Re: [Xastir] Making better looking maps
What we're looking at is dynamically creating the KMLs that look to the APRS-IS, connect for receive-only and snag the data directly, I think. There may also be a path to have Xastir spawn a client process to fire off GoogleEarth and act as the server for the KML seeks. I've not thought through this, so someone else should take the lead and go for it. I'll be glad to take issues/concerns/questions back to the Google developers as I see the team every 2-3 months at Open Geospatial Consortium meetings. gerry Andrew Rich wrote: We could hit up the programmer of agwtracker - he has maps Andrew Rich VK4TEC [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.tech-software.net -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Andrew Rich Sent: Saturday, 25 August 2007 11:16 AM To: Stephen - K1LNX; Curt Mills, WE7U Cc: Xastir User mailing list Subject: RE: [Xastir] Making better looking maps So what do we need to do ? Learn about google map API's ? Andrew Rich VK4TEC [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.tech-software.net -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Stephen - K1LNX Sent: Saturday, 25 August 2007 10:31 AM To: Curt Mills, WE7U Cc: Xastir User mailing list Subject: Re: [Xastir] Making better looking maps That would be *AWESOME* Perhaps my overloaded brain and willingness to learn may start towards this.. umm yea right lol tnx and 73's Stephen K1LNX On 8/24/07, Curt, WE7U [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: On Tue, 14 Aug 2007, Stephen - K1LNX wrote: One question to the dev's. Is it possible to integrate google maps into Xastir? It's been talked about. Gerry Creager did some asking of the Google guys and they said something to the effect of: Yes, please use it!. Just need a developer with a bit of free time and the desire to look into it. -- Curt, WE7U: www.eskimo.com/~archer/ http://www.eskimo.com/%7Earcher/ XASTIR: www.xastir.org Lotto: A tax on people who are bad at math. -- unknown Windows: Microsoft's tax on computer illiterates. -- WE7U The world DOES revolve around me: I picked the coordinate system! -- Stephen Brown - ARS K1LNX Johnson City, TN EM86uh ___ Xastir mailing list Xastir@xastir.org http://lists.xastir.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/xastir No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.484 / Virus Database: 269.12.6/971 - Release Date: 24/08/2007 2:59 PM No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.484 / Virus Database: 269.12.6/971 - Release Date: 24/08/2007 2:59 PM ___ Xastir mailing list Xastir@xastir.org http://lists.xastir.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/xastir No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.484 / Virus Database: 269.12.6/971 - Release Date: 24/08/2007 2:59 PM No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.484 / Virus Database: 269.12.6/971 - Release Date: 24/08/2007 2:59 PM ___ Xastir mailing list Xastir@xastir.org http://lists.xastir.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/xastir -- Gerry Creager -- [EMAIL PROTECTED] Texas Mesonet -- AATLT, Texas AM University Cell: 979.229.5301 Office: 979.458.4020 FAX: 979.862.3983 Office: 1700 Research Parkway Ste 160, TAMU, College Station, TX 77843 ___ Xastir mailing list Xastir@xastir.org http://lists.xastir.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/xastir
Re: [Xastir] Making better looking maps
My first thoughts on implementation for this would be some kind of scraping method maybe? I certainly wouldn't want to abuse Google's servers, but what about passing static strings with the positional as a standard http request and then somehow getting that data to display inside Xastir? There are KML generators that exist today, I've seen a few but can't recall what or how they work Again guys I'm not a developer, more of a tinkerer, so what I'm thinking of may or may not be possible. Just some random thoughts.. 73's Stephen K1LNX On 8/25/07, Gerry Creager [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: What we're looking at is dynamically creating the KMLs that look to the APRS-IS, connect for receive-only and snag the data directly, I think. There may also be a path to have Xastir spawn a client process to fire off GoogleEarth and act as the server for the KML seeks. I've not thought through this, so someone else should take the lead and go for it. I'll be glad to take issues/concerns/questions back to the Google developers as I see the team every 2-3 months at Open Geospatial Consortium meetings. gerry Andrew Rich wrote: We could hit up the programmer of agwtracker - he has maps Andrew Rich VK4TEC [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.tech-software.net -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Andrew Rich Sent: Saturday, 25 August 2007 11:16 AM To: Stephen - K1LNX; Curt Mills, WE7U Cc: Xastir User mailing list Subject: RE: [Xastir] Making better looking maps So what do we need to do ? Learn about google map API's ? Andrew Rich VK4TEC [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.tech-software.net -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Stephen - K1LNX Sent: Saturday, 25 August 2007 10:31 AM To: Curt Mills, WE7U Cc: Xastir User mailing list Subject: Re: [Xastir] Making better looking maps That would be *AWESOME* Perhaps my overloaded brain and willingness to learn may start towards this.. umm yea right lol tnx and 73's Stephen K1LNX On 8/24/07, Curt, WE7U [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: On Tue, 14 Aug 2007, Stephen - K1LNX wrote: One question to the dev's. Is it possible to integrate google maps into Xastir? It's been talked about. Gerry Creager did some asking of the Google guys and they said something to the effect of: Yes, please use it!. Just need a developer with a bit of free time and the desire to look into it. -- Curt, WE7U: www.eskimo.com/~archer/ http://www.eskimo.com/%7Earcher/ XASTIR: www.xastir.org Lotto: A tax on people who are bad at math. -- unknown Windows: Microsoft's tax on computer illiterates. -- WE7U The world DOES revolve around me: I picked the coordinate system! -- Stephen Brown - ARS K1LNX Johnson City, TN EM86uh ___ Xastir mailing list Xastir@xastir.org http://lists.xastir.