Curious George Posted November 17, 2002 Share Posted November 17, 2002 I want to get some mapping software and I've narrowed down my choices to Ozi Explorer and Fugawi with E Topo maps. Any recommendations? I live in BC - thanks Quote Link to comment
+PDOP's Posted November 17, 2002 Share Posted November 17, 2002 I was going to refer you to a similar thread in the General section but when I checked it was you. I know that someone in the other thread refered you to Joe Mehaffey's excellent site for a review of the mapping programs but did you see the review of the Etopo maps? Have you looked at Spectrum Digital Imaging maps? The CD's appear to be a little more expensive but a package deal is offered on Ozi purchased with a map CD. I haven't used either so can't say anything about differences between the two. I know at one point SDI would allow you to pick individual maps to make up the CD which could prove handy if you're interested in different areas [This message was edited by PDOP's on November 17, 2002 at 11:26 PM.] Quote Link to comment
Curious George Posted November 20, 2002 Author Share Posted November 20, 2002 Thanks - I think I've almost decided on Ozi Explorer and now I'm trying to decide between ETopo and Spectrum Maps. Anyone out there with a recommendation? Quote Link to comment
+Solar Max Posted November 25, 2002 Share Posted November 25, 2002 I like Ozi Explorer, but it's all I've ever used. Tracklogs, waypoints, and calibrations are so easy even I can do them. Is that a help? If I ain't sweatin', I ain't cachin. Are we there yet? Quote Link to comment
Curious George Posted November 25, 2002 Author Share Posted November 25, 2002 Thanks Mariner - I think I'll go with Ozi. Oh yeah, I'd like to check out your cache on Mt. Prevost. Any idea what shape the road is in? Quote Link to comment
+PDOP's Posted November 25, 2002 Share Posted November 25, 2002 For opinions on maps check out this poll from earlier this year. Quote Link to comment
Curious George Posted November 26, 2002 Author Share Posted November 26, 2002 Thanks - looks like Fugawi was pretty popular. Too bad they don't make maps for where I live Vancouver Island). Quote Link to comment
Cdn Geoquester Posted December 17, 2002 Share Posted December 17, 2002 I use OziExplorer and E Topo maps. They work seemlessly together and are great when I need the detail of a 1:50 000 or 1:250 000 map. I also use Garmin Mapsource with the Enhanced Canada base map (in Alberta it has 90% of all the back roads used in the Oil & Gas and Forestry industries, so I find it very usefull while driving and planning driving routes. I have tried Softmap but am not a fan. See the other threads about Softmap. Quote Link to comment
+Olar Posted December 17, 2002 Share Posted December 17, 2002 quote:Originally posted by Cdn Geoquester:I use OziExplorer and E Topo maps. They work seemlessly together and are great when I need the detail of a 1:50 000 or 1:250 000 map. I also use Garmin Mapsource with the Enhanced Canada base map (in Alberta it has 90% of all the back roads used in the Oil & Gas and Forestry industries, so I find it very usefull while driving and planning driving routes. I have tried Softmap but am not a fan. See the other threads about Softmap. Cdn Geoquester, where do you obtain "E Topo maps". I've never heard of them. Also what Garmin unit do you use the enhanced base map on? Thanks, Olar "Pi 'r not square, Pie 'r round you dummy!" Quote Link to comment
+PDOP's Posted December 17, 2002 Share Posted December 17, 2002 Olar Map Town in Calgary carries this product. PDOP's Quote Link to comment
+Solar Max Posted December 17, 2002 Share Posted December 17, 2002 Hey Curious George: quote: Oh yeah, I'd like to check out your cache on Mt. Prevost. Any idea what shape the road is in? The road is a little steep, but in good shape. Even the lowly cachecruiser makes it to the top without difficulty. The cache itself is easy, and has 3 really great views. I believe the views to be the best on the Southern Island..hmm I might even have to go with you.. If I ain't sweatin', I ain't cachin. Are we there yet? Quote Link to comment
