Multiplans GPS - use the best maps into your iPhone or iPod Touch english français

Topographic maps

Here are links to good quality topographic maps that can be viewed online.

Note: For many sites that do not offer a "download map" button, the map can often be downloaded and installed in Multiplans by following the same steps as for a map from OpenStreetMap. Warning: Before doing so, read first the terms of service of the site to make sure you have the right to use the map in question (or at least a certain area of the map) in Multiplans!

Worldwide

The following sites provide maps, with satellite imagery, relief contours and street maps, for the whole world: To install maps from these sites in Multiplans, follow the general method explained here.

Soviet topographic maps:

United States

Maps of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), which cover the whole territory of the United States at scale 1:24 k, are free and can be downloaded from several sites. To install maps from these sites in Multiplans, follow the general method explained here.

See also: Example: Kings canyon National Park (georeferenced USGS map, scale 1:24k, size: 53 Mo)

Canada

To install maps from these sites in Multiplans, follow the general method explained here.

Australia

Sample map: Fraser_Island_sample.zip

New Zealand

Sample map: map Hamilton (BD33) can be georeferenced with this ref.txt file.

Norway

Finland

Italy

Sample map: Bardi region (at scale 1:25k)

Germany

United Kingdom

See page Import a map for an example on importing a topographic map of the Ordnance Survey into Multiplans.
Sample map: England_SouthEast.zip

France

Switzerland

Swiss Map 25 (fee): all swiss maps at a scale 1:25 k on 8 DVD discs.
Allows exportation, but exported map area is limited to size 10 km x 6.25 km (4000x2500 pixels).

Example: Sarnersee.zip (see page Map viewers to generate similar maps).

Luxembourg

Spain

Portugal

Austria

Czech Republic

Poland

Other countries

If you know of web sites (or programs) that contain topographic maps of good quality for a country or region, please send us a link so we can complete this list!
If you imported maps of a country not listed here, please drop us a line about it.

See also

Peter Robins' site contains links to many map viewers.
I thank Toby Hawkes, Jonas Ewe, Christer Tonning and John Thorn for pointing out some links to me.

Green checks marks () indicate that georeferenced maps of that country have already been successfully imported into Multiplans.

Ways to assemble quickly large maps

The following methods allow to create easily large maps that can be imported in Multiplans.
Important remark: when using any of the following methods, be sure to respect the end user licence and copyright of the map.

Many map viewers can be enlarged by the following simple trick:
  1. Enter the link to your map in your favorite map viewer:
  2. Choose the desired size of map viewer (in pixels): (width) x (height)
  3. Click button
The methods below can be used to download a map even when a map viewer does not offer a "Download map" button.

Method 1: Awesome Screenshot

A convenient way to take a screenshot of a map is to use extension Awesome screenshot in browser Google Chrome.
With this extension, one can take a screenshot of the content of a page of arbitrary dimensions (Awesome screenshot scrolls the page and assembles the screenshots automatically).
Awesome screenshot allows to crop the image before saving it. This is useful to remove unwanted white margins, if needed. Awesome screenshot might crash occasionnaly. After a crash, select "Windows->Extensions" in Chrome and re-activate Awesome Screenshot. This extension seems to work best when the window size is small (irrespective of the map viewer size).
Once you have the map image, transfer it into Multiplans to use it in the field!

Method 2: DownThemAll!

The maps displayed in many mapping sites are made up with small tiles that form the map once assembled together. It is relatively easy to download these maps and to import them in Multiplans, as explained below with the example of the OpenStreetMap website (note that this method is general and works with many mapping sites). The method requires to use browser Firefox, in which you need to install the extension DownThemAll.
  1. Open the map in Firefox (eg MapQuest )
  2. Choose "DownThemAll! ..." in the "Tools" menu. In the window, select tab "Pictures and embedded objects"
    In "Renaming mask", choose "*subdirs*\*name*.*Ext*"
  3. Mark in the list the images that will be downloaded.
    For this,
    • Select the entire list (command + A), then right-click and choose "Uncheck the selected options".
    • Select the right items in the list (here addresses beginning with "otileX.mqcdn.com"), then choose "Check the selected options".
  4. Click button "Start!".
    All tiles are then downloaded (see screenshot showing the contents of the created folder "tiles").
  5. Select the folder labeled with the zoom level (here folder "8"), and compress it into a zip archive.
    Rename the zip archive with a name ending in "-tiledES.zip", eg "map-tiledES.zip".
  6. Import this archive in Multiplans.
Note: The letters "ES" in "-tiledES.zip" correspond to the order in which the tiles are arranged in folders, here the order "East then South."
For a swiss map, the order is usually "South then East", and you have to use the extension "-tiledSE.zip".

In the case of a Google map, the tiles are not distributed in several folders, but have names with coordinates "X = ...& Y = ... ". Save these tiles in a zip archive and rename the archive with a name ending in "-tiledXY.zip".

Your map can now be used in Multiplans!

Note that Google maps imported in this way in Multiplans are calibrated automatically and can thus be used straight away. For other maps, you will need to define two calibrations points to have GPS localization enabled on the map.

Method 3: SnapToMap (windows program)

Program SnapToMap automates the assembly of screen captures to create large maps. This program, which is compatible with many map websites, is quite easy to use.
Download: SnapToMap (see also the link given in this discussion (in french) on forum gpspassion)
How to use SnapToMap:
  1. Fill-in box (1) with any name for the map
  2. Fill-in box (2) with the name of the website serving the map (See menu Fichier->Charger STM... for some adresses of websites). Click on button [=>] to open a web browser (Firefox) on that address.
  3. Fill-in box (3) by clicking on button [L] and then on the name of the map window in Firefox.
  4. Click on button [GR] to define (with the mouse) the region of the window that should be captured (4).
  5. Choose the number of screen capture to assemble (for example a grid of 5 x 8 screen captures)
  6. Click on button "Démarrer" (=Start)
For some websites, SnapToMap can also write a calibration file in the OziExplorer .MAP file format (see help of SnapToMap for more explanations).

Other program: MapMaker
Program MapMaker is similar to SnapToMap. It works best in association with Internet Explorer.