The Insider Where on Eartha? May’s Where on Eartha Challenge took us deep into the southern hemisphere to one of the world’s truly stunning countries, New Zealand. Should your real travels find you in that part of the world, you’re likely to spend time in its capital city, Wellington, the world’s most southerly national capital. The first randomly selected e-mail containing the correct response, and this month’s winner of a copy of XMap 5.0 Professional and an Earthmate USB GPS receiver, was sent by Steve Radis from Marine Research Specialists in Ventura, California. If you would like to join Steven as a Where on Eartha Challenge winner, simply identify the country and capital city in the following satellite image, write your answer in an e-mail and send it to contest@delorme.com before June 30, 2007. Once again, the prize for the first correct answer pulled from the hat will be a copy of XMap 5.0 Professional and an Earthmate USB GPS receiver. To order 14.25-meter resolution satellite imagery for use within XMap 5.0, click here . Get the Most Out of Your Mapping Technology Investment with a Custom Training Program While many XMap users are able to get up and running with the software with a little assistance from the included help system, there are those who prefer to learn about the various features and functions, along with a few tips and tricks, by attending a training program hosted by DeLorme. Training can be delivered at your location, at DeLorme headquarters in Yarmouth, Maine, or online. The training agenda and schedule are arranged on a case-by-case basis and the content of each program is uniquely adapted to meet the individual needs of those in attendance. XMap users who have recently taken advantage of the training service offered by DeLorme include Debenham Energy, Compass South Inc., and the Maine State Police. For more information on training options click here or e-mail training@delorme.com. Upgrade from XMap 4.5 or XMap GIS/Editor If you have delayed upgrading to XMap 5.0 from older versions, there will never be a better time than right now. The DeLorme Professional Sales Group has put together a unique bundle that combines either XMap 5.0 Professional or XMap 5.0 GIS Editor with the Earthmate Blue Logger Bluetooth GPS receiver and data logger at a 20% discount. Respond to this offer by July 6, 2007 and you will also receive the DeLorme USA Topographic Base Map dataset for free. For more information on the XMap 5.0 Professional bundle, click here and on the XMap 5.0 GIS Editor bundle, click here. Coming Soon! XMap 5.0 interoperability with the new Earthmate GPS PN-20: -Transfer your Openspace GIS layers onto the handheld GPS receiver -View high resolution imagery such as MrSID GeoTIFF on the high-resolution screen -Import field-collected data into Openspace GIS layers -And much more Check future editions of the DeLorme Professional Newsletter for further details and release information. June 2007 XMap Developments Up-to-date Color Imagery Now Available through NetLink When did you last visit the NetLink tab within XMap? This remarkable tool is actually an embedded Web browser that allows DeLorme product developers to share news and information about the latest software enhancements in real time. It also offers direct access to DeLorme’s technical support department and provides details on all of the latest product offerings. Perhaps the most innovative application for this feature is the ability to select and download of Aerial Data Packets (ADPs), a composite base map option for XMap that includes satellite imagery, USGS quad maps, and black and white aerial imagery, as well as a regional Digital Elevation Model (DEM) covering the selected area. Recently, a new option was added to the NetLink download list; up-to-date color aerial imagery derived from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s NAIP program. Accessed using the same procedure as ADPs, these color Digital Ortho Quarter Quads (DOQQs) were captured within the last few years and are either 1- or 2-meter resolution, depending on the state in question. Of the lower 48 states, only Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, West Virginia, and New York have yet to be made available. If you are interested in imagery for one of these states, check the NetLink tab periodically for the latest updates. While this is not the only way to incorporate imagery into XMap, the benefit of accessing imagery data in this format is that it is optimized for use within XMap with fast map redrawing when panning and zooming. Each selected area is a single package so there is no need to manage multiple individual files. And because each ADP or color DOQQ is automatically added to the map view and is saved on the local hard drive, you can take the imagery with you wherever you travel and can even use it as alternative map view when navigating with GPS. The coverage for each color imagery dataset is chosen by selecting the appropriate grid tiles on the map. Order just the tiles that you need and pay only $1 for each square kilometer. Interested in larger areas? Contact DeLorme professional sales staff at 1-800-293-2389 and ask about DVD and USB hard drive options at a discounted price. If more detailed imagery is required, don’t forget that all versions of XMap offer access to readily available imagery in MrSID and GeoTIFF format. XMap Q&A I have been a DeLorme software user for over 10 years and I have been receiving your Professional Newsletter for the last 6 months. During this time I have learned a little about GIS but I’m still not 100% sure what exactly it is. Are the maps