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/xastir No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.484 / Virus Database: 269.12.6/971 - Release Date: 24/08/2007 2:59 PM No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.484 / Virus Database: 269.12.6/971 - Release Date: 24/08/2007 2:59 PM ___ Xastir mailing list Xastir@xastir.org http://lists.xastir.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/xastir No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.484 / Virus Database: 269.12.6/971 - Release Date: 24/08/2007 2:59 PM No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.484 / Virus Database: 269.12.6/971 - Release Date: 24/08/2007 2:59 PM ___ Xastir mailing list Xastir@xastir.org http://lists.xastir.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/xastir -- Gerry Creager -- [EMAIL PROTECTED] Texas Mesonet -- AATLT, Texas AM University Cell: 979.229.5301 Office: 979.458.4020 FAX: 979.862.3983 Office: 1700 Research Parkway Ste 160, TAMU, College Station, TX 77843 -- Stephen Brown - ARS K1LNX Johnson City, TN EM86uh ___ Xastir mailing list Xastir@xastir.org http://lists.xastir.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/xastir
Re: [Xastir] Making better looking maps
On Sat, 2007-08-25 at 06:47 -0500, Gerry Creager wrote: Near as I could tell, it's not on Google's horizon but they're amenable to almost any non-terrorist use of Google Maps||Earth. I've looked at this a couple of times lately but I'm pure outta cycles and interrupt processing right now. I'd take a good look at GE's license before attempting. It is decidedly unfriendly to such applications. :( Restrictions. You agree not to use the Software in connection with or in conjunction with a system in a vehicle that offers real-time route guidance or turn-by-turn maneuvers. You agree not to use the Software for any bulk printing or downloading of imagery, data or other content. And that's just the beginning. -- 73, de Brad KB8UYR/6 rez touchofmadness com ___ Xastir mailing list Xastir@xastir.org http://lists.xastir.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/xastir
Re: [Xastir] Making better looking maps
What would you want to scrape? I'd make the data available as a network option from within Xastir... and I might also consider standing up an APRS KML data server. Keep up the ideas. We might kindle something here after all! gerry Stephen - K1LNX wrote: My first thoughts on implementation for this would be some kind of scraping method maybe? I certainly wouldn't want to abuse Google's servers, but what about passing static strings with the positional as a standard http request and then somehow getting that data to display inside Xastir? There are KML generators that exist today, I've seen a few but can't recall what or how they work Again guys I'm not a developer, more of a tinkerer, so what I'm thinking of may or may not be possible. Just some random thoughts.. 73's Stephen K1LNX On 8/25/07, *Gerry Creager* [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: What we're looking at is dynamically creating the KMLs that look to the APRS-IS, connect for receive-only and snag the data directly, I think. There may also be a path to have Xastir spawn a client process to fire off GoogleEarth and act as the server for the KML seeks. I've not thought through this, so someone else should take the lead and go for it. I'll be glad to take issues/concerns/questions back to the Google developers as I see the team every 2-3 months at Open Geospatial Consortium meetings. gerry Andrew Rich wrote: We could hit up the programmer of agwtracker - he has maps Andrew Rich VK4TEC [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.tech-software.net -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto: [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Andrew Rich Sent: Saturday, 25 August 2007 11:16 AM To: Stephen - K1LNX; Curt Mills, WE7U Cc: Xastir User mailing list Subject: RE: [Xastir] Making better looking maps So what do we need to do ? Learn about google map API's ? Andrew Rich VK4TEC [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.tech-software.net http://www.tech-software.net -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Stephen - K1LNX Sent: Saturday, 25 August 2007 10:31 AM To: Curt Mills, WE7U Cc: Xastir User mailing list Subject: Re: [Xastir] Making better looking maps That would be *AWESOME* Perhaps my overloaded brain and willingness to learn may start towards this.. umm yea right lol tnx and 73's Stephen K1LNX On 8/24/07, Curt, WE7U [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: On Tue, 14 Aug 2007, Stephen - K1LNX wrote: One question to the dev's. Is it possible to integrate google maps into Xastir? It's been talked about. Gerry Creager did some asking of the Google guys and they said something to the effect of: Yes, please use it!. Just need a developer with a bit of free time and the desire to look into it. -- Curt, WE7U: www.eskimo.com/~archer/ http://www.eskimo.com/~archer/ http://www.eskimo.com/%7Earcher/ XASTIR: www.xastir.org http://www.xastir.org Lotto: A tax on people who are bad at math. -- unknown Windows: Microsoft's tax on computer illiterates. -- WE7U The world DOES revolve around me: I picked the coordinate system! -- Stephen Brown - ARS K1LNX Johnson City, TN EM86uh ___ Xastir mailing list Xastir@xastir.org mailto:Xastir@xastir.org http://lists.xastir.