New MAPTOASTER for PC

[ssarc]

I am looking at an upgrade to the new version of Maptoaster for PC

Has anyone here purchased it yet?

I am interested in hearing if its much more workable, the original program was pretty budget to be honest and could not be worked with to the extent of memory map or even the old NZ mapped program.

I do not like Tumonz so its really either Maptoaster or Memory Map for me.

Cheers, Steve

[BaldEd]

I am interested in hearing if its much more workable, the original program was pretty budget to be honest and could not be worked with to the extent of memory map or even the old NZ mapped program.

Define "much more workable"?

[ssarc]

Okay, I should redefine that, the original Maptoaster was basically unworkable, can you do any good stuff with the new version, ie saving tracks that you mark, etc etc etc

[Zorgon]

I use Maptoaster on the PC and the "mobile" version on the GPSr. Have never used Memory Map so can't compare them for you. What specifically do you want to know?
You can certainly plot tracks on the PC version. You can click points on the map and Maptoaster will draw straight lines between them or you can drag the mouse to trace over a track on the map for example. You can also create circles of specified diameter. Any of these tracks that you create can be saved in .GPX format.
You can also import tracks and waypoints as you would expect.
If you are still doing any geocaching you can import .GPX files from Geocaching.com and Maptoaster will display the correct cache icons on the map and when the icons are clicked will bring up the cache information and logs and hints - very useful for planning.

[topomap]

A free light-weight alternative is http://www.topomap.co.nz - provides both the official LINZ 1:50,000 and 1:250,000 map series.

Also has comprehensive placename searching for tracking down those hard-to-find streams, mountain tops, huts, etc.

There's also some advanced options available for sharing maps with friends if you're handy at producing kml from Google Earth etc. - here's an example of some kml overlay applied to the topo map showing points on the Heaphy Track:
http://www.topomap.co.nz/NZTopoMap?v=2&kml=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tramper.co.nz%2F%3Fview%3Dobject.kml%26id%3D247 (kml is supplied by http://www.tramper.co.nz).

[kiwitonita]

Thanks Topomap. Do you know if there is a on-line NZ Topo map where you can simply upload waypoints & tracks for viewing and printing? Google Earth will do it of course but is there a on-line topo type map that has this function? Steve, I'll get in touch with screen shots for MapToaster PC map as I have the V5 version now.

[topomap]

Hi kiwitonita,

Sorry, nothing I'm aware of. I'm hoping to add some advanced print functionality to the map in the near future (time permitting), but you can easily overlay kml (from Google Earth etc.) on to the map and take a screenshot to print out at present. Look at the "Share" tab for kml options. Not the most elegant solution I know, but might work for you for now?

Do you tend to save waypoints and tracks as kml? I could easily add a feature to the map that allows you to upload your own. And if you can put the kml elsewhere online e.g. Dropbox - http://db.tt/6aAdmCO then you can use the existing functionality under the "Share" tab.

Let me know if you need help / get stuck - use the Contact option on the http://www.topomap.co.nz and I'll help you out.

[topomap]

You can now display your own GPX files over the http://www.topomap.co.nz now if you've got them online somewhere (e.g. publicly shared on Dropobox - http://db.tt/6aAdmCO). Here's a few examples:

http://www.topomap.co.nz/NZTopoMap?v=2&gpx=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.topomap.co.nz%2Fproxy.ashx%3Fhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.ctc.org.nz%2Fdbgpx.php%3Fid%3D75

http://www.topomap.co.nz/NZTopoMap?v=2&gpx=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.topomap.co.nz%2Fgpx%2Fexample.gpx

Waypoints can also be shown on the tracks.

You'll find options for sharing your GPX files under the "Share" tab of http://www.topomap.co.nz

Hope you find the new functionality useful.