Bushwalk Australia

I've been playing around with printed maps for most of my recent walks thanks to others who have very helpfully posted details regarding LISTMap data, MOBAC software etc. I feel like this will be the future, printing a map only as big or small as you need it, with the scale that suits you, and the ability to overlay tracks where they aren't marked on the map, add notes, etc. The biggest hindrance so far is the quality of the finished map.



This picture shows 3 maps, top left is a 1:50k, Bottom center is a 1:25k, right is a printed map (at officeworks, less than $1 for A3) that comes in at roughly 1:34.5k scale. The printing quality is perfectly acceptable, but my issue is getting the colour right. My best effort so far is adjusting the contrast and saturation to make a more vivid image that prints well.

I've tried tyvek printing as well as covering maps with contact, both work very well. This has been very helpful as I can leave my more expensive map deep in my pack and only use my phone or 'disposable' map to navigate in bad weather.

Is there a way to enhance only the dark lines to make the text and tracks more readable ?
Is there a reference for TASMap zoom levels compared to equivalent map scale levels of detail (eg level 14 might have the equivalent amount of detail as 1:25) ?
Is it more important to print at a recognised scale (are people more comfortable using a map of scale they recognise, to make it easier to estimate distances) ?

You want to review the colour calibration of your computer/monitor and any output device used. Ideally, all should be in sync and then you'll get WYSIWYG.

GPSGuided wrote:You want to review the colour calibration of your computer/monitor and any output device used. Ideally, all should be in sync and then you'll get WYSIWYG.

It would be nice to get my monitor calibrated but the main issue is editing the image so the lines are more distinct, which I'm not sure how to do.

That usually calls for photoshop or similar image editing programs. Then it's a case of playing with contrast and various colour settings.

Sounds like its time to learn QGIS and use open data to overlay the tracks etc onto the LIST map tiles. Then you can create maps at any scale you like, turn them into PDF and then print them at multiple scales

http://www.qgis.org/en/site/

http://listdata.thelist.tas.gov.au/opendata/

If you are in the south of the state then I can even help you out (for just the cost of a Wildcare membership)

http://wildcaretas.org.au/branches/friends-of-gis/

tastrax wrote:Sounds like its time to learn QGIS and use open data to overlay the tracks etc onto the LIST map tiles. Then you can create maps at any scale you like, turn them into PDF and then print them at multiple scales

http://www.qgis.org/en/site/

http://listdata.thelist.tas.gov.au/opendata/

The last thing I needed was more ways to generate maps ! I'll probably lose another week just playing with this.

I'm not in the south unfortunately, but wildcare looks like something to be involved with even outside the mapping lessons.

No worries - there is also a document from the LIST folks on how to add their services to QGIS (and other software including Orux maps on Adroid)

http://listdata.thelist.tas.gov.au/publ ... _Guide.pdf

I love qgis. I taught myself how to use it last week. So much fun.

I'd highly recommend it if you want the most control over how they look.

Apparently you can print maps on Tyvek now as well, though I'm not sure if you need a special printer.

damoprz wrote:Apparently you can print maps on Tyvek now as well, though I'm not sure if you need a special printer.

The OP states they've had success with it and I've read others have too. I haven't had a need to as yet, however I don't think you need a special printer really. From what I gather a standard ink jet printer ought to do okay with Tyvek. I recollect reading the issue with printing on Tyvek is down to the material itself being heat sensitive, and thus it wouldn't have a good time with something like a Xerox machine.
Further info here: http://www.dupont.com.au/products-and-s ... tyvek.html

Additionally, just read that Office Works are able to print on Tyvek >
http://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/offi ... ty-Posters

Tyvek printing from officeworks works very well, quality is quite good and it's waterproof.

When you fold it though, the material bunches up a little in the fold and you lose a bit of detail, as the 'paper' is quite thick compared to normal paper.

CasualNerd wrote:Tyvek printing from officeworks works very well, quality is quite good and it's waterproof.

When you fold it though, the material bunches up a little in the fold and you lose a bit of detail, as the 'paper' is quite thick compared to normal paper.

Thanks for the info. If and when I end up printing some maps on Tyvek I'll be sure to roll 'em instead of fold 'em!

You can also use waterproof paper, for either inkjet or laser, it's not really paper. I print both sides and you can get it in A4 or A3 from amazon, depends on your printer. I use Rite in the Rain brand, and some of my maps have been through the wash 3 times and are still usable, but faded slightly.

jakeyarwood wrote:

CasualNerd wrote:Tyvek printing from officeworks works very well, quality is quite good and it's waterproof.

When you fold it though, the material bunches up a little in the fold and you lose a bit of detail, as the 'paper' is quite thick compared to normal paper.

Thanks for the info. If and when I end up printing some maps on Tyvek I'll be sure to roll 'em instead of fold 'em!