Mountainrider Posted December 17, 2002 Share Posted December 17, 2002 The Spectrum digital maps are great! I emailed them a couple weeks ago about a custom package. They no longer custom build packages. mj Quote Link to comment
+PDOP's Posted December 23, 2002 Share Posted December 23, 2002 Hey Curious George what did you end up buying? Found comparison of mapping software packages which might interest you. Quote Link to comment
+Damgiz Posted December 23, 2002 Share Posted December 23, 2002 I too just purchased the Spectrum Digital maps and recieved them this morning. The package of 86 maps includes a lot I may not use but for the price I was very happy. They work well in Ozi and switch easily from map to map on my laptop using the moving map feature. Quote Link to comment
Curious George Posted December 23, 2002 Author Share Posted December 23, 2002 I went with Ozi Explorer and the Spectrum Maps - a great combination and they've more than paid for themselves in the last few weeks Quote Link to comment
+RobertM Posted December 24, 2002 Share Posted December 24, 2002 Hi Curious George, That was a good setup you had on your notebook. If you don't mind me asking how much did Ozi and those maps cost? Do you have buy them for a specific area, or how do they work? Also, where does one buy them, I haven't seen them around. I've seen SoftMap Topo50 at a map shop here in Vancouver. That looked nice. But I think your setup is better because of using the maps with Ozi. Thanks RobertM Quote Link to comment
+PDOP's Posted December 25, 2002 Share Posted December 25, 2002 RobertM Have a look at gpscentral.ca for OziExplorer and SDI maps. They give a discount if you buy both. Merry Christmas Quote Link to comment
+RobertM Posted December 25, 2002 Share Posted December 25, 2002 Hi, Thanks, I've actually downloaded a trial of Ozi (not the freeware version) with those maps and I'll play with that and see if it's any good. Are the SDI maps better than normal Topo maps like those from SoftMap Topo50 or printed maps? RobertM Quote Link to comment
+PDOP's Posted December 25, 2002 Share Posted December 25, 2002 The SDI maps are scans of the paper topographic maps which are precalibrated for use in Ozi Eplorer. They're a bargin compared to paper maps ($10/sheet) but come in prepackaged groups. This can be a good thing if you want all the maps on a particular CD but if the area you're interested in is split between two or more CD's it's a pain. SoftMaps are cheaper then SDI but can only be used with SoftMap's software or FUGAWI. Quote Link to comment
+RobertM Posted January 3, 2003 Share Posted January 3, 2003 Any idea where one can buy this either on-line or in Vancouver (for Vancouver map area)? Quote Link to comment
+TuskerKeg w/GeoDog Posted January 4, 2003 Share Posted January 4, 2003 Here is a page that lists dealers for SDI Products within Canada , just click on the Distributors link. http://www.mapsdigital.com/frame.html Or you can goto www.gpscentral.ca they have the mapping software plus SDI topo maps for Vancouver Island/Vancouver and you don't have to pay PST as they are located in Calgary Quote Link to comment
+PDOP's Posted January 4, 2003 Share Posted January 4, 2003 Glad to see that SDI has there own website now. If only they'd take the next step and sell custom CD's with only the maps I request at the same price per map (about $1.60) Northstardigital.ca does this with their GeoTiff product but at $5 per map it's three times more expensive than SDI. Quote Link to comment
+RobertM Posted January 4, 2003 Share Posted January 4, 2003 Which should I get, or which is better? I live in Vancouver but often go to Vancouver Island. e-Topo comes with Vancouver and southern Vancouver Island maps all on the same CD. SDI has one CD with maps of Vancouver to the Okanagon and another CD with the entire Vancouver Island. So there are 2 options here, each different prices. 1) e-Topo $99.95 and then I get everything I need, I think, I hope. Then with Ozi for $129.95, a total of $229.90. 2) SDI, 2 CDs for $129.95 each = $259.90. Then there's still the $110 for OziExplorer. So a total of $369.85. Suggestions? RobertM Quote Link to comment
