Better Topo Maps of the Northwest

[RyaGeo]

...Garmin User? Looking for more 1:24k Maps?

 

I am, I did. =)

 

After recently acquiring a 60Csx, I realized that the coverage of good topo maps from garmin weren't readily available. Their Topo 2008 is only 1:100,000 with lots of road inaccuracies, and their 1:24k map sets are only for national parks, so I set out to figure out how to make some of my own maps.

 

I'm still working on them, but so far I've made a map with 20' contours and named water features for the Puget Sound from Bainbridge to Tiger/Cougar Mountains and all in between, and a map with 40' contours of the Snoqualamie/Skykomish areas (which got too cluttered with 20' contours for me). Both are culled from 1/3 arc second DEM data from the USGS and high-resolution hydrography data from the National Hydrography Dataset (nhd.gov), and are both about as accurate as you can get.

 

Anyway, after all that, my latest efforts are here:

http://mapcenter2.cgpsmapper.com/mapsetview.php?id=378

 

...they're transparent, so they combine wonderfully with the Northwest Trail Maps found here for a wonderful nearly-paper-map-less experience! Please leave me any feedback, I'd love for these to be useful to someone else!

 

UPDATE 1.0.2 6/12:

...the puget sound region has been separated into four segments, and zoom levels have been modified so that streams and intermediate topo lines appear up to 1.2 miles. Available here. (Compilation has not yet finished.)

Edited June 13, 2008 by RyaGeo

[MarcusArelius]

Sounds interesting!

 

Can we assume that all the data sources are availible to the public? Are you reproducing data manually or are you using a conversion process?

 

Sorry to be somewhat cautious but I don't install software from an unknown source. This is your first post and you don't seem to be a geocacher. What can you tell us about yourself?

[RyaGeo]

Sorry to be somewhat cautious but I don't install software from an unknown source. This is your first post and you don't seem to be a geocacher. What can you tell us about yourself?

Definately err on the side of caution. =)

 

No, I haven't really started caching, as I only got a gps with a screen a week or two ago. =) ...previously, I've simply been using a data logger (Globalsat DG-100) to geotag all the photos I take; here's an example of a hike a couple months back in the Snoqualamie River area: Taylor River Hike

 

I finally decided with Summer coming (cold or not) that it was time to get myself more incentive to hit the trails, so I got a 60CSx and I've been playing around all I can with it. Hope to start covering trails on my maps pretty soon!

[RyaGeo]

By the way, in particular, I'd like folks to give feedback on the zoom levels for those maps. I'm still working the kinks out in using GPSMapEdit and cgpsmapper, but I wanted to avoid showing every seasonal stream when zoomed out to cover 2+ miles, but wanted to keep enough detail that the maps show a good lay of the land without zooming in to 300'.

Edited June 12, 2008 by RyaGeo

[RyaGeo]

Can we assume that all the data sources are availible to the public? Are you reproducing data manually or are you using a conversion process?

Forgot to address this; yes, the data sources are freely available from these two sites:

 

National Hydrography Database

USGS National Map Seamless Server

 

There's a handy guide to using both of these datasets here:

 

Creating Custom Topo Maps for your Garmin Mapping GPS

[+Harriet the Spy]

I am easily confused when it comes to maps, thats why I have a gadget. How does the map you are creating differ from Moun10bikes NW trails project?

[+AndrewRJ]

I am easily confused when it comes to maps, thats why I have a gadget. How does the map you are creating differ from Moun10bikes NW trails project?

Think of Jon's maps as trails and think of RyaGeo as another version of Garmin TOPO

 

except his has a much higher resolution and is not the entire state. Jon's maps and his TOPO are both transparent so that means that you see all the layers at once instead of how City Select covers TOPO now.

 

Hope that was clearer.

[RyaGeo]

I am easily confused when it comes to maps, thats why I have a gadget. How does the map you are creating differ from Moun10bikes NW trails project?

Like Andrew said; these are really meant to complement the trails project. My maps have absolutely no road data, only topo lines and rivers/streams for backcountry navigation, and I actually use them simultaneously with the trails maps and city select maps.

