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George Myers (George_myers)
Registered Member
Username: George_myers
Post Number: 1
Registered: 10-2007
Posted From: 67.72.98.81
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, October 16, 2007 - 12:00 pm: | |
STREET ATLAS DRAW LAYERS
First I want to thank Gene Teggatz for the information he gave me, and all the others attending, during his seminar on "Using Street Atlas with Draw Layers" at the Fall Escapade. That is what got me started on this.
Second, I would like to ask if anyone knows of any place, other than "discoveryowners.com," where I can find useful additional layers. I have already milked them.
Discoveryowners.com also has some layer files for MS Streets and Trips. I have not tried them yet. It would really be great if someone who used it were to write up the step-by-step process to add the layers there.
FOR THE UNINITIATED
Let me explain what I am talking about. The DeLorme Street Atlas computer mapping and GPS software program has a capability to add additional information to the maps it displays. This information is stored in special files, with an ".an1" extension, that can be called up to add a "draw layer" to the map. The standard analogy is that a "draw layer" is similar to laying a sheet of clear plastic over a paper map. The plastic would have the additional Information placed at the appropriate spot to indicate where the item of interest is. The information added to the layer for each location is an icon and one small line of text. This is very much like the icon and name you see for businesses if you zoom in to level 16 and have the "Points of Interest" turned on under "Map Display."
The big difference is that the information does not go away as you zoom out. The icon and text stay the same size, but more icons come on the screen as the area covered increases. If you zoom out so that you see the entire U.S.A. and turn on the Wal-Marts, they will be all you can see. However, if you are zoomed in to half a state, you can see where they are. If you zoom into a city, you can see their precise Location.
Just as you can either use a plastic layer or take it off, the extra data in the draw layer can be added or the file can be turned off (or just not turned on). There are files to show the location for every Wal-Mart, another for every Super Wal-Mart, every Flying J, and many more. Some of the campgrounds include Passport America, Escapee Parks, Escapee discount parks, Days End, AOR, C2C, etc. There are separate layers (files) that just have the state parks of each state.
Each layer (file) is controlled by someone different. How accurate it is, and how much information is presented, is up to them. I checked the icons for some Pilot and Flying J stations and found them to be accurately located. However, for the one Travel America station I could check, the icon was off by at least two miles.
The layer only tells you where something is. For more information, you have to go somewhere else. For some of the layers listed on the discoveryowners.com site, there are zipped "read me" files. These unzip into text files or Excel spread sheets. The information varies from one layer provider to another. Most of the text files will tell you how accurate the locations are.
YOU SAY YOU WANT THEM
Note: This is for Windows XP and Street Atlas 2004 and 2007. The process is different for Street Atlas 2005. Any other system, and you are on your own.
There is a process you have to go through to get the files into a form Street Atlas can use. The steps are:
>>Find them on the Internet.
>>Download the Zipped files to your computer.
>>Unzip them to create an .an1 file that Street Atlas can use, a text file for the Read Me files, and .xls files for the spread sheets.
>>Place the .an1 files in a directory called "Delorme Docs/Draw," which will be on your computer if you have Street Atlas loaded.
>>I added an unnecessary step of renaming the files.
>>Display Street Atlas and call up the layers you want.
My Way
Every file must be placed in a directory (folder). Although you can do this any way you want, I chose to create some new directories under "Delorme Docs/Draw." They are:
>>"Delorme Docs/Draw/Zip files" for both the zip files and the unzipped files.
>>"Delorme Docs/Draw/Lists" for the Excel spread sheets.
>>"Delorme Docs/Draw/Readme" for the text files.
>>"Delorme Docs/Draw" for the .an1 files cannot be changed.
DOWNLOAD THE ZIPPED FILES
Go on the Internet to "http://www.discoveryowners.com/cginfo.htm." Note: Before going on, it would be a good idea to read the entire page. There is a lot of good information there. To see the downloadable files, click on the purple "HERE" in the first line, which reads "Click HERE for the map links to download the files." This will take you to "http://www.discoveryowners.com/cginfolinks.htm."
Now that you have the table, review all the information that is presented. Click on a file (ending in .zip) that you are interested in. This takes you to the "File Download" dialog box. Choose "Save." Then be sure the computer is placing it where you want it. The directory needs to be correct on the line at the top of the "Save As" dialog box that comes up. Then click "Save" in the lower right corner. Click "Close" on "Download Complete" when you are finished. Do the same for all the other files you are interested in.
UNZIP THEM
Close the Internet and go to Windows Explorer and the directory where you put the Zip files. In my case it is "Delorme Docs/Draw/Zip files."
>>Find a Zip file you want and RIGHT click on it. You get a list of possible actions.
>>Select "Extract All" and left click.
>>Click "Next" on the first "Extraction Wizard" dialog box.
