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ClpMap A World Map Plotting Program Version 1.0 ClpMap Users Manual March 1993 Copyright (c) 1993 by W. W. Mayfield All Rights Reserved Table of Contents Introduction ........................................1 Hardware requirements ...............................2 Details of the world database .......................3 Getting started .....................................3 File Definitions ....................................5 Main menu selections ................................7 Choose Options dialog ...............................8 Select Map Parameters dialog ........................10 Disclaimer ..........................................12 Definition of Shareware .............................12 Registration ........................................13 ii Introduction Microsoft Windows along with a wide assortment of increasingly capable word processors, spread sheets, drawing and presentation programs currently give the computer user the ability to easily create a professional quality document or presentation from a desktop. Plotting capability is provided so that the users data can be effectively presented and a wide variety of clip art is usually included with these applications so that professional appearing art can be easily incorporated without the requirement that the user be a talented artist. This predrawn clip art is generally adequate to provide borders or icons or other non-specific illustrations. If the subject of the users document requires that a particular country or region of the earth be illustrated, and the desired view is not available as clip art, there is no easy way to generate it. This is the need filled by ClpMap. ClpMap allows the user to easily generate an accurate map of the whole earth or any specific part of the earth from any particular vantage point and with a wide variety of selectable parameters. If a particular country or region is needed as the base art on which to add annotations or other figures for a complete illustration, ClpMap provides the user an easy way to generate it. ClpMap effectively marries the capabilities of the currently available Windows applications with an excellent public domain world database to provide the user the ability to select and customize a particular earth view, then to transport it as clip art to a Windows application. Within ClpMap colors, line widths, view perspective, drawing size, and many other parameters can be manipulated until the desired results are obtained. The results can be viewed and printed until they are determined to be satisfactory. The clip art thus produced can then be saved to a file in case future adjustments are needed, then cut or copied to the Windows clipboard where it can be easily pasted into another Windows application. ClpMap can be used to create a whole earth view using any of three basic projections. An Equirectangular 1 projection is a cylindrical projection capable of displaying the whole earth including the north and south poles. A Mercator Conformal projection is a cylindrical projection which preserves directions and is commonly used by map makers. This projection can display the whole earth except for the north and south poles. A Satellite View can be used to provide a three- dimensional prospective of the earth such as might be seen from a position in space. This projection has the same appearance as a users view of a world globe. Any position and altitude relative to the earth can be selected as a view point, and the direction of the north pole can be rotated allowing the user to locate any desired region at the top. A powerful zoom feature is simply implemented by using the mouse to select a region of interest, then selecting a menu item to zoom in on the region. This zoom feature with its controls is provided to allow the user to interactively customize the view using any of the three basic map projections. Used with any of the three projections, any country or region can be isolated and used as clip art. With the zoom features applied to a satellite view, a region of interest can be illustrated in a unique three- dimensional prospective. ClpMap is menu driven and is designed to be intuitive to operate. On-line help supported by the standard Windows help system is included. System requirements are explained, instructions for installation and getting started are provided, and each of the menu choices are explained in detail in the following sections of this users manual. Hardware requirements ClpMap requires a PC or compatible computer running Microsoft Windows 3.0 or later. It will run on almost any PC with a hard disk and compatible with Windows. In general, however, a fast higher end machine (80386 or better with a math coprocessor and at least 2 Meg RAM) is recommended is order to speed up map generation. With a slower machine, and especially without a math coprocessor, generation of the map data can be very slow, especially for a satellite view at full resolution (note that the Escape key is always active in order to terminate an activity which is taking excessive time). A computer with less than 2 Meg RAM may also be slow because Windows may make excessive use 2 of its hard disk swap file in generating the map. On the other hand, ClpMap runs reasonably fast on my 33 MHz 80386 with a math coprocessor. Details of the world database ClpMap uses an extremely detailed world database called the Micro World Data Bank II (MWDBII). This database was placed in the public domain by Fred Pospeschil and Antonio Riveria and was derived by them from a much larger database created by the CIA and distributed by the US Department of Commerce for a cost of $660. The database distributed with ClpMap is separated into six separate