 

Why might you want this? We all know how GPSes can occasionally have some jaggies... maps like these will make sure that you don't blindly follow a wayward track off what is clearly a cliff on the map, or plan to hike through a nice, flat trail that's actually a seasonal flood plane.

[Moun10Bike]

I downloaded and installed the MapSource-integrated version of the map, but upon launching MapSource, I get an error and MapSource shuts down. Is anyone else running into this, or is it something particular to my system?

[RyaGeo]

Just wanted to keep folks posted... I'm seeing the issues Jon mentioned with mapcenter, and trying to find a better alternative. I hope to get something out by the end of the day so folks can test this on the weekend (I know I'd like to!)

 

...with a "product launch" like this, I suppose it comes as no surprise that I work for the Redmond-ster. =)

[RyaGeo]

Hurrah! I finally got a working installer available here:

 

RyaGeo High-Res Topo Maps

 

...let me know what you think!

[+B+L]

Hurrah! I finally got a working installer available here:

 

RyaGeo High-Res Topo Maps

 

...let me know what you think!

 

I am really happy you did this. I know what a tedious process retrieving the data can be before you can even get started converting it. Kudos to you.

 

Earlier in the week, we installed your first revision maps and Moun10bike's together on our old grayscale eTrex Vista and explored a ravine we have long been wondering about. The topo and stream data were excellent. The zoom levels were perhaps a little off, but I see you have already made some tweaks.

 

We'll give your latest version a try later today. We eagerly await more coverage, like all of Vashon. <wink>

[RyaGeo]

We'll give your latest version a try later today. We eagerly await more coverage, like all of Vashon. <wink>

VERSION 1.0.1

 

...your wish has been granted.

 

Version 1.0.1 now online and including the rest of Vashon, as well as Green River Valley and Umtanum Recreation Area (where I'll be headed later in the week. How self-centered, I know. ). All additional coverage in 20' contours.

 

Any suggestions, or reccomendations for coverage, feel free to weigh in.

 

Also, with the detail of these maps, things will get very large very fast. I believe I'll start dividing the installers into regions (like with Garmin's West/Central/East for 24k maps); any suggestions for natural boundaries?

[+B+L]

We'll give your latest version a try later today. We eagerly await more coverage, like all of Vashon. <wink>

VERSION 1.0.1

 

...your wish has been granted.

 

Version 1.0.1 now online and including the rest of Vashon, as well as Green River Valley and Umtanum Recreation Area (where I'll be headed later in the week. How self-centered, I know. ). All additional coverage in 20' contours.

 

Any suggestions, or reccomendations for coverage, feel free to weigh in.

 

Also, with the detail of these maps, things will get very large very fast. I believe I'll start dividing the installers into regions (like with Garmin's West/Central/East for 24k maps); any suggestions for natural boundaries?

 

Thanks for the update. We made good use of it today during our nettle-fest. If you were to tile using 7.5 min quad boundaries, I don't think it really matters so much where you divide the installers and it would keep the size of individual tiles reasonable. As far as more coverage, we'd personally be happy with the whole state

 

If you were to standardize on something like the 7.5 min quad grid, it would make it pretty easy for others to assist you with your efforts.

[RyaGeo]

If you were to standardize on something like the 7.5 min quad grid, it would make it pretty easy for others to assist you with your efforts.

I've actually been using 7.5' CONUS tiles from the USGS server and thought about doing 7.5' chunks; it can certainly be done, I've just taken the path of least resistance using large tiles so I don't have to maintain something like 50 map images; just 4 so far. =)

[+Oky777]

Thank you these topo's are great, hope you do more (hint rest of snohomish Co and north)

[+YeOleImposter]

Very cool! Please don't forget those of us down in S.E. Washington too!

 

I would love to have this available and would help in any way possible.

[square_peg]

I use this.

 

http://www.abovethetimber.com/WashGPS.htm

 

Excellent 1:24K topos for the whole state. But it'll cost you.

[+The Jester]

Anything new going on with this project? Neat maps, could use more of the state (hint, hint)!

[+The Jester]

I just tried to update Mapsource to 6.14.1 and these maps don't play nice with it (or mapsource doesn't play nice with them - whichever way you want to look at it). Any plans to update the maps for the new version?