36 replies to this topic

[JoeFred]

Dear JoeFred,
...
Unless your objectives have changed, all you want is a georegistered blank image on which to make a shaded relief. I'd recommend right clicking on your DEM and selecting Load, TerraServer Maps, and proceed as described in my message of Feb 21 2010, 08:20 AM.

Steve

Steve, I'm definitely interested in the above approach. I followed your instructions as best I could, but ended up with satellite images instead of maps.. both in the TerraServer Preview as well as after clicking Open Map.

Where did I go wrong?

JoeFred

[SteveR]

Dear JoeFred,

There are tabs at the top of the TerraServer window. A DOQQ is a rectified aerial photograph. If you select DRG, that's a topographic map. The third selection, Urban will only work in some urban areas, and will be a high resolution color aerial photograph. It will look like corkboard anywhere else. If you really want a blank canvas on which to put your shaded relief prior to drafting your map, it wouldn't matter which selection you make, but DRG is probably the best choice.

There will be a red square on the digital elevation model outlining the area of TerraServer's coverage. The size of the square can be increased by either changing the number of meters per pixel (as from 4 to 8), or by increasing the number of tiles (as from 3x3 to 7x7). The coverage of the map can also be shifted around. When you have the coverage you want, click on the Open Map button, and after it opens, TerraServer can be closed. Set your map at 1:1 and save it. Then you can proceed with your shaded relief operations, and save that when you get what you want. In mountainous areas the shaded relief might be too intense. That can be adjusted in various ways. Probably the easiest is to right click and select the "Subdue" button beneath the "Greyscale" button.

Don't be afraid to experiment in Microdem. In most cases a wrong move won't destroy your computer.

Steve

[JoeFred]

Steve,

'bout there! I was able to produce the map, set it at 1:1, but got an error message when attempting to save it using both the MD DEM or GeoTIFF format options. Undeterred, I proceeded with some shaded relief operations and the test results looked really promising.

I'll see if I can determine the cause of the save error. Once that's corrected and until I'm satisfied with the final image, would I be saving the map as a DEM? GeoTIFF Color? GeoTIFF Greyscale? other?

JoeFred

[Nick H]

Hi Joe, it certainly doesn't help that your maps (the ones you were using originally) are Tennessee State Plane (feet). If these are the ones you would like to use it would be possible to convert them to UTM Zone 17, for use in Microdem. Let us know if this is what you wish to do. Thanks to one of the masters who posts here, we have a very easy way of doing batch conversions like this.

Regards, N.

Attached Files

•  SMOKEY.JPG   239.94K   42 downloads

[SteveR]

JoeFred,

To save the image you would select File, Save Map As Image, With World File. The result is a BMP image accompanied by a BPW world file. To open the image again in Microdem, you'll need to select the BPW.

Steve

[JoeFred]

You guys are the best. Thanks for hanging in there with this 60 something newbie.

JoeFred,

To save the image you would select File, Save Map As Image, With World File. The result is a BMP image accompanied by a BPW world file. To open the image again in Microdem, you'll need to select the BPW.

Steve

Steve,
Worked fine. Thanks!

Hi Joe, it certainly doesn't help that your maps (the ones you were using originally) are Tennessee State Plane (feet). If these are the ones you would like to use it would be possible to convert them to UTM Zone 17, for use in Microdem. Let us know if this is what you wish to do. Thanks to one of the masters who posts here, we have a very easy way of doing batch conversions like this.

Regards, N.

Nick, thanks for producing the sample you attached. That's the look I'm after except that I want the shaded relief only (no contours or other from the original DRG). I gather from earlier replies that is doable.

The availability of UTM-referenced DRGs for my project area is spotty at best... this I just confirmed at http://statgraph.cr.....gov/viewer.htm. So yes, I'm quite interested in converting needed Tennessee maps to UTM Zone 17, for use in Microdem. The ones I need initally are as follows: clingmans_dome, gatlinburg, kinzel_springs, mount_le_conte, silers_bald, thunderhead_mtn & wear_cove. Again the source of the Tennessee maps: http://www.tngis.org/drg_quad_sp/

JoeFred

[Nick H]

...The availability of UTM-referenced DRGs for my project area is spotty at best... this I just confirmed at http://statgraph.cr.....gov/viewer.htm. So yes, I'm quite interested in converting needed Tennessee maps to UTM Zone 17, for use in Microdem. The ones I need initally are as follows: clingmans_dome, gatlinburg, kinzel_springs, mount_le_conte, silers_bald, thunderhead_mtn & wear_cove. Again the source of the Tennessee maps: http://www.tngis.org/drg_quad_sp/

Hello Joe,

To batch-convert georeferenced TIFFs (also GEOTIFFs) from Tennessee State Plane (feet) to UTM Zone 17 North, follow the instructions below.

