[Xastir] Other Maps

[Gerry Creager N5JXS]

No, but they APPEAR to have more "current" maps.

Virtually all of the vendors acquire their initial maps from TigerMap data.

The latest versions of Tiger data (1996) are pretty good.  The aerial 
work was done better than before, and this time, digitizing was 
automated significantly.

SOME of the mapping companies take advantage of many states' efforts to 
maintain basemaps.  If you're looking for good _quality_ maps, find out 
where your State archives its maps and if they're available in the 
public domain.  In Texas, it's http://www.tnris.state.tx.us under 
Digital Data (or StratMap)... Most states offer their data someplace.

There are also a number of websites offering some limited downloads of 
various data hoping that, if you like getting data from them for free, 
you'll buy data from them for real||bigger projects.

To date, neither Microsoft nor DeLorme have made a significant effort to 
clean up their maps in areas I frequent and have access to "real" data 
to allow checking, even though the Texas data are completely placed in 
the public domain...

What most of the commercial packages do is add background shading or 
color political, recreational or federal bounding areas, offering a 
prettier picture.  In general, from a cartographic or geodetic point of 
view, the maps from the various companies have proven to be more or less 
good to +/- 150m... or, not that good.  Tiger's got better accuracy than 
that... but their failing is that the digitizing and geocoding are not 
done locally.

USGS, who acquires all the data that go into Tiger, has a solid 
partnership with at least 35 States, last I heard, but I did miss the 
last meeting in Austin where that would have been presented; Texas is 
one of those partners.  Texas participates in the aerial campaigns, 
assists with the geocoding and overall quality assurance.

If there're questions, I can either answer 'em or get the answers from 
USGS or State resources...

Your friendly Satellite Geodesist,
Gerry N5JXS

John L Place wrote:
> Is there any plans to use prepackaged map systems such as Streets & 
> Trips 2002, etc.???? These have more current local streets on them than 
> Tigermaps.
> 
> 
> 
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-- 
Gerry Creager -- gerry.creager at tamu.edu
Network Engineering -- AATLT, Texas A&M University	
Cell: 979.229.4301 Office: 979.458.4020 FAX: 979.847.8578
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Office: 903A Eller Bldg, TAMU, College Station, TX 77843