I posted version 1.0 of my utility TritonRMP Helper on this site a few weeks ago, an aid to creating custom raster maps for the Magellan Triton GPS series. It re-projects a GeoTiff to geographic/WGS84 coordinates (if necessary), then extracts out the calibration data needed by the program TritonRMP Maker to convert the TIFF file into a Triton-compatible RMP file. I’ve added a few enhancements to it, and voila, version 2.0. Check the original post for basic info, but here are the improvements:
- The biggest change is in exporting calibration data to TritonRMP Maker. In 1.0, you had to manually copy the coordinates of calibration points into the program. Version 2.0 of TritonRMP Helper now creates a “gmap” file containing all the calibration data needed by TritonRMP Maker; no more manual copy-and-paste required, which cuts the time and work required a lot. Load the gmap file into the Maker program with the File => Map => Import Maps command. You can load multiple gmap files at the same time to combine maps, or different zoom levels, in the final RMP output. The name of the gmap file is displayed at the top of the program, along with the GeoTiff file associated with the calibration data:
- Version 1.0 allows rescaling of GeoTiff images down to smaller sizes, for use at lower zoom levels, but this sometimes fails without warning for very large images. Version 2.0 checks for this failure, and gives you an error message. You can sometimes get the rescaling to work by exiting the program, then starting it up and trying again.
- Version 1.0 came with no install program, just a zipped folder containing the executable and associated files. Some people were reporting issues with the “comdlg32.ocx” ActiveX control being missing on their system, and some would probably prefer to have a regular program install. So the program is now available in two versions: an executable for a full install, and a zipped folder version for those who don’t want the full install.
Standard disclaimer, i.e. use it at your own risk, and double-check any maps you produce for accuracy. And report any bugs you find to me via my Contact link.
The Earth Is Square posts about JSatTrak, a Java program to display satellite tracks and coverages in 2D and 3D. Huge feature list; from the website:
- Real-time and non-real time tracking modes
- Orbital elements for over 3,000 satellites which are easily updated
- Ground stations: 800+ built in and the ability to create custom locations
- Tracking tool – includes tracking angles, polar plotting, and pass predictions (visible and radar) with elevation constraints
- 2D ground track display
- 3D globe with streamable high resolution imagery via NASA’s World Wind SDK
- Capture 3D animations
- Custom Satellites using a mission designer interface with solver loops to allow for modeling of maneuvers
- Custom high precision propagation – 4th, 8th, and adaptive 7-8th order Runge-Kutta methods
- XML saving/loading of scenarios
- Command console using BeanShell
- Plugin capabilities using bean shell scripts
- Remote command server (and client) for sending commands to the application remotely over a TCP/IP connection
- Earth Coverage Analysis (screenshot, movie) (v3.2)
- Create movies of any window or entire app (v3.2)
- 3D model loader and new model centered view mode (ISS example) (v3.5)
- Full screen exclusive mode for 3D windows (v3.5)
- Nimbus look and feel support (screenshot) for java 1.6 update 10 or greater (v3.5)
- More 2D map images and ability to load customized maps (v3.5)
- Added 2D Earth lights night image effect (v3.5)
- Run script without displaying GUI (v3.6)
- TLE data importing and user defined datasets (see the readme in data/tle_user) (v3.7)
Here are two orbital tracks and coverages for US GPS (random satellite in green), Glonass (random satellite in red:
And the same plot for the two prototype European Galileo GPS satellites:
Data is available for all US GPS, Glonass, Galileo and SBAS (WAAS/EGNOS) satellites, as well as the US Navy and Russian LEO systems; find them in the Satellite browser. Be sure to check out the screenshot gallery as well to get a feeling for what the program is capable of, but don’t bother download the .jst scenarios; they were created with an older version, and the new version doesn’t support this format.
ColorBrewer is an online Flash app designed to help select appropriate data coloring schemes for maps, including sequential (choropleths), diverging (data with break points), and qualitative (discrete categorical data). I’ve covered version 1.0 before, and now ColorBrewer 2.0 is out. Not a huge number of functional differences, but some useful additions (and one disappointing subtraction):
- More parameters are selected by drop-down boxes instead of buttons; bit faster this way
- All controls are on the left side, making them easier to find
- You can now choose between a colored background and a terrain background
- Color transparency can now be set between 0 and 100%
- More choices for background, road, city and border colors
- You can now screen color schemes by appropriateness for color blindness, photocopying and print. In version 1.0, you only had icons showing which uses were appropriate, and these are still available in the “Score Card” tab at lower right
- More options for color scheme export directly from the program, including an Excel file of all available color schemes, export in Adobe Swatch Exchange format (ASE), and in-program text hex color codes for copying and pasting into graphics programs.
- No more map zoom; I miss this option.
Here’s a screenshot of 2.0:
The National Cancer Institute has taken the ColorBrewer color ramps and incorporated them into ColorTool, a free plugin for ArcMap. From the website:
The program runs from a button in the toolbar and opens a form that guides the user in choosing a classification scheme…. ColorTool supports Quantile, Equal Interval, Natural Breaks (Jenks), and Unique Value classification types…. There are also legend options, area borders, and exclusion statements in the tool. ColorTool simplifies the display process by offering preset color schemes and eliminating incompatible options.
