Map joining software

[LinXG]

Hi;

 

I have several scanned maps that I would like to join together into one larger map that I can use with my moving map software.

 

At the moment I am using a trial version of Stitch Map but I'm looking for something easier to use.

 

All suggestions welcome and appreciated.

 

Thanks

Lin

Edited July 15, 2008 by LinXG

[the3gmen]

I have been playing around with the demo version of autostitch. It is very easy to use with photos, but I am not sure how it would work with scanned images though.

 

I think I'll try it tonight.

[LinXG]

Thanks the3gmen

 

I downloaded autostitch and gave it a try. It appears that it is designed for small filesizes, in order of 200-300KB where my map files are typically 15-20MB per map. So I was getting out of memory errors.

 

I assume that it also places the pictures side by side but with maps you need to be to place them on any of four sides.

 

Thanks again for your suggestion.

 

Lin

Edited July 15, 2008 by LinXG

[reef mapper]

You can mosaic calibrated scans in Map Maker very easily using the 30-day trial of the pro version.

www.mapmaker.com

 

With scanned maps you often need to trim margins before mosaicing and this can be a problem with non-mapping stitching applications which aren't designed to keep track of the calibration details.

 

Thanks the3gmen

 

I downloaded autostitch and gave it a try. It appears that it is designed for small filesizes, in order of 200-300KB where my map files are typically 15-20MB per map. So I was getting out of memory errors.

 

I assume that it also places the pictures side by side but with maps you need to be to place them on any of four sides.

 

Thanks again for your suggestion.

 

Lin

[LinXG]

Thanks reef mapper

 

I'll download it and give it a try.

 

In the meantime I found a program called RasterStitch which is very easy to use.

 

Thanks again

Lin

[reef mapper]

Are your scanned maps calibrated? You can't use a non-mapping stitching application with calibrated maps as the calibration info will no longer apply and the moving map application won't work.

 

Or are you planning to calibrate the map after joining the pieces?

[LinXG]

Hi again reef mapper

 

The maps I'm using are not calibrated so I will do that myself once they are joined.

 

I have some calibrated maps and they are all PNG files. Do you know how the calibration information gets added to a PNG file?

 

Thanks

Lin

[+Redwoods Mtn Biker]

Hi;

 

I have several scanned maps that I would like to join together into one larger map that I can use with my moving map software.

 

At the moment I am using a trial version of Stitch Map but I'm looking for something easier to use.

 

All suggestions welcome and appreciated.

 

Thanks

Lin

 

OziExplorer has a feature that does this.

[reef mapper]

I have some calibrated maps and they are all PNG files. Do you know how the calibration information gets added to a PNG file?

 

Thanks

Lin

 

Lin - it depends on the program. Calibration data can be written into a header within the raster file (e.g. in a BMP, JPG, etc and GeoTIFF), or as a separate World file that must accompany the raster (e.g. a JPG file plus its JGW file). With a PNG the data would be in a PGW file.

 

Ozi is a good suggestion for moving map. It is what I use for field work. In that case moving map doesn't use the original raster format. When you calibrate in Ozi the DRG is saved as a *.MAP file which includes the DRG plus other data, including the calibration.

 

As noted, you can join in Ozi. But you can also use separate calibrated images and the program will move from one to the next as you travel. This what I do with satellite images, which can be close to 1GB each. Joining them would mean having a 6GB file for e.g. Barbados, which is a really unwieldy size!

[LinXG]

Hi Redwoods Mtn Biker

reef mapper

 

I will look into Ozi and see if there is a tutorial that explains how to do this.

 

I think it would be really cool to have satellite imagery rather than topo maps. Are you talking about Google Earth or some other image source? How do you calibrate these images?

 

Thanks again guys

Lin

[reef mapper]

Hi Lin - you can use Google Earth but you don't get the original imagery, just lower res images that you need to calibrate. I use Ikonos (1m) and Digital Globe (60cm) images but they are expensive for private use. Depending on where you are you could look at finding airphotos - cheaper and higher resolution. Use control points from your topo maps to calibrate them for moving map.

 

There is an Ozi forum on Yahoo with a load of knowledgeable people.

 

Meanwhile plug the GPS into Google Earth, using the real time GPS function to see how well your position is represented. It works with the free version. You'll likely see that it isn't very accurate.

Good luck.

[+Redwoods Mtn Biker]

If you're in the U.S., 1 m/pixel B/W imagery is readily available for free, as is color urban imagery @ 0.25 m/pixel.