Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 41.1
Perth city services route map.
Source:
ERTEC Ltd.
relatively limited, allowing little freedom or
functionality to produce a good end product, most
now include a mapping module, e.g. ERDAS
Imagine or ER-Mapper.
with relative ease to create a map, either for on-
screen display or to print out.
More recent releases of DIP software, largely as
a function of the growing demand for tools to
create 'better' maps, include specialised modules
providing the user with a set of basic cartographic
tools. For example, ERDAS Imagine includes a
product called Map Composer, and more recently
for the Windows 95/NT platform has enhanced
the cartographic tools available still further with
MapSheets. ER-Mapper also includes a map
output product called Map Composition.
Map output from remote sensing software
With the simultaneous development of remote-
sensing digital image processing (DIP) software,
much of the output being a map, e.g. an image
map, or classified scene, graphics software was an
ideal environment in which to create a finished
map product. At first, this took the form of either
an 'in-house' module, e.g. ERDAS 7.4/5, or the
adoption of a graphics package, e.g. the CHIPS
DIP system made use of a low-cost graphics
package known as Dr. Halo. Classified images
could be annotated (e.g. through the addition of a
north arrow, border, scale, title, subtitle, and legend)
Map output from GIS software
Well-known GIS products such as Idrisi,
GRASS, Arc/Info and MapInfo among many
others offer a user the means of retrieving and
displaying spatial data in the form of maps.
