[GeoStL] New versions of my free Garmin Trail, Topo, POI maps
- From: "Jim Bensman" <junkmailno@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <geocaching@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 2 Dec 2008 21:27:55 -0600
-
http://webpages.charter.net/jbensman/Maps.htm
I updated the maps tonight but did not put the new date on my website. So
just go there and download the installers (actually you can just select run)
and run them. Should only take a couple of minutes. Not much changed on
topos and POIs, but lots of changes in the trail map. If you already
installed the installer, this will uninstall the old version and load the
new version. If you have not installed the maps yet, it is real easy now.
Even a mac version.
Here is the readme file:
Maps by Jim Bensman jbensman1@xxxxxxxxxxx
These maps are compatible with MapSource 6.13 and above (i.e., they now work
with version 6.14). It may not work with some of the older versions of
MapSource. In MapSource look under Help, About to see the version number.
If you have an old version of MapSource, you will get an error message when
trying to open it or the trails may not appear as a thin red line.
I make free high quality topo, trail, and POI maps for Garmin GPSs. They
are all transparent maps so they show over City Navigator and City Navigator
will still autoroute.
I know they work well in the 60CSX and Colorado. I have a CO 400T so I am
optimizing them for the CO. I used to make CDs and give them away. Having
them online seems to be easier. So I am going to go that way. I have also
figured out how to make an installer. So now installing the maps is much
easier.
They are free. You can pay me back a couple of ways. You can contribute
tracks of trails you GPSed or POIs you have coordinates for. If you GPS the
trail, set the GPS track set up to most often and auto. If the trail has a
name, name your track that. No trail is to small to add and even parts of
trails are fine. I like to geocache (www.geocaching.com) and do not enjoy
puzzle geocaches-I would rather spend my time making maps. So you can send
me answers to puzzle caches in the St. Louis area you figure out (or create)
to pay me back for the hundreds of hours spent making the maps. Hey would
you rather me spend my times improving the maps or figuring out puzzles?
All of the maps were made by me ((geocahing Myotis)-Jim Bensman). Most of
the trails have been GPSed or traced by me-but others such as the Forest
Service have given me trail files. Other people have also contributed GPSed
trails and traced trails.
Most of the trails on the trail maps I have GPSed with my 60CSX or now my
Colorado 400T. These trails are extremely accurate. Many agencies, cities,
counties, etc. have given me trail data. Other users have also given me
GPSed trails. Some of the trails have been traced (by me or others) with
ExpertGPS or GoogleEarth. So some of the trails could use more accurate
data. If you get more accurate data, send it to me. It should be pretty
obvious when you are using traced data as it will likely be off. If the
trail is right on, it has been GPSed. If you hike any of these, parts of
them, or any other trail, part of a trail you can send me more accurate or
new data. It just takes a couple of minutes to add this stuff to the file.
The more people contribute, the better the maps will be.
I will periodically update the installer files on my website:
http://webpages.charter.net/jbensman/Maps.htm You can then download an
updated version with updated maps. The installer will automatically
uninstall the older version and install the newer version.
The maps are also posted at:
http://mapcenter.cgpsmapper.com/maplist.php?author=4216 You can check there
for updated versions. All you have to do is download the binary img file
and replace the one on your computer. I am not sure what causes this, but I
have had the problem a few times. I think it happens when a file gets
bigger than it was when it was first generated. When you are uploading the
maps, you may get a message that indicates you do not have enough space in
your GPS for the maps. It will be weird as it will say something like you
need 30 megs and you only have 500 megs. It does not make any sense since
you have more space than you need. If that happens, send me an email and I
will generate a new version of the installer and post it. But it is
extremely unlikely this will happen. It should happen to me first and when
it does, I will put a new installer on line. So before you download the
file from this site, check for an updated installer.
All maps are posted at:
http://mapcenter.cgpsmapper.com/maplist.php?author=4216 Some maps have
restrictions on their use and some agencies that have given me data have
asked me to post warnings (the data could be wrong ). But you are OK to use
these maps for personal non commercial use. And obviously, some of the data
can be wrong.
There are 4 mapsets:
My Topos:
These are transparent maps that show up on top of City Navigator which you
still use for route calculation. They have topo lines and hydrology
(streams, rivers, lakes, etc). The topo lines are from the USGS and they
are more accurate than what is on the 24K USGS maps. I generally use a 10
foot contour interval. Most of the hydrology is high resolution (equal to
or better than the 24K USGS). Some places do not have the high resolution
data). I have also done lots of corrections to the hydrology by looking
at ExpertGPS, Google Earth, and field checks. What it looks like in the
GPS is City Navigator with topolines and much better hydrology. This is
great for caching as many times it helps you figure out how to get to a
cache as you can see the terrain and where the water is. That makes it
easier to figure out how to get to a cache as a straight line is not always
the best way.
These maps are mostly in the ST Louis MO/IL region. But there are some for
some places in IN, OH, KY, and Iowa.
My Trails:
These are transparent trails and points maps. They are meant to show
things City Navigator does not have. My St. Louis Area Trail map has about
4000 points and about 4000 trail/road segments. They are trails, parking
areas, roads not shown on City Navigator (for example, I have all the roads
in Bush Wildlife Area), scenic areas, buildings, shelters, and various other
things not shown in City Navigator. They are transparent so they show up
over City Navigator like the topo lines. One problem I had with them was
trails were sometimes hard to see when there were lots of close topo lines.
Someone taught me how to use a new program that allows you to make Garmin
display the trails as a thin red line. Now the trails show up extremely
well.
These maps cover the ST Louis MO/IL region very well. There are maps for
all of IL and MO and other states like IN, CO, OH, DC, NM, KY, Iowa, MN, TN
and VA.
My POIs:
These are maps that contain points that are displayed on the 24K USGS maps.
They are also transparent. I have also added other things. I found a file
with the locations of 54,000 springs in MO and about 50,000 sink holes. I
have included them.
These maps cover, IL, MO, CO, IN, TN, DC, Iowa, KY, and OH.
Other Maps:
This set has three maps. One for the Mark Twain Lake (MOGA), Marquette
State Park, and Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site. These are maps you can
use if you don't have City Navigator. These are non-transparent maps that
have roads, trails, topo lines, POIs, and water. In MapSource you can also
use them to see everything at once.
Note to those who installed my maps before I had installers:
Just install the new version. You may or may not get a message it is
uninstalling the older version. It should work fine. If it does not work,
go to control panel and uninstall the mapset and try again. If worse comes
to worse, use MapSetToolKit.exe (which you have with the maps) and uninstall
the mapsets. Then start over.
Jim Bensman
"Nature Bats Last"
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