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(More customer reviews)As a proud owner of a Garmin Legend, I searched for the perfect complementary mapping software. I wanted/needed a product to help plan personal backpacking trips as well as assist me with work and school research projects which have me wandering about the Alaskan backcountry. I spent weeks reviewing many products and eventually narrowed them all down to two: National Geographic's TOPO! Alaska (NGTA!) and Garmin's MapSource Topo USA. Finally, thanks in large part to Amazon.com's customers' review of MapSource TOPO USA, I decided to buy NGTA! and have been thrilled with the product ever since. Some of my highlights are listed below:
Installation is a breeze and learning to use the basic functions is fairly intuitive. Plotting waypoints and routes is straightforward. The ability to construct an elevation profile of any route you design is a wonderful feature and helps immensely with planning trips. Downloading waypoints and routes from my laptop to my Garmin was surprisingly easy (this coming from a slowly recovering technophobe). Uploading waypoints and routes that I had created while in the field to the software allows me to see, on a much larger scale, where I had traveled.
Some of the more advanced features, however, may require a quick search of the Adobe PDF Instruction manual. For example, with NGT!, you can attach digital pictures and notes to your map which is a phenominal feature if you like to share your outing with friends/family/club members. Speaking of sharing your trips, National Geographic also has a website dedicated to the TOPO! Series products. On this website you can upload trips you have taken, and these will be posted on the site for others to download. You can of course download posted trips from other donors- complete with waypoints and routes. It really is a cool way to obtain "ready-to-go" trips for your GPS. As a matter of fact, the last time I checked, some ambitious soul had waypointed and routed most of the Northern California section of the PCT. Wow.
The software also allows you to print out maps at various scales. The maps themselves are sharp and clear. And since the NGT! maps are digital and seamless, you no longer have to carry multiple paper maps when your destination just happens to be located on the edge of the traditional USGS paper maps. NGT! allows you to select the size, scale and location of the print area which means you can put your destination or area of interest smack dab in the middle of your print out and be good to go.
At the time of this writing, Amazon.com had not listed or described the features of this particular product. However, it shares the same features as the other TOPO state products. But keep in mind, that Amazon's features listing is extremely concise. For a more complete list of features, check out NG's website.
In general, this product has exceeded my expectations in many ways and because of its versatility and ease of use I continue to find new and fun ways to use it.
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National Geographic TOPO Alaska Map CD-ROM (Windows)With the TOPO! map of Alaska, National Geographic has taken the interactive topographic map experience to a new level. By combining its own standard-setting maps with the high-quality scanned versions of the actual paper USGS topographical maps, the National Geographic TOPO! State Series offers five levels of map detail that is unprecedented in its accuracy. Professional and weekend hikers alike will be amazed at how indispensable TOPO! will quickly become in the back country.Simply load TOPO! onto your PC, and you'll immediately begin to see the benefits of this award-winning software. With TOPO! you can customize any of the hundreds of state maps available with your proposed routes, notes and even photos. You can also create and view elevation profiles that will help you visualize your planned trek. By connecting to any standard color or black-and-white desktop printer, TOPO! allows you to select the exact area that you want to print, even if it is larger than the screen or covers multiple quad maps. TOPO! makes it a breeze to add map border information to printouts, including UTM or latitude/longitude grids, scale bars, north arrows, and magnetic declination. With Adventure Paper (sold separately) you can print out waterproof trail maps -- along with all your marks and annotations -- that will survive any rainstorm the wilderness can throw at you.TOPO! is also GPS ready, with no extensions or upgrades required. Transferring waypoints and routes between your GPS and TOPO! couldn't be easier. And with Pocket TOPO! (sold separately), you can take full advantage of your PDA the next time the wilderness calls. Simply download your maps and notes to your device, and off you go. When your trip is complete, you can upload the field notes you took with your PDA back onto your PC, and you'll have created a detailed record of your hike for future reference. No more worries about not being able to read your notes or misplacing your notebooks. Everything you need for your next hike will be saved exactly where it should be--with your map!The many advanced features that make the National Geographic TOPO! mapping software the ultimate topographic map experience for all your back country adventures include:
TOPO! USA Place Finder: Use TOPO!'s advanced search functions to find trails, camps, lakes, parks, towns, and much more in a matter of seconds.
Export Features: With TOPO! you can export customized maps in a number of different raster file formats (.gif, .jpg, etc.) for use in other applications.
Import Features: Import GPS and vector data from a variety of sources, including GPS receivers, spreadsheets, and the web, to overlay on your maps.
National Geographic mapXchange: Download custom map overlays and swap files with other TOPO! users on the National Geographic mapXchange Website.
Coverage AlaskaWhat's in the Box Set of CD-ROMs with topographical maps covering the entire state.
Click here for more information about National Geographic TOPO Alaska Map CD-ROM (Windows)