files including data for coast lines, islands, lakes, rivers, country boundaries and state boundaries (USA only). It is identical with that placed in the public domain except that an extraneous curve found in the states data file has been eliminated (the curve appeared to define an air route into Berlin), and several curves in the lakes database were actually islands in the extreme northern regions of Canada and were moved to the islands database file. Also, the two files distributed with MWDBII containing coast line data have been modified into a single file. If you have the original MWDBII data files, they can be modified for use in ClpMap by running the included program instdata.exe. Getting started ClpMap is distributed as shareware either with or without the data files. The ClpMap data files are not necessary if the original Micro World Data Bank II (MWDBII) files are available. The steps for installing ClpMap on your system are as follows: 1. Make the floppy drive containing the ClpMap program distribution disk the current drive and type INSTALL, then follow directions. 2. You will be asked for a target directory for ClpMap and all of the ClpMap program files will be copied into it and decompressed. If you have the ClpMap database files, they will also be copied into this directory. If you are using the original MWDBII data files, copy coast1.pnt, coast2.pnt, 3 country.pnt, state.pnt, island.pnt, lake.pnt and river.pnt into the same directory with the ClpMap program files. 3. Make the ClpMap directory the active directory and execute the program instdata.exe. If the data files distributed with ClpMap are present, they will be decompressed for use. If the original MWDBII files are present instead, they will be modified for use with ClpMap. 4. To install ClpMap into a Windows program group, open windows then open the desired group and select File then New from the Program Manager's main menu. Select Program Item then enter the path name to the file clpmap.exe under Command Line. Once selection is complete and the dialog is closed by selecting OK, an icon resembling a world globe will appear. ClpMap can now be started by double clicking on this icon. ClpMap is designed to be intuitive to operate and includes a help system which should make it straight forward to learn simply through experimentation. The basic steps for including a map view in a presentation or drawing program are as follows: 1. Open ClpMap and open the Choose Options dialog by selecting Options... from the main menu. Use this dialog to select the Map projection desired. Also if a specific drawing size will be set in Step 2 below, select Show Dimensions and choose the desired units (either pixels, inches, or millimeters). 2. Size the drawing window to the desired map size by dragging the edges of the main window using a mouse. If Show Dimensions was selected in step 1, use the window dimensions appearing in the lower right corner as guide. 3. Open the Select Map Parameters dialog by selecting Set Draw... from the main menu and choose desired map components, colors and other options. 4. If a geographic region less that the whole earth is of interest and latitude and longitude boundaries for the desired region are known, set the Map Coordinates values within the Select Map Parameters dialog to define the region of interest. Otherwise, initially display the whole earth and rely on the zoom feature to select the desired region. Note that the Map Coordinates values have no effect if a Satellite View projection has been selected. 4 5. Draw the map using the Draw Map command which appears both in the Select Map Parameters dialog and under Draw in the main menu. 6. Use the Options... and Set Draw... main menu commands to open the respective dialogs and readjust the map parameters until satisfied. If a smaller region is desired, drag the mouse to select the region of interest, select Draw from the main menu and select Zoom In to draw the zoomed map. Then use the Zoom In, Zoom Back, Zoom Out, or Redraw commands as needed until the desired results are obtained. Note that Redraw should be used instead of Draw Map in order to retain the zoomed view but to activate other changes such as line colors, window size, etc. The Draw Map command will activate parameter changes and cancel the zoomed view reestablishing the map at full size. 7. If desired, save the drawing by selecting File from the main menu then selecting Save As.... By saving the drawing, it can be easily recalled for future modifications in case the final printed results need to be modified. 8. Transfer the drawing to the clipboard by selecting Edit from the main menu and then selecting either Cut or Copy. 9. Close ClpMap. The map is now available on the clipboard to be pasted into a drawing or presentation program. The Print command under File in the main menu can be used to preview the printed form of the final map prior to transferring it to another program. This Print command is provided as a convenient way to preview the printed results since different printers and printer drivers will interpret colors differently so that printed results may differ significantly from those seen on the screen. Note, however, that some commercial applications will translate the colors as well, and the final result still may not be as expected. It is therefore recommended that the final map be saved so that if the final results as printed by the target application are not as expected, the map can be reopened and colors or other options easily changed. The Escape key is active during drawing and can be used whenever needed to terminate a drawing that is not wanted and is taking too long to create. File Definitions ClpMap is distributed with the following files: 5 Program Files: readme Contains direction for getting started and last minute changes to the documentation. register.doc Contains registration form. Print out this file and follow directions to become a registered user of ClpMap (not included in the registered version). clpprog.