Scanning Maps?

[dmehak]

I have some paper maps that have a canoe route shown on them, and I’d like to be able to view these on my GPSr.

 

Is there any way to scan these and upload them to my receiver?

 

Also, would it be any easier if I recreated them in Adobe Illustrator first to have the vector information?

 

What do you guys think? What would you recommend?

 

Thanks.

[MtnHermit]

I have some paper maps that have a canoe route shown on them, and I’d like to be able to view these on my GPSr.

 

Is there any way to scan these and upload them to my receiver?

Yes but with got'chas.

 

Many GPSr's will view JPEG photos, Colorado and Nuvis come to mind, however JPEGs lack any geograhic coordinates. So you will have no position marker.

[Wintertime]

I know that it's possible to calibrate any map (e.g. a JPEG), but I don't know whether the resulting map can then be downloaded to a GPSr while retaining its calibration. For example, I recently used MacGPS Pro to calibrate a map of Walt Disney World. I entered a few known points, and the software did the rest. But my GPS receiver doesn't take downloadable maps, so I've never sought a way to send calibrated maps to it.

 

Patty

[+Red90]

I believe the only handheld that could do that is the Delorme PN-20, if you buy the add on software. Keep in mind the screen is pretty small. For the most part, GPS units use vector maps as it makes more sense. There are ways to make vector maps from the scanned maps, but it requires a bit of work.

 

There are programs for PDA that will map raster images as well.

[dmehak]

There are ways to make vector maps from the scanned maps, but it requires a bit of work.

 

This is really what I'm aiming to do, and willing to put in the work, but not sure where to start.

[+Red90]

This is really what I'm aiming to do, and willing to put in the work, but not sure where to start.

 

What brand of GPS?

[+kezlu]

A shareware product called GPSU, GPS Utility, from England, allows scanned maps to be registered on the screen to its background map. You can then download gpx or other files and see them on your scanned maps. But it does not upload scanned (raster) or any other maps to your GPSr. As stated above, raster maps on a GPSr size screen are minimally readable at any useful scale.

 

I haven't seen this product mentioned in these forums before, [now I have done a search and see it frequently mentioned, kz] but I have used it for the above described activities for several years though many updates and found it reliable and usable for what it does.

When I tried the new 'spanner' tracking system with my Colorado it seemed to overflow memory space after about 30 points and shut down the application. I guess another update is needed for that activity. And I would expect it to be forthcoming.

 

www.gpsu.co.uk

 

Ken Z

Boulder

Edited April 16, 2008 by kezlu

[rws]

I have some paper maps that have a canoe route shown on them, and I’d like to be able to view these on my GPSr.

 

Is there any way to scan these and upload them to my receiver?

 

Also, would it be any easier if I recreated them in Adobe Illustrator first to have the vector information?

 

What do you guys think? What would you recommend?

 

Thanks.

 

Quick way to get your canoe route to GPS:

scan map to jpg

open image as an overlay in Google Earth setting transparency to allow GE to show through

use grab handles to position jpg properly over GE background map

use Add Path tool to draw over canoe route

save created path as .kml

convert .kml to your GPS file format using GPsBabel

upload canoe track file to your GPS (or if you have a Garmin GPS create a transparent map from the track file)

[dmehak]

This is really what I'm aiming to do, and willing to put in the work, but not sure where to start.

 

What brand of GPS?

 

Garmin 60CSx.

[+Red90]

Garmin 60CSx.

 

The best way, IMO, is to make transparent Garmin maps. It is not too hard.

 

GPSMapedit can do most of it. See here for some tutorials. http://www.geopainting.com/en/Howto.html

 

In order to get the scan georeferenced, I use the free version of Oziexplorer, http://www.oziexplorer.com/. You will need to know two locations on the map to use as a reference. Once you have an Oziexplorer map made, you can open it in GPSMapedit and trace the trails and such to make the Garmin map.