Mapping

[luoto]

(This really doesn't IMHO belong here but if a kind person or mod has a better place and-/or can move it...)

I am looking to get, ideally for free, or low cost for a small project, something that will give a "flat map" (such as you see airlines use to show their route network) with lots of lines whizzing over the flat world.

I.e I could plot LHR-CDG, LHR-SVT, LHR-JFK, LHR-YYZ and LHR-SYD (ideally still even via BKK) and then it would show all the routes at once.

This would be a lot neater than trying to draw it with pen or pencil. A Mac (ideal) or PC software package is better than the web but all considered. I want to plot a number of routes on it at the same time and ideally be able to export it to an image file.

Any help welcomed as the keywords I have googled with have not been sufficient !

Thanks

edit: it doesn't need to know the actual LHR or ICAO equivalents but it helps (or place names) as long as one could at worst case drop some lat/long figures in. It is not being used for navigational purposes either (before anyone's insurance company gets worried). Merely for a graphical illustration.

[ZH875]

Try the Ordnance Survey Website

Here and look at the 'MAP BUILDER'., see if that is any use.

[seacue]

I have a copy of Microsoft "Autoroute GB 2001". You can zoom out far enough to show a whole hemisphere of the Earth - and you can draw great circle lines on it. The display can be centered any place on Earth, so it might satisfy your requirement.

It won't help if the farthest points are more than half an earth apart. Also it's a "view from space" so that things are compressed around the edge.

Surely there is a better source somewhere.

sc

[OE-LBA]

Try and take a look:
http://gc.kls2.com/

Multiple Routing is possible here, just use a ;

[drauk]

fly.dsc.net will show great circle routes, though only one at a time. It uses something called The Great Circle Mapper, a link to which it includes, which might be able to do what you need.

Edited to say:
Who\'d have thought it - two answers a minute and half a continet apart, both essentially pointing to the same fairly obscure thing...

[EGCC Rwy 24]

A DIY solution using Scalable Vector Graphics

This is going to sound like a blatant plug (it isn't).......

Have a look at my Reporting Points site. Find your way to lists, then VORs, then for example Trent (TNT). Once you get there, have a look at Overview Map. It may take a while to load (and you will need the Adobe SVG Viewer).

You should see a flat map of the UK, showing TNT as a red spot.

You can resize the window and the map will resize with it. You can right-mouse on the map and choose to zoom from the menu.

If you click on TNT, you will get to see all of the routes passing through TNT. You can then keep clicking to change the view.

So, the map can show spots and lines.....

It took forever to crack the basic functionality but, having done that, it's easy.

If it's of interest, please shout up and we can discuss some more.

Cheers,

Nick

[luoto]

Thanks all so far. Wouldn't have thought it would be so hard to do what every in flight magazine has showing its route network.

The Great Circle site was a start but a little too "outzoomed" for the purpose.

Nick L's site sounds interesting but it needs some plug in that Safari doesn't have. Need to find a working PC here to try it on I guess.

Cheers, Luoto !

[Devlin Carnet]

If its not for proffessional use, you could try
www.fsnavigator.com,

[OE-LBA]

Sure, FSNavigator is an excellent program, but as far as I know, it's no stand-alone.
It's for use with Flight Sim only - but a veeeery good one - love it