$$$ The compressed program files and documentation. install.exe The installation program for ClpMap. Database Files: clpdata1.$$$ Compressed ClpMap database file 1. clpdata2.$$$ Compressed ClpMap database file 2. Once the ClpMap files have been installed and decompressed, the following files should exist in the ClpMap directory on your hard disk. Program Files: clpmap.exe Windows executable program file. clpmap.hlp Program help file. register.hlp Help file for shareware registration (not included in the registered version). clpmap.doc On disk version of the program documentation. readme Contains directions for getting started and last minute changes to the documentation. register.doc Contains registration form. Print out this file and follow directions to become a registered user of ClpMap (not included in the registered version). 6 instdata.exe DOS utility to install database. This utility will convert the original MWDBII database files for use with ClpMap. Database Files: coast.pnt Contains data representing coast lines. country.pnt Contains country boundaries. state.pnt Contains state boundaries. island.pnt Islands data. lake.pnt Lakes data. river.pnt Rivers data. Main menu selections The purpose of each main menu selection is as follows: File: Use this menu item to read data from an existing file, to save data to a new file, to configure the printer or to print a sample of the current map. Save As... saves both the picture as a meta file and the map parameters including the window size in a ClpMap specific file format. Open... can then be used to recreate the previous picture, map parameters and window allowing parameters to be easily modified. New can be used to clear the display in order to begin a new map. Print Setup... can be used to change printer parameters and Print can be used to see how the map looks on the target printer prior to transferring it to another application. Note that colors will translate differently depending on the target printer. It is therefore recommended that the print function be used to find which colors give the best printed results on the users system. Edit: Provides the standard Windows editing commands. Cut, Copy and Paste will transfer data to or from the Windows clipboard. Clear All clears the display. Undo is provided in order to recover from an unintended execution of a command which erases a wanted map. Options...: 7 Opens the Choose Options dialog box which allows the user to select a map projection and to choose to display a map scale at the bottom right corner of the main window. The dialog parameters are explained in detail in the next section. Set Draw...: Opens the Select Map Parameters dialog box allowing the user to select map components, colors, line widths, etc. These parameters are explained in detail later in this manual. Draw: Includes commands to draw the map defined in the Choose Options and Select Map Parameters dialogs. The map can be drawn as defined in these dialogs (select Draw Map) or zoomed to include a smaller or larger geographic region. To zoom in and focus on a smaller region, drag the mouse to enclose the region of interest in a selection rectangle, then select Zoom In. To return to the previous view, select Zoom Back. To expand the field of view to approximately twice the current size, select Zoom Out. To redraw the same selected region after changing other parameters or resizing the window, select Redraw. Help: A significant portion of this documentation is available on-line through the help system. A standard Windows help system is provided. If the user is unfamiliar with using the Windows help system, Using Help is included which accesses the Windows supplied instructions for using help. Choose Options dialog The Choose Options dialog is opened by selecting Options... from the main menu. This dialog allows the user to select a map projection and to choose to display a map scale at the bottom right corner of the main window. A map projection is the means by which a three- dimensional globe is represented on a two-dimensional sheet of paper. This representation cannot be made without distortions of some kind. A cylindrical projection is one where the surface of the earth is projected onto an imaginary cylinder of paper resulting in a rectangular latitude and longitude grid. A cylindrical projection can be used to represent most or all of the earth, however, the size of areas near the polar regions are always greatly 8 distorted in size appearing much larger that equivalently sized regions nearer the equator. Equirectangular: The Equirectangular option produces a cylindrical map projection with latitude and longitude scaled linearly. This is a convenient scale to allow the plot to include the entire earth including the north and south poles. As with all cylindrical projections of the earth onto a flat plane, sizes are distorted being presented as unusually large near the poles. With linear latitude and longitude scales, shapes and angles are also distorted. Mercator Conformal: A Mercator Conformal projection is a cylindrical projection commonly used by map makers. This projection is especially useful to navigators because angles are preserved so that a line of constant direction appears on the Mercator projection as a straight line. Shapes are also preserved in that small regions appear in approximately the correct shape. Sizes, however, are greatly distorted near the poles, and the projection cannot be extended to latitudes near + or - 90 degrees. Within