Garmin has updated its MapSource Windows-based mapping software.  MapSource is included with the purchase of a Garmin map on DVD or CD. Features include:

• Back up important trip data separately from your Garmin device.
• Plan routes from the convenience of your computer instead of on your device.
• Create, view, and edit waypoints, routes, and tracks.
• Plan extensive or complicated routes, in which you travel to several locations in an order you specify.
• Transfer waypoints, routes and tracks between your computer and your device.
• Transfer selected map from your computer to your device.
• Find items, addresses and points of interest included in the map data.
• View your maps in detail on your computer screen.

You can even download a MapSource tutorial at http://www8.garmin.com/cartography/mapsourceTutorial.html.

Changes made from version 6.16.1 to 6.16.2:

• Improved handling of invalid gpx files from devices
• Improved handling of missing components, MapSource will now display a message indicating the missing component
• Changed number of most recently used files from 4 to 10
• Fixed some untranslated strings
• Fixed an issue with saving as gpx and dxf in the Dutch localization
• Fixed a routing issue with third party map products
• Fixed several other routing issues
• Fixed an issue where MapSource would not remember the icon size setting correctly
• Fixed an issue with deleting waypoints from a route
• Fixed a map drawing issue
• Fixed display of ampersands on the map
• Fixed an issue with creating waypoints on certain features

It looks like Garmin is on a four-month update schedule of its MapSource Windows-based mapping software.  MapSource is included with the purchase of a Garmin map on DVD or CD. Features include:

• Back up important trip data separately from your Garmin device.
• Plan routes from the convenience of your computer instead of on your device.
• Create, view, and edit waypoints, routes, and tracks.
• Plan extensive or complicated routes, in which you travel to several locations in an order you specify.
• Transfer waypoints, routes and tracks between your computer and your device.
• Transfer selected map from your computer to your device.
• Find items, addresses and points of interest included in the map data.
• View your maps in detail on your computer screen.

You can even download a MapSource tutorial at http://www8.garmin.com/cartography/mapsourceTutorial.html.

Changes made from version 6.15.11 to 6.16.1:

• Added support for 64-bit USB device drivers.
• Added generic label descriptions (less ‘unknown’ features).
• Added support for importing relevant data from TCX files.
• Added very small and very large symbol size selection.
• Added support for editing waypoint address and phone number information.
• Added New Zealand TM grid.
• Added display of the total length of all selected tracks/routes in the status bar.
• Added numeric sorting of routes, tracks and waypoints.
• Added ability to send error reports directly to Garmin after a crash.
• Improved memory issues when running MapSource under Windows 7.
• Improved map projection for many map products.
• Improved speed of ‘finalizing’ step when transferring data to SD cards.
• Changed mouse-wheel functionality to zoom in and out.
• Changed ‘seasonal closures’ avoidance option to ‘date and time closures’. MapSource will now route over roads that have time-of-day and seasonal closures if this avoidance option is not checked.
• Changed route via point symbol to small black dot.
• Fixed various categories and subcategories that affected find operations and the display of POI categories and subcategories.
• Fixed some auto-routing oddities.
• Fixed remembering ‘Find Nearest’ dialog search category.
• Fixed issues with ‘Save As’ file dialog (in some cases, existing files were overwritten without prompting).
• Fixed some issues with the Swedish grid.
• Fixed issue with address search when a city name was supplied.
• Fixed loss of mixed-case characters when transferring routes to some USB devices.
• Fixed an issue with the refreshing of the route avoidances dialog.
• Fixed an issue with finding elevation features.
• Fixed an issue where the comment field would be incorrect after creating a waypoint from a find result.
• Fixed an issue where transferring data from a mass-storage device would fail.

• Back up important trip data separately from your Garmin device.
• Plan routes from the convenience of your computer instead of on your device.
• Create, view, and edit waypoints, routes, and tracks.
• Plan extensive or complicated routes, in which you travel to several locations in an order you specify.
• Transfer waypoints, routes and tracks between your computer and your device.
• Transfer selected map from your computer to your device.
• Find items, addresses and points of interest included in the map data.
• View your maps in detail on your computer screen.

You can even download a MapSource tutorial at http://www8.garmin.com/cartography/mapsourceTutorial.html.

Changes made from version 6.15.7 to 6.15.11:

• Improved performance for custom draw elements.
• Made sure waypoints of type ‘Geotagged Photo’ don’t crash MapSource.
• Allowed the import and export of unlock codes.
• Made sure unlocking changes get propagated without needing to restart the application.
• Phone numbers that were imported from gpx files were not written back out again. This is now fixed.
• Added support for enhanced map security.
• Fixed unlocking issue.
• Implemented Asian 6-level address search.
• Improved trimming performance for some Asian map products.

GPS TrackMaker is an all-in-one mapping solution that is compatible with a wide range of GPS units.

