pepperblues Posted November 22, 2004 Posted November 22, 2004 I am trying to decide on which TOPO software to get. I have been using DeLorme TOPO 3.0, checked out from local library. I like the 3D aspect, but the learning curve with their nomenclature is crazy. I am considering the purchase of the ver.5.0, but from reading on the DeLorme forums there are many complaints about accuracy w/5.0 data. I have looked at the NatGeo. stuff, but no way to try it. No 3D capability there. Would appreciate any thoughts/comments/recommendations on any and all TOPO softwares. Thanks! pepperblues Quote
superstition Posted November 22, 2004 Posted November 22, 2004 Try the Trimble Adventure Planner. You can buy it on Amazon.com. It has topo maps, street maps, and aerial photos that cover the entire US. I've used Trimble and National Geo and having maps for the entire US is very nice. Trimble is less expensive than National Geo and it can import .loc and .gpx files download from geocaching.com Quote
+JohnnyVegas Posted November 22, 2004 Posted November 22, 2004 I like the National Geographic state series TOPO, these are scanned USGS topo 7.5 min. maps, you cannot get a better detail than that. As far as 3D, while I have seed 3D maps I have not realy seen a need for myself. You can view the National Geographic map with shaded relief and you can plot a route and get a profile of the route. You can get National Geographic back roads that cover the entire US but these topo maps are not as detailed (these are 15min maps) I have used Delorme and Map tec as wels as a few others, but I have not tried Trimble. Quote
+lakedawgs Posted November 22, 2004 Posted November 22, 2004 I agree with JohnnyVegas. I have NG TOPO and it rocks. Good luck, Lakedawgs Quote
ubievol Posted November 22, 2004 Posted November 22, 2004 two that i have heard of are topozone.com and ExpertGPS.com. i don't know how they compare to the NG or deLorme products, but they sound interesting. Quote
+R4D4R Posted November 22, 2004 Posted November 22, 2004 i like my delorme 5.0. the gps tracking is always dead on while on highways and pretty close to 100% on local/rural roads. There was a discount code floating around here a few months ago for 40% off. If its not active any more, I just got a coupon code in the mail last week i can post Quote
ubievol Posted November 22, 2004 Posted November 22, 2004 johnnyvegas and lakedawgs do you print out paper maps from the NG software or just view the maps on your computer? Quote
+Alan2 Posted November 23, 2004 Posted November 23, 2004 You can printout NG Topo maps in various detail and various grids as well as display them on your PC> You can also transfer the maps to your Pocket PC to see your location while hiking on the 24K maps in the PPC if you cable to your GPS. Quote
nchmura Posted November 23, 2004 Posted November 23, 2004 (edited) You might want to give Topofusion a look (www.topofusion.com) - there is a free trial to download and try out. It does have support for 3d visualizations and such - however, you have to spend a few minutes to gather up some DEM data from the usgs. They spell it out pretty clearly on their site here : http://www.topofusion.com/3d.php I have not tried it out yet, but from the examples they show, 3d-ing with tf looks amazing! Its great great great software. Good peoples too. Give it a look! Edit: oh yeah, i just wanted to agree with everyone that the NG Topo series of stuff does indeed have the nicest quality topos! Edited November 23, 2004 by nchmura Quote
+JohnnyVegas Posted November 23, 2004 Posted November 23, 2004 (edited) johnnyvegas and lakedawgs do you print out paper maps from the NG software or just view the maps on your computer? It depends on the cache. First I view them on the computer to determine were to start my search from. If it looks like there might be more than one place to start from I will print out a map with all the waypoint displayed on the map, this includes points of entry for my search which I also down load into my GPS the GPS I am going to use. If it's an urban cache there is no need for a Topo map. Something else that comes in handy in the winter is the National Geogrpahic Adventure paper, when you print maps on this paper they are water proof so you do not have to worry about the ink running if your map gets wet. I have seen some micro logs printed on this paper. Edited November 23, 2004 by JohnnyVegas Quote
nchmura Posted November 23, 2004 Posted November 23, 2004 (edited) Just was playing with the 3d stuff in topofusion, thought maybe someone would want to see Just threw up a quick bike ride, its pretty friggin cool if you ask me! Apparently you can do the 3d elevation thing here with aerials as well.... Edit: that was easy (different bike ride this time though): Edited November 23, 2004 by nchmura Quote
TXcop56 Posted November 25, 2004 Posted November 25, 2004 Does anyone have any experince with the ExpertGPS topos? There is very little inof on the product on this forum (thru a search) Thanks John Quote
+gnbrotz Posted November 25, 2004 Posted November 25, 2004 I'm an ExpertGPS user. In addition to topos and aerial (data for both coming from Terraserver) you can scan any scale map you have and calibrate it for use. ExpertGPS is also a very powerful waypoint manager. If you have any more specific questions, I'll answer what I can. Quote
+Klatch Posted November 25, 2004 Posted November 25, 2004 NG TOPO! has come out with an expansion pack for $19.95 that includes 3-D imaging and USB connectivity, among other things. I have ordered it but have not yet received it, so no comment on functionality at this time. NG TOPO Expansion Pack Quote
+Alan2 Posted November 25, 2004 Posted November 25, 2004 Klatch: Tell us what it's like when you get it. Also, how do I determine what's in my computer to operate it? NG says you need 8MB+ video card that is DirectX9. Tks. Quote
+Klatch Posted November 25, 2004 Posted November 25, 2004 Alan2, I am by no means a computer expert, so my way may not be the easiest or the same for everyone! Control Panel/Intel Extreme graphics/information tab/view report I am using a Dell with a P4 processor. You may have a different graphics card. I think if you find the graphics icon under control panel you should be able to navigate to the information you need. -Klatch Quote
pepperblues Posted November 25, 2004 Author Posted November 25, 2004 NG TOPO! has come out with an expansion pack for $19.95 that includes 3-D imaging and USB connectivity, among other things. I have ordered it but have not yet received it, so no comment on functionality at this time. Klatch, thanks for the info. I will be looking forward to your evaluation. Thanks everyone for your input. This is a very helpful discussion. For the time, I am learning the TOPO. USA from Delorme. Will down load the TOPOfusion next week. pepperblues Quote
+Lost & Found Posted November 25, 2004 Posted November 25, 2004 (edited) You can also transfer the maps to your Pocket PC to see your location while hiking on the 24K maps in the PPC if you cable to your GPS. I just received the NG software for palm and ppc's. It's awsome! My problem is I own a Magellan Tracker and want to hook it up to my Zire 31. I know I've seen the cables but for the life of me, can't find them now. Even thought of making my own..but not quite sure of myself in that dept. Don't want to fry my equipment. Any ideas? Edited November 25, 2004 by Lost & Found Quote
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