Make Your Own Free 3d Topomaps

[[MTB]_Intrepid]

Greetings all. I've been using OziExplorer for about a year now to make 3D topo and Landsat maps for areas that I wander. A friend at work was bugging me to show him how to do it and I kept putting it off (he's a bit slow with computers...). It rained all last weekend so I sat down and made up a website that shows how to make the images all with FREE software! You can see the website at

http://intrepid3d.hollosite.com

 

I hope you find these maps as useful as I do...it really puts things in perspective. Suggestions on the site content are appreciated. Cheers.

[+MercRocks]

Thanks, You did a really nice job

Much appreciated....

[+PDOP's]

Very well done. I'll have to give this a try.

[+Klondike Mike]

SWEET!!!!! you deserve a smily for that or five

[+PDOP's]

Just a note for people using the 1:50000 elevation data the coverage is incomplete in some areas as shown here and below:

 

• Green - Available
  
• Orange - In Production
  
• White - Unavailable
  

 

The 1:250000 is complete for all of Canada

 

[+j2d2]

Another source of height data is the NASA SRTM data.

 

ftp://e0dps01u.ecs.nasa.gov/srtm/North_America_3arcsec/

 

The problem with that data is that it isn't "cleaned" up.

So there is this program:

http://www.3dnature.com/srtmfill.html

which "fills" in the missing data.

 

I just tried comparing the SRTM to the Geospatial data and there isn't much difference, the Geospatial data does seem to line up slightly better with the contour lines on my ETopo maps.

[+Chillibusher]

Looks great. I will go through it and use it after Christmas when some free time might appear.

[+The Two Navigators]

Wow what a great tutorial and all the neat stuff you can do for free. It was well written and everything was easy to understand. It took me about 30 mins. from start to finish. Unfortunately I had to use 1:250000 maps so the detail wasn't the best. Thank you for all the info, I will be using it a lot more in the future.

[[MTB]_Intrepid]

Just a note for people using the 1:50000 elevation data the coverage is incomplete in some areas as shown here and below:

 

The 1:250000 is complete for all of Canada

Thanks PDOP's, I overlooked that since MY province is covered! Oops...

[[MTB]_Intrepid]

Another source of height data is the NASA SRTM data.

 

ftp://e0dps01u.ecs.nasa.gov/srtm/North_America_3arcsec/

 

The problem with that data is that it isn't "cleaned" up.

So there is this program:

http://www.3dnature.com/srtmfill.html

which "fills" in the missing data.

 

I just tried comparing the SRTM to the Geospatial data and there isn't much difference, the Geospatial data does seem to line up slightly better with the contour lines on my ETopo maps.

Good info. The SRTM data varies from 3 arc sec's to 1 (90 meters to 30 meters); Geobase gets as good as 0.75 arc sec's so it's usually better to use, if available for your area of interest. We Canucks can be proud that we are among the best in the world in GIS (geographic information systems).

[+Gonzo-YT]

Thanks for this, I found it very useful.

 

I tried it out, and was able to create a pretty decent 3D map, using a saved track log, for my Golden Horn cache.

 

Regards,

Anthony

[[MTB]_Intrepid]

I tried it out, and was able to create a pretty decent 3D map, using a saved track log, for my Golden Horn cache.

 

Regards,

Anthony

Wow, great cache...practically muggle-proof (heh heh). Really demands some effort. Nice job.

[[MTB]_Intrepid]

Sorry, me again. I am disappointed by the host where I have put up the site...it seems that it's down about 20% of the time. If you can't reach the site, please try again later. Their server seems to lock up several times a day. Thanks.

[missmod88]

I was so happy to read this post,, I downloaded the stuff needed to do it,, and somewhere I got all screwed up,, so back to square one again

 

I am very new to this, and really want to get it figured out!! thanks!!

 

missmod

[[MTB]_Intrepid]

I was so happy to read this post,,  I downloaded the stuff needed to do it,, and somewhere I got all screwed up,,    so back to square one again 

Keep trying, you'll get it sorted out. It took me weeks to find all this out on my own. As with all things computer, patience and persistence are the keys....hmm, like cache hunting too!

[missmod88]

oh for sure!! I won't quit!! I am way too stubborn for that!!

 

I was wondering tho,, and forgive me if this has been addressed previously,, but once I get the topo maps made,, can I download them to my gps? I have been so busy I haven't had a chance yet to read some of the other threads on questions and answers,, I am hoping things will die down soon

 

there is too much snow here for geocaching at this time anyways,, hope to get at it in the spring tho!!

 

missmod

[+DanOCan]

_Intrepid' date='Dec 18 2004, 08:38 AM'] It rained all last weekend so I sat down and made up a website that shows how to make the images all with FREE software!

I just wanted to pass along my thanks for the tutorial. I spent most of the last weekend making 3D maps of the areas where I cache the most often. One of the areas didn't have the 1:50000 data available on GeoBase, but otherwise the coverage seems really good.

 

Now to save up more money to register all that software.

[[MTB]_Intrepid]

I was wondering tho,,    and forgive me if this has been addressed previously,,  but once I get the topo maps made,,  can I download them to my gps?

Uh, sorry, there is no way to do this. The GPSr manufacturers' topo maps are the only ones you can use (for my eTrex Vista I use MapSource Topo Canada). The maps are vector graphics, not bitmaps like the ones you can create.

[[MTB]_Intrepid]

One of the areas didn't have the 1:50000 data available on GeoBase, but otherwise the coverage seems really good.

You can create an image using a 1:250000 map or orthoimage. The detail won't be as good, but it's better than nothing. The steps are exactly the same, just choose the other scale. Thanks for the positive comments.