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/xastir No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.484 / Virus Database: 269.12.6/971 - Release Date: 24/08/2007 2:59 PM No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.484 / Virus Database: 269.12.6/971 - Release Date: 24/08/2007 2:59 PM ___ Xastir mailing list Xastir@xastir.org mailto:Xastir@xastir.org http://lists.xastir.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/xastir http://lists.xastir.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/xastir No virus found
Re: [Xastir] Making better looking maps
The first is a hold-harmless: They don't want to be responsible for stupid user tricks when you use Google Earth in a manner they can't prove is safe. The second is to allow them and their license-holders the right and opportunity to see hard-copy output in large volumes. I've discussed the first with them directly. They're intrigued by Xastir (and APRS in general) and see it not as a violation. Even if used in your car. gerry Brad Douglas wrote: On Sat, 2007-08-25 at 06:47 -0500, Gerry Creager wrote: Near as I could tell, it's not on Google's horizon but they're amenable to almost any non-terrorist use of Google Maps||Earth. I've looked at this a couple of times lately but I'm pure outta cycles and interrupt processing right now. I'd take a good look at GE's license before attempting. It is decidedly unfriendly to such applications. :( Restrictions. You agree not to use the Software in connection with or in conjunction with a system in a vehicle that offers real-time route guidance or turn-by-turn maneuvers. You agree not to use the Software for any bulk printing or downloading of imagery, data or other content. And that's just the beginning. -- Gerry Creager -- [EMAIL PROTECTED] Texas Mesonet -- AATLT, Texas AM University Cell: 979.229.5301 Office: 979.458.4020 FAX: 979.862.3983 Office: 1700 Research Parkway Ste 160, TAMU, College Station, TX 77843 ___ Xastir mailing list Xastir@xastir.org http://lists.xastir.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/xastir
Re: [Xastir] Making better looking maps
I've discussed the first with them directly. They're intrigued by Xastir (and APRS in general) and see it not as a violation. Even if used in your car. All the more reason to spawn development! What would you want to scrape? I'd make the data available as a network option from within Xastir... and I might also consider standing up an APRS KML data server. Keep up the ideas. We might kindle something here after all! Well scraping was just the first thing that came to mind, again just wasn't sure what and what was not technically possible. May be easier more efficient ways etc. Definitely agree on it being a menu option. I think if their is a solution that can be made, Google maps could become the de-facto standard, but the question remains, how to implement? One hurdle, and this shouldn't be a problem for most users, what about needing a Google maps API key? Is there any way around it? Would we even need it? On 8/25/07, Gerry Creager [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: The first is a hold-harmless: They don't want to be responsible for stupid user tricks when you use Google Earth in a manner they can't prove is safe. The second is to allow them and their license-holders the right and opportunity to see hard-copy output in large volumes. I've discussed the first with them directly. They're intrigued by Xastir (and APRS in general) and see it not as a violation. Even if used in your car. gerry Brad Douglas wrote: On Sat, 2007-08-25 at 06:47 -0500, Gerry Creager wrote: Near as I could tell, it's not on Google's horizon but they're amenable to almost any non-terrorist use of Google Maps||Earth. I've looked at this a couple of times lately but I'm pure outta cycles and interrupt processing right now. I'd take a good look at GE's license before attempting. It is decidedly unfriendly to such applications. :( Restrictions. You agree not to use the Software in connection with or in conjunction with a system in a vehicle that offers real-time route guidance or turn-by-turn maneuvers. You agree not to use the Software for any bulk printing or downloading of imagery, data or other content. And that's just the beginning. -- Gerry Creager -- [EMAIL PROTECTED] Texas Mesonet -- AATLT, Texas AM University Cell: 979.229.5301 Office: 979.458.4020 FAX: 979.862.3983 Office: 1700 Research Parkway Ste 160, TAMU, College Station, TX 77843 -- Stephen Brown - ARS K1LNX Johnson City, TN EM86uh ___ Xastir mailing list Xastir@xastir.org http://lists.xastir.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/xastir
Re: Re: [Xastir] Making better looking maps
