Foresters Like Topo USA
Several foresters bragged so much on a mapping package called TopoUSA that I had to get a copy. They insisted this digital topographic mapping package is the best available for the money.
|
So, I picked up Topo USA from DeLorme and have been pleasantly impressed. I've not only used it to find my way along the Appalachian Trail (it provides 300,000 miles of trail information) but I've also used the search feature to get latitude/longitude and street level information on forestry industry mill locations for a current industrial survey project.
The Topo USA mapping package not only has "user friendly" content, it produces great quality digital maps. Maps can then be reproduced to paper hard copy in a dozen different scales and customized formats (including drawing property boundary lines).
As a matter of fact, it produces the best printed color copies of any package I've ever used. Most foresters still like carrying their maps into the woods - but not their laptops. This package helps you avoid the laptop while using a map the size of a piece of computer paper. If the map tears or gets soiled, print another one.
Even better news is you can get the complete package for under one hundred dollars! I compare this to the hundreds of dollars I have spent on traditional USGS topographical maps.
I was a little disappointed with the 3-D engine. It just did not help me much and was hard to interpret. My little Acer laptop struggled with it but it worked fine on my office Dell Dimension XPS T600. I may have given up too early on working with 3-D but found 2-D suited my mapping needs just fine.
SO WHAT'S IN THE PACKAGE?
This 6-CD package contains mapping data at 20-foot contour intervals for the entire United States. These maps are based on the new U.S. Geological Survey's DEM (digital elevation model) database. Each CD contains regional data to include the Northeast, Southwest, Great Lakes and Plains, Southeast, Mountain States, and the Pacific West plus Alaska.
|
Delorme says "Topo USA 2.0 represents the latest in vector-based intelligent mapping and provides a wide variety of added features and benefits not possible in other products that simply use scanned paper maps. These unique vector-based maps enable smart querying of information on the map, such as trail identities and area measurements. Unlike scanned maps, these maps feature superior image clarity and color, and allow for fine control of the various 2-D and 3-D map views you want."
This simply means you can quickly find just the right information and
customize the rip out of any map you make with the latest in mapping
technology. This includes:
* Search by placename, geographic feature, or coordinate
* Utilize global positioning system through a connection with a GPS receiver
* Take advantage of the drawing tool package to customize each map
The minimum system requirements to run Topo USA are:
* Microsoft Windows 95/98
* A PC with Intel Pentium 120 or higher
* 16 MB RAM and 30 MB of available hard-disk space
* A CD-ROM drive
* 16-bit color monitor with Super VGA graphics
WHERE CAN I PURCHASE THE PACKAGE?
For a company review of Topo USA features, go to http://www.delorme.com/topousa/features.htm. You can demo and purchase this package at http://www.delorme.com/topousa/Default.asp.
For much more on mapping and geographical information systems check:
About's GIS Guide
About's Geography Guide
Articles by Topic | Articles by Date
