VITO SmartMap User's Guide

MapManager
User’s Guide

MapManager
    Changing order of layers
    Controlling display of the layer
    Deleting a layer
    Making a layer from an ESRI Shape file
    Making a layer from a JPEG file
    Scaling a map
    Saving and viewing a VTM file

Glossary

MapManager

MapManager is a program for creating maps in VTM format. VTM is a special format for geographical maps designed by Vito Technology to fast draw maps on a PDA with its limited resources.

Maps in VTM format are created from ESRI Shape files or bitmap files in JPEG format.

ESRI shape files are probably the most frequently used format for storing geographical data, developed by ESRI (Environmental Systems Research Institute), a leader in the GIS industry. Such programs as ArcView and ARC/INFO (also MapInfo and many others) support this format.
MapManager works under Microsoft Windows 9x, 2000, Me and XP operating systems.

The main window has two parts, the layers panel on the left and the display panel on the right. The program draws layers in the same order in which they are sorted in the layers panel, from top down. Each layer has a visibility flag, a layer icon, and a name.

Status bar on the bottom of the main window shows on-screen and geographic coordinates of the mouse cursor placed on the map.

Attention! SmartMap draws layers in the same manner as MapManger, so, please, pay attention preparing maps for SmartMap. Make sure you have the right order of layers.

You can change the order of layers, delete or make them invisible.

Changing the order of layers
Place cursor on the name of the layer you want to move. Press and hold the left mouse button, and drag and drop the layer in the place you want it to be in the list.

Controlling display of the layer
Mark or unmark the “Eye” button to turn the current layer display on or off.

Attention! Invisible layers are included in the map when it is saved as a VTM file. Invisible layers are not displayed when you load the map in SmartMap and therefore they simply waste Pocket PC resources. Make sure you deal with these layers before you make a VTM map.

Deleting a layer
Right-click on the layer in the list to select the layer and choose “Delete” in the context menu.

Making a layer from an ESRI Shape file
ESRI Shape format is one of the most popular formats of electronic maps in the World. There are many free and commercial sources of maps in this format on the Internet, for example:
http://www.esri.com/data/download/index.html
http://www.globalmaps.com/
http://www.cgrer.uiowa.edu/servers/servers_geodata.html
To add a layer, choose “Add Layer” in “Layer” menu or press the “Plus” button on the button bar. You will see a standard “Open file…” dialog. Choose an ESRI Shape file and click “OK”. The selected layer will be shown in the main window and will be added to the end of the list of layers.

Making a VTM from a JPEG file
Choose “Add Layer” in “Layer” menu or press the corresponding button on the button bar. When a standard “Open file…” dialog appears, select the “JPEG” (*.jpg) file extension. Choose a JPG file and press “OK”. The image will be displayed in the main window. As your next step, you need to pin the map to geographic coordinates. You must set at least three control points.

Find points on the map with known coordinates. Click on them with your left mouse button. Enter latitude and longitude (degrees and minutes, hemisphere identifier) in the appearing dialog and then click “OK”. The list of control points can be seen in “Foothold list…” in “Tools” menu. When you have at least three points, choose “Snap” in “Tools” menu to geocode the map. After that you will be able to see geographic coordinates when you place cursor on the map.

Scaling a map
A map made of ESRI Shape files can be scaled without losing precision by choosing “Zoom In” and “Zoom Out” in “Tools” menu.

Making and viewing a VTM file
After you have finished editing the list of layers or have geocoded a JPG image, you must save the map in VTM format. Choose “Save” in “File” menu. When a standard “Save File” dialog appears, enter the file name and press “OK”.

Choose “Open” from “File” menu and select a file in VTM format to view. By opening a new VTM file, your current map and the list of layers will be lost.

Glossary

ActiveSync – software for transferring and synchronizing data between a desktop PC running Windows 98/ME/2000 and Windows CE devices.

CompactFlash – interface (slot) for connecting various peripheral devices to a Pocket PC. A variation of PCMCIA standard for a variety of portable devices.

ESRI shape – most widely used format for storing geographic data. The format was developed by ESRI (Environmental Systems Research Institute), a leader in the GIS industry. It is supported by such software as ArcView and ArcInfo from ESRI and others.

GPS (Global Positioning System) – a global navigation system providing precise worldwide positioning and navigation.

GPS receiver – a device that receives signals from GPS satellites and calculates coordinates and other navigation information.

JPEG – one of the most common raster formats used for storing various graphical data.

MapManager – desktop PC software (for Windows 98/ME/2000/XP) from Vito Technology for viewing and preparing color vector and raster maps for a Pocket PC.

Pocket PC – special kind of PDAs without keyboard running on Windows CE. Most popular models are HP (Compaq) and Casio.

Pushpins – places on a map marked by a user for future use. Each pushpin has its own coordinates, name, and icon.

SmartMap – software for working with raster and vector maps on Pocket PC.

VTM – format for storing geographic data. Specifically developed by VITO Technology for Pocket PCs with their limited resources, this format is characterized by quick rendering of maps.

Windows CE – operating system developed by Microsoft for pocket computers.