Today, Eye4Software released GPS Mapping Studio 4.1, formerly known as GPS Mapping Software. The new version of the product now supports elevation datasets...
GPS Mapping Software version 3.0 has been released. The latest version comes with a completely new user interface and a lot of new features including OpenStreetMap data support.
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Download Eye4Software GPS Mapping Studio |
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Browse through the Eye4Software GPS Mapping Studio manual |
The software is shipped only with a couple of demo maps, because it is undoable to bundle it with all the most recent and detailed maps all over the world. To make sure almost any map can be loaded, a wide range of fileformats is supported. This makes that the Eye4Software GPS Mapping Studio can be used with the most common used map formats. Three types of maps are supported: vectormaps, rastermaps and grids. The list below show some information on the maps that can be loaded.
Rastermaps are basically bitmap images. They only contain some image data, and in some cases (GeoTiff) some georeferencing information. These maps do not support high zoomlevels, because they are limited by the number of pixels the map is stored in.
You can load a rastermap into your project by selecting "File" => "Import" => "Import Map..." from the menu.
| GeoTIFF files are based on the TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) standard. This format allows you to insert all sorts of tags into an image file. GeoTIFF uses this to store information on calibration info and / or projection information in the file. When you try to load a map that only contains the calibration info (X,Y boundaries and scale information), you will be asked to set the projection parameters for the map. |
| It is possible to use your own images to project routes, waypoints, tracks and realtime position on. These images can be downloaded from the web (for instance, image created with Google Earth or maps exported from OpenStreetMaps.org, or created by scanning paper maps. To use these images, they have to be calibrated in order to be used. This can be done by selecting some well known coordinates on the map, or by entering the boundaries of the map. For more information about calibrating these maps, see the Calibrating Maps Tutorial. When a file has an associated "World File" the map is calibrated using this information. |
| BSB map files are rastercharts designed especially for nautical charts. They are used by several authorities like NOAA. Nautical maps can often be downloaded for free in the BSB format. When loading BSB files in GPS Mapping Studio, the map is displayed directly, because all geo info is included in the map. BSB maps use Lambert Conformal Conic, Mercator and Polyconic projection. |
Vectormaps are files that contain objects instead of image data. A typical example of an object can be a line, point, polyline, polygon and more. Sometimes these objects are also associated with some userdata or a row in a datatable. Because the vector objects drawn at runtime, there is no limitation on the zoomlevel like rastermaps.
You can load a rastermap into your project by selecting "File" => "Import" => "Import Map..." from the menu.
| Arc/Info Export is a proprietary format, developed by ESRI, used to export GIS data between GIS applications. The data is encoded as plain ASCII. Values are encoded in scientific notation with single or double precision. Objects supported are, points, lines, polylines and labels (text). Projection information can be stored in the file, but most of the times a .PRJ projection file is used. |
| MapInfo MIF/MID is a propietary format used by MapInfo and other GIS software vendors. The format uses a MIF file to store all the features, and a MID file to store the attribute data. Both files are encoded in plain ASCII. The projection used can be stored in the header of the file. When this information is missing when loading a MapInfo map, you will be asked to enter these parameters after loading the map. |
| OpenStreetMap is a free, web-based, editable map of the whole world. On this website, you can find both vector and raster mapdata for almost every place on the world. The data can be exported to a XML format containing all map objects like areas, natural, buildings and roads. This data can be loaded into the GPS mapping software. The mapping software will render the data automatically using the correct colors, or you can set your own rendering rules. All OpenStreetMap data is using WGS84 (World Geodetic System 1984) as reference, so there is no need to set projection parameters when a map has been loaded. |
| DXF stands for Drawing eXchange Format, and was developed by AutoDesk and is used in AutoCad software products. It is a vector format, this means the file contains objects rather then just image information ( pixels ). AutoCad DXF files are not designed to store geospational information, so after loading a DXF map, you will be asked to set the projection parameters. |
| DGN is a vector format used in Microstation CAD software. The software currently only supports the ISFF (Integraph Standard File Formats) DGN format. The newer V8 DGN format is not supported yet. In ISFF format, all objects are stored as blocks into a single file. Each Microstation design file starts with a TCB element, containing global information on the file, like scale, units and extends. |
| ESRI shapefiles are vector maps often used to exchange data between GIS and CAD applications. Like DXF files, it contains objects rather then image information. An ESRI shapefiles consists out of 3 parts, a .shp, .dbf and .idx file. The databse and index files are ignored by GPS Mapping Studio, it only uses the .shp file which contains the map objects. The .dbf database file is only used by GIS applications. Map calibration info is extracted from the shp file. When loading an ESRI shapefile, you have to set the projection parameters by hand. |