ExpertGPS

TopoGrafix is a software company that produces GPS and mapping programs. ExpertGPS is an extensive waypoint, route, and track management system with mapping capabilities grafted on top of it.
ExpertGPS has a large number of features. In fact, at first glance, the extensive features and user interface can be a little intimidating. However, if you’re a GPS power user with a large collection of waypoints and route data, it’s definitely worth spending some time working with the program to see whether it meets your needs.

TopoFusion

Scott and Alan Morris, brothers and computer science graduate students, weren’t satisfied with the various Windows mapping programs on the market, so they wrote their own. Both are avid mountain bikers, GPS users, and outdoor recreationists; the features in their program reflect this. Some of TopoFusion’s features include

• Optimized graphics routines for fast map display
• Terrain profiles of GPS tracks
• Multiple track file support for constructing trail networks
• Map digital photo support by determining the location where a photo

was taken by correlating the photo time-stamps with those of the track points

• Trip playback mode that replays your travel route and provides statistics
• Combining aerial photos with topographic maps for composite images

The Morris brothers are constantly adding new and useful features to the program and have an online support forum. If you’re using a GPS receiver as part of a trail-mapping project or you are a serious outdoor enthusiast, the advanced features of TopoFusion should put it high on your list

TerraClient

Bill Friedrich’s TerraClient is a free, easy-to-use Windows program that displays TerraServer-USA aerial photos and maps. It doesn’t interface with GPS receivers or use GPS data, but it does have two features that make it ideal for beginning map users:

• Easy location lookup: Instead of knowing the exact coordinates of the area you want to view, enter a place name and watch TerraClient return a list of possible matches. To view the aerial photo, click the one you’re interested in.
• Superimposed maps: This is a very slick feature that allows you to superimpose a topographic map on top of an aerial photo. You can control the transparency of the overlay so that only a faded, ghostlike image of the map appears on top of the aerial photograph. This is very useful for quickly identifying features on aerial photos.

TerraClient has an extremely user-friendly interface, and you can be up and running the program in a matter of minutes.

Interfacing with a GPS receiver

Downloading and viewing free aerial photos and maps is pretty cool, but if you have a GPS receiver, USAPhotoMaps has even more features that you can put to use, including

• Downloading waypoints, routes, and tracks from a GPS receiver to overlay on aerial photos and maps.
• Uploading waypoints and routes that you’ve created with USAPhotoMaps to your GPS receiver.
• Interfacing USAPhotoMaps to a GPS receiver for real-time updates of your current position shown on an aerial photo or topographic map. USAPhotoMaps has a separate help file that covers only GPS-related topics. You’ll find comprehensive information on interfacing your GPS receiver to the program and descriptions of GPS-related features. To display the help file, choose Help from the GPS menu.

Click the mouse to add a waypoint wherever the cursor is currently positioned. You’ll be prompted to enter a description and a name (to identify the waypoint if you upload it to a GPS receiver). The waypoint will be displayed as a dot on the aerial photo or the map. Right-click the mouse button to display a list of waypoints.

Saving Aerial Photos

After you have an aerial photo or map displayed onscreen, you can save the image to use with other programs:

• From the File menu: Choose Copy to Screen.jpg. This saves a copy of the aerial photo or map currently displayed onscreen to a file named Screen.jpg in the same folder that USAPhotoMaps is installed in.
• Print Screen: Press the Print Screen key to save the current image to the Clipboard. If you want to save only a portion of the map or aerial photo that appears onscreen.
• BigJpeg: Use the BigJpeg utility. Doug Cox has a free utility that creates a single, 1-meter resolution, JPG format graphics file from a photo or map. You define the boundaries of an area you want to save in USAPhotoMaps and then run BigJpeg to create the graphics file. You can download BigJpeg, with complete instructions, at http://jdmcox.com.

Creating and Using Multiple Map Files

USAPhotoMaps uses a map file to name areas that have downloaded aerial photo or map data. A map file is a bookmark for a general vicinity or location. For example, you might have downloaded aerial photos for the entire Grand Canyon. Instead of scrolling to view photos at each end, you could create two map files, one called North Grand Canyon and the other South Grand Canyon.
To create a map file bookmark

1. From the File menu, choose New Map File.
2. In the New Map dialog box that appears, enter the name of the map file and the coordinates that you’d like to bookmark.
3. Click OK.

After you create a map file, select it, and USAPhotoMaps displays the aerial photo or map associated with that area.
To select and display a new map file

1. From the File menu, choose Open Map File.
2. Select the name of the map file to load.
3. Click OK.

The area that you bookmarked is now displayed onscreen. Map file bookmarks are used to identify a general location. They shouldn’t be used for marking a very specific set of coordinates, such as a GPS waypoint.

Entering text in USAPhotoMaps

After you have an aerial photo displayed, you can add text labels to different
features when the image is displayed at the 1- or 2-meter zoom levels. To enter
a text label
1. Move the mouse cursor to the location where you want the text to start.
2. Hold down the Shift key.
3. Move the cursor in the direction you want the text to be aligned. A line is temporarily drawn as you move the cursor. For example, if you draw a line at a 45-degree angle, the text will flow at a 45-degree angle.
4. Release the Shift key.
5. In the dialog box that appears, type in the text label and click OK.
A list of all the text labels is displayed.
Text in a label is limited to 60 characters and can be edited or deleted by choosing Text➪List.
You can set the text color by choosing File➪Preferences➪Colors. The Color Preference dialog box, which isn’t all that intuitive, uses a series of radio buttons that correspond to red, green, and blue values. Your best bet for choosing a color you’d like is to enter some text and then display the Color Preference dialog box. When you select different combinations of color radio buttons, the text you entered changes color.