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What free tools, on Windows & Linux, georeference PDF maps?



 
 
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  #16  
Old July 16th 18, 04:21 PM posted to alt.comp.os.windows-10,alt.os.linux,alt.satellite.gps
Arlen Holder
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Posts: 466
Default What free tools, on Windows & Linux, georeference PDF maps?

On 15 Jul 2018 03:29:57 GMT, R.Wieser wrote:

I just tried to point out that your approach of your problem is
a bit ... skewed. You learn about the method of approach *and* the target
*before* you go in, not while.


Three things:
1. I (almost) always solve the problem (usually sooner rather than later);
2. You can't possibly help (simply because it's too complex for you);
3. But, you *tried* to help - which is what counts most.

Thanks for at least looking up the software, and the formats, and for the
attempt at offering technical advice.

For that, I appreciate your posts.
But this thread has been *useless* for the original question.

So, unless someone actually knows something about the stated problem, then
this thread is dead until I post the solution.
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  #17  
Old August 10th 18, 11:56 AM posted to alt.comp.os.windows-10,alt.os.linux,alt.satellite.gps
Arlen Holder
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 466
Default What free tools, on Windows & Linux, georeference PDF maps?

*TECHNICAL UPDATE:*

I just tested a working solution on Windows using the Quantum GIS freeware,
which also works on Linux and on the Mac, so I'm sure it's a cross-platform
solution that everyone can benefit from.

How to view & edit tracks on USGS WMS databases using QGIS freeeware
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/alt.comp.freeware/IeNTm2cOrd8/F_ftT-p5CAAJ

In addition, for cross-platform mobile devices, this solution works:

How to record tracks on USGS geocalibrated PDFs using Avenza freeware
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/comp.mobile.android/zNKD3jyeye4

How to record GPX tracks on iOS & Android freeware & copy to the desktop
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/comp.mobile.android/zNKD3jyeye4/vxLvk87oAgAJ

This solution, unfortunately, only works on Windows at this time!

How to freely geocalibrate multiple USGS quadrangles into a single PDF map
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/alt.comp.freeware/W3IjaKFeLrM/TpFbNWiIAAAJ

What's missing, I think, are the following missing Windows/Linux solutions:
a. How to use the Quantum GIS USGS WMS method wholly offline (if possible)
b. How to combine & geoCalibrate USGS geoPDF quadrangles using Quantum GIS

The reason that (a) is needed is because it's a bad idea to be required to
use the Internet for personal private mapping solutions, while the reason
for (b) is that the Avenza solution on the mobile device sucks when your
hike crosses USGS quadrangle borders (which it often will do) so you need
to be able to combine geocalibrated PDFs on the Windows or Linux desktop.

(The current free solution for combining geoPDFs only works on Windows.)
  #18  
Old August 11th 18, 12:06 AM posted to alt.comp.os.windows-10,alt.os.linux,alt.satellite.gps
Arlen Holder
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 466
Default What free tools, on Windows & Linux, georeference PDF maps?

*ANOTHER TECHNICAL UPDATE:*

================================================== ==========================
Here's how anyone on this ng can print their nearest USGS quadrangles.
================================================== ==========================
Download & print USGS PDF maps of the desired quadrangles nearest you:

1. Create a directory to store your downloaded USGS topographic maps:
For example: mkdir -p $HOME/database/map/usgs/
2. Visit the USGS National Map Data Download & Visualization Services site:
https://viewer.nationalmap.gov/launch/
3. At top left, press "Download Maps" which takes you to a multipane page:
https://viewer.nationalmap.gov/basic...e=Map%20V iew
Note the right pane contains a map of the United States.
4. Left mouse drag your desired location to the center of that map.
Click the + (zoom) 7 times (re-center as needed) to see quadrangles.
It's simplest if you zoom until you have only 1 or 2 quadrangles in view.
At most, zoom to only as many as 4 contiguous four-corner quadrangles.
5. In the left sidebar, click the blue "Find Products" button.
6. In the left sidebar under "Available Products", click "US Topo" "results".
7. In the left sidebar, scroll until you see the desired quadrangle.
Once you find the desired quadrangle, right click its "Download" button.
Choose to "Save Link As" so as to download the ~30MB PDF file.
8. Save the ~30MB PDFs using the default name of the quadrangle.pdf
For example:
$HOME/database/map/usgs/CA_Laurel_20150226_TM_geo.pdf
$HOME/database/map/usgs/CA_Loma_Prieta_20150226_TM_geo.pdf
$HOME/database/map/usgs/CA_San_Jose_West_20150304_TM_geo.pdf
$HOME/database/map/usgs/CA_Santa_Teresa_Hills_20150226_TM_geo.pdf
etc.

