Maine cache density in Google Earth

[brdad]

OK, I was bored. Here's the entire file converted to the format of bgrffdave's sample.
It's not 100% exact as it's missing trailing 0's, but most software should be fine with that.

Give it a try. The maps most likely to be screwy are the custom ones - Maps 10, 17 insert, 25, and 27....

[bgrffdave]

It took some time to learn what types of information are useable between all the mapping programs I have (Mapsource, GE, Delorme Topo USA 6, & Nat Geo Topo 4) and how to import/export the stuff between them... and I know I've only begun to scratch the surface. I've found that gpx (or loc) files are the ticket to bounce info around. While all the big guys, as usual, tried to make their own format, GPX/LOC files were/are designed to be the universal type for sharing info between software and GPSr units.

Haffy, you were talking about using your finds PQ to view caches in GE... that will work provided you get your PQ's not zipped or simply generate a gpx file from something like GSAK. Using the GSAK filter and the export tool you can create a file of your finds, not founds, placed caches, and anything else in combination that the filter has for options. GSAK, under "File" then "Export", also has quite a list of other file types it can generate (including Delorme Topo and SA text files) but 99% of the time I find a gpx works fine and with just about everything.

Brdad, you beat me to the punch... I knew I should have waited! As I messed with Topo USA last night I set aside everything else I had to do and built the whole darn thing from scratch. I'm too easily distracted! I even made the wierd little overlaps of maps 25, 26, and 17 (inset 1). Your file loaded in Topo USA fine. You even caught the wierd border on map 27... something I had missed but will fix. The only thing I see in yours is an odd stray line between Map 25 and 17. It almost looks like a stray coordinate. In building mine I found that fixing little problems like that was much easier in the actual text file than trying to edit the polygon points. Other than that nice job on the conversion. Thanks for making my couple of hours of work seem like a waste of time... LMAO!!

[WhereRWe?]

OK, I was bored. Here's the entire file converted to the format of bgrffdave's sample.
It's not 100% exact as it's missing trailing 0's, but most software should be fine with that.

Give it a try. The maps most likely to be screwy are the custom ones - Maps 10, 17 insert, 25, and 27....

Well, when I import this into Street Atlas as a draw file, all I get is a big red overlay - no map lines - with numbers.

Any suggestions?

[bgrffdave]

I'm not sure. Topo USA has the streets and routing so I haven't used Street Atlas. I was hoping that Delorme Topo to Delorme Street Atlas would be easy... if you can see the map numbers we must be close. Does the red overlay have an irregular border like the map shapes are there? My first thought would be to see if there is some setting to make the layer or polygons transparent or "blended" as compared to solid... that was an option in Topo USA.

If that doesn't work I'd ask this: Can you draw a polygon (shape) in Street Atlas over the map? If you can, can you export that layer as a file and post it here? It may be as simple as a change in the data format... brdad seems to have conversion down. We could check that file against what we've got so far.

[WhereRWe?]

I'm not sure. Topo USA has the streets and routing so I haven't used Street Atlas. I was hoping that Delorme Topo to Delorme Street Atlas would be easy... if you can see the map numbers we must be close. Does the red overlay have an irregular border like the map shapes are there?

Yes - same exterior shape as the maps, but no lines to separate the maps.

If that doesn't work I'd ask this: Can you draw a polygon (shape) in Street Atlas over the map? If you can, can you export that layer as a file and post it here? It may be as simple as a change in the data format... brdad seems to have conversion down. We could check that file against what we've got so far.

Sheesh! You want me to draw a pollywog on the map??

I'm not sure how to draw on the map. But the map lines are there - I can bring them up individually in "manage draw", but I can't eliminate the red overlay or bring up all the map boundaries at once.

And I realize now that I can click on each map and bring up those boundaries individually, but the red overlay still covers the map, and the boundary disappears when I click on the next map.

[bgrffdave]

No... don't draw a pollywog! Go get one before they totally freeze and press it into the screen and see what happens... LOL

When you select each shape individually in Topo an option comes up at the bottom to change wether or not the shape has no color, transparent color (blended), or solid color. The option looks like a little box for the color of the shape like the color box when you change the color of a font in, say, MS Word. Mine was default to solid white until I changed them to transparent/blended then they stayed that way. It sounds like we just need to get the color changed. I'm just not sure exactly how to guide you without an idea of that program's screen... but I'll see what I can find.

[WhereRWe?]

No... don't draw a pollywog! Go get one before they totally freeze and press it into the screen and see what happens... LOL

When you select each shape individually in Topo an option comes up at the bottom to change wether or not the shape has no color, transparent color (blended), or solid color. The option looks like a little box for the color of the shape like the color box when you change the color of a font in, say, MS Word. Mine was default to solid white until I changed them to transparent/blended then they stayed that way. It sounds like we just need to get the color changed. I'm just not sure exactly how to guide you without an idea of that program's screen... but I'll see what I can find.

Well, I've played around with it quite a bit, but can't get rid of the red. I don't have a"transparent" option that I can find, and changing polygon fill data to none/clear doesn't make any difference.

Are you going to be at the Beer/Wings event tomorrow? I'll bring my laptop...

[hollora]

I'll bring my laptop...

And they said they had wi-fi too.........

[WhereRWe?]

WOOT! I've got it! I needed to use a different procedure - but I've got it now and have my "Maine found" geocaches on the map as well.

I guess I can now help anyone else who is having trouble. Haffy???

[Haffy]

Yeah I'm here so how did you put your Maine found caches on the GE map?