Free Garmin-compatible WMNF map

[jniehof]

I have made a Garmin GPS compatible map of the WMNF, available here. It won't work in MapSource (at least without trickery); the easiest way to install is to switch your GPSr to USB Mass Storage mode and copy the file to it that way. (Or pull the memory stick, if it has one, and use a card reader.) The file must be called gmapsupp.img and yes, if you overwrite an existing file, you will lose the maps in that file. I make no guarantees that this won't toast your GPSr, give you hives, or let the cat play in your down sleeping bag. I also won't provide any support, including helping you get the map on your unit.

I am interested in feedback on the map content/behaviour on the unit. There are already some annoyances I want to fix, but it takes some time to edit/recompile the map and I'd rather batch changes.

• The .mp source files will be made available eventually (when I consider it "mostly done")
• Coverage area is a square that completely encloses the WMNF.
• 200' major, 40' minor contours
• Points of interest are taken from USGS GNIS, including elevations (which is why Washington is 6283'). If there are classes of POI you'd like to see included/excluded, let me know. Also, if you can think of some algorithmic way to determine which POI should be displayed while zoomed further out, I'm all ears. (Maybe just show summits?) Elevations will be added to POI later.
• WMNF/Wilderness boundaries are from the National Map. The Wilderness boundaries are pre-2006 (also need to be made a different colour.) The WMNF boundaries appear to be the proclamation line, NOT actual Federal property. (Crawford Notch SP is apparently within those boundaries!). I may try to make these display as boundary lines, rather than filled/coloured areas.
• In general, tweaking classes of stuff is easier than moving one particular feature to be "correct." I'm more compiling existing data here than doing any true cartography.
• Trails might be added in the future, probably based on TrailRegistry tracks.
• The base map doesn't "show through." Working on that.
• I'll probably make the water appear on a closer zoom in the next version.
• Will probably revise in a month or so...plenty of time for everyone to play.

 

[Stash]

I'm a bit GPS-illiterate. Will something like this work on my cheapie eTrex (not even color) or do you need one of those fancy ones to use it?

 

[jniehof]

You need a mapping unit to display maps Some of the eTrex's are. The map's 9MB, so the base eTrex Legend with 8MB of memory won't cut it.

It works on my 76CSx; I make no claims for anything else.

 

[jniehof]

I've uploaded the latest update of my maps (from July), same URL. This does not yet include the trails data. I was experimenting with 100' major, 20' minor contours on this one, which made the source files too big. So even though the IMG file is one file, it appears as three separate maps: WMNF east, west, north. North is above RT2, east/west is split on Crawford Notch. You will have to enable all three in the map setup screen, or just the ones for the area you're in.

POI should appear/disappear a little more smoothly; I've split them into "everything" and "zoomed out" based on the GNIS list of "important features that should be on all maps scale 200000:1 or larger." The GPSr does think it's smarter than the maps and mucks with the appearance, you may have to tweak the map settings to get POI to appear.

Other stuff: WMNF/wilderness boundaries are lines, not shapes; roads are included; zoom levels tweaked a bit.

I'm interested in the WMNF roads/trails data, and also the water (NHDGeo is great stuff, but makes it hard to distinguish between full streams and intermittent.) It will probably be awhile; there's this thesis I need to write I obviously haven't been using the unit much, and after July I was working on Maine maps in anticipation of a trip that never happened. But feedback is still welcome, particularly on whether the 100'/20' contours are worth it.

Ultimately I need to bite the bullet, register a domain, and put up all the info on this...I've written several small tools to help process the data.