TopoUSA v4 as background image?

[Gridley 257]

Is there an easy way to use DeLorme's topoUSA to generate a registered background image for G2k4? I'm doing something wrong - features seem FAR from where they should be...Best,sg

[Guest bnick]

SG - Hi, TopoUSA is good but doesn't have the resolution of Delorme's XMap Sat-10 packages. I think every state is available now also...XMap Sat-10 is 10 Meter Sat images of each State. Actually most states come spit at least into 2 Sat-10 packages for sale...As I remember it, I gave around $100. for half the state of Oregon where I do my Engineering work designing Fiber Optic Telcom routes...So on one CD I can pan and zoom in and out anywhere within the Western half of Oregon... using the XMap program which also is running within Delorme's 3D-TopoQuads. For my engineering I can toggle on and off the Sat portion to look at the Topo imagery either in one or two windows...I can import and export true GIS vectored AutoCad DXF drawings and enter live GPS data as I'm driving our Fiber Routes to document utilities we will encounter in our installation and construction...Just as a point of interest $50k to $75k Survey grade GPS data collectors, with optional attached Laser measurement data collection capabilities, have GPS accuracy of sub-centimeter... Think about it you could put a coin on the top of your head and we could lat/long it perfectly...It's a great reference for creating your Landclass mods to FS9 or FS2k... Major Roadways and Waterways for half a State at a time are at your fingertips at a reasonable price.. Remember it gives you half a state in 10 meter res...Forgive me if this is not of any useful information...Check out these screen grabs I took showing Delorme's 3D-Topo's X-Map Sat-10 data for the Western half of Oregon and judge for yourself if the res would be adequate for Scenery design or Landclass work...http://forums.avsim.net/user_files/79288.jpghttp://forums.avsim.net/user_files/79289.jpghttp://forums.avsim.net/user_files/79290.jpghttp://forums.avsim.net/user_files/79291.jpghttp://forums.avsim.net/user_files/79292.jpg

[Guest bnick]

Here's 2 more Screen Grabs showing the 3D Viewing and printing abilities of the Sat-10 data... Mt. Hood is the mountain shown... I really like the program and the fact that we didn't have to spend tons of money like we have in the past, and these images are kept very up to date as I understand it...http://forums.avsim.net/user_files/79298.jpghttp://forums.avsim.net/user_files/79299.jpg

[Gridley 257]

That's great stuff but a bit rich for my blood, I think. Since the software is essentially the same engine (i think), how would you go about exporting an Lat/lon registered image from XMap to use as a background for G2k4?Thanks again!Best,sg

[Guest bnick]

SG - Hello again... There are a couple ways and like I said AutoCAD DXF is one, but the one I think you would want is saving your file to a, True North, WGS84, GEO TIF file... They are really nice and have full GIS embedded data... I've tested them in AutoCad Map by importing known GIS data for a given Lat/Long location and then import a Geo-TIF image and they lay perfectly on top of the other file, as long as they are projected correctly...Within the 3D-Topo program, I'd insert Colored Waypoint Symbols at the needed NW/SE Lat/Longs, and then save the area to a GEO-TIF file... Then open Photoshop, or whatever art program you are using, and crop the image as accurately as you can to the Colored Waypoints you created in 3D-Topo... Next I'd just start a new file in G2k4, or superimpose the cropped GEO-TIF on top of a SAT bmp you are using in an existing G2k4 project, with of course transparency set so you could see both your Delorme Topo data on top of your old existing G2k4 Sat bmp...There are a lot of fun ways to approach how we bring our data into G2k4 and as we've all learned some are more accurate than others...If you only bring into G2k4 a GEO-TIF created bmp image, and it is just Topo data only, showing roads and streams etc, and doesn't have nicely colored photo Sat image with it, there is still no reason why you can't create a beautiful G2k4 bgls with accurate Roadways and Waterways...Delorme's 3D-Topo lets us save a 24 bit color, GEO-TIF image that may not exceed 32,768 pixels in either height or width. This limitation is approximately equal to 10 USGS quadrangles high or wide... I measured it and that distance would cover about 30 miles square or something like 44.5 kilometers... I may be off on that but this size is actually pretty decent...Don't discount the free Fgis program that was just written about here within the last couple weeks... It's a cool little powerhouse of a GIS program and for me pretty much can replace my expensive ArcView, and there is lots of free GIS data out there for the taking...

[Gridley 257]

Thanks for that info - I'm learning as I go here, and the process is certainly involved!I'm trying to make an accurate connecticut river between VT and NH. Turns out it's a huge project, and I'm starting with the area around KLEB and I've been making a scenery for that airport for years now ;).So...I'm off to check out Fgis.Thanks again,sg

[Guest bnick]

SG - I did the same thing here with Portland... I had a great Sat photo and drew the corrected river in G2k4 only to find part of my default Microsoft city center buildings out in the middle of my new river... This showed how far off Microsoft's building placement was for our City... So I ended up correcting my new river so it would match Microsoft's to keep their Downtown buildings on land until I could replace them with new ones...