Digital Images of TASMAP Maps

[E.G.]

There does appear to be a way of getting jpegs on to some garmins, through google earth. There are some details here http://www.gpsfix.net/garmin-custom-map ... g-started/ and on the garmin site as well. Seems to work OK but still fine tuning it for an oregon 200

Cheers,

[Liamy77]

Hey Son of a Beach - how does the memorymap tastopo product compare to the tasmap maps?
I know they retail for about 230 - 240 $ so they are HEAPS ChEAPER but are they the full range in 1:25 k and all of the 1:50 k - or a mix of both to cover the state?- same level of detail?

[Son of a Beach]

I believe their maps are all 3 of the main scales for the entire state.

Trouble is that they cannot be used with anything but mem map and cannot be converted to standard image formats (except by screenshots and printing and a LOT of stitching back together).

Some places sell entire map collections in open formats for that kind of price, but not Tasmania.

[Liamy77]

Thankyou... i figured there had to be a catch!

[crockle]

There is a new product from memorymap now in New Zealand and soon (hopefully) comming to Aus.... it works with thier map software

"The Memory-Map® Adventurer™ 2800 GPS

This ready to use touch screen GPS consistently outperforms its rivals making it the only real choice for anyone wanting fully detailed, colour topographic maps in a handheld GPS.
• Weatherproof, rugged and lightweight
• Ultra-fast map zooming and scrolling
• 2.8" High resolution touchscreen
• High sensitivity GPS receiver
• Pre-Loaded maps PLUS maps on DVD for PC use
• Works with all other maps in the Memory-Map international range"
Unfortunately it has a built in lithium battery that recharges via a mini USB jack (not user changeable)- i like AA batteries as they are easier to recharge and change if flat... they state 8 hours life span so it is ok but might need some form of recharging on longer walks.(in comparison my Garmin Etrex H for $250 runs for ages on 2 AA batteries - but no mapping....)
After I contacted the Aus supplier the hold up on availability is due to government regualtions but they had no ETA at present. It is available in New Zealand packaged with the NZ maps so it might be possible to get it that way and buy the tasmanian maps separately - they are down to about $230 now and about $800 for the GPS unit
their website is:
http://memory-map.com.au/products/adventurer-gps.html
I'm not sure of the quality of the unit or its' sensitivity though or what file formats it can handle....
cheers, Liam

An update re. this product in Aus. : - "We are not bringing in the Adventurer 2800 and waiting on the Holux FunTrek 130 which is a better unit. We are still waiting on an ETA at this point in time"
That's this morning (13/09/10), from the Spelean Technical Support Manager - responsible for MemoryMap in Aus.

I'm pretty ignorant about all this, but attempting to become more informed via (slightly older) threads such as this one.. - I would quite like to have a GPS that did all-singing, all-dancing, maps, open file-formats, and that rather cool 3D thing that I've I mucked around with on a MemMap demo .

[Liamy77]

i have since bought memorymap and using it with photoshop find it good... would love a better gps with it or maybe an ipad to link to the gps....

[photohiker]

[..]
After I contacted the Aus supplier the hold up on availability is due to government regualtions but they had no ETA at present. It is available in New Zealand packaged with the NZ maps so it might be possible to get it that way and buy the tasmanian maps separately - they are down to about $230 now and about $800 for the GPS unit
their website is:
http://memory-map.com.au/products/adventurer-gps.html
I'm not sure of the quality of the unit or its' sensitivity though or what file formats it can handle....
cheers, Liam

An update re. this product in Aus. : - "We are not bringing in the Adventurer 2800 and waiting on the Holux FunTrek 130 which is a better unit. We are still waiting on an ETA at this point in time"
That's this morning (13/09/10), from the Spelean Technical Support Manager - responsible for MemoryMap in Aus.

Actually, this is an interesting development.

The Holux FunTrek 130 is the same hardware as the TwoNav Sportiva, but with different software:



I'm guessing that MemoryMap will graft their own software into the device, as TwoNav have done.

I should have some more use experience regarding the subject of this thread pretty soon.

[walkinTas]

Thats very interesting. I wonder what it will sell for in Aus, with Aus maps. They weight 450g and option up with 10Gb memory. They support vector and bitmap options. They're IPX-6. Touch screen technology. Nice little unit.

[Liamy77]

hope they're here by christmas!.....

[photohiker]

I should have some more use experience regarding the subject of this thread pretty soon.

Quoting myself here...