that I make in Street Atlas USA a GIS? This issue could be debated at length and the response will likely vary depending on who is being asked. Before proceeding, it is worthwhile that we first come up with an explanation for the phrase Geographic Information System. By individually considering the three components of the term we can hopefully create a clear and concise definition. The word Geographic obviously means that it relates to location; Information tells us that there is some sort of data related to that location; and finally, System implies that we are dealing with more than just a map or even mapping software but rather a multi-faceted process that allows us to consider the data in its locational context. Therefore, a GIS is simply a system for analyzing information as it relates to location. So can it be argued that a map generated using Street Atlas USA is a GIS? Certainly Street Atlas USA provides a variety of tools placing points, lines, and polygons on the map and for customizing the symbolization of each object. What’s missing from Street Atlas USA and similar software titles is the ability to assign data or attributes to these objects. The flag on the map might convey to the viewer that there is an item of interest at that location, but it will not paint the complete picture by offering access to the relevant data about that item. In most cases, the step up from simple mapping to a full fledged GIS is fairly straightforward. If you have already taken the time to create a draw layer that shows the location of your data objects, you are halfway there. All you need to do is import the draw layer into the GIS tab in XMap 5.0 GIS Editor, then either manually add as many different attribute fields as you need or, better yet, import and link existing data in such formats as Microsoft® Excel, Access, or even text, and automatically assign each row of data to the appropriate point. Before long you will realize the benefit of having you data geographically assigned in this way. Through processes such as classification and querying, you will be able to discern patterns in your data that would otherwise have gone unnoticed. Furthermore, data stored in a GIS format can be easily shared through a common database connection, within which permission settings will allow varying levels of access. This helps ensure that everyone in your organization has the latest versions of your data. To read more about the benefits of a GIS click here. If you have a question that you would like to have answered in the DeLorme Professional Newsletter XMap Q&A section, send it to newsletter@delorme.com with XMap Q&A in the subject line. Tab Tip – How do I view a MrSID or GeoTIFF file in XMap? With the recent advent of online aerial and satellite imagery viewing tools, more and more people are becoming aware of the vast archives of readily available imagery that is often freely available for personal or professional use. The most common formats in which such imagery is stored are MrSID and GeoTIFF. More than just a picture, imagery stored in MrSID or GeoTIFF format contains the necessary coordinate information that allows these files to be rendered as a geographically aligned map data layer. As an XMap 5.0 user, you have the ability to access these imagery archives and to create maps that are highly accurate and visually impressive. So where do you begin? A good source of information on available imagery is local or state government GIS departments. A quick online search that includes the term “MrSID” along with your city, county, or state name will often yield immediate results. For instance typing “MrSID” and “Maine” into the search window of my browser lead me directly to the Maine Office of GIS data library. Within minutes I was able to download 6-inch resolution imagery for the area around DeLorme’s headquarters and display it within XMap. To view MrSID or GeoTIFF imagery in XMap 5.0, first select the Map Data tab and click the Data button. At this stage you have two choices: you can either add the imagery to the current XMap project by choosing Add and browsing to location of appropriate file (.sid or .tif), or you can establish the folder within which the imagery is stored as a base data location, which means that the imagery will be included by default in all new XMap projects. If this is the preferred approach, choose the Base Data option, click Add in the resulting window, and browse to the folder in which the file or files are stored. In this case, make sure to select the folder, not the file itself. After adding a MrSID file or GeoTIFF to the map, a new line item called Raster Data will appear in the Map Data tab’s Primary and Secondary Map data lists. Click the + sign next to Raster Data to show first the data type and then the actual file or file names. When you right-click the file name, you have the option to adjust certain image properties such as transparency color assignment, zoom level range for the data, and image layering in relation to accompanying vector data objects (for example, choose Roads and then click Add/Change to display roads and labels from your USA Topographic base map on top of the image). You can also choose to display the image in just the secondary map window where it can be independently zoomed in or out or even rendered as a 3-D terrain model. Without question, the inclusion of a high quality aerial image in any mapping or GIS project greatly enhances the utility of the available mapping tools. For XMap 5.0 users, an extensive virtual library of imagery is waiting to be tapped.

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