Using data of other countries

[Charlie]

A friend showed me some good, vector, Norway maps using Precision Mapping and UiView. I hadn't realized that data outside North America was available and that the program could use it.

http://wa8lmf.net/aprs/PMapEuroMapSamples/

Does anyone have any additional information on how to use data outsied the USA and Canada?

[Garytf]

A link of the url you posted has lots of data for many countries. I downloaded a few files and imported them, but I seem to have problems trying to control their properties, like the color and the marks for the areas.

I may be doing something wrong, Charlie, but like you I wish someone had compiled some detailed info on how to import and manage these layers.

Is there some such info?

One more question, is there a way to speed up the process? When adding many layers (15+) the time it takes to redraw the map is very slow. I played with the scales and the other options in the import dialog, but it doesn't appear to make any difference.

Well, one more, one more question is it possible to search for an address that exists in the layers I import from the import dialog? Is there a special way to search for it?

[RWinlow]

Well, one more, one more question is it possible to search for an address that exists in the layers I import from the import dialog? Is there a special way to search for it?

I send an email to undertow asking some of these questions. Hopefully we'll hear back soon!

[BillXG]

You should see more info posted on wa8lmf.net about using the import mgr, before long.

In the meantime, here are some links to freely downloadable shp files:

World resources:
http://www.mapcruzin.com/cloudmade-natu ... efiles.htm


Regional world files:

http://www.mapcruzin.com/free-europe-ar ... efiles.htm
http://www.mapcruzin.com/free-africa-ar ... efiles.htm


US files:
http://www.mapcruzin.com/free-united-st ... efiles.htm


Individual Countries:
http://www.mapcruzin.com/free-world-cou ... efiles.htm


XAstir map resources:
http://www.xastir.org/wiki/Xastir_Maps

Bill KC9XG

[BillXG]

I don't think you can perform address searches on files imported with Import Manager. Basically, not all road and street files have name fields, and since the field names are formats can vary considerably, it would be EXTREMELY difficult to write code to search these files. Furthermore I have not seen any road/street files that have address ranges in them, except perhaps the US Census Tiger files. Since the Pmap Street files are much more detailed and accurate than the tiger files, there would be no reason to attempt to import them into PMap.

Bill KC9XG

[RWinlow]

You should see more info posted on wa8lmf.net about using the import mgr, before long.
In the meantime, here are some links to freely downloadable shp files: Bill KC9XG

Thank you. That's more info than what we are getting from undertow. Thanks, again!!

[Charlie]

RWinlow, you may be right. Undertow may not be providing all the information we want, but they are doing better than many other software companies. And, they are pretty responsive in getting things corrected, something you don;t see that often.

Of course, BillXG's response was indeed much more informative

[RWinlow]

I think their support is spotty, like most software companies. Sometimes they are pretty prompt and other times they take forever to respond. There was only one company, as far as I can remember, that was consistently responsive and that was MANY years ago. It was the company that made WordPerfect (I forget the name).