Version 11 represents a long-needed overhaul to the internal "engine" that drives Terrain Navigator Pro. We've been working nearly two years on this release, and it (happily) coincides with TNP's 20th anniversary.
Present in "G-REF version 1.0" (released 12/6/1996) was the "Open Map" window, which allowed quick access to matching USGS quad sheets on CD-ROMs. This was state-of-the-art at the time, as each individual quad sheet could be opened and viewed. In fact, only one quad sheet could be opened at a time – there was no "seamless" view.
Now the world has shifted. The USGS no longer produces traditional quad sheets and most cartography (and digital imagery) is served across the globe via the Internet. With this change, the Open Map window was retired so to allow global access of seamless maps at any scale.
How do I quickly access an area of interest?
Can I just "zoom in" like other mapping products?
Absolutely. Position the mouse cursor anywhere on the map then roll the wheel in the center of the mouse. This will step through various map scales, always keeping the position of the mouse in-view.
Also available are the + and - buttons to the left of the map scale: these will zoom in and out on the center of the map screen; the Zoom In and Out tools on the toolbar can be employed; there are Scale In and Scale Out commands in the View menu; and right-clicking on the map will give options to Scale In and Out.
The auto-zooming has been improved in each subsequent version of TNP; now whenever you Find a layer or place name, TNP will automatically adjust the map scale (if necessary) to view the object.
How can I quickly view an area that I frequent?
Once you navigate to a location you want come back to frequently, open the View menu and choose Bookmark this View. Give the bookmark a name and press OK. Now you will be able to return to that location quickly (including the map type and scale) by opening the Find menu and choosing Bookmark.
Once I "Find" a location, the bottom of the Find menu shows the most recent choices. That's handy.
Yes, at the bottom of the Find menu will be the five most recent places that you've visited. Note that you may want to adjust the map scale after going to one of those spots.
Why can't I set a starting location for TNP?
The easiest way to set a starting location is to create a Bookmark as described above. Then open the Layers menu, choose Manage Projects, select the project that you want to set the starting location for (if it isn’t already the active project) and change the Starting Location to the name of that Bookmark.
You can also set the project to open the last location you were viewing (whenever that project is deactivated or TNP is closed) or to the location currently being shown on the screen.
Now, whenever that project is activated (including when TNP starts) the location that you have picked will be displayed.
I don't really use Projects, can I still set a starting location?
You bet. You are probably using the "Default" project. Follow the same steps above, but change the starting location for the project named <<Default>>. Alternatively, you can set the starting location to <<Last Location>>; this will open TNP each time to exactly the same place where you last were.
I get a lot of "Not Responding" messages and white maps. What's wrong?
TNP 11 consumes and processes a massive amount of map information. To help manage all this data, a sophisticated system of internal memory was devised. This means that TNP is constantly "learning" your viewing habits – and downloading/processing the map data you will need.
At first, it may seem that TNP is a bit sluggish – especially when you first view a new area. However, as you proceed with your work, you should notice that TNP will work faster.
Note that "Not Responding" is a Windows message that means that the Windows Operating System cannot communicate with application. It does not necessarily mean that TNP has "crashed" – it may mean that it is simply very busy processing all that map data. Be patient when using TNP 11 in new geographic areas, and it will reward you with great looking maps at any scale.
Speaking of scales, why are they so different than what I am used to? Can't I just pick '1:24,000'?
On a computer monitor, the map scale is completely arbitrary. Unlike a printed page, where the scale of the map can be determined, a computer monitor could be any size, and one of thousands of screen resolutions. In short, a monitor (unless calibrated for specialty use) does not present a true representation of map scale.
Most of the scales that we have chosen are optimized for speed within TNP 11. While a scale of 1:18,056 may seem like a weird choice, you will find that the panning and display speed at 1:18,056 will be significantly better than at 1:24,000. Moreover, many map types display at their best resolutions at these scales. However, this varies based on the dpi of the original map image.
For the standard edition, "1:24,000 quads" USGS topographic maps, the best quality will be achieved at a scale of 1:14,400. (This is equivalent to the 1:1 zoom in prior versions of Terrain Navigator Pro.) However, the fastest performance will be found at scales of: 1:4,514, 1:9,028, 1:18,056, 1:36,112, and 1:72,224.
For the Aerial Orthophotos (any edition), the best quality will be achieved at scales of 1:15,108, 1:7,554, and 1:3,777. However, the fastest performance will be found at scales of: 1:4,514, 1:9,028, 1:18,056, 1:36,112, and 1:72,224.
For all other map types/editions (alternate edition shaded relief USGS topographic, satellite image, street, and terrain maps) these scales will produce the best quality and speed: 1:1,129, 1:2,257, 1:4,514, 1:9,028, 1:18,056, 1:36,112, and 1:72,224.
Note that not all map types are available at all scales. For example, alternate edition shaded relief USGS topographic maps are not available at scales below 1:9,028. Standard USGS topographic maps are not available at scales above 1:1,155,580.
What about map scales when printing (or publishing maps)?
What is a MapPack? What happened to "Copy maps to the hard drive"?
A MapPack is an area that you have set aside that will always be available – even when TNP does not have an Internet connection. This replaces the Copy maps to the hard drive feature that was quad-map based and present in prior versions of TNP.
What happened to Non-Seamless View? Can I access the USGS Map collars?
I use TNP to export maps into other GIS applications. How has that process changed?
Can I downgrade back to version 10.42?
While you can certainly uninstall TNP 11 (using the Windows Control Panel) and reinstall (using your 10.42 Installer DVD and declining all software updates) we do not recommend doing so.
1. The servers containing the 2014 (and older) aerial photos used by TNP 10 will not be updated with 2015 or 2016 aerial photos. Instead, these will be decommissioned in 2017. To obtain the latest aerial photos (and utilize the high-resolution satellite images) version 11 of TNP must be employed.
2. Further software upgrades for version 10 will not be available. In fact, should you choose to downgrade, you may want to turn off the "check for software updates" preference in File, Preferences, Internet Access and Map Cache to avoid being further alerted as we continue to refine and improve Terrain Navigator Pro.
3. We can not offer technical support for discontinued versions of TNP. TNP 10.42 was discontinued upon the release of TNP 11 on 12/1/2016. Technical support for version 10.42 ended one year later.