Map Software??

[Big Jim]

Does anyone use software for creating maps of rides they may lead or make available for their cycling club? If yes, what does the software offer? Does it measure distance etc?
Thanks in advance.

[pale scotsman]

In a past life when I was a GIS analyst I used MapInfo, a company which is based out of Troy, NY. I used it mainly for ATB trails and roads that don't show up on local maps. I'd use their base maps and 1:24,000 topo maps and whatever aerial photos I could find. You'd be surprised at what's not on the digital topo maps. Even the ones you get from DeLorme, Garmin, etc.. The maps around here have not been updated in 20 or more years due to a majority of privately owned land. So you've gotta improvise.

If you are closer to a big city or a somewhat "forward" type state you may be in luck. The terraserver has good photos in certain areas and the gisdatadepot has tons of stuff that used to be free believe it or not.

So in short depending on where you are you may be able to get by with one of the Delorme type map systems. If the maps are geo-referenced you'll have no problem figuring out distances and your club will think you are the man.

:beer: :beer: :beer:

[David Berry]

Hi Jim
I use Topo USA by Delorme. It has its quirks, mainly that the interface takes a while to get used to, but once you do that, it produces nice maps, and will produce an elevation profile of the route. It can save to a file (BMP) of which I then past in a word document and produce a PDF to send to our riders. My rides are usually 80-100 miles sometimes with climbing, so I like to let everyone know beforehand what they are getting into.

One word of caution for all the products I have looked at. They have both paved and unpaved roads in the maps, so if you are planning a road ride, a little "eyes on target" to quote Rumsfeld never hurts. Here in Idaho we have a lot of old farm and forest roads, and some have been paved, but many have not been.

Hope this helps,
David

[Russ]

Jim,

Most off-the-shelf mapping software today is pretty good... I personally use Microsoft Streets & Trips 2004. I like it because I have found that the graphics and the print outs are the clearest. I also have it loaded on my laptop and I connect a GPS to it for nice road tracking. It also measures distance and has icons with gas stations (good for water or if you get a flat, right?)

The one thing I do not like about this MS software is that it only accepts GPS units that use a COMM port. Everything has gone USB and it is hard to make it work! But for the other purposes, it is pretty good!

[bcm119]

Topo USA is a fine package for someone who needs to crank out alot of maps without wasting too much time. I believe its the only consumer oriented make-a-map program available at a reasonable cost. If you are interested in making your own non-copyrighted maps, you can go about it in 2 ways: one is to scan and trace an existing paper or digital map, and the other is to purchase some GIS software (Geographic Information Systems). Unless you have a special interest in the latter I don't recommend it- its extremely expensive and has a steep learning curve. For simple route maps I'd recommend just scanning a nice road atlas (or stitching some MapQuest jpg's) and using a graphics program to trace or add your own comments. In the case of Topo USA, I think it shows too much information and muddles the map, especially if its just an on-the-fly direction finder. If you're handy with a graphics package like Adobe Illustrator or Macromedia Freehand its quite easy to make an attractive and clear map with just the aid of a scanned road map.

I'm a cartographer and GIS analyst, so if you'd like more details, private message me and I'd be happy to help.

[Ozz]

Check out: trails.com

This site provides not only cycling info, but hiking, and kayaking also.

Annual "Trail Pass" gets you all the maps you can use...