Anyone making their own maps?

[freemindstuck]

Hi,

I find cartography to be almost as rewarding as metal detecting and was hoping we could start a discussion. So I was wondering if anyone else out there is making maps and what methods, file types, software, and hardware are you using? And I guess I'll kick off the thread by explaining what I'm doing. I am digitizing my maps and creating ground overlays over satellite data. I then use the resulting maps on my smart phone to find sites. More specifically I start out with jpegs of the old map I want to use and convert them into png files for reasons of transparency. I then cut the maps down into sections of half a township each. I find this limits any distortions in the source map and the inherent distortion of trying to overlay a 2 dimensional image onto a 3 dimensional one. I have then been using google earth to create my ground overlays and saving them as kmz files. Once I have my kmz files created I transfer them to my smart phone where I'm able to use the gps software locus pro in combination with various base maps to view them in the field. It works brilliantly and feel free to ask me questions if you like, but what I'm really interested in is what others are doing out there, perhaps with different map types, and gps units. I'm also interested in what maps, how old they are, and map types, that different people might have. I have been primarily using county plat maps from 1875 to the 1930's.

[RobW]

I don't know if you'd call it making my own map... but when going to the library and looking at their old maps (if they are small enough and they allow, I'll photocopy) or driving around and I see a potential place ( I keep a file folder in my car of places)...I draw out a rough map with cross streets and any markers so that I can find or re-find the place

[carl2112]

im currently compairing and printing google earth maps with some old arieal photos of my county its really difficult because in the old photos they dont have the street names. but what your doing sounds cool i wish i was that computer savy because that would make my work a lot easier and more fruit full in sure