Mapping Software?

[markbajek]

HI,

I'd like to find a computer mapping program that can determine a road's pavement type. Dirt,asphalt,or simply paved/ unpaved. (U.S.)

 Are there any programs where you can simply display a county and filter out all dirt roads so only paved roads would remain?  

Failing that are there any printed atlas's that show this information (destinguish betweet dirt sections of  roads and paved sections of roads) other than requesting county maps from each county in whatever state one wishes to cycle through?

Thanks for your time

Mark
Westland, MI

[FredHiltz]

Please spread the word here if you find it, Mark. I have been looking for a couple of years without success.

In print form, the older Delorme Street Atlas paperbacks for each state are highly prized among cyclists here in Vermont, where 8,896 of our 15,593 miles are unpaved. Sad to say, they stopped showing the difference about ten years ago.

JiMapCo's Road Atlas for each state claims to show unpaved. Not true here, where JiMapCo indicates only about 0.25% unpaved. Aside from that, these are good maps, the right scale for cycling and printed the right size for convenient take-along copies.

Fred

[wanderingwheel]

I've had good luck with DeLorme's Topo! software.  At least as far as unpaved roads, it shows more of them than any other mapping software I've tried.  It's not always accurate; I've gone on a couple of trips expecting to find dirt roads and been pleasantly surprised to find paved roads.

Now if only someone would produce some software that could take route sheet (L, R, R, L, etc.) and turn it into a map, or how about a mapping program that included bike paths but no limited access freeways (except those that bikes are allowed on, of course).

Sean

[FredHiltz]

Thanks, WW. I'm off to find a demo.

Fred

[TwoWheeledExplorer]

Fred,
I would second WW's suggestion about DeLorme's "Topo USA" program. I'm still using version 3.0, and with a couple of small glitches, it does exactly what I want it to. Tell it to map on  a trail, it does. Tell it to map on roads, it does. Tell it to map straight-line, point-to-point, and it does that, too.

Evidently the 4.0 version integrates the mapping from roads to trails and back a bit better, and the detail is supposed to be much better. Hope to get one this summer.

Ride safe,
Hans

Hans Erdman, WEMT
Backcountry Trail Patrol
www.trailpatrol.org

[FredHiltz]

Thank you, Hans. Sounds like this is the way to go.

Fred

[markbajek]

Thanks for the replies. I'll take a look at Delorme again as well.

I believe Delorme has released version 5.0.


Mark

[BlairJames]

Hey markbajek,
I was wondering what you decided about the mapping software? Did you choose Delorme TopoUSA 5.0? If you did, what is like for mapping paved and dirt roads? How about mapping elevation changes? I've been thinking of buying a copy so any information you (or anyone else) can give me would be appreciated.