Although I haven't used the NatGeo stuff I swear buy the Delorme family of products. Topo USA is my current fav. There is also another program called Fugawi with Map of America that not only gives you the Topo maps of the USA, you can also import Aerial Photography.

 

Thread resurrection....

We're about to pull the trigger on a couple laptops (Dell Inspiron....buy 1 get one 1/2 ) and I'm thinking about getting some kind of GPS/mapping software for mine. It won't be in the Jeep all the time, just enough to log trails and make print maps. My main goal is to find and map trails for wheeling as well as fishing spots. I'm also not interested in getting a wireless card, so if there are no Wi-Fi hotspots...no internet.

Now, PLEASE BE GENTLE WITH ME AS I HAVE MINIMAL TECH SKILLS AND VOCABULARY.

It looks like in the DeLorme setup, you can highlight your path. Can you save that as a file then print? I've never used any of their software, but I have a WV Atlas/Gazeteer and love it.

If the DeLorme isn't good for that, is there one that is? It doesn't have to be topo (it's Florida..there IS no topo!), but somehing that can be done on the run and user friendly.

Also, it looks like there are satellite overlays. Is that brought from a site like Google and do you have to be connected to the internet to use or can they be saved and printed?

 

I use DeLorme's Topo USA (currently their v6.0 which is also their 2007 version, I think). Yes, you can use it in conjunction with ANY GPS. Although they lean more toward their onw GPS unit, Earthmate), you can use their software with any GPS unit.

I have connected my GPS unit (the Garmin eTrex Venture HC) to the laptop and used it with no problems.

I have also imported GPS logs (normally in the GPX file format) into Topo USA and had good success.

I have also used their routing feature to create a GPS trail. Haven't tried exporting that to my GPS unit yet, but probably should work. (I've looked at the exported file and it has lat/long coordinates so I don't think it will be a problem)

One thing to consider is that if your GPS can upload/download maps, you can create your own maps! In spite of the fact that Garmin uses proprietary software (MapSource), I did find a web site that will allow you to create your own maps and upload them to any Garmin unit that allows for upload/download of maps. Here's that website: http://home.cinci.rr.com/creek/garmin.htm - although I have not tried those instructions yet. Just be aware they are quite long, but will give you much bettreer maps than what Garmin's MapSOurce gives you.

Nope. The satellite overlays and other stuff that is not part of the original installation are downloads that you must purchase at $1.00 per area of coverage. What you basically do is select an area and then set it up for download. I downloaded a couple of them for Idaho and they were OK. However, I can find the same stuff for WA state for free! You may want to search for the same stuff for your state.

I have found the following free stuff for WA state (do a search using some of the same terms I've used below):
One of the things I've gotten involved with is the USFS GIS data files.
I don't know if you have any Nat'l Forests in your area, but these can be access from the following web site: http://svinetfc4.fs.fed.us/clearinghouse/index.html

Remember, Vector data is maps and satellite images.
Raster data is lines, points, and polygons!

Unfortunately this data is not as complete as it could be. But it can be very useful, especially considering the Travel Management Planning the USFS is currently going through!

If you have Nat'l Forests in your area, check your each one's web site and look for "GIS Data". There you should find more complete data than at the above URL.

Sorry if this is a little long. Hopefully this will help,

 

I use the Natl Geographic State series topo software in my laptop + Garmin eTrex whenever I hop in the Jeep for any off-road adventure.
The most useful thing about connecting the two is that you immediately know exactly where you are (even at night); something the in-dash 430N can't provide most of the time, given the lack of off-road detail.

And I use the Natl Geographic software to plan backpacking trips.

Yes, you can trace a route with the mouse/cursor and then tell it to build a profile that will tell you exactly how many miles, how many feet in elevation you gain and lose. And you can use it to print off color maps to complement the hand-held (which doesn't have enough screen to cover all nearby features). You just convert the map to a PDF and take it to a Kinkos/Fed Ex and they can print off a color map of any size.