My apologies. I didn't realize random Google employees trump legal documents their high paid lawyers so tediously put together. That's just me, though. YMMV. ;-) On Sat, 2007-08-25 at 19:00 -0500, Gerry Creager wrote: The first is a hold-harmless: They don't want to be responsible for stupid user tricks when you use Google Earth in a manner they can't prove is safe. The second is to allow them and their license-holders the right and opportunity to see hard-copy output in large volumes. I've discussed the first with them directly. They're intrigued by Xastir (and APRS in general) and see it not as a violation. Even if used in your car. gerry Brad Douglas wrote: On Sat, 2007-08-25 at 06:47 -0500, Gerry Creager wrote: Near as I could tell, it's not on Google's horizon but they're amenable to almost any non-terrorist use of Google Maps||Earth. I've looked at this a couple of times lately but I'm pure outta cycles and interrupt processing right now. I'd take a good look at GE's license before attempting. It is decidedly unfriendly to such applications. :( Restrictions. You agree not to use the Software in connection with or in conjunction with a system in a vehicle that offers real-time route guidance or turn-by-turn maneuvers. You agree not to use the Software for any bulk printing or downloading of imagery, data or other content. And that's just the beginning. -- 73, de Brad KB8UYR/6 rez touchofmadness com ___ Xastir mailing list Xastir@xastir.org http://lists.xastir.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/xastir
RE: [Xastir] Making better looking maps
So what do we need to do ? Learn about google map API's ? Andrew Rich VK4TEC [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.tech-software.net -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Stephen - K1LNX Sent: Saturday, 25 August 2007 10:31 AM To: Curt Mills, WE7U Cc: Xastir User mailing list Subject: Re: [Xastir] Making better looking maps That would be *AWESOME* Perhaps my overloaded brain and willingness to learn may start towards this.. umm yea right lol tnx and 73's Stephen K1LNX On 8/24/07, Curt, WE7U [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: On Tue, 14 Aug 2007, Stephen - K1LNX wrote: One question to the dev's. Is it possible to integrate google maps into Xastir? It's been talked about. Gerry Creager did some asking of the Google guys and they said something to the effect of: Yes, please use it!. Just need a developer with a bit of free time and the desire to look into it. -- Curt, WE7U: www.eskimo.com/~archer/ http://www.eskimo.com/%7Earcher/ XASTIR: www.xastir.org Lotto: A tax on people who are bad at math. -- unknown Windows: Microsoft's tax on computer illiterates. -- WE7U The world DOES revolve around me: I picked the coordinate system! -- Stephen Brown - ARS K1LNX Johnson City, TN EM86uh ___ Xastir mailing list Xastir@xastir.org http://lists.xastir.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/xastir No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.484 / Virus Database: 269.12.6/971 - Release Date: 24/08/2007 2:59 PM No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.484 / Virus Database: 269.12.6/971 - Release Date: 24/08/2007 2:59 PM ___ Xastir mailing list Xastir@xastir.org http://lists.xastir.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/xastir
Re: [Xastir] Making better looking maps
On Fri, Aug 10, 2007 at 09:00:29AM -0400, we recorded a bogon-computron collision of the [EMAIL PROTECTED] flavor, containing: I do have one question on the downloaded Tiger data. When I unzipped Tennessee for example, it created two directories, Polygons and Polylines. In the corresponding directories I see (I'll use my home county as an example): /usr/local/share/xastir/maps/static_maps/TN/Polygons -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1352805 2007-05-08 15:06 Carter_County.dbf -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1276956 2007-05-08 15:06 Carter_County.shp -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 25156 2007-05-08 15:06 Carter_County.shx /usr/local/share/xastir/maps/static_maps/TN/Polylines -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 2534921 2007-05-08 15:04 Carter_County.dbf -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 143 2007-05-08 15:04 Carter_County.prj -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1709364 2007-05-08 15:04 Carter_County.shp -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 104580 2007-05-08 15:04 Carter_County.shx What is the difference between the Polygons and Polylines directory, if any? They are completely different, and you need both for good maps with all the features. Polyines are linear features like roads, streams, etc. Polygons are area features like parks, reservations, military bases, lakes, reservoirs, etc. It is a limitation of the shapefile format that a single file can contain only one type of object (point, line, area), so for data that has lots of different types one requires lots of different files. This question has been asked so many times that it's a FAQ that needs to get answered in README.MAPS. It isn't. I'll go put it there now, and on the Wikified version. What file or files do I edit to start customizing colors, line widths, etc? This is done in the dbfawk file associated with the data. This is sorta answered in README.MAPS, but not explicitly. There are two ways to associate a DBFAWK file with a shapefile: signature-based, or per-file based. signature-based looks at the list of attributes in the dbf file and tries to apply a