Gmap4 = Google Maps + topographic. Free. Displays GPS files

I am the author of Gmap4 which is a 100% free no-ads noncommercial full-screen enhanced Google Map viewer. It includes detailed topographic maps (courtesy of mytopo.com) for the USA and Canada. Gmap4 runs entirely online. There is nothing to buy, nothing to download, nothing to install.

This link will display a map of the Mt. Rainier area:
mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.…

I hike in western WA and post as Joey at nwhikers.net
Beta releases of Gmap4 (with special links) are announced in their Trail Talk forum.
As stated in the 'Help' file - Gmap4 is simply a public service from me to the world.

In addition to surfing topographic maps, you can also view data from the following types of files: GPX, KML, KMZ, TPO & Google MyMap files.

You do need to place your GPX, KML, KMZ and TPO files online before they can be displayed by Gmap4. The easiest/fastest way to place files online is via Google Sites (free). Don’t be shy. You will find hand-holding-step-by-step instructions in the Gmap4 Help file.

Here is the general recipe for building a URL to display a data file with Gmap4 (do not include the quotes, these are not a real links):
For data files showing locations in the USA or Canada:
'http://www.mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.php?t=t2&q=htpp://url_to_your_file'
For data files showing other locations:
'http://www.mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.php?q=htpp://url_to_your_file'

Below is a link to the Gmap4 homepage. Check out the 'Examples' button and the Quick Start section of the 'Help' file.
mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.…

Finally, Gmap4 can run in an iframe as small as 400px by 400px. For examples of trip reports that include Gmap4 in an iframe, search the Trip Report forum at nwhikers.net for 'Gmap4'.

Enjoy,
Joseph

There are good free service available on arcgis.com

They have several mapping services to choose from and some really detailed data for many of the national parks. Below is a link to Yosemite Valley

explorer.arcgis.com/?open=3…

Hi Euan,

Yes, there are many free map resources. Gmap4 is one of them. As stated in the 'Help' file: Gmap4 is a public service from me to the world.

Regards,
Joseph Elfelt

Thanks a ton Joe! Very cool service and fun to explore. Is there an easy way to print the maps? When I try to print the whole screen, the maps don't show up.

Thanks for the kind words.

There is no special way to print (yet).
After all, the topo maps you see on the screen are from the MyTopo server. They allow developers to display their map tiles for free. The people at MyTopo make their living by selling waterproof custom topo maps. I have one and you cannot buy a better map.

If my app (Gmap4) let you print their maps then my guess is that they would stop letting 3rd party apps display their map tiles.

Nice work Joseph! It will take me a while to get it figured out, but big thanks for sharing with your bros SIR! Woot!

Gmap4 has acquired some new features since my prior post. Remember, Gmap4 is a 100% free no-ads map viewer that can display detailed topographic maps. There is nothing to download or install.

1. A powerful search feature has been added. Click Menu ==> Search. You can search on:

• Addresses
• Names of places and natural features
• Latitude Longitude (Geocache format and many others)

Here’s an interactive map of the world:
mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.….
Depending on what you are searching for, it may help if you include the name or abbreviation for the state/province/region. If you are searching for something in the USA or Canada then you can see the detailed topographic map by clicking Terrain ==> MyTopo.

2. Maps can be printed. In the menu bar for your browser click File ==> Print preview.

3. An icon can be placed at the center of the map. Here’s an example. mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.…

4. It is easier to get a copy of the URL that will reproduce the map you see on your screen. Click Menu ==> Map URL.
That URL can be used in a trip report, e-mailed, posted on a website, etc.

For more information please see the Gmap4 homepage where you will find examples, a change log and a detailed Help file.
mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.…

Enjoy,
Joseph - Gmap4 author

Whoa. That blows any GIS program I have used out of the water. Awesome job, especially considering the entire USA can be viewed at amazing detail with very minimal lag.

This would be a spectacular tool for planning extended trips.

Great job, awesome user interface, by far the best mapping site I've encountered.

Thanks for the kind words.

Now here's a funny (or a sad depending on your point of view).
I've tried to post the same info on some other sites and have been banned for spamming. Oh well.....

One of the next updates will include a trip planning feature. You will be able to click the topo maps to set draggable points, add point names/descriptions, and then download a GPX file. The coding is about 75% done.

I also plan to add the ability to read csv (ie comma delimited) files that are hosted anywhere online. That feature will allow Gmap4 to display info that is pulled out of database backends. A developer in Canada (he's got the database) and I are going to put this together.

Regards,
Joseph

Joseph,

Two thumbs up! I will forward to all my FB friends.

