Creating a map of my ranch
 

Folks,

I am currently mapping out my farm/ranch with a GPS to make a record of where all my tree stands are, main deer traffic corridors, past rubs and scrapes, bedding areas, etc. This is OK to view on the GPS and I can open all of these waypoints into Google Earth.

However, what I really want is to be able to create a printed map with satellite/aerial background and showing all the boundaries along with all my locations showing. I mainly want this for my dad as he isn't much on using any GPS.

Does anybody know how to do this or know of a company that specializes in creating these types of things? My tree stands are permanent and the traffic corridors and food and water areas stay the same so having a printed map of all this stuff seems like a good idea to me.

Just curious. If you are interested in the same thing, please post a note also so I can be sure to update the group if I find this out on my own.

I usually use Photoshop, import the aerial, the tax map and then find some of the GPS points from items that are clearly visible in the photos. Forutunately, I have a large printer/plotter to print on. There are alot of photo-editing software packages out there that you could use. You'll need hi-resolution images so that when it is printed on poster size it will still look OK without the pixelation.

Usaphotomaps is a awesome program. You can plug your GPS into your PC and upload/download waypoints/routes etc right on Satellite image of your property.
If you use a laptop it will plot your position realtime on satellite images.
Its free. Link below
http://jdmcox.com/

Regards
Mike

Good choice. I use Arc Map (GIS) and recent hi-res aerials although I've used Photoshop also. I like the ease of loading GPS points into Arc Map and then bringing it into Adobe Illustrator for professional labeling. Using google earth is ok if you don't want to buy these programs though. If you want me to make you a few professional maps for a small fee, then PM me and we can work out the details.

I made maps of the hunt club using my gps and a website called gpsvisualizer.com. I'm not sure if it's what you are looking for but here is an example:



I use the snipping tool to take screen shots of the maps when I am at that website. You can zoom in and out, depending on what detail you need. I don't know if you can tell but the pic has waypoints marked with lables by them.

I used ArcGIS until the company downsized and I became unemployed. A GIS program will create amazing maps, and creating a GIS allows much more information than a map. But using a professional program comes at a very hefty price, and quite a bit of time to learn how to use them to their full potential.