Programs with bundled maps

Mapping companies bundle software with digital maps. The program comes with the map data and is distributed on CDs or DVDs; static or smart maps that have a lot of detail can be quite large in size. You install the mapping program, and you’re immediately ready to start using the data on the CD. Data files bundled with software are often in a proprietary file format, which can be read and used only with the software that comes with the product. The same usually holds true for maps that you can upload to a GPS receiver; only maps from the manufacturer can be used.
Sometimes you don’t have much choice between using a standalone program or one bundled with maps.

• Topographic map data of the United States is widely available for free. You can use a number of free or shareware programs to view maps.
• Only outdated Census Bureau map data is available for United States streets and roads. Most free or shareware programs don’t match the features in commercial products.

Software that comes with bundled maps has gotten incredibly cheap over the years. With discounts and rebates, you can often find road atlas software for around $20 that covers the entire United States. For a little under $100, you can buy programs that come with a full set of detailed digital topographic maps for an entire state. Considering that a single paper USGS 1:24,000 map costs around $7 — and there can easily be over a thousand maps per state — that’s a pretty decent value. Manufacturers that sell bundled map programs (particularly those with street and road data) usually come out with a new release of their product every year or so. In addition to enhancements in the software, the map data contains new roads and updated services information (such as gas stations, restaurants, and hotels, called POIs, or Points of Interest). Whether you buy an updated copy of the software every year depends on your circumstances. If you usually travel on major roads, or in areas that haven’t experienced much development and growth, you probably don’t need to update every year. On the other hand, road atlas software is fairly inexpensive, so if you travel a lot and rely on the program, it can be a cheap investment.
If you have beginning to intermediate computer skills and experience, you can come up to speed quickly with bundled map programs. The user interfaces are generally simpler than those found in feature-rich, standalone programs.
Examples of programs that come bundled with maps are DeLorme’s Street Atlas USA (www.delorme.com),
National Geographic’s TOPO! (http:// maps.nationalgeographic.com/topo), and mapping software from GPS manufacturers that interfaces with their receivers.