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Modifying Garmin Mapsource Maps


CenTexDodger

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Is it a copyright violation to modify Mapsource maps when they are only for personal use, not for distribution? The reason I am asking is I would like to share something I might have done, but if it is bad to do so then I won't talk about it. I know there is no way to get into trouble for it because I did not and am not going to distribute it (assuming I actually modified it).

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Modifying for your own use is fine. Selling the modified product would definitely be bad. Distributing a free version of the modified product probably violates the license agreement that you agreed to when you first used the map software.

 

[DISCLAIMER ON]I am not an intellectual property lawyer, and the foregoing should not be construed as legal advice regarding your particular situation. I encourage you to consult with qualified legal counsel to determine how this discussion of legal principles mayapply to your specific circumstances[/DISCLAIMER OFF].

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How do you do a transparent overlay? I tried an overlay and it blocked the other map features.

 

Alright. I figured out which MapSource Topo Section my dad's ranch was in. Then I used GPSmapEdit and USAPhotomaps to draw a vector map of my dad's ranch.

 

Then, hypothetically speaking, I would take the drawing of the ranch copy it and paste it into the topo section in question. Then I would have to reprocess the section with cGPSmapper. Then (again hypothetically) I would rename the section and transfer it into the folder that contains the topo maps (having first put a copy of the original section in a folder by itself.

 

Anyway, It might look really cool to see the ranch boundaries and inside fences on my GPS.

 

Also, help with transparent overlays would be appreciated!

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How do you do a transparent overlay? I tried an overlay and it blocked the other map features.

 

Alright. I figured out which MapSource Topo Section my dad's ranch was in. Then I used GPSmapEdit and USAPhotomaps to draw a vector map of my dad's ranch.

 

Then, hypothetically speaking, I would take the drawing of the ranch copy it and paste it into the topo section in question. Then I would have to reprocess the section with cGPSmapper. Then (again hypothetically) I would rename the section and transfer it into the folder that contains the topo maps (having first put a copy of the original section in a folder by itself.

 

Anyway, It might look really cool to see the ranch boundaries and inside fences on my GPS.

 

Also, help with transparent overlays would be appreciated!

In Mapedit there is a checkbox to make the map transparent. You must be careful that it is checked when you save the map, as for unknown reasons, working on the map can sometimes "uncheck" the box. I have created a 63 Sq. mi overlay of topo contours, streams and lakes. The map "overlays" the City Select 7 maps, and you can see both at the same time. One click on the "custom map" removes all the topo and water data. All the topo, lake, stream data uses 250K for 63 Sq. mi. I wouldn't want to do this for the whole country, but this is a state park I spen a lot of time doing photography in. The complete overlay took 3 hrs to make.

 

Seems like an awful lot of work just to get an outline of the property....I haven't tried this yet, but it is a program to convert Garmin tracks to a Shapefile. All my maps have been done by "importing" shapefiles into Map Edit. New York State (where I live has the Dem (topo) data, Hydrodata, (Lakes and Stream)) available for free download.....I use Global mapper to import the data, convert it to Lat\Lon WGS84 data and the export from Global Mapper the shapefiles I need. Then it's a simple matter of using Map Edit to import the shapefiles, which once in Map Edit can de "edited" to suit your taste.

 

In your case, walk the property kine, save the track, try out the link listed to convert track to a shapefile, and then import the shapefile into Map Edit. Try the track converter site first, unless you don't mind going for a walk :rolleyes:

 

Link to converter.... http://www.digitalgrove.net/Toolbox_GPS.htm#waypt+

 

Good Luck

Edited by stevesisti
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"copy it and paste it into the topo section in question. Then I would have to reprocess the section with cGPSmapper"

 

CenTexDodger... I'm always interested in tweaking the maps. Do you have some details on how you pasted into the topo file, and the steps to reprocess in cGPSMapper?

 

stevesisti... you're holding out on me! :rolleyes: ...neat utility for converting tracks!

 

jj

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"copy it and paste it into the topo section in question. Then I would have to reprocess the section with cGPSmapper"

 

CenTexDodger... I'm always interested in tweaking the maps. Do you have some details on how you pasted into the topo file, and the steps to reprocess in cGPSMapper?

 

stevesisti... you're holding out on me! :rolleyes: ...neat utility for converting tracks!

 

jj

Sorry JJ, just fond it this morning....as I said, haven't even had a chance to try it yet. Thanks for the advice on the "overlay"....It's best to "check the Box" before saving and converting to .img.

 

By the way, I seemed to have lost the .mp file version to a rather large map section I made...have you tried converting from a .img file back to a .mp file. I thought cgpsmapper.exe would do that but I'm having no luck.

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Well I don't know why I never saw this, but Map Edit will driectly open a Grmin GDB file....so just load your GDB track into Map Edit, whether you derive the track with your GPS or trace/create the track in another program.

 

Sorry, got off topic a little bit.....as far as your concerns go, there should be no problem with you altering the map and using it yourself, The "new" work you created is your property, having already paid the license fee to Garmin for the topo version of their software. If your "friend" has topo, he too has a license to use it, and their should be no problem with him using "your" created work. If your friend does not have a legit copy of Topo, and you're going to give it to him to upload thru 3rd party software, that's definitely a copyright violation.

 

In the 'real world", no one gets chased for giving something to a friend. Mass distributing for free or for a price would definitely get someone knocking on your door.

Edited by stevesisti
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"copy it and paste it into the topo section in question. Then I would have to reprocess the section with cGPSmapper"

 

CenTexDodger... I'm always interested in tweaking the maps. Do you have some details on how you pasted into the topo file, and the steps to reprocess in cGPSMapper?

 

stevesisti... you're holding out on me! <_< ...neat utility for converting tracks!

 

jj

Basically what I did was pull the particular *.img file from the topo west folder. Save a copy of it where you won't lose it. Open the file with GPSmapEdit. change what you would like to change, then save it in "polish format" and change the extension to .txt. Then go export-->Garmin IMG/cGPSmapper (assuming you have already installed cGPSmapper) and it will output a .img file. rename that file the same as the one you pulled from the topo west folder, and put it back in the folder. and voila--you have it.

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