>>Check second "Extraction Wizard" dialog box to be sure the directory that the computer selects is where you want the UnZipped file to go. The computer will try to make a separate directory.
>>Click "Next."
>>Click "Finish" on the third "Extraction Wizard" dialog box. Note: The zip files do not go away.
>>Find the next zip file and go through the process again.
PLACE THE FILES
In Windows Explorer, click on the column heading "File type." This should group the files of each type together. Now copy and paste them to where you want them. The files with the .an1 expansion MUST go into "Delorme Docs/Draw" for them to be usable.
RENAMING
This is where I renamed them. I chose more descriptive names to make it clearer for my wife, who runs the GPS while I drive. To group like items together on the list, the new name for each layer file that is associated with commercial campgrounds start with the number 1. For stores (Wal-mart, Costco, Mijer, etc.) they start with the number 2. "Low clearance" layer files start with 3. Fuel companies start with the word Fuel and I used "State Park XX," (where XX represents the state name or two letter identifier) for them.
DISPLAY LAYERS, STREET ATLAS 2004 and 2007
>>Open Street Atlas and zoom to about layer 6 in a populated area.
>>Now you can turn on the layers you want. Click "Map Files" on the lower left and then on the lower right click "Add," and "Draw Files." An "Add data to maps" screen should come up where you can see and click on one of the .an1 draw layer files. The icons should then appear on the map screen if there are any of the listed locations within the map area you are looking at.
>>To get the display that shows the layers so that you can work with them, near the bottom of the screen, click on "Map Files." Then click "File>" in the lower left. Then "Current View" and "Contents." This is the step that would not work in SA 2005.
>>The screen at the bottom should list the draw layer files that you have called up. There is a checked box beside each one. Click on the check to turn them off or the box to turn them back on.
DISPLAY LAYERS, STREET ATLAS 2005
"http://www.discoveryowners.com/cginfo.htm." has more information on 2005.
>>Near the bottom of the screen, click on "Draw." Then on File> (At the bottom.)
>>Then on "Import" on the box that appears.
>>Then on the "Import Draw Files" dialog box, change the file types to "All*.*"
>>You can then call up the files you want. It did work for me.
>>Other than opening a new map file, I could not find a way to turn them off.
OTHER DATA
Open your spread sheet to look at the Excel files that list the locations. For the Super Wal-Marts, the exact location is listed with the address, phone #, and the Lat/Long. There is also a column on parking with NOP if there is no overnight parking.
Open your word processor to see the Read Me text files.
For the Day's End, the layer shows the town where there is a good overnight spot. You them must go into the Day's End file that you can buy from the Escapees web site. It is a downloadable file, or you can buy the CD. This will give you a paragraph describing each spot.
For a decent amount of information on a campground, you still need a campground guide, such as Woodalls or Good Sam. However, the draw layer will tell you where they are.
USING THEM
The layers work very nicely when you are zoomed in, as you are when following the GPS. The icons and text block out the map if you are zoomed out to plan a route.
If you learn to work with, primarily saving and importing, the map and route files, you can make the route on a new map, save the route and then import it into the map that has everything turned on.
Lots of Luck
George Myers |
Luvrbus (Luvrbus)
Registered Member
Username: Luvrbus
Post Number: 117
Registered: 8-2006
Posted From: 74.32.80.186
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, October 16, 2007 - 12:27 pm: | |
George,as always good information from you glad to see you are posting and i do miss you coach builders magazine good luck and the best to you and sue |
John MC9 (John_mc9)
Registered Member
Username: John_mc9
Post Number: 532
Registered: 7-2006
Posted From: 66.217.102.186
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, October 16, 2007 - 11:41 pm: | |
Confusiling?
The "points of interest" data can be input into some Garmin
units, and a bunch of map programs, by using simple
"Comma Separated Value" (CSV) files.
They're fairly easy to make up from scratch, using any basic
information you have..... that is.... Locating a list of all Lowes
locations, and re-formatting the list into a simple test file, then
uploading it into your map program...
With "MS Streets and Trips" fir instance, you can format the
info like this:
(Lowes Stores)
Lowe’s, 1109 Us Highway 72, Athens, AL, 35611
Lowe’s, 5291 Highway 280, Birmingham, AL, 35242
And those store locations will be indicated on the map automatically.
This may make things easier:
http://www.msh-tools.com/creator.html
(I file these things under: "Things to do when I can't afford fuel")
(Thanks George!)
Oops.. Oh....
And with MS Streets and Trips, once you've made up your
"CSV" file and saved it as a text file, you simply open Streets
and Trips, click on "Data" / "Import Data Wizard", and select
your text file. The program will ask a few questions, causing
you to find yourself sitting in a puddle, but it'll all be just fine!
If -I- can do it, anyone can do it!
(Message edited by john_mc9 on October 16, 2007) |
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