On Thursday, May 11, 2023 at 1:08:46 PM UTC-4, NM wrote:
On Tuesday, May 9, 2023 at 12:33:14 PM UTC-4, kevin anderson wrote:
Help, GlidePlan that I have used for years is no longer compatible with the software upgrades on my computer.
What does everyone else use for map making for contest or record flying?
Thanks
Kevin
92
Hi Kevin,
I use Google My Maps. Check out this link for Region 4N in 2021 https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/1/edit?mid=123uvbqzPX_qT3McWfGX12TkwNfyuZ7Rl&usp=sharing
All the data in the map is imported from the databases available from - https://soaringweb.org/
This is an interactive map and you can zoom in pretty fine, as well as use different background layers. When preparing printed maps for competition, I print in multiple sections and stitch them together using another program to create a gigantic image
file. You can see the results here at our competition page for 2022.
https://midatlanticsoaring.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=218612&module_id=310488.
To superimpose a flight trace on this map, I convert the IGC file to KMZ using GPS Visualizer, and then import the KMZ into my existing Google turnpoint / airspace map. It comes in as a layer that can be turned on or off.
Nirmal
"NM"
Follow up
I have received a few requests for tips on how to generate maps using Google My Maps, and I have responded to those folks directly.
Here are steps required to get you started. Some are quick and some require some painstaking work, but the results are worth it.
TURNPOINTS and AIRPORTS
1. Create a CSV file for your contest using data from
https://soaringweb.org/
2. If this file contains both Turnpoints (TP) and Airports display, split into 2 CSV files one for TP and the other for Airports
3. Massage the CSV files to decide what is to be displayed on the map, capitalize names etc, to reflect the way you want them displayed
4. In Google My Maps, create 2 layers by importing these 2 files, one is the TP layer and the other is the Airport layer
5. Set the properties of the TP layer to “Sequence of number” so that the TP numbers show up inside a circle. You can change the color of the circle.
6. Set the properties of the airport layer so you have whatever symbol you want for the airport. You can set to “Uniform Style” so they all look the same or you could chose them to different based on some airport property.
AIRSPACE
7. Import your airspace file into Google maps. You can get them from soaringweb.org under the appropriate contest. If the airspace is not available then you can also get them from
https://soaringdata.info/airports/waypoints.php. In this option you need
to specify a bounding circle for the center airport, and specify the airspace in Google Earth KML format. Each airspace type will get its own layer, and you can fiddle with colors, shading etc.
Steps 1-7 essentially create the interactive map for the contest, and represents all the customization you can do at this stage. Spend your time making sure that everything looks right - names, shading, colors, symbols. Pick the type of base map you
want to see displayed e.g., satellite, terrain. You may need to iterate with the authors of the underlying data bases in case there are file format issues or data discrepancies. They have always been very helpful
GENERATING OUTPUT
Now for the tedious part since Google maps is not very good at printing what you see. It can generate output in pdf or image format, and the latter format really helps.
8. Mark the outer boundaries of the map that you want to print, by adding another layer to the map. Mark the corners, and maybe some points along the way on each side
9. First try and print that area to a JPG file. I normally use 11 x 17 " for the output size. Portrait or Landscape orientation. See how the detail looks. You may need to zoom in and reprint (create the jpeg, but not actually print at this point).
10. Create a JPEG that represents the entire map print area. I did this by "printing" overlapping sections ( 1/3 overlap) Left to right, top to bottom. It took me 9 high rez images output to 11 x 17. Then use a Microsoft program called Image Composite
Editor (ICE) to stitch these multiple files into 1 large image file. ICE does it automatically and is very good. Microsoft has discontinued it, but I still have a copy. You can find it here:
https://northrup.photo/microsoft-ice/
11. Add legends etc. This will have to be done using a photo editor. I just loaded the image file into PowerPoint and used its features to add all the extra stuff. You can then print to a PDF or image file to whatever sized paper you choose.
12. Print - send the file (s) to Fedex or Staples for printing on sturdy paper. Using steps 8-11 you can create a large image file for the entire contest area to print on a large poster board that can be hung in the pilot meeting area, or can be used to
design / visualize the tasks.
Steps 9-10 are tedious. There is some trial and error to get the right zoom level for printing the details you want, since what appears on the screen does not always match what is output to the image file. Plan for a few hours for steps 9-10. And be
prepared that you might find something in step 10 that may make you go back to steps 1-7 to fix a missing item.
But once you get it done, the results are great!!
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