What about cutting the map at the points to fold and using a tape of some kind that has the stretch needed to hinge without compromising the map data?
I'm not familiar with Tyvek other than the coveralls we use at work. Have used Rite in the Rain paper and a polymer "paper" from Fuji Xerox called Never Tear, which seems thicker (at least the one I've used) than whatever Tasmaps use for the waterproof parks maps like the OL track etc

LIST Map's Topographic basemap is designed for screen and not paper, as far as I can tell. It is OK for printing, but I find that there is a lack of contrast and it's difficult to see the details sometimes, as it looks a bit washed out or feint.

It's a shame they don't offer a more print-friendly basemap for this. Must remember to make this a feature request.

As others said, you could use a GIS (eg QGIS) and all their data to construct your own maps, but this is actually quite a lot of work to get right, even if you are experienced with a GIS. It's definitely something I want to do one of these days, but haven't got around to it yet.

Son of a Beach wrote:LIST Map's Topographic basemap is designed for screen and not paper, as far as I can tell. It is OK for printing, but I find that there is a lack of contrast and it's difficult to see the details sometimes, as it looks a bit washed out or feint.

faint

Wouldn't it be easier to print from the Scanned Maps basemap? Should be a similar result to purchased maps if you can get the scale right.

Yes... should be good for most purposes. It might be fiddly to get a decent resolution (haven't tried), and some of them are quite out of date, but may be a better option for many cases.

I scan maps at 300dpi (600dpi is impressive but big files sizes), run them through GIMP to address any contrast issues, then Geo-reference them in QGIS (adding other data if necessary), save as TIFF of PDF and use them in Advenza on my phone, on my GPS or print them, works fine.

I've written something for NSW maps to do the collation of tiles from a map server into a printable image. It's a work in progress, but allows you to select an A3 or A4 section of map, and have the tool download that section for you in hi-res PNG. Takes a while to run (in the background - so just be patient). Only tested on Google Chrome. Could easily be adapted for Tasmania.
http://maps.ozultimate.com/archive/08_print/

I find that the images need tweaking - I use Photoshop Elements to reduce the midtone contrast (which perversely increases the contrast of the contours), and a couple of other tweaks.

The eventual idea is to have something in a web browser that anyone can use. I've used QGIS a bit, but it's not something that a casual user is going to be able to utilise.

tom_brennan wrote:I've written something for NSW maps to do the collation of tiles from a map server into a printable image. It's a work in progress, but allows you to select an A3 or A4 section of map, and have the tool download that section for you in hi-res PNG. Takes a while to run (in the background - so just be patient). Only tested on Google Chrome. Could easily be adapted for Tasmania.

Please go ahead and adapt it for Tasmania ! It's a very neat tool, thanks for sharing. I did see on facebook TheLIST online map data has just been updated too.

CasualNerd wrote:Please go ahead and adapt it for Tasmania ! It's a very neat tool, thanks for sharing. I did see on facebook TheLIST online map data has just been updated too.

Was thinking more that someone else can take my code and adapt it! Wouldn't be hard to do.

That said, theLIST looks like quite a good tool - better than NSW's SIXMaps from what I can tell.

I've just tried using QGIS, this is about the 5th bit of software I've tried. It's not easy to understand at first but I've got Topo ListMap loaded and I can add kmkl / gps files all good.

Took me a while to find GDA94 / MGA55 which I assume is right because it's the same as the online listmap. However there's still some distortion, and it's currently on EPSG 28355, is that correct ?

Is there any resource for LISTMap specific tutorials using QGIS ? I have a ton of small questions !

EPSG 28355 is correct for zone 55.

I've found that you can change the datum from WGS84 to GDA94 but wierd things happen if you change it directly to GDA94/MGA55 from WGS84. Once the map data is set up on GDA94 you can select the UTM datum/zone without any problems.

I might be doing it wrong but this works and a lot of tested coordinates come out correct.

neilmny wrote:EPSG 28355 is correct for zone 55.

I've found that you can change the datum from WGS84 to GDA94 but wierd things happen if you change it directly to GDA94/MGA55 from WGS84. Once the map data is set up on GDA94 you can select the UTM datum/zone without any problems.

I might be doing it wrong but this works and a lot of tested coordinates come out correct.

Thanks, I think it's correct now, it just doesn't look quite as smooth as the browser based LISTMap. I'm sure there's something else I'm overlooking.

If you are using the LIST topo maps then this page will show you what scales are at each level. If you use them they will be a bit crisper but still generally too faint for use in the field. You will also notice they are only 96DPI for computer screens so also printing at that level gives the crispiest image

http://services.thelist.tas.gov.au/arcg ... /MapServer

Ask away for any other QGIS questions - I am happy to make up cheat sheets for particular aspects (especially on Tasmanian Layers). Another good thing to learn is style sheets and rule based styling . That makes it much easier if you are doing things on more than one occasion.

You can also add those scales into the system under settings, Options, Map tools - that way they are there when you need them. There are also a couple of plugins that sometimes make this easier but I find they often force you to use ONLY their scales which is a pain, especially when zooiming right in..