I also use the software to get GPS coordinates that you can the upload into the 430N in-dash unit as Custom Points of Interest. You use a downloaded program "Garmin POI loader", create a .csv file in Excel, use the POI loader to convert the file into a .gpi file on a USB memory stick, and then simply insert the stick into the 430N and it will upload the POI's. The nice thing is that the 430N can figure out what roads to use to get you to the GPS POI.

 

I am in LOVE with the OP set-up! That's EXACTLY where I want to go with mine eventually. I am a GIS analyst by trade and I see maps like those everyday. Your GPS set up looks great too. I just bought another Trimble Juno 3B data-logger for my business. I can connect it to my laptop via USB and my mapping software (ArcGIS 9.3) will immediately recognize it. I open a map document that contains a USGS topo or aerial photo, and presto...GPS locations with 1-3 meters of accuracy if the Juno is hooked into the SBAS (aka WAAS).
I really do admire the way you have the Panasonic laptop mounted with the RAM mounts. I am sure that wasn't cheap.

EDIT: Just saw above where someone mentioned "GIS Data". If anyone out there wants/needs a custom map done, let me know. I can do maps like these all day long. If properly put together, I can make a custom map that will integrate seamlessly with some of the software y'all are using. Vector data is easy to get if you know where to look. I have several TERABYTES of data...a mixture of high-resolution aerial imagery, LIDAR elevation data (used to make the topo maps posted here), and point/line/polygon (vector data). GPS data that you collect using an everyday, off-the-shelf GPS unit can also be integrated into these things. If your GPS can export to KML, GPX, or SHP files, I can use it. Some units will even export XY data into a text file...that can be used too. Data known as DOQQ's were also mentioned. Let me caution you on using DOQQ's for this sort of application. DOQQ's are VERY good data and they are clipped to correspond to USGS 7.5-minute quarter quadrangles...the same grids that the 7.5-minute topo maps use. If you don't have the right DOQQ tiles, you can very quickly run out of coverage in your area. They can also be out of date because they are only updated just so often. There is another source for very similar data that is IMO better for these purposes. This data is called NAIP imagery and it is produced by the USDA. This imagery is usually provided as a mosaic of an entire county or parish. The drawback to this is the datasets are often LARGE...on the order of 700MB or more depending on the size of the parish/county. The advantage? You won't run out of coverage as quickly. The NAIP imagery is usually provided at 1-meter per pixel resolution...another reason why the datasets are so large. I have seen people attempt to mosaic DOQQ's together and this is a really good approach if you do it in a GIS environment such as ArcGIS, ENVI, or OrthoVista. It won't work in Photoshop because while the images may be stitched together, the geo-referencing will not remain intact.
For those of you with Android phones or tablets, check into an app called Backcountry Navigator. I have actually used this app to perform GPS surveys for clients and I find that it works beautifully. Data accuracy certainly isn't as good as high-end units such as Trimble or Topcon, but it is good enough (2-5 meters in the horizontal) to get your vector layers into a map with a topo or aerial background. I don't know if this app is available for iOS devices, but IMO it would be worth checking into. It DOES allow you to export an entire trip file to a GPX file which can be converted to separate vector feature classes within the GIS.
Side note to GPS data. The accuracy of your data can be influenced by many factors such as TREE CANOPY COVER. In an ideal world, the GPS (rover unit) would be able to maintain SAT lock on at least 3 satellites to provide a decent 2D position fix. The rover unit needs at least 4 satellites to resolve a 3D (XYZ) position. Under dense canopy cover, I would NOT trust any vertical/elevation data from a commercial-grade GPS unit. The error here is called multi-path and it can directly influence a 3D fix. The way to tell if you are experiencing multi-path is to look at your elevation numbers. If they are unstable on the display, then the elevation is certainly suspect. If your GPS has a status screen that allows you to look at estimated position error (EPE) you may be able to see a number called PDOP. If this number is higher than 6, your position is suspect PERIOD. Satellite visibility and overhead alignment (SAT geometry) can also play a HUGE role in the introduction of error in a GPS position whether it is 2D or 3D. Ideal SAT geometry is one directly overhead at zenith and at least three SATs spaced evenly (120 degrees azimuth apart) at 45 degrees of inclination. Also, realize that GPS rover units are best able to resolve a position fix when they are moving. They lose accuracy when kept in a static position for a long period of time. If a rover unit hasn't been powered up for a period of weeks, it may take a long time to resolve a position. This is because it has to obtain a new almanac file from the nearest operational SAT. This file tells the rover unit where to expect each SAT in the sky and what the condition of each SAT signal is...aka SAT health.

