How MapCreate Works
You'll be making maps faster if you understand the hoops MapCreate must jump through to cram a high detail map into your GPS unit.
First of all, those CDs you just purchased contain a whole bunch of raw computerized cartography data. There are several hundred files of digital mapping information containing lake shorelines, navigation aids, roads, rivers and all the other information that goes into our
It takes some fancy formatting to fit the whole world onto a couple of compact discs. Your GPS unit can't read those raw files (called atlas files). Even if it could, no GPS unit or MultiMedia Card (MMC) has enough memory to hold that much information.
This is where MapCreate comes in. The program looks at all those raw atlas files, shuffles the different types of information together, and then places them onto your computer screen. That's what we call the Master Map, the main window in the MapCreate interface. By changing various options in MapCreate, you can control how much geographic detail is displayed
It's a pretty cool electronic map, but your GPS can't read it in this form, either. This is where you come in. You move around the Master Map and locate the area or areas you want to make a detailed map of. Then, you grab the computer mouse and draw a map border around the region you want. (There are two or three fun ways to do this…we'll describe 'em in a few minutes.)
Now, this map border isn't really a map yet — it just defines or outlines the area you want to include in the final
GPS information — such as waypoints, routes or trails — is handled differently. You can click the mouse to set a waypoint or plan a route, then save that information as a GPS Data File. This file is ready to load into your GPS unit. When your unit makes trails or waypoints in the field, that information is also saved as a GPS Data File, which you can then load back into your computer, open and save in MapCreate. Remember, you must use the advanced mode of MapCreate to work with GPS data.
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