After the Sportiva arrived, I started casting about for Tassie mapping. The Sportiva comes with most of Australia at 1:100k (which has not arrived yet, but that's another story - it IS coming though) Unfortunately, those maps don't include Tasmania 1:100k, it comes with Tas at 1:250k which is pretty useless for walking as there is just too much detail missing.

Ultimately, I arrived at the TasMap web doorstep and had a look at their offerings. Their 1:25k is good, perhaps not quite as good as my gold standard OSGB, but still, even those maps have small omissions and they have an army of people maintaining them so I think I can cut the handful of tassie cartographers some slack there. Looking at their Raster Costs (PDF) It occurred to me that while the price of owning ALL the 1:25k maps is high ($1100), the price for an area is not outrageous - 30+ map images for $99, so around $3 per sheet.

Yesterday, steeled by Nick's previous disastrous attempt to purchase, I decided to give it a shot and rang the phone number on the PDF. It was lunchtime, a promise was received that someone would ring me back within an hour: They did!. A friendly conversation was had and I was asked to send an email in with my request: I did.

This morning I received another copy of the Raster Costs PDF along with a Terms of Use PDF, and a Credit Card Payment PDF. I read the terms of use document and found nothing restrictive in it beyond accepting that I had no right to break copyright and distribution of the map data that belonged to Tasmap. I filled out the Payment form and faxed it off. About an hour later, I received n email containing a download link for the mapping which is now transferred to my hard drive. It looks just like the paper maps, and is in GeoTif format, should work just fine.

So I don't know if Nick's altercation spurred the department to improve their processes, or if his status as a developer scared them off or something, but at no time was I asked what I wanted the maps for - I did volunteer late in the process that it was for bushwalking uses, and was wished good luck with my walking. Signing a license agreement was not requested, the Terms of Use document was sent prior to accepting the order but that's about it.

Pretty happy with the courtesy of the people at the end of the phone/email line, and their response time was really very good. In fact, for a govt department I'd say they are excellent.

[Son of a Beach]

Thanks for this info Michael. I might even try again some time. It does make me wonder if they've improved their process somewhat, or were they deliberately giving me the more complex process, because they didn't trust me.

PS. Or perhaps the process is different if trying to buy one of the complete sets of maps?

[flatfoot]

Wow! Fantastic progress. It looks like I may be able to purchase a copy of the Cradle Mountain - Lake St Clair 1:100000 map. I'll contact them to find out. It would be great if a bundle matching the Overland Track 1:25000 set could be purchased for a reasonable cost.

[flatfoot]

Tasmaps sold me block 6 which contained 6 of the 7 maps needed for the Overland Track for $99.00. They included the Cradle map which is normally sold as part of Block 3. I thought that was a reasonable deal.

It is not possible to purchase the Cradle Mountain - Lake St Clair 1:100000 map as a digital product.

[Liamy77]

i have been experimenting with printing A3 size maps onto RA4 (photographic) paper lately... from the memorymap 1:25k and 1:100k scales.... with some sizing in photoshop i have got them comming out to scale in detail and fairly waterproof/resistant..
i can print the custom areas i want and add 3D cross sections waypoints etc etc for the tracks as a layer ontop too. works well so far.

[wander]

Looking at the tasmap 1:25K digi maps they appear to be 200dpi. We have tried using this type of product before in SA but a 150dpi product and found it to lack clarity. Any feedback on the quality of the tasmap digi 25K products?

I'm not looking to use them in a field tool. All I wnat to do is make dedicated trip maps at home, mark up with some notes (I can do this in photoshop or similiar), print and laminate and take only the hard copy into the field.

And I'd the same question of the memory ,maps 1:25K products.

If you had a choice which woudl you purchase?

[Liamy77]

memorymap will let you set the resolution to match your printer from 50 to 2000 dpi.... human eyes will not notice pixelation if the resolution is above 250 to 300dpi in a photo-quality print.... hope this helps ya.
Liam


also: the memorymap product is scanned 1:25k maps stitched together mostly "seamless" (as long as you aren't wearing your coke-bottle-glasses!) the maps may not be the current edition either - the tasmap digital maps are way more $$$ but i think they are probably more up-to-date.... i didn't mind this so much myself but it may effect someone else's decision.

[photohiker]

Looking at the tasmap 1:25K digi maps they appear to be 200dpi. We have tried using this type of product before in SA but a 150dpi product and found it to lack clarity. Any feedback on the quality of the tasmap digi 25K products?

