MapSphere 0.97.161

MapSphere 0.97.161 is an effective program which provides you easy way to view and organize geographical data of different kind.

This might be raster maps and satellite imagery from various sources, your own information received from GPS, tracks of your friends, whatever you want.

You can attach any maps or other geographical data to MapSphere that are available as extensions.

The data is downloaded automatically while scrolling or zooming the map. It is stored locally on the hard drive, so you keep control over it. For example, you can download maps for some area and then work with them without internet connection.

Different data representations extend your possibilities. A traditional 2D (flat) view mode is fast and very suitable for data editing, while a modern 3D mode depicts naturally looking views from any point around the Earth.

There are 2 additional views that can be customized to your needs and display your local and global positions at the same time.

You can search for geographically referenced objects of different nature by selecting a proper search extension such as geocoding provider plug-in for street addresses.

Major Features:

1. Downloads maps and satellite images from different sources (OpenStreetMap, Terraserver, LandSat, and others)
2. Stores all the mapping data on the hard drive for offline use
3. Represents the map in 2D and 3D modes
4. Supports GPS-receivers to track your current position
5. Displays the location of other users and their GPS tracks
6. Provides a chat to discuss your travels
7. Geo-references your photos according to your track and uploads them to your personal trip blog
8. Shows tracks, photos, and chat messages on the map

Enhancements:

• New OpenStreetMap themes were added ("Osmarender" and "Cycle Map"). The old one corresponds to "Mapnik".
  
• The hill shading theme for Microsoft LiveSearch Maps was added to MapSphere data layers.
• MapSphere can load tracks in OziExplorer .plt file format now.
• The last chosen data layer is stored in the registry instead of an XML file.
• Checksum is not ignored in GPRMC and PMGNTRK messages in NMEA or Magellan track files.
• The application could overload the processor resources if there were problems with data download.
• The map cells adjacent to one of the poles were not displayed for some data plugins (like OpenStreetMap). Now such cells are formed using the existing data and the uncovered areas are filled with a pattern.
• Local paths could be saved to data settings file incorrectly on Windows Vista.
• The application could start slowly if there was no internet connection.
• Memory leaks were excluded in some data plugins and mapping data handling.
• The start and finish time was not correct in the GPS Position Error Measurement report.
• The double-click on the map didn't work in the previous release. Now it zooms in the map in the specified point.
• The time tolerance was too small in GPS fix handling. This could cause problems with some GPS devices.

Requirements:

• Minimum configuration:
• • Operating System: Windows XP or Vista
  • Processor: 800 MHz processor
  • Memory: 256 MB
  • Hard Drive: 30 MB free space
  • Internet connection
  • Graphics Card: 32 MB, DirectX 9.0 compatible
  • Screen: 800x600, "16-bit High Color"
• Recommended configuration:
• • Operating System: Windows XP (SP2) or Vista
  • CPU: Pentium 4 1.6GHz+ or AMD 1600 XP+
  • Memory: 512 MB
  • Hard Drive: 1 GB free space
  • Network Speed: 128 Kbits/sec
  • Graphics Card: 64 MB, DirectX 9.0 compatible
  • Screen: 1280x1024, "32-bit True Color"