one-size-fits-all set of rules to all files that match the signature. These dbfawk files all live in /usr/local/share/xastir/config, and have somewhat descriptive names. The two that are used for the TIGER/Line data are tgr2shp.dbfawk and tgr2shppoly_2006.dbfawk. The first is for the polyline data, the second is for the polygon data. The second way to do this is per-file, so that each individual file can be treated differently. These files all live in the same directory as the shapefile, and have base names that are the same as the shapefile to which they apply, but with the .dbfawk suffix instead of .shp or .dbf A per-file dbfawk file overrides any signature-based file that matches, and applies only to the file whose name it matches. So if you want to experiment on one county you can copy the global default file (tgr2shp or tgr2shppoly_2006, depending on what you want to change) into a per-file dbfawk file that matches that county's name and lives in the same directory as the county shapefile, and then when you're done you could move it to /usr/local/share/xastir/config and it would become a signature-based file. But be careful, because re-installing xastir will re-install the default tgr2shp and tgr2shppoly_2006 files. You'll have to preserve your changes somehow so they don't constantly get overwritten when you upgrade xastir. -- Tom RussoKM5VY SAR502 DM64ux http://www.swcp.com/~russo/ Tijeras, NM QRPL#1592 K2#398 SOC#236 AHTB#1 http://kevan.org/brain.cgi?DDTNM And, isn't sanity really just a one-trick pony anyway? I mean all you get is one trick, rational thinking, but when you're good and crazy, oooh, oooh, oooh, the sky is the limit! --- The Tick ___ Xastir mailing list Xastir@xastir.org http://lists.xastir.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/xastir
Re: [Xastir] Making better looking maps
On 8/10/07, Stephen - K1LNX [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: That looks pretty good and gives me an idea of what to start with. I do have one question on the downloaded Tiger data. When I unzipped Tennessee for example, it created two directories, Polygons and Polylines. In the corresponding directories I see (I'll use my home county as an example): /usr/local/share/xastir/maps/static_maps/TN/Polygons -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1352805 2007-05-08 15:06 Carter_County.dbf -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1276956 2007-05-08 15:06 Carter_County.shp -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 25156 2007-05-08 15:06 Carter_County.shx /usr/local/share/xastir/maps/static_maps/TN/Polylines -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 2534921 2007-05-08 15:04 Carter_County.dbf -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 143 2007-05-08 15:04 Carter_County.prj -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1709364 2007-05-08 15:04 Carter_County.shp -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 104580 2007-05-08 15:04 Carter_County.shx What is the difference between the Polygons and Polylines directory, if any? What file or files do I edit to start customizing colors, line widths, etc? Polylines make up the linear data - roads, borders, etc. Polygons are the bodies of water, parks, golf courses, etc. The files to edit are actually the dbfawk files in the /usr/local/share/xastir/config directory as opposed to the files in the maps directories. See HowTo:DBFAWKhttp://www.xastir.org/wiki/index.php/HowTo:DBFAWKin the Xastir Wiki. As to which dbfawk files correlate to the Tiger 2006_SE maps, I haven't had a chance to dig in and figure that out yet. There's one file named tgr2shppoly_2006.dbfawk, but since it's possible to download either Tiger2006 or Tiger2006_SE maps, I don't know which map set uses it based on just the file name. Also I was expecting separate dbfawk files for the polylines and polygons, but I can't tell from the naming if that is the case. Anyway, I'm thinking using dbfinfo on the dbf files for the polylines and polygons will help figure out what patterns match up with which existing dbfawk files. If someone on the list knows which dbfawk file(s) applies/apply to the Tiger2006_SE maps, that would speed things up. Lee - K5DAT Murphy, TX ___ Xastir mailing list Xastir@xastir.org http://lists.xastir.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/xastir
Re: [Xastir] Making better looking maps
Thanks for all the replies so far guys. I'd be lieing if I pretended to actually understand this whole mapping thing lol, but like anything else I just need to dig my heels into it. I have some MapInfo map data as well that I may try playing with, I'll report my results back on both when I get a chance. One question to the dev's. Is it possible to integrate google maps into Xastir? The only two pitfalls I see with that are potential TOS violations, and the fact that the end user may need an API key, not sure how you could get the data either, maybe libcurl or something to that effect? I'm not a coder, so maybe it's more complicated than that. 73's Stephen K1LNX On 8/13/07, Lee Bengston [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: On 8/10/07, Stephen - K1LNX [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: That looks pretty good and gives me an idea of what to start with. I do have one question on the downloaded Tiger data. When I unzipped Tennessee for example, it created two directories, Polygons and Polylines. In the corresponding directories I see (I'll use my