[+Algonquin Bound]

there is too much snow here for geocaching at this time anyways

Too much snow for geocaching!!!!???? Isn't that kind of like saying, "too hot for geocaching"? Nothing stops us, around here. Snow is just a good reason to buy extra gear, like snowshoes, skis, shovels, warmer gloves, coats, toques, etc. <== AB, all bundled up!

[+PDOP's]

Bump for any newbies.

[+wavector]

I can add to this discussion, I think.

Once you have mastered the art of combining topo maps and CDED data using Ozi 3D you can try this as well, a different but useful 3D map made with Landsat imagery and ESRI shapefiles.

The Landsat images are huge, to get the 15m resolution you are required to make an email request, my house resolves to four pixels. Orthoimages that are comprised of multiple bands are not as handy as the 15M monochrome tifs. You should be able to surround yourself with Landsat data by downloading as few as a half dozen files. The Landsat monchrome imagery is great but to really make it useful you need to download the ESRI shapefile for your province's roads, they are distributed by province. You can overlay this shapefile on a Landsat image and you will see the road network laid down over the photo, now you can see the terrain and see what roads work and which ones don't. This combination looks strange on screen, you will see all the roads in the province but only a chunk of Landsat image. Do not try to load more than one Landsat image. The Landsat files zoom down fairly well so you can zoom in on your city/area of interest easily. You can eyeball any datum errors you have made, if you have mismatched datums the roads will end up running through the fields, you can see it very clearly.

A program called Global Mapper will allow you to do both of these tasks, not many prgrams will, then you can zoom in and export the data from any zoomed portion. The export will send the entire contents of the screen (zoomed) out as a Geotiff file, make sure you export raster and vector data (the Landsat image is raster, the ESRI shapefile is vector). If you have the CDED for the area you are looking at you will be able to create a 3D photoimage that has the roads included (set the track color you choose in Global Mapper before export) using Ozi 3D. The preparation of the initial export can take some time, you have to download a lot of data to get good coverage ! (high speed works best, the Landsat files run about 80 meg) but when you are done you have an excellent low res aerial of any area you choose that has all the roads clearly visible, it is a 3D image and a handy map.

Global Mapper is also capable of integrating CDED data files as a raw data type. If you do this first then you can export all the data (including elevation) as a Geotiff and it can be opened right up in Ozi and then Ozi 3D.

With a little work you can use tourist maps that only show main roads and convert them to 3D regional maps by scanning into Ozi, the CDED data will apply to any map you manage to get in there that matches a elevation file. The more digital elevation data files you add to the directory, the longer the load times will be for map files. When you are scanning aerial photographs for a 3D map set and intend to autoroute with Ozi you will want to overlap images a fair bit so you are not driving along the edge of a map.

The best combination for regional travel in my opinion is the Landsat/ESRI mix. It is handier than any county map or road map because you can zoom out to a great distance (you decide with your export bounds or your computer decides for you, most of these tasks I am describing will bog down even fast machines).

It is especially handy when driving around in rural areas. A nice twenty mile square (or sixty) with all the roads clearly visible.

The file sizes are a problem for most mapping applications on home PC's. The apps I have mentioned do the tasks I ask them to do quite well, which is not always the case.

A 3D photo aerial of my hometown done at 1:12500 scale is my current project. The raw data was very expensive so I am using a cheap scanner and an $80.00 colour copy (3' x3') of the photograph. I need a new computer.

 

If I had actually used my maps yesterday I might have gotten three caches instead of two, the computer still needs to be integrated into the cachemobile !

[+wavector]

oh for sure!! I won't quit!! I am way too stubborn for that!!

 

I was wondering tho,, and forgive me if this has been addressed previously,, but once I get the topo maps made,, can I download them to my gps? I have been so busy I haven't had a chance yet to read some of the other threads on questions and answers,, I am hoping things will die down soon

 

there is too much snow here for geocaching at this time anyways,, hope to get at it in the spring tho!!

 

missmod

To add the maps you make into your GPS you need to use several programs that do work, but they are not approved by the manufacturer. I have a Garmin so I will address that. Any map can be turned into a vector map (Garmin compatible) by hand, a laborious process but one with unlimited options. If you were willing to do the work you could make a custom map of any area and send it to your Garmin GPS. The sending of the map voids your warranty but many people have used these programs with little ill effect on the GPS. The process is much like tracing, you call up the map in GPSMapEdit and trace a new vector map over the raster image. Once you have added as much detail as you want you can save the file in Garmin's format and use SendMap to send the file to your GPS.

This has been covered before and I think I would buy a Pocket PC before I would go through the process, there is very little value in that type of translation unless you are in an area where there is no data available and you need to make your own maps.

The Garmin topo maps are pretty good (so I have been told, I don't own any yet) and if you want the topo data on your GPS that is the best way to go.

[arash_no1]

Tanks guys, but anyone knows how to make a 3D topomap for using in garmin gps handhelds? (colorado/oregon/dakota) ?

[+northernpenguin]

Tanks guys, but anyone knows how to make a 3D topomap for using in garmin gps handhelds? (colorado/oregon/dakota) ?

 

Can't be done right now, as nobody has managed to reverse engineer the DEM support on the Colorado/Oregon/Dakota. I know Ibycus has all the DEM data just waiting for that to happen.

 

There is a project that uses a custom map with different shading to simulate the 3D effect though.

[+Red90]

I would not get to worried about it anyway. It is just some cute eye candy and makes seeing real information harder on the screens. I always leave it turned off.

[+northernpenguin]

I would not get to worried about it anyway. It is just some cute eye candy and makes seeing real information harder on the screens. I always leave it turned off.

 

+1 to this.

Especially if you're using a Colorado with the shading bug introduced in the 3.2 - 3.4 firmwares.