@echo off

call "C:\Program Files\FWTools2.4.7\setfw"

md warped

for %%f in (*.tif) do gdalwarp -s_srs EPSG:2274 -t_srs EPSG:32617 %%f warped\%%f

Copy the four lines of code in the code box above, paste it into a plain-text editor (Notepad will do) and save it as a file called 'convert.bat').

Copy all of the TIFFs to be converted to one directory. Make sure that the *.tfw world files are copied with the TIFFs.

Install FWtools from http://fwtools.maptools.org/. The current version for Windows will install by default in C:\Program Files\FWTools2.4.7. If FWTools is installed in a different directory the second line of 'convert.bat' will need to be edited appropriately.

Place 'convert.bat' in the directory containing the TIFFs to be processed.

Run 'convert.bat' by double-clicking the 'convert.bat' icon.

The converted TIFFs will appear in a sub-directory called 'warped'. They will have the same names as the original TIFFs (so be careful not to get the two sets of TIFFs mixed up). The converted TIFFs will not have *.tfw files, they will have the spatial data built into them (in other words, they will be GeoTIFFs).

Finally, offer up a silent thanks to Hans, who wrote the original batch (*.bat) file.

The converted TIFFs will load correctly into MICRODEM or 3DEM (or any other GIS software).

Regards, N (another 60-something person).

[JoeFred]

Nick, the conversion to UTM Zone 17 process must have worked in spite of my thinking the *.tfw world files I have were less than what was needed. (silent thanks was offered up).

I was successful in producing a map with just the shaded relief following Steve's instructions in his Jan 5 2010, 11:54 AM post.

I do have a question regarding resolution. I wish to end up with a *.tif at approximately 50% of the original 7.5-minute at 150 pixels per inch that I can place in Illustrator. When I open the BMP it is at 72 ppi, but quite large. Do I just resize in Photoshop or are the steps in Microdem I should take to better accomplish this?

JoeFred

[Nick H]

Nick, the conversion to UTM Zone 17 process must have worked in spite of my thinking the *.tfw world files I have were less than what was needed. (silent thanks was offered up).

I was successful in producing a map with just the shaded relief following Steve's instructions in his Jan 5 2010, 11:54 AM post.

I do have a question regarding resolution. I wish to end up with a *.tif at approximately 50% of the original 7.5-minute at 150 pixels per inch that I can place in Illustrator. When I open the BMP it is at 72 ppi, but quite large. Do I just resize in Photoshop or are the steps in Microdem I should take to better accomplish this? JoeFred

Hello Joe, no, there was nothing wrong with the world files, or at least not with the one I looked at. To get a larger image press the plus icon (in the map window; the magnifying glass with the 'plus' sign) and set the magnification to what you want, then save the image (File -> Save Image, from the main menu).

Something I should have mentioned about converting from Tennessee to UTM; Gdal doesn't like files with spaces in the filenames. If you have any like this, rename them to replace the space with (say) an underscore. For example, rename 'big map.tiff' to 'big_map.tif'' before converting. Do this for the world files too.

Regards, N.

[JoeFred]

All seems to be working! I'm going to enjoy intergrating the backgrounds into my maps.

Thanks, again, very much!

JoeFred

[JoeFred]

...
Peter Guth's Microdem can make shaded reliefs. First you'll need a seamless DEM of your project area, getting it in GridFloat at probably 1/3 arcsecond resolution. The way you'd do it is to open the DEM and then one of your topo maps maps and set it at 1:1 scale. Right click and select Display Parameter, Blank. ...

This concerns a Microdem program matter. I may not be missing out on anything (since the gray map will do), but when I right click Display Parameter and instead of "Blank" I choose "Dem elevation colors" I get the error message:

Access violation at address 00862645 in module 'microdem.exe'. Read of address 00000004.

Is this something I should be concerned about?

Should I consider reinstalling Microdem?

JoeFred

[Nick H]

Should I consider reinstalling Microdem?

You shouldn't need to do this, Microdem will do it for you. From the main menu go File -> Tools -> Close Program and update. See if this helps.

Regards,
Nick.

[JoeFred]

Thanks, Nick. I did so, but am still getting the error message. I'll do some more digging later. I'm good for now.

JoeFred

[SteveR]

Dear JoeFred,

If it's important to have that feature, you can tell Dr. Guth about it. In Microdem you would select Help, Check www Home Page, Delphi Discussion Forum. I think you'll need to register, then if you can describe your process to him a way he can duplicate the problem, he will generally have it repaired pretty fast.

Steve Richardson
www.2i3D.com

[JoeFred]

Hi, Steve

I did as suggested and received a reply. I may have not stated the matter adequately.

http://forums.prospe...s...&msg=1247.1

Thanks,
JoeFred