What is new in GPS Trackmaker v. 13.6:

• Address search in Google Maps window
• Small changes in routine of tracklog edition
• Fixed bug in WGS84 button in datum window
• New version of Brazilian Detailed Map
• Vehicle Tracking: Garmin FMI v2 implemented to be used with T3, in real-time
• Vehicle Tracking: Complete Garmin FMI console similar to MS Outlook
• Vehicle Tracking: Support for all type of messages.
• Vehicle Tracking: Support for stop points
• Vehicle Tracking: Support for driver names and status
• Vehicle Tracking: New options to activate GPS/GPRS by events
• Vehicle Tracking: Option to configure T2/T3 to pure data logger mode

GPS TrackMaker Features:

• Creates, edits and deletes Tracklogs, Routes and Waypoints
• Database with more than 280 different datums
• The data can be stored in TXT , GTM and other formats
• Calculates length, instantaneous and average speeds in tracklogs
• Zoom in and Zoom out function
• Moves the whole drawn map, only with the right button of the mouse
• Shows on screen: the Waypoint name, comment or a comment in text box
• Makes possible to change the background color, grad lines and Waypoints
• Total navigation on the map image!
• Makes possible to insert several scanned map images in the background
• True-Grid mode
• Recognizes PCX5, Waypoint+, MapInfo, ArcView, and other formats
• Real Time Navigation function
• Shows and Prints more than 190 different colored icons
• Print in Scale
• NMEA0183 Protocol for Real Time Navigation with others GPS models
• Option of Name, Style and Color for Tracklogs
• Catalog function that registers all the inserted images in GTM files
• Autoload function of automatic loading of map images at Real Time Navigation (RTN)
• Option to choose name, style and color of Tracklogs

• Fixed an issue with the file save dialog when the file extension field is hidden.
• Fixed an issue where MapSource would crash if the route avoidance dialog would be displayed twice.
• Fixed waypoint category filter issue. Now only waypoints of the selected category will be displayed.
• Fixed waypoint prefixes.
• Fixed an issue where MapSource would crash with certain address searches.
• Fixed memory leaks in the waypoint dialog and map rendering.
• Fixed an issue with saving gpx files when the file path contains Asian characters.
• Fixed some hotkey issues.
• Fixed an issue with searching for certain POIs.
• Fixed an issue with how unlock codes were stored that caused incompatibilities with applications like Training Center.
• Support Web Link Extensions in Brazilian Portuguese.
• Changed waypoint image size to follow the user selected symbol size.

MapSource version 6.15.6 can be downloaded here.

This suite of tools, located on a single toolbar, allows environmental, agriculture and other natural resource field workers to make sampling grids, calculate statistics for field data attributes, select which layers should be editable and navigate to specific field locations using ArcPad.

The tools download includes a read_me.txt file containing installation instructions and how each tool can be used. The tools are designed for use in ArcPad 6.0.2 and later. Although they might well be usable in older versions, this testing has not been done.

AddXY (v1.0) is an ArcView extension that should work with ArcView 3.0 and later.  It adds the X and Y values of points (shapefiles or coverages) to their attribute tables.  It adds the X and Y values of polygon centroids (shapefiles or coverages) to their attribute tables.  It will add the X and Y value of a polygon’s labelpoint to its attribute table.  Due to a bug in ArcView, it does not work consistently with node coverages, so this has been removed. The X and Y columns in the attribute table should be created with the same names and precision that the ARC/INFO command “addxy” would create.

It looks pretty bad.  Even the title says it’s a severe error!  You have to remember, this product was developed back in the Windows 95 days. 

There is an easy workaround.  Open Windows Explorer and browse the contents of your ArcView CD-ROM and right-click on setup.exe.  Click on the Compatibility tab, and click the checkbox next to “Run the program in compatibility mode for:” and leave the Windows XP (Service Pack 2) as is.  Now click OK at the bottom of the dialog box to apply the changes and close the box.  Double-click on setup.exe and your installation will begin.

• Roads – Interstates, highways, arterial roads, residential roads, limited unpaved roads
• Railroads
• High resolution water data – lakes, rivers, streams, and washes
• Federal Land Usage – Wilderness area, national parks, and military bases/ranges, native American reservations
• Borders – County and state boundary lines
• Elevation contours – 20ft intervals
• GNIS Points of Interest – summits, mines, falls, dams, cemeteries, towers, populated places, etc.

The map collection (616 MB), with installer, can be downloaded at http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/maps/view/102/.

Dear Soil Data Mart subscriber,

Some or all of the data for soil survey area TX505 has been updated.

Survey Area Symbol: TX505
Survey Area Name: Zapata County, Texas
Publication Status: Tabular and Spatial Data Currently Available

Survey Area Version: 10
Survey Area Version Established: 2/12/2009 1:00:26 PM

Tabular Data Version: 10
Tabular Data Version Established: 2/12/2009 1:00:26 PM
Tabular Data Version Updated?: Yes

Spatial Data Version: 4
Spatial Data Version Established: 8/22/2008 7:39:49 AM
Spatial Data Version Updated?: No

FGDC Metadata Updated?: Yes

Looking at the data in ArcMap, about 75% of the county now has data available.  The data is available in Access 2002 format, easily read as a personal geodatabase.  Keep working on it NRCS!

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