[pct-l] TOPO in the news

[brick@fastpack.com (Brick Robbins)]

http://www.uniontribune.com/news/uniontrib/sun/news/news_0n10maps.html

Topo maps guide wider audience

By George Lauer
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

March 10, 2002

SANTA ROSA – Everybody needs help coping with life's ups and downs. For 
hikers, bikers, boaters and the like, a new breed of tool is evolving to 
smooth the way – custom-made topographical maps.

"Having the ability to zero in on any part of the terrain you want, augment 
it with a variety of options and then print out a detailed map really 
expands your possibilities and your ability to plan," said Kevin Lacefield, 
a geographic information systems technician for Sonoma County.

Formerly the province of "map geeks and techies," detailed topographical 
data ready to be manipulated is now available to the masses through the 
Internet and computer software. For the computer challenged there are map 
machines, public kiosks – often set up in outdoor shops – offering similar 
services.

"There is an amazing amount of information out there, and now there's a 
movement within the GIS (geographic information systems) and mapping 
communities to share as much of that data as possible," said Rich Hunter, 
geographic information specialist with Sonoma Ecology Center.

National Geographic, one of the industry's leaders in topographical 
software, sells state-by-state software packages for 36 states and plans to 
have the remaining 14 completed within six months. The software allows 
users to create custom maps with their own specifications – places to 
remember, places to avoid, good fishing holes or campsites.

"We've had a good response; people seem to be into it," said Santa 
Rosa-based Sonoma Outfitters manager Brian Rashap. "Some people are a 
little put off because it's a hundred bucks, but the kind of people who 
will truly use something like this appreciate what it can do."

One of those people is Lacefield, who used to work for National Geographic 
and helped produce the TOPO California software.

"So far, it's been mostly a planning tool, but I can see how it can be more 
than that," Lacefield said. "You can use the topo software in conjunction 
with a GPS (global positioning system) to create your own trail sets."

Some global positioning systems offer a tracking feature that records 
movement, in essence drawing a line to correspond with the system's path.

National Geographic's maps – online and software – accent natural features 
and tend to downplay man-made landmarks. Cities and roads are included, but 
if you're going to be driving or staying on paved roads, there are better 
mapping systems. For natural terrain, however, National Geographic is tough 
to beat.

 From tiny unnamed canyons in the Siskiyou Mountains to vast expanses of 
Death Valley, everything is there in as much detail as you could want. 
Users can zoom in and see individual twists and turns of trails, fire roads 
and creeks. Images are enhanced with 3-D digital shading to distinguish 
land features such as ridges, mountains and valleys.

The basic information comes from more than 2,700 U.S. Geological Survey 
maps. TOPO runs on Windows 95, 98, NT and ME, works with black and white or 
color printers and supports most popular hand-held GPS receivers.

In a move toward ecumenical sharing of information, National Geographic 
software users can also post and download free, up-to- date recreation 
overlays from the National Geographic mapXchange at 
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/mapXchange.
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Brick Robbins                       mailto:brick@fastpack.com