dave and jaime Posted January 4, 2003 Share Posted January 4, 2003 if you want a freeware version you could also try gpstrackmaker with downloads from toporama. the toporama site is temporarily down though. Quote Link to comment
+PDOP's Posted January 4, 2003 Share Posted January 4, 2003 Toporama maps are great basic maps to start with. They're lower resolution and don't have as much detail as SDI or Etopo but the price is right . In some instances the maps are also more up to date than the paper or SDI or Etopo CD's (which are both scans of paper maps) If you don't want to take the time to download and calibrate the toporama maps sheets there is another option. The maps are available on CD from a private individual with calibrations for Ozi or FUGAWI. I am not connected to this enterprise in any way other than that I can appreciate how much time it could save. As far as I know there's nothing illegal about this. The costs involved are to cover the calibrations and the CD's Two CD's cover all of Canada south of the 52nd parallel. The CD's are nice because you can simply import the maps and they end up properly organized on your machine. One covers east of the Ontario Manitoba border, the other west. Currently CD's are shipped C.O.D. at $35 (Canadian) each. Contact cgale@playground.net [This message was edited by PDOP's on January 04, 2003 at 07:14 PM.] Quote Link to comment
+Goodguys Posted January 4, 2003 Share Posted January 4, 2003 I'm using Toporama maps on my iPAQ, and older Spectrum maps on the PC. Trouble with Toporama is they look like they were drawn with a crayon, but the price is right! The 50k:1 orthophotos are pretty cool too. On the flip side, my Spectrum maps are huge: each map is a .tif file, about 15 megs. I see on Spectrum's website that their new maps must be smaller and are also calibrated for Ozi3D. I presume that means they include elevation data. That would be worth something. Has anyone tried Quo Vadis maps? They appear to be the least expensive. I'm curious as to how the quality compares to Spectrum. Quote Link to comment
+ja2robin Posted January 5, 2003 Share Posted January 5, 2003 Hi Goodguys, When I was doing my mapping software research (2 years ago now!) I compared OziExplorer and Quovadis v1.6. I found Quovadis to be the superior program at the time and I'm still using it today. I bought the topo maps of Southern Ontario. The maps are identical to what is described above, a whole slew of 1:50,000 scale topo maps and then a few 1:250,000 that offer a zoomed out view, all maps in .png format, with a calibration file to work with Quovadis. I think it's a great program, it has great waypoint and track management features. Touratech Quovadis Website Quovadis Canada Quovadis Canada Maps Quote Link to comment
+Goodguys Posted January 6, 2003 Share Posted January 6, 2003 Thanks, Robin, I'm already a veryt satisfied Ozi user, looking for the best deal on maps. Do you know if any elevation data is included with the Quo Vadis packages? Quote Link to comment
+PDOP's Posted March 27, 2003 Share Posted March 27, 2003 quote:Originally posted by PDOP's:If you don't want to take the time to download and calibrate the toporama maps sheets there is another option. The maps are available on CD from a private individual with calibrations for Ozi or FUGAWI. I am not connected to this enterprise in any way other than that I can appreciate how much time it could save. As far as I know there's nothing illegal about this. The costs involved are to cover the calibrations and the CD's Two CD's cover all of Canada south of the 52nd parallel. The CD's are nice because you can simply import the maps and they end up properly organized on your machine. One covers east of the Ontario Manitoba border, the other west. Currently CD's are shipped C.O.D. at $35 (Canadian) each. Contact cgale@playground.net Canadian Information Systems is also now offering calibrated copies of Toporama maps. The CDs have both the 1:50000 and 1:250000 maps with calibrations for use with Ozi, Fugawi and Memory Map. PDOP's GPS Pages Quote Link to comment
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