UK/Eire Contour map updates

GSV Three Minds in a Can said:

If anyone here is using the UK/Eire contour mapping, I just thought
I'd mention that there is now a 1.2 update which fixes some really
dumb smoothing that was done in 'void' areas (where there was no SRTM
height data). .........

Thanks for the update.

One minor request for future ones; could the hill summit file 13900003 be
made available with an optional different icon please ? Such as 0x6600.
Reason being screen clutter; I'd rather have just a small spot for a summit
than a pretty mountain shape which can obscure other stuff.

I can (and have) fixed my own copy with an edit in GPSMapEdit, recompile,
and then recompile the PV file (otherwise MapSource gripes at loading the
0.4Mb map into 24Mb of memory), but if others would like these alternative
visuals they may find the compile cycle too complicated.

If/when there are zillions of other features visible on maps for Garmins, I
might want to distinguish the features with Icons, but for now I'd rather
have maximum screen visible.

regards,

- Nigel

--
Nigel Cliffe,
Webmaster at http://www.2mm.org.uk/

GSV Three Minds in a Can wrote...

Quoted message said:

If anyone here is using the UK/Eire contour mapping, I just thought I'd
mention that there is now a 1.2 update...

Thanks for that - I use your contour maps regularly and was just about to
reinstall them as MapSource is telling me that some of them have got
corrupted when I try to upload to my Vista - so now is the perfect time to
upgrade them!

I haven't yet tried using your Shropshire maps but I only live in Malvern
and it must be about time for another Shropshire walk - so any time now...!

Cheers

David

Bitstring <[email hidden]>, from the wonderful
person Nigel Cliffe <[email hidden]> said

Quoted message said:

GSV Three Minds in a Can said:

If anyone here is using the UK/Eire contour mapping, I just thought
I'd mention that there is now a 1.2 update which fixes some really
dumb smoothing that was done in 'void' areas (where there was no SRTM
height data). .........

Thanks for the update.

One minor request for future ones; could the hill summit file 13900003 be
made available with an optional different icon please ? Such as 0x6600.
Reason being screen clutter; I'd rather have just a small spot for a summit
than a pretty mountain shape which can obscure other stuff.

I'll think about it .. in the meantime you are welcome to make the
alternate version available (as long as you abide by the GNU open source
license terms - mainly don't charge for it). Since it's only one .img
file and associated tbg/previews I imagine it's pretty small.

Quoted message said:

I can (and have) fixed my own copy with an edit in GPSMapEdit, recompile,
and then recompile the PV file (otherwise MapSource gripes at loading the
0.4Mb map into 24Mb of memory), but if others would like these alternative
visuals they may find the compile cycle too complicated.

If/when there are zillions of other features visible on maps for Garmins, I
might want to distinguish the features with Icons, but for now I'd rather
have maximum screen visible.

Oh, there are a zillion visible features available, they just aren't
there in the contour mapset. I used a couple of dozen in the South
Shropshire set.

--
GSV Three Minds in a Can
Contact recommends the use of Firefox; SC recommends it at gunpoint.

GSV Three Minds in a Can wrote...

Quoted message said:

...
And finally, if anyone is actually using any of the South Shropshire
rights-of-way/mapping data, that's been extended and updated too (I've
done nearly a 12th of the County now .. 777Km of ROW .. 4,000Km of
walking) accessible via

http://www.quik.clara.co.uk/maps

The South Shropshire maps are a problem on the monochrome etrex Vista (and
presumably related etrex models). The problem arises from Garmin
incompetence/stupidity and is exactly the same on Garmin Metroguide maps!
Block shaded areas show up on the etrex as 50% grey shading which makes
reading the footpaths etc very difficult. Areas include Clee - "State Park"
shading (0x1e) and Wyre Forest (and other woodlands) "Forest" (0x50).
Forest shading comes out as blotchy 50% grey tree symbols on the etrex and
horizontal brown hatching in MapSource (quite a distraction in MapSource as
well).

Unfortunately Garmin failed to add the facitity to turn off National Park
shading on the Vista and stubbornly refuse to fix the problem with a
firmware upgrade.

My solution for Metroguide maps has been to hack the img files with a hex
editor to break the polygon shading. I keep a backup of the original files
so that I use the shaded versions in Mapsource but replace them with my
hacked non-shaded versions when I want to upload maps to my GPS receiver.
Not very convenient but it works. This is fine for large National Park
areas where the shading is pointless at the usual scale, however indication
of smaller areas of woodland is a very useful aid to navigation and so the
best solution for the Shropshire maps would be to use a shading that didn't
obliterate other mapping detail so disastrously on monochrome receivers - if
one actually exists.

