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The Insider
Where on Eartha?
Most who responded to January’s Where on Eartha challenge correctly identified the island in question as Montserrat, an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom. Situated in the Caribbean Sea, Montserrat has been dogged by a series of volcanic eruptions since the Soufriere Hills volcano emerged from its dormant state in the mid 1990s. The first correct entry pulled from the hat this month was sent by John Gaythorpe from Dartmouth College in New Hampshire.
This month’s 3-D image from XMap shows the site of a major engineering project which is currently nearing completion. Name the project and you could be next winner of XMap 5.0 Professional. Send your entry to contest@delorme.com before February 28, 2007.
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Click here to order 3-D satellite imagery of the world for XMap. |
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USNG in XMap
Emergency Responders, are you using the US National Grid in your map work? If not, you should be. The USNG is a nationally consistent grid reference system that has been developed by the US Department of Homeland Security for the purpose of creating an interoperable environment for all location-based services. All versions of XMap 5.0 offer the USNG as a coordinate system option for both on-screen display and map printing. Click here to read a review of the USNG in XMap and in the new Earthmate GPS PN-20. |
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XMap Developments
Maine State Police Chooses XMap 5.0 GIS Editor for Mobile Incident Response Team
The Incident Management Assistance Team (IMAT) of the Maine State Police has chosen XMap 5.0 to provide mobile GIS and GPS navigation services in emergency response situations.
XMap 5.0 GIS Editor will be installed in the agency’s headquarters and deployed with the team’s Mobile Command Vehicle allowing on-site GIS data collecting, processing, and sharing, regardless of the location. Because it is a fully functional standalone GIS data management tool, XMap will allow the IMAT team to operate in any environment in a self-sufficient manner, eliminating the need for external GIS support.
“In an emergency situation an immediate and efficient response is critical”, according to Lt. Chris Grotton, the IMAT Commander. “Mapping is an important component in the response to, and management of large scale incidents.”
Members of the IMAT attended a DeLorme training program on the use of XMap for incident response situations. This custom class provided clear and concise, step-by-step instructions on the relevant functions of the software and gave the team a solid foundation on which to begin to build their GIS infrastructure.
“XMap is an extremely versatile GIS and GPS tool”, according to Geoffrey Ives, DeLorme’s Director of Professional Sales. “It combines the best of DeLorme’s core mapping technology with a powerful array of spatial analysis tools. XMap is an all-in-one mapping solution that is ideally suited to meet the needs of the law enforcement and emergency response community.”
For more information on the Maine State Police, click here.
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XMap Q&A
DeLorme’s Professional Sales Inbox is usually inundated with emails from prospective XMap customers asking questions about various features and functions of the software. Questions such as, “Which base map dataset should I buy?”, “Will XMap 5.0 Professional allow me to work with my shapefiles?”, “Can I import my Street Atlas USA draw files if I upgrade to XMap?” As a means to answer these and other commonly asked questions and to provide this information to a wide audience, we are introducing a new feature starting this month, XMap Q&A.
Which version of XMap 5.0 should I buy, GIS Editor or GIS Enterprise?
Before listing the key distinctions, it is worth mentioning that Enterprise includes all of the features that are in Editor, so you will not be losing any functionality by going to the next level. Enterprise was designed to specifically meet the needs of corporate data administrators, so if you are responsible for managing and distributing data throughout your organization, it's worth taking a second look. The following functions are only available in the Enterprise version of XMap:
Redline.jpg) • Data Subscriptions – Provides one-click access to the latest versions of your data to all XMap users in your organization.
• Redline Administration – Automatically enables annotation tools for field data correcting. Annotation layers are uploaded to the data administrator when the subscription process is initiated.
• Checkout/in – Allows sections of a data layer to be allocated to other XMap users for independent updating and editing. Checked-in data automatically replaces the appropriate section of the source layer.
Additionally, XMap 5.0 GIS Enterprise users have access to a Multi-point Image Registration tool with powerful image management functions such as clipping and masking. Other versions of XMap have simple 2-point image registration.
While XMap 5.0 GIS Editor is a fully functional GIS data management program, the Enterprise version offers a level of data administration that makes it ideal for efficient data distribution.
If there’s a question that you’d like answered in this section, send it to prosales@delorme.com making sure to type XMap Q&A in the subject line |
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Tab Tip – Classifying your Data
Classify_1.jpg) A common definition of GIS describes it as a mechanism for analyzing data as it relates to location. While this might be considered overly simplistic by some GIS professionals, the underlying premise holds true in virtually every situation.
The easiest way to initiate a spatial analysis is to create a data classification. Data classification assigns the individual objects in a layer to one of a number of groups, within which all of the objects share a common attribute or fall within a designated range. By adding a visual distinction, such as color scheme or icon shape, it is then possible to discern patterns in the data.
In XMap 5.0 GIS Editor and Enterprise, "Classify" is an option in the Tools menu of the GIS tab. The Classify function can also be accessed by right-clicking on a layer in the Workspace. The Classify Layer dialog box offers several easy-to-follow options for grouping the objects in a layer.
The type of classification can be based on a Unique Value approach, with the selected field or attribute for each object in the group being identical. In this case, the number of classes depends on the number of unique values in the layer. Alternatively, a numeric field can be used to create a Range classification in which the objects fall within a preselected range of values. This method offers much more flexibility in terms of the extent of each class and in the number of classes.
Classify_2.jpg) In either case, a predefined symbolization pattern is initially applied to each class. However, the visual characteristics can be customized using the Symbolize options, which are also accessed from the Tools menu.
A number of powerful new features have been added to the classify dialog box in XMap 5.0. Multiple Classifications can now be created against a layer. For instance, a property layer can be classified based on assessed value and also on acreage. The Manage button within the Classify Layer dialog box includes tools for creating and naming new classifications. To switch between classifications, a drop-down list is available in the Classification column in the Workspace. If this column is not visible, right-click on the column headings in the Workspace and select Classification.
Another useful new feature is the ability to save, reuse and share Classification Templates. Instead of having to reconstruct a classification for each layer, a classification template file (*.xmc) can be saved and subsequently applied to other layers. This function is also accessed using the Manage button within the Classify Layer dialog box.
Classification is a simple method for analyzing spatial patterns in a data layer. XMap’s classification tools are easy-to-use and extremely powerful. For more information on XMap 5.0 visit www.xmap.com |
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