home county as an example): /usr/local/share/xastir/maps/static_maps/TN/Polygons -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1352805 2007-05-08 15:06 Carter_County.dbf -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1276956 2007-05-08 15:06 Carter_County.shp -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 25156 2007-05-08 15:06 Carter_County.shx /usr/local/share/xastir/maps/static_maps/TN/Polylines -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 2534921 2007-05-08 15:04 Carter_County.dbf -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 143 2007-05-08 15:04 Carter_County.prj -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1709364 2007-05-08 15:04 Carter_County.shp -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 104580 2007-05-08 15:04 Carter_County.shx What is the difference between the Polygons and Polylines directory, if any? What file or files do I edit to start customizing colors, line widths, etc? Polylines make up the linear data - roads, borders, etc. Polygons are the bodies of water, parks, golf courses, etc. The files to edit are actually the dbfawk files in the /usr/local/share/xastir/config directory as opposed to the files in the maps directories. See HowTo:DBFAWKhttp://www.xastir.org/wiki/index.php/HowTo:DBFAWKin the Xastir Wiki. As to which dbfawk files correlate to the Tiger 2006_SE maps, I haven't had a chance to dig in and figure that out yet. There's one file named tgr2shppoly_2006.dbfawk, but since it's possible to download either Tiger2006 or Tiger2006_SE maps, I don't know which map set uses it based on just the file name. Also I was expecting separate dbfawk files for the polylines and polygons, but I can't tell from the naming if that is the case. Anyway, I'm thinking using dbfinfo on the dbf files for the polylines and polygons will help figure out what patterns match up with which existing dbfawk files. If someone on the list knows which dbfawk file(s) applies/apply to the Tiger2006_SE maps, that would speed things up. Lee - K5DAT Murphy, TX -- Stephen Brown - ARS K1LNX Johnson City, TN EM86uh ___ Xastir mailing list Xastir@xastir.org http://lists.xastir.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/xastir
Re: [Xastir] Making better looking maps
On 8/13/07, Lee Bengston [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: On 8/10/07, Stephen - K1LNX [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: That looks pretty good and gives me an idea of what to start with. I do have one question on the downloaded Tiger data. When I unzipped Tennessee for example, it created two directories, Polygons and Polylines. In the corresponding directories I see (I'll use my home county as an example): /usr/local/share/xastir/maps/static_maps/TN/Polygons -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1352805 2007-05-08 15:06 Carter_County.dbf -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1276956 2007-05-08 15:06 Carter_County.shp -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 25156 2007-05-08 15:06 Carter_County.shx /usr/local/share/xastir/maps/static_maps/TN/Polylines -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 2534921 2007-05-08 15:04 Carter_County.dbf -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 143 2007-05-08 15:04 Carter_County.prj -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1709364 2007-05-08 15:04 Carter_County.shp -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 104580 2007-05-08 15:04 Carter_County.shx What is the difference between the Polygons and Polylines directory, if any? What file or files do I edit to start customizing colors, line widths, etc? Polylines make up the linear data - roads, borders, etc. Polygons are the bodies of water, parks, golf courses, etc. The files to edit are actually the dbfawk files in the /usr/local/share/xastir/config directory as opposed to the files in the maps directories. See HowTo:DBFAWKhttp://www.xastir.org/wiki/index.php/HowTo:DBFAWKin the Xastir Wiki. As to which dbfawk files correlate to the Tiger 2006_SE maps, I haven't had a chance to dig in and figure that out yet. There's one file named tgr2shppoly_2006.dbfawk, but since it's possible to download either Tiger2006 or Tiger2006_SE maps, I don't know which map set uses it based on just the file name. Also I was expecting separate dbfawk files for the polylines and polygons, but I can't tell from the naming if that is the case. Anyway, I'm thinking using dbfinfo on the dbf files for the polylines and polygons will help figure out what patterns match up with which existing dbfawk files. If someone on the list knows which dbfawk file(s) applies/apply to the Tiger2006_SE maps, that would speed things up. Lee - K5DAT Murphy, TX Fyi, after taking a look at the tgr2shppoly_2006.dbfawk file details, it definitely applies to the polygons for the Tiger2006_SE maps. The dbfinfo line matches the pattern in the dbf file for one of the county maps in the polygons folder, and the comments in the file make it kind of obvious that it applies to polygons. Also, I was able to change the color of bodies of water in the Tiger2006_SE maps by tweaking the file. I don't think it will be that difficult to figure out which dbfawk file corresponds to the Polylines - I'm just short on time tonight. Lee - K5DAT Murphy, TX ___ Xastir mailing list Xastir@xastir.org http://lists.xastir.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/xastir
Re: [Xastir] Making better looking maps