Read this document for instructions on how to interpret USGS map margins:
http://education.usgs.gov/lessons/mapmargin.pdf (details)
http://education.usgs.gov/lessons/map_margins_2p.pdf (summary)
================================================== ==========================
I called a local Kinkos/FedEx printer who charges $7.25 per sqft for color
printing on regular paper. So a 2.5x2.5 foot color map on regular paper
they said would be about $73.48 with California tax. Yikes.

It's much cheaper to print to 8-1/2x11-inch paper using a freeware tiler:
https://sourceforge.net/projects/posterazor/
And then manually tape it together.
================================================== ==========================
See also:

How to view & edit tracks on USGS WMS databases using QGIS freeeware
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/alt.comp.freeware/IeNTm2cOrd8/F_ftT-p5CAAJ

How to record tracks on USGS geocalibrated PDFs using Avenza freeware
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/comp.mobile.android/zNKD3jyeye4

How to record GPX tracks on iOS & Android freeware & copy to the desktop
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/comp.mobile.android/zNKD3jyeye4/vxLvk87oAgAJ

How to freely geocalibrate multiple USGS quadrangles into a single PDF map
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/alt.comp.freeware/W3IjaKFeLrM/TpFbNWiIAAAJ
================================================== ==========================
  #19  
Old August 11th 18, 01:46 AM posted to alt.comp.os.windows-10,alt.os.linux,alt.satellite.gps
Arlen Holder
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Posts: 466
Default What free tools, on Windows & Linux, georeference PDF maps?

On 10 Aug 2018 23:06:05 GMT, Arlen Holder wrote:

8. Save the ~30MB PDFs using the default name of the quadrangle.pdf
For example:
$HOME/database/map/usgs/CA_Laurel_20150226_TM_geo.pdf
$HOME/database/map/usgs/CA_Loma_Prieta_20150226_TM_geo.pdf
$HOME/database/map/usgs/CA_San_Jose_West_20150304_TM_geo.pdf
$HOME/database/map/usgs/CA_Santa_Teresa_Hills_20150226_TM_geo.pdf
etc.


I just combined those four quadrangles, which seemed to work fine offline!

Here's what I just tried after downloading a set of four geospatial PDFs
using the method and file types outlined in this post of a few moments ago:
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/alt.comp.freeware/W3IjaKFeLrM/BCWbshWoCAAJ

I figured I'd try a single quadrangle first, before trying to tile them.
I wasn't sure if the USGS geospatial PDFs are "vector" or "raster".
So I guessed at "vector" first.

This pretty much worked, with minor complications of too many layers:
.. View the newly downloaded CA_Loma_Prieta_20150226_TM_geo.pdf file:
http://www.bild.me/bild.php?file=4462770geopdf00.jpg
.. Start Quantum GIS 3.2.1 on Windows 10
http://www.bild.me/bild.php?file=9663160geopdf01.jpg
.. QGIS:Layer Add Layer Add Vector Layer
http://www.bild.me/bild.php?file=7538129geopdf02.jpg
.. Data Source Manager Vector Source
Vector Dataset(s) = C:\tmp\CA_Loma_Prieta_20150226_TM_geo.pdf
http://www.bild.me/bild.php?file=5773673geopdf03.jpg
.. Click [Add] (It's so slow, be careful not to click twice!)
.. It asks "Select Vector Layers to Add"
http://www.bild.me/bild.php?file=5004482geopdf04.jpg
.. Not knowing any better, I hit [Select All]
http://www.bild.me/bild.php?file=5858855geopdf05.jpg
.. And then [OK] (It's so slow, be careful not to click twice!)
http://www.bild.me/bild.php?file=1424688geopdf06.jpg
.. And then [Close] (Be careful to only click once.)
http://www.bild.me/bild.php?file=3545122geopdf07.jpg

Well, that worked (albeit, as BeAr Ederson had warned, rather slowly).
At least it's offline - which always is the goal all along.