ClpMap, latitude is limited to + or - 85 degrees for this option in order to avoid computational problems. Satellite View: A Satellite View actually computes and plots the earth as seen by a satellite at any user selected Latitude, Longitude, Altitude and Rotation angle of the satellite relative to north. When we view a globe what we see is equivalent to a satellite view. This projection can therefore be used to produce a plot that looks like a three- dimensional globe. When ClpMap is initially run, its default altitude is 19323 nautical miles which is the altitude above the earth of a synchronous satellite. The plot obtained at that altitude is the view a synchronous satellite (such as the satellites commonly used to carry telephone and television signals around the world) has of the earth. The same view, however, would be experienced by an observer of an 18 inch world globe from a distance of about 50 inches, just over 4 feet. The zoom feature is fully active for all projections including the Satellite View. By adjusting the satellite position and then using the zoom feature, an interesting three-dimensional landscape of a region of interest can result. In order to bring the desired portion of the map to the top position, the rotation parameter can be used. Experimenting with these parameters may be necessary in order to obtain the best result. 9 Show Dimensions: Turn on Show Dimensions and then select the desired units (pixels, inches or millimeters) is order to show the size of the drawing window in its lower right corner. This dimension will be handy if a known size of map is to be created for transfer to a drawing or presentation program. The dimensions can also be used to assure that the window is square in order to create a properly proportioned satellite view. Using the dimensions, the size of the map is controlled by sizing the window to the desired size by dragging its boundaries with the mouse. The resulting map will exactly fill the window. Select Map Parameters dialog Use Set Draw... in the main menu to open the Select Map Parameters dialog box. This dialog may be used to select map components, colors, line widths, latitude and longitude grid spacing, map resolution and map boundaries to be plotted. Each of the dialog selections are defined as follows: Select Maps: The database is divided into six files (coast.pnt, island.pnt, lake.pnt, river.pnt, country.pnt and state.pnt). Each of these database files includes the data points for coast lines, islands, etc. Each of these databases can be included or excluded by selecting or deselecting the checkbox. Select Colors: Each of these database files can be plotted in a color selected by the user. The Select Colors controls open a Select Color dialog box from which any of the standard Windows colors may be selected. The most basic Windows functions support a set of 20 colors. These are easily selected within the color dialog box. Note that although these 20 colors are standard within Windows, some monitors may not support all colors, so that on some systems, some of the colors may appear redundant. Some experimentation with colors may also be necessary depending on the drawing or presentation application intended to use the map, and on the printer installed on the system in order to get the desired result. Some colors will look good on the screen, but will not produce the desired printed result. It is recommended that after a set of colors are selected that produce the desired results on the 10 users system, the parameters be saved as default by selecting the Set Default button described below. Select Widths: Line widths in pixels can be selected for each map component in order to produce a desired effect. Note that selection of a width other that one significantly slows down the plotting speed on many systems. Grid: A latitude and longitude grid can also be selected if desired. This causes a dashed line to be drawn at latitude and longitude intervals selected by the Grid, deg control. Colors and line widths can also be selected for the grid lines. Note that if a line width other than one is selected, the grid lines revert to solid as opposed to dashed. Border: A border can be included surrounding the map. This option also includes lines at zero degrees latitude and longitude. If a satellite view has been selected, the border surrounds the earth's circumference, and also highlights the equator and prime meridian (zero degree latitude and longitude lines). Colors and line widths can also be selected for the border. Grid, deg: If a latitude and longitude grid has been selected, the Grid, deg option allows selection of the spacing. Note that the original default spacing is 15 degrees. This is commonly used on a whole earth map because 15 degrees longitude corresponds nominally to the one hour time zones over the earth. Coordinates: This option is used for the two cylindrical projections and is ignored if a satellite view is selected. If a selected region of the earth with known latitude and longitude boundaries is to be plotted, set the coordinates to these boundaries. If the boundaries are not known, it is probably easier to find the known region by using the zoom feature as described separately in this document. Map Res: The Micro World Data Bank II database used by ClpMap is coded so that resolutions between 1 and 5 can be selected. Resolution 1 is the highest, including all of the data points in the file and producing an extremely detailed map. Resolutions above 1 skip points to produce a less detailed 11 map, but one with faster plotting times and smaller memory requirements. If a large area or whole earth map is to be plotted, smaller memory requirements and faster graphics may result without noticeable degradation