David

Bitstring <[email hidden]>, from the
wonderful person David Lee
<[email hidden]> said

Quoted message said:

GSV Three Minds in a Can wrote...

Quoted message said:

...
And finally, if anyone is actually using any of the South Shropshire
rights-of-way/mapping data, that's been extended and updated too (I've
done nearly a 12th of the County now .. 777Km of ROW .. 4,000Km of
walking) accessible via

http://www.quik.clara.co.uk/maps

The South Shropshire maps are a problem on the monochrome etrex Vista (and
presumably related etrex models).

OK, I can fix that - I'll just move the polygons to a separate .img file
and then you can turn them on/off like you can parish boundaries,
contours, etc.

On the 60C (colour) which I use it's possible to follow FPs etc. just
fine during the day, but I've noticed, even there, that when it goes
into 'sunset mode' the forest area symbols suddenly become overpowering,
and following a FP (or anything else) through a forest after sunset is a
PITA.

Anyway, thanks for the feedback. I'll try to get a revised version up on
the website by month end (you'll know it because it will have a new .img
file - probably 1000017.img, which'll have the polygons in).

I won't move the lakes, since footpaths through lakes (yes, there are
some, at least in theory) =should= be hard to follow! One day I must put
the open access land in too (but Garmin don't have a perfect polygon for
that).

--
GSV Three Minds in a Can
Contact recommends the use of Firefox; SC recommends it at gunpoint.

GSV Three Minds in a Can said:

Bitstring <[email hidden]>, from the wonderful
person Nigel Cliffe <[email hidden]> said

Quoted message said:

GSV Three Minds in a Can said:

If anyone here is using the UK/Eire contour mapping, I just thought
I'd mention that there is now a 1.2 update which fixes some really
dumb smoothing that was done in 'void' areas (where there was no
SRTM height data). .........

Thanks for the update.

One minor request for future ones; could the hill summit file
13900003 be made available with an optional different icon please ? Such
as 0x6600. Reason being screen clutter; I'd rather have just a
small spot for a summit than a pretty mountain shape which can
obscure other stuff.

I'll think about it .. in the meantime you are welcome to make the
alternate version available (as long as you abide by the GNU open
source license terms - mainly don't charge for it). Since it's only
one .img file and associated tbg/previews I imagine it's pretty small.

Quite happy to make it available under those terms - afterall I've done very
little work to it ! Total file size (three files) appears to be around
450kb as a zip (or 860kb uncompressed). Just needs a very simple README
adding.

Where would you recommend that I send it ?

I could put it onto mapcenter.cgpsmapper.com for example, or email it to the
various owners of the current "contours" distribution websites.

( I might play some more with the levels, the file in question appears to
have two active levels in it. Having the summit icon at the closest zoom and
the small spot further out may be a better compromise).

regards,

- Nigel

--
Nigel Cliffe,
Webmaster at http://www.2mm.org.uk/

Bitstring <[email hidden]>, from the wonderful
person Nigel Cliffe <[email hidden]> said
<Snip>

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

One minor request for future ones; could the hill summit file
13900003 be made available with an optional different icon please ? Such
as 0x6600. Reason being screen clutter; I'd rather have just a
small spot for a summit than a pretty mountain shape which can
obscure other stuff.

I'll think about it .. in the meantime you are welcome to make the
alternate version available (as long as you abide by the GNU open
source license terms - mainly don't charge for it). Since it's only
one .img file and associated tbg/previews I imagine it's pretty small.

Quite happy to make it available under those terms - afterall I've done very
little work to it ! Total file size (three files) appears to be around
450kb as a zip (or 860kb uncompressed). Just needs a very simple README
adding.

Where would you recommend that I send it ?

Ah, now that's where the work comes in .......

--
GSV Three Minds in a Can
Contact recommends the use of Firefox; SC recommends it at gunpoint.

GSV Three Minds in a Can said:

Bitstring <[email hidden]>, from the wonderful
person Nigel Cliffe <[email hidden]> said
<Snip>

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> One minor request for future ones; could the hill summit file
> 13900003 be made available with an optional different icon please
> ? Such as 0x6600. Reason being screen clutter; I'd rather have
> just a small spot for a summit than a pretty mountain shape which can
> obscure other stuff.

I'll think about it .. in the meantime you are welcome to make the
alternate version available (as long as you abide by the GNU open
source license terms - mainly don't charge for it). Since it's only
one .img file and associated tbg/previews I imagine it's pretty
small.

Quite happy to make it available under those terms - afterall I've
done very little work to it ! Total file size (three files) appears
to be around 450kb as a zip (or 860kb uncompressed). Just needs a
very simple README adding.

Zip file now posted on mapcenter.cgpsmapper.com

- Nigel

--
Nigel Cliffe,
Webmaster at http://www.2mm.org.uk/