[aprssig] Map Capture Utility Could Be Useful To APRS Users

[Stephen H. Smith]

I just discovered this nifty utility that could be of interest to APRS 
users in search of maps.


  _Universal Maps Downloader_

This program allows you to automatically download and seamlessly stitch 
bitmap tiles from Google Maps, Microsoft Virtual Earth, Yahoo Maps or 
Open Street Map into map images of virtually any size.  It allows you to 
download street map, satellite or terrain/relief views from any of these 
sources.

The images captured by this program are non-projected (i.e. simple 
rectangular X/Y grid with latitude and longitude lines at right angles) 
at least for distances of 85-100 miles (130-160 KM) across.  This makes 
the assembled maps easy to calibrate in nearly any APRS application that 
can use bitmap images , since they don't have curved converging lines of 
longitude.

These images  can be used directly as maps in many programs, or as 
underlays for the Precision Mapping Server V7 in UIview.  The underlaid 
images can be aligned perfectly with the non-projected vector maps 
produced by Precision Mapping in UIview.

Full review of this program and numerous samples of captures done with 
it on my website at:

<http://wa8lmf.net/MapCaptureTool>


--

Stephen H. Smith    wa8lmf (at) aol.com
EchoLink Node:      WA8LMF  or 14400    [Think bottom of the 2M band]
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Home Page:          http://wa8lmf.net

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