Gmap4 has been updated to version 1.8.3

The present-day magnetic declination for the map center is now always displayed in the lower right corner. This value is produced using software from ngdc.noaa.gov/IAGA/vmod/igr… combined with data from ngdc.noaa.gov/geomag/WMM/ba….
Since the magnetic declination is always changing, the older value printed on maps can be wrong by several degrees.

I also updated my links page to show (1) reviews of Gmap4 and (2) sites that are already using Gmap4 to produce online interactive maps.
mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4_…

Finally, if you are interested in the search feature and/or print feature, please check the ‘Help’ file (and use the Table of Contents) to be sure you have seen the most recent info on those features.
mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4_…

The link below will display a world map. To test-drive the search feature click Menu==>Search.
mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.…

Enjoy,
Joseph - Gmap4 author

Gmap4 has been updated to version 1.9.1 dated January 17, 2011. This version adds support for UTM coordinate grids. All UTM support in Gmap4 uses the WGS84 datum. This UTM support works worldwide. For more info on UTM coordinates see: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unive…

(Pay back time: When you visit other outdoor-related forums, please do a search and see if Gmap4 has been mentioned. If not, it would just take a moment for you to pass the word along. Also, are you doing the social network thing? Consider saying something nice about Gmap4.)

Here’s a map of Grand Canyon Village with a UTM grid.
mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.…

To toggle UTM support on and off, click Menu ==> UTM On/Off. If UTM is ‘on’ then Gmap4 gives you UTM information in three ways:

1. A UTM grid is displayed. This UTM grid is displayed on both the MyTopo topographic maps (USA and Canada) and the standard views (aerial, etc) provided by Google Maps.

2. The lower right corner of the screen will always show the UTM zone and UTM coordinates for both the cursor and map center.

3. You can get the UTM zone and coordinates for any point on the map by right-clicking that point.

Things to keep in mind

You can build you own map links by using URL parameters. If you want your map to appear on the user’s screen and already have UTM turned on, then add this URL parameter: &coord=utm

Here is a comparison:
With UTM on
mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.…
With UTM off (default)
mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.…

If you zoom out far enough then you will not see a UTM grid. Instead you will only see vertical red lines which mark the edges of the UTM zones.

UTM grid lines that are near the edge of their zone often appear curved when displayed using the map projection used by Google Maps. The grid lines in the adjoining zone will curve in the opposite direction. For example, the next map is centered near Lake Tahoe. The red line marks the edge of adjoining UTM zones. Double click each side of the red line (this changes the map center) and watch the UTM grid lines change. The grid lines are calculated based on the UTM zone that contains the center of the map.
mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.…

Some MyTopo topographic maps already have a UTM grid printed on them. Caution! Some of those printed grids are based on the older datum NAD27. Those older grids will have a uniform offset from the grid displayed by Gmap4 which is based on datum WGS84 . For example: Here is a map showing part of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness area in Washington State where the MyTopo maps have a UTM grid based on the WGS84 datum. Click Menu ==> UTM On/Off and you will see the faint UTM grid printed on the map:
mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.…

By contrast, here is a map showing part of the Yosemite Valley area in California, where the MyTopo maps have a UTM grid based on NAD27. Note the uniform offset between the two sets of grid lines.
mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.…

Usually (but not always) the different zoom levels use a different scale for the UTM grid. To learn the grid scale, compare the cursor coordinates (lower right corner) as you point to adjacent grid lines. If you want to know the zoom level, right click the map.

Maps with UTM grid lines can be printed. File ==> Print Preview

If you know of any other map viewing software that can display the MyTopo topographic maps along with a UTM grid, I would enjoy knowing about it.

Future UTM improvements

There are different methods for putting labels on the grid lines. I am pondering what will work best.
Another possible improvement is to let the user change the line width, color and/or spacing.
Other ideas?

Next Gmap4 update

Bad news: The ‘Search’ feature of Gmap4 no longer works very well for placenames. This feature uses Google’s ‘geocoding’ service on the backend. OK, I admit it. Gmap4 was pushing the envelope in its use of that service. Whoops - Google pushed back. Guess who won? I will add a second search tool that is designed to work well with placenames.

Good news: The existing ‘Search’ feature of Gmap4 still works fine for searching on (1) anything related to addresses including names of many settlements that no longer exist and (2) any reasonable way to write a latitude/longitude pair.

Finally, if you find Gmap4 to be useful I hope you can take a moment and do some ‘pay-back’ by letting other people know about it.

Enjoy!
Joseph - