When Terrain Navigator starts up, a map of the state or region that you’ve installed on your PC is displayed. Figure 13-1 shows a state map: in this case, the state of Oregon. Here are the basic rules of engagement:
Figure 13-1:
Terrain Navigator state startup map.
If you know the general area you’d like to view, click there on the map. A grid appears in the vicinity of where you click. Each of the rectangles in the grid represents a 1:24,000 USGS topographic map.
Moving the cursor over the grid displays the map name at the top of the window that’s associated with a rectangle.
Double-click a rectangle to display a map.
If you know the USGS map name, you can select it from the Map Name drop-down list, which displays all the map names associated with the currently selected grid.
If you click different parts of the state map, you’ll notice that grids appear and disappear. When a grid is displayed, it shows all the maps that are on one of the CDs that came with Terrain Navigator; the name of the CD appears in the window title. This helps you know which disc you need to insert into your CD-ROM drive to display maps for different areas.
Double-clicking a grid rectangle is one way to display a map, but here are quicker and more precise ways to view a specific location. You can display a map by searching for
City or town name ‘ ZIP code Coordinates
Place names
Features you’ve previously marked on the map
Suppose you vaguely remember hearing about a real cool hike to the top of a mountain that has an amazing view. You know it’s somewhere around Waldo Lake, Oregon, but the name of the mountain just isn’t coming to mind. You think it might have something to do with apples: Gala, Granny Smith, Braeburn, maybe Fuji. Even with fuzzy information like this, Terrain Navigator can help you zero in on the location. Here’s how:
1. Under the state map, click the Find button.
A pop-up menu appears.
2. Choose the Search All Place Names menu item. The Search All Place Names dialog box opens.
3. In the Keyword text box, enter the place name you want to search for. In this example, enter Fuji.
4. Click the Find button.
A list of places that match your search text is displayed, as shown in Figure 13-2. Ah, ha! There’s Fuji Mountain. That rings a bell.
Figure 13-2:
Zero in on a location from here.
5. Double-click the place name that you want to view.
For this example, double-click Fuji Mountain.
The map that corresponds to the place name is displayed with the location circled — in this case, exactly the place you were looking for, Fuji Mountain, a couple of miles southwest of Waldo Lake.
After the search map is displayed, you can search for other place names or coordinates by clicking the Find Place button (with the binoculars icon) on the toolbar.