for resolutions of 3 or greater. If a highly zoomed area is to be plotted, noticeable improvement in quality may result by using resolution 1. Set Default: Pressing this button causes all of the currently set parameters to be stored in a file named clpmap.ini in the users Windows directory. These parameters then become the default parameters whenever ClpMap is started. If it is desired at any time to revert back to the factory installed default parameters, simply delete the clpmap.ini file from the Windows directory. It will be rewritten by ClpMap with the factory default parameters. Disclaimer Users of ClpMap must accept this disclaimer of warranty: "ClpMap is supplied as is. The author disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, including, without limitation, the warranties of merchantability and of fitness for any purpose. The author assumes no liability for damages, direct or consequential, which may result from the use of ClpMap." Definition of Shareware Shareware distribution gives users a chance to try software before buying it. If you try a Shareware program and continue using it, you are expected to register. Individual programs differ on details -- some request registration while others require it, some specify a maximum trial period. With registration, you get anything from the simple right to continue using the software to an updated program with printed manual. Copyright laws apply to both Shareware and commercial software, and the copyright holder retains all rights, with a few specific exceptions as stated below. Shareware authors are accomplished programmers, just like commercial authors, and the programs are of comparable quality. (In both cases, there are good programs and bad ones!) The main difference is in the method of distribution. The author specifically grants the right to copy and distribute the software, either 12 to all and sundry or to a specific group. For example, some authors require written permission before a commercial disk vendor may copy their Shareware. Shareware is a distribution method, not a type of software. You should find software that suits your needs and pocketbook, whether it's commercial or Shareware. The Shareware system makes fitting your needs easier, because you can try before you buy. And because the overhead is low, prices are low also. Shareware has the ultimate money-back guarantee -- if you don't use the product, you don't pay for it. Registration ClpMap is distributed both as a shareware program and as a registered version. These two forms differ only in that the shareware messages have been deleted from the registered version. They are identical in all other ways. As a "shareware program," ClpMap is provided at no charge to the user for evaluation. Feel free to share the shareware version with your friends, but please do not give it away altered or as part of another system. The essence of "user-supported" software is to provide personal computer users with quality software without high prices, and yet to provide incentive for programmers to continue to develop new products. If you find this program useful and find that you are using ClpMap and continue to use ClpMap after a reasonable trial period, you must make a registration payment of $25.00 to W. W. Mayfield. The $25.00 registration fee will license one copy for use on any one computer at any one time. You must treat this software just like a book. An example is that this software may be used by any number of people and may be freely moved from one computer location to another, so long as there is no possibility of it being used at one location while it's being used at another. Just as a book cannot be read by two different persons at the same time. Commercial users of ClpMap must register and pay for their copies of ClpMap within 30 days of first use or their license is withdrawn. Site-License arrangements may be made by contacting W. W. Mayfield. Anyone distributing ClpMap for any kind of remuneration must first contact W. W. Mayfield at the address below for authorization. This authorization will be automatically granted to distributors recognized by the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP) as adhering to its guidelines 13 for shareware distributors, and such distributors may begin offering ClpMap immediately (However W. W. Mayfield must still be advised so that the distributor can be kept up-to- date with the latest version of ClpMap). You are encouraged to pass a copy of the shareware version of ClpMap along to your friends for evaluation. Please encourage them to register their copy if they find that they can use it. To become a registered ClpMap owner complete and mail the registration form along with a $25 registration fee to the address below. As a registered owner, you will receive the latest version on disk, a printed copy of the documentation, notification of upgrades, and free technical support for one year. Technical support can always be obtained by mail at the below address or by Compuserve mail. Technical support can usually be obtained by telephone at the below telephone number when I am available. I am available most evenings between 6 PM and 9 PM Pacific time. W. W. Mayfield 23219 Audrey Ave. Torrance, CA 90505 Telephone: (310) 375-2249 (between 6 PM and 9 PM Pacific time) Compuserve User ID: 72010,3566 The registration form can be obtained by printing the file REGISTER.DOC which is on the ClpMap distribution disk. In order to print this file from within DOS, go to the directory containing ClpMap and type PRINT REGISTER.DOC followed by the Enter key. It can also be printed from within ClpMap. To print the registration form open ClpMap and select Help from the main menu, then select Register and follow directions. 14