Pushpin Files.
A variety of software mapping packages support
the use of pushpins.
These pushpins are simply markers which a user can place on a specific point on their map
that contain information about that point.
Such mapping software includes
Microsoft's AutoRoute® for UK and Europe and Streets and Trips® for North America which are especially useful
if you want street level information. I believe that the more expensive Microsoft MapPoint® for Europe and the USA also support pushpins but I have
no experience of these applications.
For a global perspective there
is a world atlas provided by Encarta, now available as
Encarta Premium Suite® on DVD.
GPS data files.
I have added some GPX data files to this page which can display
the umbral path on most GPS units with mapping features. The complete
path files are probably too large to be accommodated on most hand-held GPS
units so I have also included reduced versions as well, which cover the
tracks over land areas of most interest. The larger files have been
zipped up for easy download.
The pushpin and GPS sets offered on this page are derived
from data imported from a variety of sources, which plot the centre
line and limits of totality for specific eclipse events on an electronic map. They are supplied
"as is" and no guarantees can be offered beyond the accuracy of the source
programs used to generate them.
Some captured frames from AutoRoute and Encarta Atlas are shown here to
give you some idea of what to expect.
Notes:
These pushpins and GPS tracks have been derived from Charles Kleupfel's "Eclipse Complete"
program or Chris Marriott's "SkyMap Pro 11".
The GPS files have been provided as .gpx
- an acknowledged GP eXchange format. These can be read, viewed and
edited with a variety of programs. I used "GPS Utility" [http://www.gpsu.co.uk]
to read in Eclipse Complete data files in .csv
format, from where I was able to save in a variety of formats including
.gpx (already mentioned), PCX5 and Waypoint+.
The .gpx files were polished up using Garmin's
"MapSource" software [http://www.garmin.com/cartography].
To my knowledge all versions of Encarta Atlas (with one exception) use
pushpin file sets with a .pvg extension. I
created these pushpin sets by importing .csv eclipse data
files into early versions of AutoRoute which, in turn, produced .pxg
(GB) or .pxe (Europe) files that could be imported into
Encarta Atlas 1998. Once this was done pushpin sets could be exported as individual
files in .pvg format. Atlas 2004 will only import .pvg files - Encarta Atlas 99 did not support pushpins at
all!
AutoRoute GB/Europe 2001 manipulated pushpins differently from their
earlier versions and are not compatible. A converter tool is available somewhere on
the internet but the resulting data is incorporated into the application somehow and is
not directly available for export.
AutoRoute Europe 2003 (and later) is much more versatile and allow import
directly from Excel spreadsheet source to produce .axe
files. They are however, significantly larger than the earlier versions and cannot
be manipulated in the same way as those for Encarta Atlas.
For the record, Microsoft "Streets and Trips" use pushpin file
sets with .est extensions.
Sets for these applications may be available upon special request as are
others right up to TSE 2030.
Please e-mail me if you require anything specific.