But now, the question comes how to *join* the four quadrangles in QGIS?

Trying that process with a second quadrangle, seems to kind of work:
http://www.bild.me/bild.php?file=9247140geopdf08.jpg
*Notice in that screenshot that the corners actually line up!*

Let's bring in a third contiguous quadrangle:
http://www.bild.me/bild.php?file=9176734geopdf09.jpg
And, the fourth:
http://www.bild.me/bild.php?file=7754255geopdf10.jpg

At this point, I decided to add the hiking track that I had saved.
And then to zoom to the layer of that track.
http://www.bild.me/bild.php?file=8848544geopdf11.jpg

Notice it worked, kind of sort of, but not really all that well:
http://www.bild.me/bild.php?file=1819179geopdf12.jpg

The good news is that the USGS geospatial PDF quadrangles seem to line
themselves up automatically, with the borders overlapping such that the
actual map corners coincide at the correct GPS corner dots.

I'm not sure how to make the four quadrangle map borders go away, but
that's probably a "layer" that I hope can be made invisible.
  #20  
Old August 11th 18, 04:02 AM posted to alt.comp.os.windows-10,alt.os.linux,alt.satellite.gps
Arlen Holder
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 466
Default What free tools, on Windows & Linux, georeference PDF maps?

On 11 Aug 2018 00:46:22 GMT, Arlen Holder wrote:

I just combined those four quadrangles, which seemed to work fine offline!


QGIS is working a LOT better now that I'm getting the hang of layers!
The only thing I have left, I think, is to create a single large geospatial
PDF out of the four quadrangle geospacial PDFs!

Here's the progress so far...

I loaded in the offline geospatial PDFs for the four quadrangles,
which, when I turn on only the track and the terrain countours shows up
quite beautifully!
http://www.bild.me/bild.php?file=1343863layers01.jpg

I'm not sure yet how to export the four quadrangles as a single map file
(for input into Avenza crippleware on the iOS & Android mobile devices);
but the great news is that the four maps aiign themselves perfectly
automatically!
http://www.bild.me/bild.php?file=8243968layers02.jpg

It's amazing that the Quantum GIS software figures all this out!
http://www.bild.me/bild.php?file=2137812layers03.jpg

The result is that the four maps fit perfectly (where the blue lines you
see here I put in after the fact to show where the map borders were):
http://www.bild.me/bild.php?file=9710070layers04.jpg

About the only thing I need to do now is save these four geospatial PDF
quadrangles as a *single* (four-times larger) geospatial PDF quadrangle.

If that works - I think we've achieved the goal set out in the beginning of
this thread.

Turning off the borders was due to turning off:
[_]Map Frame Projection and Grids
And I also turned off some of the grids
[_]Map Collar Map Elements
[_]Map Frame PLSS
[_]Map Frame Woodland

I've turned on the following "features" to view & save:
[x]Map Frame Terrain Contours
[x]Map Frame Geographic Names
[xMap Frame Boundaries Jurisdictional Boundaries County or Equivalent
[xMap Frame Geographic Names
[xMap Frame Hydrography
[xMap Frame Structures
[xMap Frame Transportation Road Features
[xMap Frame Transportation Road Names and Shields

One by one I turned things on or off to get just what I wanted to see:
http://www.bild.me/bild.php?file=6468310layers05.jpg

This I saved as the perfect combination of the four quadrangles:
http://www.bild.me/bild.php?file=2229776layers06.jpg

And then I exported that database to PDF:
http://www.bild.me/bild.php?file=9861338layers07.jpg

The question is whether that PDF is a geospatial PDF that can be used on
the mobile device in the Avenza crippleware to display tracks.
http://www.bild.me/bild.php?file=8814128layers08.jpg

Darn. That didn't work. It was just a "normal" PDf and not a geospatial
PDF.

I think I should have right clicked on the database, and then saved as
"Geospatial PDF" format like I did earlier perhaps...
http://www.bild.me/bild.php?file=8835052layers09.jpg

The true test will be whether Avenza crippleware on iOS & Android will
track on this saved geospacial four-quadrangle PDF - but for now - I need a
quick test to figure out if a PDF is a regular PDF or a geospatial PDF.
 




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