 

Exactly wrong.

Link to basic description of vector and raster data sets:
http://gis.stackexchange.com/questio...nd-when-to-use

Raster examples: aerial orthophotography, satellite imagery, topographic maps (DRG, etc), elevation data (Digital Elevation Model); Rasters often have 3D (XYZ) data embedded in them. A good example of a 3D raster is a DEM or DTM (digital terrain model) that is produced from LIDAR points. We use data like this to produce 3-dimensional models of any area of concern to see terrain relief or to determine slopes for hydrology...among MANY other uses. Link to raster data definition from the ArcGIS website: http://webhelp.esri.com/arcgisdeskto...raster_data%3F

Orthophotos are images taken from an aerial platform that have been geo-referenced and ortho-rectified to remove errors that result from camera tilt in relation to the horizontal plane. This process also assigns a coordinate system to the images AND "warps" the image to a curvature model of the earth known as a geoid model. If you are manually geo-referencing the imagery, you can actually watch as the image is "warped" to the curvature model. We typically use a DEM to accomplish this. Another example of RASTER data is the imagery produced by high-end side-scan sonar units. THAT is some really cool data. When taken together with LIDAR data of the terrestrial environment, you can produce a seamless (or nearly seamless) profile of a coastal environment that models elevation and depth profiles. VERY cool stuff!!! We can use RASTERS like these to extract elevations in a VECTOR format which are in turn used to generate contour lines in a map document. Those really cool images you are seeing in 3D when you are looking at the NatGeo or the DeLorme maps are called DRAPES. The RASTER is "draped" over a virtual elevation model thereby producing the terrain relief you are looking at.
One of my current projects involves high-resolution aerial imagery and LIDAR data. We are using it to calculate the amount of surface soil that has been removed from a hill that borders a major construction project
in north Louisiana. This project will involve the use of GPS-acquired VECTOR data (points for known elevations) and polygons (to define the area of the surface disturbance) in conjunction with RASTER data (aerial imagery and DEM from the LIDAR point cloud) to produce a 3D surface of what the area of concern looks like in the present. We can use historical LIDAR data and DEMs to produce a 3D solid in the GIS to calculate the exact volume of material removed from the hill.

Vector examples: Points (GPS waypoints, oil & gas well heads, survey points, USGS monuments, points of interest), lines (roads, streams, elevation contour lines, etc), polygons (surface ownership parcels, counties, state lines, etc). Vector data is typically generated using GIS, GPS, or CAD. We can also produce vectors that can be exported to a GPS unit in the form of GPX, WPT, or SHP files. SHP is also called a shapefile and it is the native vector data format for ArcGIS. It consists of 4 basic components:
1. SHP-contains the geometry of a feature
2. SHX-index to a database (DBF)
3. DBF-contains information about the feature. Together with the SHX, it allows your DBF records to be geo-referenced to a particular XYZ point on the globe
4. PRJ-simply a text file that defines the geographic coordinate system for the geometry. VERY important! If this isn't present, your data is simply a set of points/lines/polygons that have no geographic location.
Vector data is interactive...it "knows" where it is in relation to other features. We use this in GIS to link features to each other spatially. It can be used in conjunction with RASTER data to produce clips of the raster. Vector data can also be used to create rasters but that is an entirely different can of worms and WAY too complex to explain in detail here.