The Standalone Map Programs

A standalone program is a program that can open and use digital maps. These programs typically don’t come with map data, and you’ll need to download or purchase the maps you’re interested in using. Like with a word processor or a spreadsheet, a mapping program needs someone to input data before it can be useful. In this case, the data is bits and bytes that describe how a map should be displayed. Fortunately, an amazing amount of map data is freely available on the Internet, most of it already collected by the government and in the public domain.
A big market exists for commercial map data. People buy data to use with their mapping programs because

• Free data may not be available for an area or a specific need.
• Commercial data may be enhanced with information unavailable in the free versions.
• Firing up a CD filled with data is more convenient than searching for free data and then downloading it.

Many standalone mapping programs aren’t tied to one data type. Map programs are viewers, editors, or both:

• Viewers show only maps.
• Editors can make changes.

Usually you can’t change a base map you’ve opened from a data file, but you can add text and draw shapes on top of the map. Many standalone programs are either free or shareware. Two aspects of such programs are especially worth noting:

• Some manufacturers offer free (or cheap) limited-feature versions of their products that are otherwise available as pricy commercial software.
• Standalone mapping programs are mostly suited to a user who has intermediate to advanced computer skills and experience.

Examples of standalone mapping programs include OziExplorer (www. oziexplorer.com), USAPhotoMaps (http://jdmcox.com), and 3DEM (www.visualizationsoftware.com/3dem.html). Don’t forget that you can also make maps with Paint or any other general-purpose graphics program. This blog shows how to use these programs and others. Some free, noncommercial mapping programs have advanced features that are normally more suited to professional users. Don’t be intimidated by every feature and option. You can use some commands and features to make maps for your needs. And you can master those other features if you ever need to. One big disadvantage to standalone mapping programs is that you need to search the Internet for the data you need, find and download it, and then open it with the map program. This process sometimes involves registering a map so that the coordinates all line up. Also, even with a high-speed Internet connection, downloading can still be a hassle. And after all that, you still have to find the map data for an area that you want to view, and then successfully load all that stuff into the mapping program.