Thread: Free software to handling topo maps?

Does anyone know of any free to download software for handling topo maps? By handling I mean croping, gps, coordinates, waypoints and such like. Cheers

What type of GPS are you using?

I have a garmin etrex 10
I think I would have to input way points manually onto the topo map.
I basically want a way to plot my gps way points/points of interest onto a topo map

Cheers Tussock

Ingredients for free topo maps on your garmin devices. Note the track maps might also be useful as well:

Free Map Resources
Garmin Training Center (download and install)
Garmin Mapsource (download update only and install)
Garmin MapInstall (download and install)

cGPSmapper (where necessary convert source .mp files to .img files)
cGPSmapper - Your Tool For Creating Maps

MapsetToolkit (once converted to img files easy way to get maps into Mapsource)
http://cypherman1.googlepages.com/


Free Topo maps, track maps, and doc track maps
Topo Maps For Garmin GPS...

Garmin Software

If you own a Garmin GPS device you should have installed already Garmin MapSource (this lets you view maps, routers, waypoints, paths and export/import them to you Garmin GPS device). You should also have Garmin MapInstall, this allows you to install maps onto your GPS device via serial, USB, or SD Card.

If you do not have Garmin MapSource (maybe got your Garmin GPS second hand) then you can download Garmin Training Centre found here:

Garmin: Training Center Software Update Collection

Install Training Center then download and update Garmin MapSource with the full version found here (you can also download MapInstall from here):

Garmin | Mapping Programs

Installing the Free Topo Maps

First you need to download a program called cgpsmapper (the free version for Windows) from here:cGPSmapper - Your Tool For Creating Maps

When installing I installed it into C:\cgpsmapper to make life easier.

Next you need to download MapsetToolkit from here http://cypherman1.googlepages.com/ . I extract it into the cgpsmapper directory above.

Download the source (non-compiled) maps from here (I tried using the compiled maps but they make mapsourc crash for me): Topo Maps For Garmin GPS...

Save the maps into the C:\cgpsmapper directory, and extra the .mp files into the same place.

Now you have the necesary bits you need to do a little work but it's not hard.

Assume you've downloaded the Wellington map and extracted the file 64326208.mp into your C:\cgpsmapper directory...

Open a command prompt (aka a DOS prompt), type in the following (ignore the bits in brackets, that just FYI):
cd \cgpsmapper (this changes you into working in the cgpsmapper directory)
cgpsmapper 64326208.mp (this executes CGPS mapper to compile the map file, replace 64326208.mp with whatever maps you intend to use)

This will take a while to compile, depending on how fast your PC is.

Once it's finished go to My Computer, open your C: drive, click on the cgpsmapper directory. Double click on MapSetTookKit.exe

Click on Select IMG, choose your C:\cgpsmapper directory, this will then show a list of maps.

Click on 64326208.img and click the Add button to add it into the map list on the right hand side.

Click the ... button next to Mapset Directory and choose your C:\cgpsmapper directory

Put in a name next to Mapset Name (eg WgtnTopo)

For family ID I just used 644 (eg NZ=64, Wgtn=4)

Click on the TYPE files ... button and select the file called 10320.TYP

Check the box next to Install in Mapsource

Click on Start. If it pops up with an error about FID's just click No.

This will run for a little then come up with a completion message.

And you're done! Go into Garmin Mapsource and from the maps menu you should be able to select your installed map. Same goes for MapInstall.

Not sure if all the links above are still 100%, but that's what I used the last time I needed free topo maps.
good luck

H

Hey thanks Hendrik! Looking forward to ripping into those links

Hey buddy. I've been having a go with Garmin basecamp and its working a charm! Only 2 things, is it possible to view in one of the windows either satellite images (google earth) or to import a topo map into it so you can look at your waypoints etc on the topo map? Is that possible?
Cheers