Mapedit screenshot of Sample.mp
EXAMPLE
All this information can be really confusing, so I will explain a common procedure - converting a Garmin imi file to Magellan imi format - in some detail
Folder with SplitMPV3.xls and example A zip file containing files used in this example can be found here
For this example you will need the following:
gpsMapedit - to convert Garmin imi to mp files
SplitMPV2.xls - to split the mp files
AddMagMap - to convert mp files to shp files
MobileMapperOffice (I used version 2.7*) - to import shp files and generate a
map
Text editor such as Notepad - to adjust Export.cfg for better presentation
MMOconverter - to convert MMO generated files to Explorist compatible
MapsendLite or a Magellan GPSr - to admire your handiwork
* If you use MMO 2.7 remember to set the Byte order = 1 see http://www.msh-tools.com/exploristmain.html
STEP 1. Open the Garmin imi file in gpsMapedit. If the file is very big, you can trim the map (Tools>Trim>[select an area]>[right click]>Select outside) so that you are working with a smaller map until you have sorted out details such as Layer attributes. Save the file as mp (Polish format). In this case it is called sample.mp
Mapedit screenshot of Sample.mp
STEP 2. The next whole section of the procedure is necessary because of the difference in the way Garmin and Magellan handles different attributes. Let us take streets and highways at zoom level 0 for example. In the Garmin file both street and highway are in the same file. Open a mp file in a text editor (eg Notepad) and you will understand what is meant. The mp file consists of a header and many paragraphs, each paragraph specifying the details of each element. Typically a paragraph for an element would look like this
[POLYLINE] This is
either [POI], [POLYLINE] or [POLYGON]
Type=0x2 Hex code - this
is relevant - see later
Label=SOBIESKIEGO Label - not always present
Data0=(54.57061,18.38738),(54.57027,18.38785),etc Zoom
level (in this case level 0) and coords
[END]
Now in Mobilemapper/Mapsend/Magellan all elements with the same attributes will be in one layer. You therefore need to group elements that have the same attributes (Type, zoom level) into one file, so that you can import it into MMO as one layer. Each mp file can generate 3 shp files P, L and A for POINT, LINE and AREA respectively, so one does not have to put POINTS in a different file to LINES for instance.
I have developed am Excel spreadsheet that can split the original mp file into 13 files so that you can group elements with the same attributes together in one file.
Open SplitMPV3.xls. Type sample.mp in cell F9 of sheet Main. Sample.mp must be in the same folder as SplitMPV3.xls. Clear column A of any existing combinations and run SplitMP to re-populate the list. A list will be generated of the format [POLYLINE]/Type=0x6/Data0 in column A. The number of elements of each combination is shown in column D. Concentrate on the combinations that have many elements as they will have the most influence on the final map.
Screenshot of SplitMPV2.xls : Main
Now you need to specify in column B which combinations will be written to which file.
I have created a Lookup sheet to help me with file allocations. Copy/paste columns A-D to sheet Lookup. In columns F to L there are formulas which split the COMBINATION into its parts and does a lookup from sheet CODES, where I have listed Types that I have identified already. I could have done the splitting in the VBA code that I wrote, but I decided to leave it that way for historical reasons. To assist in identifying what the codes signify open sample.mp in Mapedit, select Tool>Select objects then point to an object, right click for properties and take note what the hex code is. You can add new codes to the sheet CODES. In the screenshot below I have allocated numbers in column B (note that some rows are hidden in this example). Copy paste columns A-D back to sheet MainV2. Note that you do not have to copy/paste the columns from MainV2 to Lookup and back - Lookup is just to make things easier as it does a lookup on known CODES. I also tend to do a sort on columns J,H and I for readability (ie Data level, shape, Type).
Column C contains the number of elements that fit that combination. I pick the combinations that have the most elements as they will influence the map the most. Group elements (such as streets and alleyways) into the same file - it makes things too complicated to have too many different final layers.
Screenshot of SplitMPV2.xls : Lookup
Run Macro SplitMPV2 in sheet MainV2. With the allocations I have done above I plan to generate the following files.
Sample01.mp will contain POI Scenic area,Police station, Hospitals POLYLINE
River POLYGON National Park
Sample02.mp will contain POLYLINE Railroad POLYGON Man-made area
Sample03.mp will contain POLYLINE Principal highway
Sample04.mp will contain POLYLINE Residential street
STEP 3: Open AddMagMap and run the tool Ptext2shp to convert the mp files to shp files. Note that in this example sample02 will only contain Lines and Areas (no Points) so it is not necessary to generate a _P shp file. Untick the Point box in this case.
Screenshot of Ptext2shp in AddMagMap
STEP 4. Open MMO. If using MMO vrersion 2.70 Remember to set Byte order = 1. For more info see http://www.msh-tools.com/exploristmain.html
Select Tools>Background Maps>Mapeditor>Open map project (if existing) or New map project (if new) and load the shp files.
Note that there are various other ways that one can generate shp files as described in the main article.
