GEOCAD has been improved to allow powerful imports of third-party-GIS-Files (Geographic Information System) such as the famous cbd-vectorfiles from the CIS World Mapping Program (cbd stands for 'compressed binary data, that's all). They consist of more than 15,000,000 vector coordinates from objects all over the world.
If you want to start downloading the cbd-Files now, you find them on
ftp://ftp.cs.toronto.edu/doc/geography/
or ready to use on MacInfo-Hyperarchive (see 'Readme cbd and GEOCAD'). You can download the complete coordinate set for europe, north america, south america, africa and asia (including australia) there. Please read the 'Readme cbd coordinates' carefully to learn how to install the coordinate files (it's pretty simple).
Send me an empty E-Mail with the subject "GEOMAIL MAC" - I will periodically inform you about improvements of GEOCAD.
GEOCAD is Shareware! Please regard the shareware-notice below. Thank you.
Sorry for this short readme - it will be completed within the next versions - please be patient! Thank you.
What is GEOCAD?
GEOCAD Mac ia a desktop-mapping application forMacOS™-Computers with PowerPC-Processor (PowerMacs). Desktop mapping means creating and editing maps an a computer, importing those maps into word processors or DTP-applications or simply enjoying your own maps. GEOCAD draws maps based on vector coordinates retrieved from various file formats (see below). It allows the composition of multiple-layer maps. Each layer may contain different objects object types or different reprentations of objects.
GEOCAD is not a puzzle or a quiz, it it made for serious intentions.
Shareware? Shareware!
GEOCAD is shareware,that means that you have to pay a shareware-fee of 30 USD if you continue to use it after a test period of 14 days. Please support shareware - I have spent hundreds of hours writing code for GEOCAD, and I will continue do so. Please honor this work. Thank you!
Unregistered copies of GEOCAD will have no restrictions except that all kind of exported or printed maps are marked as made with an unregistered copy of GEOCAD. I think this is a fair restriction.
How to register
You can register online, per fax, cash ord credit card or USD checks using the Register program that accompanies GEOCAD. Please read the "How to register" file. Remember: I put in over 2 years of work to create GEOCAD.
Installation
Just unpack the GEOCAD archive or copy the entire GEOCAD folder onto your hard disk. There are two folders for coordinate sources: 'Coordinates' and 'Coordinates (disabled)'. Coordinate source files in the 'Coordinate'-folder will be loaded on launch of GEOCAD. If you don't want any files to be loaded, drag them into the 'disabled' folder; it is strongly recommended not to change these names as GEOCAD will come with a more comfortable coordinate handling later, using those folder names. In the current version, GEOCAD can read its own rich format (containing object names, sizes and hierarchical relations between objects, such as parent-child relations) and the coordinate files from the World Mapping program from the CIA (so-called cbd-files, that is compressed binary data). You can download the entire set of cbd coordinate files free from ftp://ftp.cs.toronto.edu/doc/geography/.
Don't become nervous: GEOCAD will soon be able to handle customized objects and objects types.
Just watch for new versions of GEOCAD!
How much memory does GEOCAD require?
GEOCAD runs with a minimum of about 16 MB RAM. This is sufficient even for the rather large cbd-coordinate files from CIS World Mapping Program (see below). Probably - especially when several maps are loaded - some coordinate files will not be loaded due to insufficient memory. The reason is that GEOCAD needs to allocate a contigous memory block as large the coordinate file that has to be loaded; as the memory heap will fragmented more and more during a session, the probability to find sufficient momory is decreasing. You will find that GEOCAD runs reliable with about 20MB of memory, and you will furthermore find significant improvements in performance with 32MB RAM. You can modify the amount of memory assigned to GEOCAD when you open the 'information' dialog for GEOCAD ppc (application) in the finder. GEOCAD must not be running in this case.
Recommendation:
• If possible, assign a minimum of 24MB and preferred size of 32MB of RAM to GEOCAD.
Quick Start
This Readme is not more than a first info about GEOCAD - as GEOCAD 1.2.5 is still an early release! Just use it as you're going to use mac software - open and close, save and revert windows, select and deselect maps, clear them, resize and drag them inside windows or between them, try drag&drop with the desktop and other applications, use the clipboard as you use it in any application. Try out the alternate, shift and command keys when using the tools (arrow, zoom, rubberbox…). Make sure you have the 'structure' window opened to edit map properties by clicking them inside this window, opening their structure and so on. Study the demo maps to learn how the selction of objects in layers works.
Note: Creating customized geographical objects will be possible from version 1.3. Just watch the archives!
Version history
•1.2.7 (1/6/98)
Fixed a bug that caused GEOCAD to crash on launch on some machines (PMac 7300 e.g.)
Fixed a redraw error that caused GEOCAD to draw incomplete grid lines under certain conditions
Improved layout and redraw performance of browser-window
Fixed a problem with some cbd-objects near 180 degrees of longitude
•1.2.6 (12/31/97)
Introduced a user-defineable section line for cylindric projection (enables to display America in the center of a map)
Grid lines can be delimited in their range (important for the plotting of polar regions with azimutal projetions)
Shadows of grid lines are now plotted as wanted (bugfix)
The 'Update Map' and 'Update All' buttons are no longer disabled when the cursor strikes over a map (bugfix)
Background of rotated maps are now plotted as wanted
•1.2.5 (21.12.1997)
More than 600 changes, e.g.:
More robust and flexible memory management
New layer concept: Choose one single source type for layer (GEOCAD, cbd, grid, later private (custom) objects...)
Improved selection of single objects ("Italien", "Rom") with or without children
Accelerated redraw of maps mit multiple layers
New file format for maps files and GEOCAD coordinate files (sorry!)
Toggling of objects in browser window (use alt key)
Customizing of object type types enabled ("Small Town" instead of "City")
and lots of other improvements and bug fixes
•1.2 (09/03/1997)
further improvement in performance, especially with large memory
improved floating point library boosts performance
layers are cached seperately (allows fast redraw when the order of layers is changed or layers are added/disposed)
GEOCAD no longer crashes when large cbd-files are loaded
cbd-files made purgeable
GEOCAD no longer crashes when the 'About' dialog is activated twice
added Register program (see 'How to register' file) and register dialog (please use it :-)
reliable export/printing of maps, even as high-quality eps-file via LaserWriter driver
some hundred bugfixes…
•1.1 (07/15/1997)
cbd coordinates can be loaded
abstract object model implemented
some minor bugfixes
increased performance by 20%
•1.0.3 (20.5.1997)
Redraw errors in structur-window fixed
Improved drawing of thick combined lines (see example "Nordirland...")
Luxemburg coordinates added
Several bugfixes
GEOCAD website founded (see above)
•1.0.2b1 (11.5.1997)
First international beta-release. Drag & drop works inside and between GEOCAD-windows and with the desktop.
Implemented filters für coordinate files: GEOCAD and TheWorldDigitized. Please take notice of TheWorldDigitized-Readme.
