Caltopo - Pimp Your Topo

Cartography, maps, navigation, GPS and more.
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kepPNW
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Re: Caltopo - Pimp Your Topo

Post by kepPNW » June 29th, 2016, 9:27 am

johngo wrote:
Lurch wrote:I'd argue that... Getting rid of data on a map doesn't necessarily make it better..
Lurch, that's a good point. Removing data per say does not automatically improve a map.

But, speaking as a former cartographer, that is the true challenge of the work. When data sets do you remove or diminish in visual prominence, and which do you emphasize?
Former/current cartographer, as well. Totally agree on most of your points, especially tweaking data prominence for the intended audience. It's can be truly artful, when done well. That said...
johngo wrote:And, as I said above, the red section lines are pretty useless fore most wilderness users, and that's why they are not visible in many custom map layers and software such as Caltopo.
Section lines are far from useless on maps used primarily for hiking! They basically offer a "scalebar everywhere," in that you can use them to quickly gauge mapscale and rough "crow flies" mileage. Outdoors maps lacking section lines are far less useful (at least to the trained eye).
Karl
Back on the trail, again...

Lurch
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Re: Caltopo - Pimp Your Topo

Post by Lurch » June 30th, 2016, 8:29 am

kepPNW wrote:Section lines are far from useless on maps used primarily for hiking! They basically offer a "scalebar everywhere," in that you can use them to quickly gauge mapscale and rough "crow flies" mileage. Outdoors maps lacking section lines are far less useful (at least to the trained eye).
Don't forget that T&R is the only coordinate system in the region that literally has physical "you are here" signs scattered about the wilderness

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aiwetir
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Re: Caltopo - Pimp Your Topo

Post by aiwetir » June 30th, 2016, 8:36 am

Technology gives us scalable maps where different emphasis can be put on the map at different zoom levels. It's a good compromise for when one feels the need to remove data.
- Michael

Webfoot
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Re: Caltopo - Pimp Your Topo

Post by Webfoot » July 5th, 2016, 8:18 am

Lurch wrote:Don't forget that T&R is the only coordinate system in the region that literally has physical "you are here" signs scattered about the wilderness
Please pardon my ignorance. What is T&R and what sings do you speak of?

Your comment reminds me of something else. (Unless it so happens that this is T&R.) A number peaks and summits have survey markers cemented into them. If one were lost but came across one of these markers how could one make the best use if it? (I am thinking especially of a situation when visibility is limited or nonexistent at said peak.)

Lurch
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Re: Caltopo - Pimp Your Topo

Post by Lurch » July 5th, 2016, 3:13 pm

It may or may not be the same thing...

To keep things brief, Township & Range defines property boundaries through the whole pacific NW based off the 'Willamette Stone' up in the west hills. On USGS topo maps they're commonly the red dashed lines that form square grid across the map
tr.jpg
Each box is called a 'section' and is approximately 1 mile square. There's a number in the center, so the map above is showing Section 20 and Section 21. These sections live in large 6 mile x 6 mile 'Townships' that.

When you see a little yellow sign on a tree like this:
sign.jpg
It's referring to a specific spot on the map. In this case this is representing Section 7, that is 11 townships North and 5 West of the willamette stone. The box on the sign represents that specific section, and the nail driven into it is your location within that section.

There are also 'quarter corners' or corner monuments, that are the brass monuments. These are usually identifying section corners or borders.
monument.jpg
There's a monument at just about every section corner in the gorge, minus some of the ones on the cliff faces, and there are commonly the yellow placards where roads or trails cross section boundaries. There at least 3 placards along Basin Rd for example, that will tell you exactly where you are on a map in just a couple seconds if you know how to read them.

Webfoot
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Re: Caltopo - Pimp Your Topo

Post by Webfoot » July 5th, 2016, 4:19 pm

Thank you!

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johngo
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Re: Caltopo - Pimp Your Topo

Post by johngo » December 17th, 2016, 8:46 am

Well, to each their own.

That is the true beauty of the many bountiful options we have for free online maps these days, you are not stuck with what a particular commercial cartographer felt like was a good idea, with a little computer savvy you can make your own map that suits your needs and artistic eye.

If you like section lines, then feel free to use a Caltopo map layer that includes them.
If you do not like section lines, then choose another map layer.

Yes, a section line can offer a quick 1 mile grid at a glance, and some types of terrain.
But often in the mountains, the grid is no longer a nice neat checkerboard, and the lines longer measure 1 mile, so there goes that plan.

Many experienced backcountry users, myself included, like to use maps that have a printed 1 Km UTM grid. This is handy in many ways - for plotting and calculating UTM coordinates, but more commonly for measuring quick distance in kilometers, and using it as a north-south running grid when measuring compass bearings from the map. Such a grid is easily added in Caltopo with one click from the print dialog box.

=================

Little-known fact about the Public Land Survey (PLS) system, (a.k.a. township and range) in Portland - most Portlanders know that Stark Street is the longest street in town, running from downtown Portland all the way to Troutdale.
Here's something you probably did not know about it - Stark Street was the original eastward running baseline that started at the "Willamette Stone" up off of skyline Boulevard next to the cemetery. That's why Stark Street is so straight and goes for such a long way, it was one of the very first properly surveyed streets and all of the Northwest. It was chosen to run south of the Columbia River, so when running a baseline no river crossings had to be made.

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johngo
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Re: Caltopo - Pimp Your Topo

Post by johngo » December 17th, 2016, 8:47 am

Webfoot wrote:Thank you!
Lurch,

That's a very nice overview, thanks for posting.
Last edited by johngo on December 17th, 2016, 4:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Webfoot
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Re: Caltopo - Pimp Your Topo

Post by Webfoot » December 17th, 2016, 3:37 pm

johngo wrote:Stark Street was the original eastward running baseline that started at the "Willamette Stone" up off of skyline Boulevard next to the cemetery.
More to that story at http://starkstreetmarkers.blogspot.com/

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johngo
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Re: Caltopo - Pimp Your Topo

Post by johngo » December 17th, 2016, 4:27 pm

Webfoot wrote:
johngo wrote:Stark Street was the original eastward running baseline that started at the "Willamette Stone" up off of skyline Boulevard next to the cemetery.
More to that story at http://starkstreetmarkers.blogspot.com/
Webfoot, that is some fascinating local history, thanks for the post! I never knew about the stone mile markers, I'll have to go check some of those out.

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