Bob -
Thanks! We're pretty low-key about using the maps, as long as you don't try to make money
selling them.
But I wanted to clear up the common misconception that our maps are somehow free of copyright
because they use USGS maps to start with. While the USGS maps are public domain, our maps are what
are called a "derivative work". You can't get what you see on TopoZone from the USGS - you need to
rescale, reproject, collar-clip, etc. the maps just to get them to fit together. Then you have to
buy a lot of hardware, develop map-serving software, and keep the whole thing running.
Our maps hold our copyright, too. If you want to distribute them, we ask that you keep the copyright
message on the map, and that you make sure people know you got them from TopoZone so they can get
more for themselves.
- Ed
Ed McNierney President and Chief Mapmaker TopoZone.com / Maps a la carte, Inc.
"Bob Schwartz" <
[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Bruce <
[email protected]> wrote:
> > try this one: www.topozone.com
>
>
> > "Danny Callen" <
[email protected]> wrote in message
> >
news:[email protected]...
> >> Delorme Topo 4.0.
http://www.delorme.com
>
> Delorme output is copyrighted:
http://www.delorme.com/companyinfo/copyright.htm
>
> Not that they've got the time or inclination to chase after the promoter of the typical small time
> bike race. But you never know, I've had the minions of corporate Amerika bug me over lesser stuff
> in the interest of copyright protection.
>
> Topozone is a little more generous:
>
http://www.topozone.com/link.asp
>
> Topozone maps are rendered as a set of smaller maps. If you're a Linux-head you can download the
> set and assemble it with ImageMagick. This should be legal because the base for the TopoZone stuff
> is taxpayer paid for USGS maps and that's really all you have, but don't quote me on that.
>
> Bob Schwartz
[email protected]