We've received quite a lot of interest as you can imagine about the upcoming release of
EOTopo 2018 maps and a number of points are coming up that I thought I'd clarify for those that are a little unclear, or would like to know.
MAP QUALITY & FORMAT
There are two core factors when reviewing a map for "quality".
The first is the scale. Scale refers to the size of detail offered in the map. For a scale where 1cm on the map equals 200,000 cm (= 2km) on the ground you have a 1:200,000 scale map, also referred to as 200K. So when we refer to the
EOTopo raster map being 200K and 144K, the latter is more detailed because 1cm on the map represents 14.4km instead of 2km.
144K scale
EOTopo maps have been offered since 2016, both online (
EOTopo Online) and in the Premium
ExplorOz Traveller app (offline Premium). But this will be the first time that we have released a RASTER product at the more detailed 144K scale. We will produce
EOTopo 2018 Raster in OZF4 and ECW formats for download only.
The second issue is resolution. In computer graphics a raster image is a dot matrix of pixels of various colours, which together form an image. For us to produce maps out of our database for distribution we firstly have to extract raster images from our databases in GeoTIFF format. The format of an image has a direct bearing on its overall quality but there are only a few formats that can be used for raster map images that retain the geocoding information and the different mapping software programs in use today each have their own file format protocols. This is why we only offer the ECW and OZF4 formats. Please note that these versions of
EOTopo maps are high quality resolution at 200dpi built using the full 256 colour palette.
EOTOPO MAP PRODUCTION
We can actually produce
EOTopo 2018 data at Level 20 (1.1K scale maps) but have deliberately chosen 200K and 144K as the best scale for their application in the ExplorOz community as whole of Australia raster maps.
Because the source data is so detailed we actually have more data to put on the map files than can realistically fit on the 144K and 200K outputs without looking very cluttered. ie. not every track can be labelled with its name, not all features can be shown. So zoomed into an area at 18K on the online map you will see more detail and features than what can be shown in the 200K raster extraction and 144K will give more/different details than the 200K.
To make the determination of what detail "drops off" and what remains is a very complex set of system parameters/rules that are applied to each attribute in the database. The rule is fixed for that attribute/feature across the whole of Australia map, and sometimes how one particular attribute is handled affects other attribute features. Further more the look/feel of an attribute/feature has to be exactly the same across the entire map - whether that is in the city or the outback. As you can imagine, this results in certain compromises but as an Australia company with extensive first-hand knowledge of just about everywhere in Australia we can make good judgements about these parameters and believe we produce a high quality map with the best fit for the application of the map in the ExplorOz user base. ie. we give priority to some attributes over others.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
EOTOPO MAPS
The first thing to really understand is that features on raster maps do not alter size/or become more detailed when you zoom in (they just become blurry), whereas the online map system and the map system in our app
ExplorOz Traveller uses tiled raster zoom, where each zoom level is a specific raster sheet created at a specific scale so when zooming in you move between different scales so you will get more detail as you zoom in closer.
The 2nd thing to understand is that on the RASTER maps we cannot clutter up the map with all the feature types that we have in
Places system but have chosen to display campsites, caravan parks, and other accommodation (symbols and labels) plus we show the
Point of Interest place type (also shown with a symbol - camera). However, when viewing the
EOTopo maps in the
ExplorOz Traveller app,
Places is a separate data layer so you can turn on/off all 8 categories of
Places or filter just the ones you want to see - there are 90,000
Places in our database. This database is managed live on our server and app users have free access to refresh the
Places data via the app anytime.
So there are really 3 methods to view/use
EOTopo maps and they are different.
1.
EOTopo raster map sets - offline
2. The Premium
ExplorOz Traveller mapset - offline
3.
EOTopo online
*There are also two additional methods of using the
EOTopo online maps - you can go to
Places on the website and press Map. This shows the map in a similar way to how you see it in the app, with
all Places overlayed. You will see coloured numbered dots to indicate there is a cluster of
Places - click to enlarge and separate the Place clusters. The number refers to how many
Places. The other way to see the
EOTopo map is in
Treks (Trek Notes).
HOW TO GET YOUR
EOTOPO 2018 UPGRADE
These are not yet available so you have to wait until February and we will let you know via newsletter,
forum, and facebook.
But there is one thing you can do - if you already own
EOTopo 200K and purchased this from ExplorOz (not Memory-Map) are planning to get the
EOTopo 2018 Raster update (for use in OziExplorer, Hema Navigator, Track
Ranger) then you must
check that you can login to ExplorOz because you will not be able to access the upgrade pricing if you cannot log in to the ExplorOz website and access your account profile where you past
shop orders and invoice history is stored. The system must be able to validate your past purchase of EOTopo200K through your registered ExplorOz account profile. If you have any troubles I am here to help. Call or use Live Chat to reach me.
PRICE
Existing owners of EOTopo200K raster mapsets will have a choice to upgrade to either the 200K product or the 144K product at either $20 or $40 respectively.
Both the 200K product and the 144K product will be avail for sale to new users - the 200K will be called Standard, and the 144K will be called Premium. Price will be $79.95 and $99.95 respectively, unless you are an ExplorOz Member in which case you get a 5% discount.
** PLEASE SHARE WITH EVERYONE WHO YOU THINK IS INTERESTED IN NEW MAPS **
Please feel welcome to contact me for advice, or help or clarification. Live Chat is great, or email, or call me. Please note I do work part-time but I will respond promptly.