Shapefile Support for Movmap (Ver 0.1) ====================================== Now you can load and overlay shapefile format vector maps onto your raster map image! The shapefile map layers can be sequentially loaded. Each shapefile map layer consists of three files (.shp, .shx and .dbf). The color/line size for each shapefile layer can be auto- selected or manually selected. The default mode is autocolor and the program chooses colors for the shapefile layer by looking at descriptions (F_CODE_DES field) contained in the .dbf database file. Display text for the shapefile layer is also chosen from the .dbf file (from the NAM/NAME fields). If your shapefile (.dbf) does not contain these ESRI standard fields (NAM/F_CODE_DES), a default color for the layer is chosen. Or, you can manually select the color/pen size for the layer before loading the shape file. If you want to change the color of a loaded layer, reload that layer by selecting a new color. The clear button (when an image file is loaded) deletes all shapefile layers. If no image file is loaded first, the program can create an empty black .bmp file (default width 2048) to display the shapefile. You can compose a new map by adding various shapefile layers on it. The scale of the map is determined from the first shapefile layer. Level0/VMAP0 base vector maps (in shapefile or E00 format) for most world regions can obtained freely on the Web. Try the ESRI website at: http://arcdata.esri.com/data_downloader/DataDownloader?part=10200 (also, there are many more GIS data websites). E00 format vector maps can be clipped and converted to shapefiles using free GIS programs like FWtools. Using such tools, you can create POI shapefile layers for your maps. Text data can be added to your .dbf shapefile using any database editor. The program displays the text contained in the NAM or NAME .dbf field on your map image. Make sure that the shapefiles you have created or downloaded are correct by testing them on your desktop PC (using programs like FWTools or ARCExplorer). Movmap program might crash or freeze if any of the three files in your shapefile layer is not correct. Also, do not try to load very large shapefiles (say, .shp or .dbf files > 1MB). Version 0.1 also includes a new Autolog-->info menu. This displays the total distance travelled (in kms), vector distance and the bearing to the start point. This is a beta version and I will prepare a more detailed help file later. If you have any doubt now, you can e-mail me. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Appendix ======== (Since some users are interested in displaying POI points in the Movmap program, I have included instructions for creating POI shapefiles using offline Desktop GIS tools.) How to create POI shapefiles offline? ===================================== You can create POI or other shapefiles for the Movmap program using free desktop GIS programs like FWTools. Run FWTools and open shapefiles that contain road maps etc. for your map region. Now add a new POI layer and make it visible. On this POI layer, add your POI points and save this layer (say, as poi.shp). Now exit FWTools and open the poi.dbf file using a database editor. Create a new NAM or NAME character field heading in this database file. Under this NAM/NAME field, add the names of your POI points in the same order and save the database file. This POI shapefile layer can now be copied to your PocketPC for display on the Movmap program.