February 2005
Monthly Archive
African Index Maps for OziExplorer added
Maurizio 25 Feb 2005 | : GIS software, Maps
Behind any map archive, no matter how small it is, there should be a set of index maps: overview country maps and national map-list indices. By the use of index maps the required correct map will be identified and located in a matter of seconds.
If you are an OziExplorer user you are lucky, the index map system is fantastic.
In the Raster Maps - Africa Index Map section you will find overview maps for every African country in ozf2 format. Store them in the Index Maps folder of your OziExplorer program directory and you will never loose a map again.
If you are not an OziExplorer user do not despair: tell us which program you use and which image format you prefer and it will be added. In the meantime you’ll be able to use the index maps in the free Trial version of Oziexplorer.
We have included 2 national maplist maps: Namibia and South Africa. With them it is possible to identify the name of any 50k map in these countries. If you have maplists of other countries please send them to us and they will be included in the National Maplist section.
South African 50k on DVD set now available!
Is it possible to compile 30Gbs of digital maps into a simple, easy to use set?
2 DVDs is the result we are proud of. By virtue of this achievement MadMappers is now able to offer the SA 50k mapset at a cost lower than anyone had hoped for and ready to use with OziExplorer and Global Mapper: all it is required is to place the DVD into the DVD drive and load the maps. As simple as that.
Price for the 2 DVDs set containing over 2000 maps is R550 (US$90). DVDs are also available separately. Check the mapsets on CD section for more details.
Unfortunately (or … fortunately?) after only 15 days we have exceeded our traffic threshold for the month. Nevertheless, we are making available some free sample maps of the SA 50k set for those who are not familiar with them:
2528CC Centurion
2628AA Johannesburg
3318CD Cape Town
3418AB&AD Cape Peninsula
Maps download system tests
We are conducting system tests. Please keep it in mind if something unexpected occurs.
3 maps of South Africa scale 1:250.000 are currently available for free download:
You will notice that pages relative to these 3 maps differ from all others map pages not yet available for download, in that a grey “download” button is now present. Note that maps which are not available for download no longer have the “download inactive” button. This note was removed to avoid the impression that certain maps in archive were about to become available for download without author’s consent.
Once unzipped the above mentioned maps are ready-to-use and calibrated for OziExplorer and Global Mapper (see “GIS Tools” section). If you wish to use in other GIS software please enquire with us.
After you have completed downloading please send us a feedback mentioning:
- name of downloaded file
- time and duration of download
- average download rate (if available)
- type of connection
- GIS software you use (optional)
- any other comment
Once tests have been successfully completed the set South Africa scale 1:250.000 will become available for free download.
Software update
Maurizio 08 Feb 2005 | : GIS software
It is with great satisfaction that we announce that MadMappers has become a distributor for the finest, easy-to-use GIS software in the world: Global Mapper.
GlobalMapper virtually combines in one suite what otherwise requires 2-3 other programs to achieve. It is suited both to the beginner (if you are not sure about map projections, you will learn about it as you experiment) and to the GIS professional (NASA project engineers are the most active on the Global Mapper user forum). Price? let’s say we consider Global Mapper essential part of any MadMappers toolkit and so it is at a promotional price. Read more in the “GIS Tools” section.
MadMappers is one week old
Maurizio 08 Feb 2005 | : Uncategorized
It was an exciting week! Virtually without any publicity, the website recorded more than 7000 hits (from 17 countries on 4 continents) in the first 24 hours. That was sufficient for our ISP, Fujitsu, to take notice of us, deciding to increase bandwidth and give us a chance. As a result, in the next few days we should start making available the first sets for free download. We will start from the South African mapset scale 1:250.000 and follow then with the South African series 1:50.000 by Province. We do have limitation in data storage, so we will rotate provinces weekly. Please remember: the objective is not to have everyone download indiscriminately everything, if you want a set rather purchase data on CD, cost will be a fraction of the connection cost.
We continue to seek sponsorships for the website: the end of the financial year is near, is everyone’s company in a tax loss position? Please spread the word around.
We are adding some pages which should address the many issues for which we received enquiries during the past week. One question we received repeatedly: where are the prices? If there is no price, then although the set is stored in the archive, it is not ready for public distribution yet. Reasons may be diverse: the set might have been priced, or it is not ready for distribution, or the author has not given authorization yet or … the set is not intended for public distribution at all. In the next few weeks the database will be modified to give reasons why some data is not yet available. Please be patient. MadMappers is a non-profit project based on voluntary work, please keep it in mind.
We also intend to start a new section “download of the week”: we will have there super-special stuff, keep your eyes open. In the meantime do not miss the “Gallery” where we are exhibiting interesting images: please contribute, show the world what MadMappers can do.
Finally: we have no experience on e-commerce. If you do please contact us for some advise. Some mapsets cannot be distributed unless we are able to collect some royalty fees.