On Aug 10, 2007, at 1:56 AM, Bernard Michael Tyers wrote: Can I ask how you created/plotted the grey dotted rectangular box on the map? I am guessing its the search area of that particular aircraft? That is the position ambiguity for that APRS station, which is in fact an aircraft. For whatever reason this person chose to transmit only about 3 or 4 digits of position data which leaves a pretty large area of uncertainty. This box with a dotted outline is xastir's way of telling you it's somewhere inside this box. IIRC, station - filter display - display position ambiguity controls the display of this box. -Jason kg4wsv ___ Xastir mailing list Xastir@xastir.org http://lists.xastir.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/xastir
Re: [Xastir] Making better looking maps
http://www.eng.uah.edu/~jdw/xastir/box-snapshot.png light green is background, blue is water, dark green is parks/refuges/ forests, black lines are highways, red lines are interstates/ controlled access roads, dashed lines are railroads, yellow areas are city limits. = Hi, Can I ask how you created/plotted the grey dotted rectangular box on the map? I am guessing its the search area of that particular aircraft? Was it a tracker device in the aircraft flying in that pattern, or was it a man-made object? thanks bernard On 09/08/2007, Jason Winningham [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: On Aug 9, 2007, at 1:22 PM, Stephen - K1LNX wrote: What is the limitation on this? Is it something that can't be coded in? Hard/complex? Just curious I suspect it's a limitation of the linestyles available in Xlib without resorting to a) heavy coding, or b) adding yet another support package requirement, but only the developer who made that design decision knows for sure... I'm willing to play, but in the end I want the best looking maps possible that are easy to read etc. like google maps is not the only solution to the problem easy to read. My maps evolved for a while before I settled on what I currently use, and if I saw someone else's that I like or if another data set became available they'd likely change again. I use National Atlas (www.nationalatlas.gov) shapefiles for zoom levels 128 and TIGER shapefiles = 128. The Nat'l Atlas maps look like this with my configuration: http://www.eng.uah.edu/~jdw/xastir/box-snapshot.png light green is background, blue is water, dark green is parks/refuges/ forests, black lines are highways, red lines are interstates/ controlled access roads, dashed lines are railroads, yellow areas are city limits. Here are the things that are easy to change with dbfawk controlled shapefiles: - background color (OK, you don't do that with a dbfawk) - color and width of lines - style of lines (solid or dashed) - display level of particular features (this more or less adjusts the level of detail) - color and pattern for filled polygons - display level for labels (can be different that display level for the feature they describe) - don't display things you want to leave out entirely -Jason kg4wsv ___ Xastir mailing list Xastir@xastir.org http://lists.xastir.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/xastir ___ Xastir mailing list Xastir@xastir.org http://lists.xastir.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/xastir
Re: [Xastir] Making better looking maps
On Thu, 2007-08-09 at 13:20 -0400, Stephen - K1LNX wrote: I downloaded the Tiger 2006 data from ftp://aprs.tamu.edu/pub/TIGER_2006_SE/for Tennesse to start with. I got it to display just fine, but still leaves me with one question, how to make it look better? I know I can adjust the fonts, background color etc, but what I am really after is to have a color scheme ala Google maps with colored roads etc. Which google maps? Colored roads based on road type or colored based on traffic? Easy? Hard? Impossible? Nuts? Coloring and styling roads by type is possible with dbfawk, but you won't get the clear, crisp outlines ala Google. Using dbfawk can be a real performance killer at times, so be careful. Road coloring based on traffic is beyond the scope of Xastir, IMO. I don't have a degree in GIS/Computer Science but I'm not afraid of either so go lightly on me :P None really needed unless you're coding. PS - At this weekend's Linux Picnic[1], I'll be releasing some new maps to the public. I've created TOPOs with 500' contours and shaded relief (and colored by elevation) pesudo-DEMs to go under the TOPOs to make them highly visible. The data is broken down by county and covers the entire state of CA. Data for NV is in production. I'll cc: the group with the final URL. [1] http://linuxpicnic.org -- Brad Douglas rez touchofmadness comKB8UYR/6 Address: 37.493,-121.924 / WGS84National Map Corps #TNMC-3785 GRASS GIS Project Steering ___ Xastir mailing list Xastir@xastir.org http://lists.xastir.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/xastir
Re: [Xastir] Making better looking maps
On Aug 9, 2007, at 12:20 PM, Stephen - K1LNX wrote: but still leaves me with one question, how to make it look better? I know I can adjust the fonts, background color etc, but what I am really after is to have a color scheme ala Google maps with colored roads etc. Easy? Hard? Impossible? Nuts? That's for you to decide after you try it. (: The shapefiles you downloaded are a bit complex, but there are already dbfawks in the xastir distribution to deal with them (in /usr/ local/share/xastir/config, I think). You can modify those dbfawks to try and achieve the look you want. One thing that you'll probably find missing is a selection of linestyles - xastir's is pretty limited. IIRC you've got solid lines and dashed lines. If you're looking for a wide gray line with black borders, you're out of luck. -Jason kg4wsv ___ Xastir mailing list Xastir@xastir.org http://lists.xastir.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/xastir
