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GPS TECHNIQUES FOR MAPPING WITH the AllTopo SOFTWARE
HELPFUL HINTS USING ALL TOPO
Opening a new map set: When opening All Topo the first box you will see is on the welcome page. The default opens up the last project. If you click on the check mark, it will open without a map. Then you can type in location and a blank map will appear.
File Management: It is very important to use the file management system in All Topo. Each time you download tracks or waypoints from your GPS remember to open a new annotation file. Name the file with a name that means something to you. Like ranchboundary or weeds2005. If you have straight lines from somewhere, you are over writing a file. If you over write a file you must either delete each waypoint or track number to delete the unwanted lines. The file management is under the Annotations button, not under file button. One of the quirks of this program.
Combining Two Sets of Data: You can combine two complete sets of data onto one map by using the F8 key. Open up an annotation file that has to do with one project, hit the F8 key and copy the text files. Go to Annotations, open new annotation file, name the file and you will have a blank map, press the F8 key and then paste the text files from your clipboard, click on the reannotate button and your pasted data will appear. Open up another annotation file and do the above steps. The new map will combine data from both projects. All Topo does not allow you to use the right mouse button for copying and pasting. You must use the buttons on the screen.
Measuring Total Acres: All Topo will measure the total acres in a number of fields or subtract acres in parts of a field that are not irrigated or farmable. Using the bombsite cursor move around the field in a clockwise direction holding the left mouse button down, go to another field and trace the borders of that field with the mouse button down. The total acres will be displayed in a window on the bottom of the screen. If you would like to acres subtracted for non-farmed acres, trace those in a counter clockwise direction. When you are finished, press the right hand mouse button down and select “Zero Traced Distance”. These tracks are not permanent. The pencil icon will put permanent marks on the map but will display negative acres if you go counter clockwise.
Measuring Acres from Tracks: Instead of tracing over your GPS tracks to determine acres, you can modify the text to force All Topo to display acres within a GPS track. Edit the last annotation point of your track log by zooming in on the last point, click the bomb site icon, center the bomb site over the point you wish to edit, right click the mouse to bring up the edit menu, click the button just below the description or note button, scroll down to %acres%, left click to highlight the line and then click OK. The acres will appear. If nothing happens click on the annotation control to ensure your notes and descriptions are turned on.
Changing Line Style or color of GPS Tracks: Following the GPS download and selection of data, use the binocular "wpt" on the top toolbar. Highlight all points with the mouse or (control A). Using the "edit" button on the bottom of the dialogue box, touch "symbol" tab, then the "marker style" should be changed to "no dot". Then under the "line/fill" tab change the line color and thickness. You can use this feature to change tracks for different weeds or whatever you would like to differentiate by color or line style.
Attaching a Photo to an Annotation: This feature is called a Geo-Link. To attach a photo to an annotation use the “bombsite” cursor. When you are over the correct annotation, right click the mouse and select edit annotation. Select the Geo-Links tab. You can then browse for the correct photos. To be well organized, place the photos that you would like have linked in a separate folder. If you check the “Slide Show Box”, all the photos in that folder can be displayed. This is useful when using several photos taken from the same site. After you have linked photos, close the box and test your technique. When you hover over the annotation, right click the mouse and select view geo-links. The associated photo will pop up on the screen. To view additional photos of the same site click the advance button under the photo. You can also indicate that a photo is under the annotation by selecting a camera symbol using the same edit annotation menu, select the symbol tap, select camera and double clicking on the camera of your choice.
Strange Dates on the GPS Tools Menu: Once in a while when using the GPS tool portion of All Topo a strange date, usually the year 2026 will show up on the pop-up window. According the software author this is caused by overwriting a track. When you fail to clear the previous track, the dates from the previous track are lost and the date reverts back to the dead date, ie 2026. When you start any track be sure to clear the previous track. This way the dates will be preserved.
Downloading Tracks from the GPS: Using the tools menu in ALL TOPO select the GPS tool. Insure that the correct manufacturer is checked. Use the test button to insure that your GPS is communicating with All Topo. If everything works you will get a pop-up menu listing everything that is on your GPS. You have the option of selecting points or tracks. Request that the tracks be connected but you do not want to connect the waypoints. Make sure that you are writing data to a new annotation file. You need to download the waypoints and the tracks in two separate operations. The popup window allows you to download all the data or just portions of the data. Anything in blue will be downloaded.
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