Now you can change the attributes (Linestyle, thickness, whether a LABEL is displayed etc). I normally leave the scale on 100,000, but you can change the scale of some details (such as track, minor streets or contours) so that they only show up at more a detailed zoom.
Screenshot of MMO Vector Map editor
Note for doing multiple maps of the same format (eg a
county's map broken into sections):
I have made an alteration of the workings of SplitMP to cater for repetitions:
In the situation where you have a whole country broken up into smaller maps -
once you have worked out the file allocations for one mp file, you might want
to use the same allocations for another map. In this case just change the
input filename to the next project, but leave the list of combinations and
allocations, as they should be similar. Run SplitMP. If there are any new
combinations they will be added to the bottom of the list (Column A) and you
can inspect them to see if you want to use them or not. Cell G12 (LASTROW)
records the total number of combinations found. In fact if you give
the mp file the same name, and do exactly the same Ptext2shp (step 3), you
could load the same project into MMO (STEP 4). The link to "Source
file" in the Vector Map editor will be the same. Ptext2shp can also
be run as
a batch file, this would be of great help if you need to repeat the same
text2shp conversions on several maps (I have not tried this though)
Save the project. It will be saved as Sample.mmj. Create the map.
MMO screenshot of created map
STEP 5. Now for the next interesting bit. Without the next adjustments roads will not have any "width" on the GPS or Mapsend - all roads will appear as 1 pixel wide lines. This creates a confusing non-professional looking map.
When you create a map in MMO a file is generated (1) C:\Program
Files\MobileMapperOffice\Vector Maps\Sample\export.cfg
When the map is attached (this happens by default after the creation process)
the file is copied to (2) C:\Program
Files\MobileMapperOffice\Vector Maps\export.cfg. (2) is finally used but it is
important to remember that the creation process rewrites (1) and the
attach process copies (1) to (2). I normally make a copy of (1) somewhere. You
can attach any pre-existing created maps in MMO and that will become the
current map ready for export.
Below is what the export.cfg for our Example looks like. The relation between MMO layer numbers and the shp files they represent depends on the sequence in which you added the shp files in MMO.
======================================================================================
;***************************************************;
;* MobileMapper Office initialization file *;
;* DO NOT MODIFY THIS FILE! *;
;* *;
;* Copyright (C) 2003 Thales Navigation, Inc. *;
;* All rights reserved. *;
;***************************************************;
[COPYRIGHT]
1=
[LAYERS]
NUMBER=7
0=sample03_L lay0 0 7 0 7 0 5 0 6 0 6 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 BLACK MSOLID_LINE
1=sample01_A lay1 0 7 0 7 0 5 0 6 0 6 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 BLACK SOLID_FILL
2=sample01_L lay2 0 7 0 7 0 5 0 6 0 6 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 BLACK MSOLID_LINE
3=sample01_P lay3 0 7 0 7 0 5 0 6 0 6 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 BLACK
SMALL_CITIES
sample01_P contains the POINTS. I changed it from MEDIUM_CITIES to
SMALL_CITIES as it makes the symbols smaller
4=sample02_A lay4 0 7 0 7 0 5 0 6 0 6 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 LIGHT_GRAY SOLID_FILL
5=sample02_L lay5 0 7 0 7 0 5 0 6 0 6 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 BLACK MSOLID_LINE
6=sample04_L lay6 0 7 0 7 0 5 0 6 0 6 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 0 5 BLACK MSOLID_LINE
[COLORS4BITS]
LAY_COLOR=6 0 RED US_FEDERAL_HW_LINE 1 PAIL_GREEN SOLID_FILL 2 BLUE MSOLID_LINE 4 LIGHT_GRAY SOLID_FILL 5 BLACK
US_RAIL_ROAD 6 BLACK US_STREET_LINE
This section changes layer attributes for colour GPSr. The attributes in RED
have been changed
[GROUPS]
NUMBER=1
0=BackgroundMap 0
[POI]
UNIT_PARAMS=0 8 0 0 0 0 0 7 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 BLACK NO_FILL
POI_INDEX=1
CAT_NUMBER=0
[ICS_FILE]
PATH_TO_ICS=Images\Ics\
==================================================================================
The changes I have made are highlighted in blue, comments
are in red. The above changes will
1. Make the icons for the POI's smaller
2. Make the railway lines look like railway lines
3. Make the highways and roads look much better in Mapsend/GPS
STEP 6. In MMO : Tools>Create region>[drag cursor to select region] > [click outside box so that the region is highlighted with a thick green line]
File>Upload to GPS>Background map>Store on hard drive
This creates a file ...MobileMapperOffice\Export\Images\Sample.imi
STEP 7. Next run MMOconvertor to convert this imi file to an Explorist compatible imi file (confusing as both files have the same extension, but it is necessary)
STEP 8. Next open Mapsend Lite and select GPS contents>Map Manager>Add map and add the imi file you have created and voila!
Mapsend screenshot of the generated file
Best of luck
Regards
Laurence