Re: [Xastir] Making better looking maps
Which google maps? Colored roads based on road type or colored based on traffic? Colored roads based on road type, not interested in traffic. One thing that you'll probably find missing is a selection of linestyles - xastir's is pretty limited. IIRC you've got solid lines and dashed lines. If you're looking for a wide gray line with black borders, you're out of luck. What is the limitation on this? Is it something that can't be coded in? Hard/complex? Just curious Coloring and styling roads by type is possible with dbfawk, but you won't get the clear, crisp outlines ala Google. Is that because of the above limitation? I'm willing to play, but in the end I want the best looking maps possible that are easy to read etc. The online tiger maps are ok, but I still find them a little difficult on the eyes. Am I moving in the right direction or are there better alternatives to what I am trying to accomplish? I also see that Xastir has limited support for Mapinfo maps, which I have a complete set of, but don't know anything about unfortunately :( 73's Stephen K1LNX On 8/9/07, Jason Winningham [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: On Aug 9, 2007, at 12:20 PM, Stephen - K1LNX wrote: but still leaves me with one question, how to make it look better? I know I can adjust the fonts, background color etc, but what I am really after is to have a color scheme ala Google maps with colored roads etc. Easy? Hard? Impossible? Nuts? That's for you to decide after you try it. (: The shapefiles you downloaded are a bit complex, but there are already dbfawks in the xastir distribution to deal with them (in /usr/ local/share/xastir/config, I think). You can modify those dbfawks to try and achieve the look you want. One thing that you'll probably find missing is a selection of linestyles - xastir's is pretty limited. IIRC you've got solid lines and dashed lines. If you're looking for a wide gray line with black borders, you're out of luck. -Jason kg4wsv -- Stephen Brown - ARS K1LNX Johnson City, TN EM86uh ___ Xastir mailing list Xastir@xastir.org http://lists.xastir.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/xastir
Re: [Xastir] Making better looking maps
Brad Douglas wrote: PS - At this weekend's Linux Picnic[1], I'll be releasing some new maps to the public. I've created TOPOs with 500' contours and shaded relief (and colored by elevation) pesudo-DEMs to go under the TOPOs to make them highly visible. The data is broken down by county and covers the entire state of CA. Data for NV is in production. I'll cc: the group with the final URL. [1] http://linuxpicnic.org Any chance you will be doing these for other states or have already? Love to have NM. Steve/WM5Z ___ Xastir mailing list Xastir@xastir.org http://lists.xastir.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/xastir
Re: [Xastir] Making better looking maps
On Thu, 2007-08-09 at 12:34 -0600, Steve Friis wrote: Brad Douglas wrote: PS - At this weekend's Linux Picnic[1], I'll be releasing some new maps to the public. I've created TOPOs with 500' contours and shaded relief (and colored by elevation) pesudo-DEMs to go under the TOPOs to make them highly visible. The data is broken down by county and covers the entire state of CA. Data for NV is in production. I'll cc: the group with the final URL. [1] http://linuxpicnic.org Any chance you will be doing these for other states or have already? Love to have NM. I have enough base data for the entire country. What I need is time. I haven't had a chance to automate the process as much as possible, yet. I am also putting together a tutorial so that you can create your own if you don't want to wait around for me. NM is on my short list, though. BTW, I tried loading up 30' contours into Xastir. Bad idea. ;-) I put a sample of the raster backdrop here (Alpine Co., CA): http://picasaweb.google.com/jawayetti/GIS Constructive comments welcome. -- Brad Douglas rez touchofmadness comKB8UYR/6 Address: 37.493,-121.924 / WGS84National Map Corps #TNMC-3785 GRASS GIS Project Steering ___ Xastir mailing list Xastir@xastir.org http://lists.xastir.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/xastir
Re: [Xastir] Making better looking maps
On Thu, 9 Aug 2007, Brad Douglas wrote: BTW, I tried loading up 30' contours into Xastir. Bad idea. ;-) Doesn't that depend on the size of the area you're looking at? If I'm on a SAR mission I might want 30' contours for a smallish area. If driving or other uses, probably not. One thing to remember though, 30' contours can hide a 30' cliff. 80' contours can hide an 80' cliff. _Maybe_ if we had 10' contours we'd be fairly safe carefully examining an area and then sending SAR personnel into it in the dark. -- Curt, WE7U: www.eskimo.com/~archer/ XASTIR: www.xastir.org Lotto: A tax on people who are bad at math. -- unknown Windows: Microsoft's tax on computer illiterates. -- WE7U The world DOES revolve around me: I picked the coordinate system! ___ Xastir mailing list Xastir@xastir.org http://lists.xastir.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/xastir
