original DCW. The matter of greatest concern to me is that DCW in ASCII does NOT include any area files, but only point, line and text files. So, for example, there is no vegetation. But one does get: cities and towns (including outlines of the larger centres, points for the smaller ones, and names), lakes, rivers, coastlines, contours, spot elevations, roads, railroads, pipelines, powerlines, cultural features, etc. This product can be ordered from PhD Associates in Calgary. The name of my contact and the fellow who created with ASCII files is Frank Thirkettle. PhD Associates Discovery Place One Suite 100, 3553 - 31 Street NW Calgary, Alberta T2L 2K7 403/289-8198 (609/737-6565 in US) fax 282-1238 (609/737-3963 in US) email (Frank): [log in to unmask] ============================================================================= Richard Hugh Pinnell Head, University Map and Design Library, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1 Phone: 519/888-4567, extension 3412 Fax: 519/746-8476 Email: [log in to unmask] =============================================================================