Notes from the XMap Desk

If you think you missed July's release of the DeLorme Professional Newsletter, fear not, you are currently reading a combined July-August Summer edition. Come September, we'll get back to our once-a-month schedule.

In this edition, we take a closer look at the wireless Earthmate PN-60w GPS receiver and its sidekick, the SPOT Satellite Communicator, which combine to offer jobsite GPS, text messaging, and tracking services. According to PC World, "DeLorme & SPOT take GPS and texting where phones can't."

Since DeLorme's incorporation in 1976, map data has been singularly developed as an integral component of the company's atlases and software products but not as a product in and of itself; that is until now. The emerging map data sales group shares an account of a company that chose DeLorme data for its mapping operations.

During the development of XMap 7, DeLorme software engineers quietly added the option to generate a KML from a GIS layer. In response to an often asked question, we look at what this means for XMap users and how you can now use readily available online mapping services to share your XMap-generated data.

As usual, a copy of XMap 7 Professional is up for grabs in our Where on Eartha challenge, we invite you to stop in and see us at some up-and-coming events, and we share the latest work of cartographic art in the XMap Spotlight.

Comments or suggestions? We encourage our readers to stay in touch. Email  Email Contact and let us know what you think.

XMap at Work–Jeppesen Selects DeLorme World Base Map

A subsidiary of Boeing Commerical Aviation Services, Jeppensen offers its customers in the fields of air, sea, and ground transportation a wide variety of navigational solutions. Looking for an accurate and consistent base map to incorporate into its products, Jeppesen turned to DeLorme, whose World Base Map dataset offers unparalelled global coverage and the cartographic detail you'd expect from the company that has been creating superior maps for over 30 years.

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Where on Eartha

The adjacent thumbnail image shows our trusty pushpin firmly implanted in a satellite image showing another world capital. Click the image to see a larger version and to be this month's winner of a copy of XMap 7 Professional, the latest topographic base map, and a USB GPS receiver. All you have to do is tell us the name of the city and the country. 

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XMap Q & A—I noticed that XMap GIS Editor offers the option to export GIS layers in KML format. Can you explain what this is?

KML or Keyhole Markup Language is a spatial file format that allows data to be represented in Google Earth™ or Google Maps™. On this platform, XMap- or PN-Series-generated data layers can be quickly shared in a universally accessible format.

Anyone using the Editor or Enterprise version of XMap 7 will find that KML is listed in the file type list when exporting a GIS layer. 

This article walks through processing data in XMap, exporting the GIS layers in KML format, and displaying them in Google Maps.

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NOW AVAILABLE
DigitalGlobe® Satellite Imagery for PN-Series GPS Receivers

Worldwide high-resolution imagery in the palm of your hand

Satellite imagery provider DigitalGlobe has teamed up with DeLorme to offer high-resolution satellite imagery for PN-Series GPS receivers. Utilizing the NetLink Map Library service in XMap and other compatible DeLorme software titles, subscribers can select and download as much imagery as needed for an annual fee of $29.95.

For visual reference and project planning purposes, a watermarked version of the downloaded imagery will also be displayed in XMap.

DigitalGlobe Imagery Subscription

Introducing the PN60w with SPOT Satellite Communicator

The much-anticipated release of the Earthmate PN-60w and the accompanying SPOT Satellite Communicator is finally here. Widely regarded as one of the most exciting GPS innovations in years, the handheld PN-60w now offers a global text messaging service. Sign up for a SPOT subscription and you will be able to keep in touch from virtually anywhere on earth through prewritten or freeform text messages. With the appropriate subscription level, your colleagues can even monitor your current location and track you as you move.

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DeLorme Support and Training Policy

During the design and development of XMap, a significant amount of time is spent working on the usability of the software with the intention of ensuring that users of all levels can utilize the features and functions efficiently and effectively. In a perfect world, there would be no reason for any XMap user to seek out assistance for either technical issues or how-to steps. Alas, we don't live in a perfect world and at DeLorme, we understand that there will be occasions when help is needed. 

The following document outlines the self-help and direct contact support options offered to XMap users.

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Contact Us

Email:
Email Contact

Phone:
1-800-293-2389

Mailing Address:
DeLorme Professional Sales
2 DeLorme Drive
Yarmouth, ME 04096

If you are traveling to Maine, stop in and see Eartha , the world’s largest rotating globe

We Want To Meet You

Geogathering
August 26
The Woodlands, TX



GITA Oil and Gas
October 25 – 28
Houston, TX

Stop by the DeLorme booth at any of these events and enter a drawing for a DeLorme product.

XMap Spotlight

The adjacent map generated in XMap 7 is comprised of a raster version of an aeronautical navigation chart overlaid on XMap's North American topographic data. The integrated elevation model has been employed to render the chart as a 3-D terrain model, which provides an interesting and invaluable perspective when working with navigational charts.

In the U.S., aeronautical charts are produced and distributed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and are considered the primary navigational reference for air traffic. This sample map originally printed at a scale of 1:500,000, includes detailed coverage on visible features and topography and is intended for use when Visual Flight Rules (VFR) apply.

The data for this map was downloaded as a sample from the  FAA AeroNav  web page in GeoTIFF format. Additional charts can be purchased from the same site. 

See a full screenshot

Click to enlarge