GPS for Dummies.pdf - Engineering Surveyor

308Part IV: Using Web-hosted Mapping ServicesMyMaps stores information about the map you’ve created as a Web browsercookie. Whenever you visit the MapServer Web site, it checks for map cookiesand then displays the titles of any maps you’ve created in the MYMAPS dropdownlist. Cookies apply only to the computer you used to create the maps; ifyou access MapServer from another computer, your MyMaps won’t appear.Maptech offers free registration on its Web site so you can log in to MapServerfrom any computer and have your MyMaps available.Using GPS VisualizerGPS Visualizer is a slick, easy-to-use Web-based mapping program, written byAdam Schneider, that allows you to upload GPS waypoints and track files to aWeb site and then overlay them on topographic and other types maps.GPS Visualizer relies on online sources that provide free topographic maps,aerial photos, satellite images, and street maps. Unlike many other sites thatare limited to making maps of the United States, GPS Visualizer can createmaps of Canada, Europe, and other places in the world.GPS Visualizer has a number of powerful options for creating customizedmaps. In this section, I describe how to make a map using some of the Website’s basic features. After you master the general procedure, you can experimenton your own with some of the other advanced options.If you’d like to follow my examples, point your Web browser to www.gpsvisualizer.com. GPS Visualizer is free, but if you find it useful, theauthor requests a small PayPal donation as a way of saying thanks.Before you can use GPS Visualizer to display maps, you need to install thefree Adobe SVG Viewer plug-in to work with your Web browser. If you don’talready have the plug-in, you can download the viewer at www.adobe.com/svg/viewer/install.Downloading sample GPS Visualizer dataTo demonstrate how GPS Visualizer works, I use sample GPS data availablefrom the GPS Visualizer Web site — in this case, a GPS record of a drive downthe California coast through the scenic artichoke fields. To download the data,follow these steps:1. Click the Draw a map link on the GPS Visualizer home page.2. Right-click and choose Save As (or Save Target As, depending on yourWeb browser). Click the GPX file from California link to save thesample_calif.gpx file to your hard drive.