I'm not looking to use them in a field tool. All I wnat to do is make dedicated trip maps at home, mark up with some notes (I can do this in photoshop or similiar), print and laminate and take only the hard copy into the field.

And I'd the same question of the memory ,maps 1:25K products.

If you had a choice which woudl you purchase?

I can't really advise much on this. The Tasmap clarity on the screen is fine, but I have not tried to print them. Could depend on your printer - a lot of inkjets are around 200dpi (and yes, the Tasmaps are 200dpi scans)

Ok, I printed one on my B/W laser at 200dpi. Its ok, not brilliant, but ok. Probably be a lot better in colour, but the text is quite readable, even the small text that says things like 'scrub' and 'four wheel drive only'

[wander]

Thanks for the feedback. The experience with the scanned SA maps is they scanned at 150dpi and contours in rough country are hard to make out. So when we make Rogaine maps we do a physical glue up and scan at 400dpi plus to get a good result. And all printed commercially, often on WP paper. It is the base scan that is critical to a good result not the printer.

I'll have to think hard now about having current maps beign Tasmap or seamless being MemoryMaps.

[QLDwalker]

I found the funtrek pros are available through Neteffects (the Distributor) in QLD. I just got a funtrek pro for $380 without maps

[Liamy77]

[.....]
It is the base scan that is critical to a good result not the printer.

I'll have to think hard now about having current maps beign Tasmap or seamless being MemoryMaps.

you need both resolutions otherwise you print a detailed blurry-image or blurily-print a good image ... both will give you a crummy end product.
i will be in tassie in about 3 months and would be happy if someone wants to check out the memory map product (no connection to me other than i bought n use it) i can post ya a sample print from a photo-lab (RA4 process) if ya wanna PM me... liam

[Son of a Beach]

So now it looks like somebody is trying to get TASMAP to make their maps even more difficult for people to access in an open format that can be viewed in the application of their choice. In a post to this Tasmap forum topic yesterday, some guy is offering his service to Tasmap encouraging them to release their maps in a format that is locked to a GPS device.

This is precisely the opposite of what the general map using public want, but I can see why it would be tempting for Tasmap to do it.

[ollster]

This is precisely the opposite of what the general map using public want, but I can see why it would be tempting for Tasmap to do it.

Funny, I still consider this information public property. It should be available FOR FREE for we who have actually paid for it. Who does the government serve again?

[tastrax]

I have just posted a response to that post showing what some other countries are doing.

[ollster]

I have just posted a response to that post showing what some other countries are doing.

Good post. It's obvious that information/knowledge in general is being opened up. Would be nice if Tasmap decided to contribute to OpenMaps of similar instead of being bureaucratic jerks.

[Son of a Beach]

Would be nice if Tasmap decided to contribute to OpenMaps

Now THAT would be fantastic! (but appears very unlikely for now)

[tastrax]

Tasmap survey is now online so you can express an opinion about digital delivery of products

Link on left hand side menu.

Nick - perhaps you could offer a copy of Bitmap on the winning Ipad

I suggested being able to select an area of interest and getting a digital download at a set scale (anything from 250K to 25K)

[Son of a Beach]

I found the survey to be disappointing it's it's very small number of questions related to digital image downloading from their website.

[Pteropus]

Hi all, my post doesn’t relate to TASMAP but more to printing digital maps in general. I want to know about printing maps, which some people have posted here, but if this is not the right place to ask, perhaps it could be split into a new thread.
Anyhow, I am contemplating buying the Sunmap Digital Map DVD for Queensland and printing my own maps. I would like to know if anyone has had any any issues with quality or scale when printing digital maps. Does 1:25000 print constantly to that scale, regardless of the paper size, without distortions or loss of detail etc? Though these products are different, surely they will use a similar process when printing?
Cheers
Andrew

[sthughes]

All depends on the software, I'm not familiar with the Sunmap Viewer software but programs like Ozi Explorer & Memory Map allow you to print to scale quite easily. I'd assume Sunmap has a similar ability?

[rowenabellchambers]

Hi I am wondering if anyone has been able to load TASMAP onto a garmin OREGON 600T. I have transferred the downloaded maps from tasmaps to the custom folder, GPX folder, micro sd mini card (was unable to locate this on the device even), also copied the maps to no folder just on the front page of the garmin folder when connected to the computer. If anyone has any suggestions on where i can copy my downloaded maps to the garmin gps so we can access it, it would be appreciated. Thank you.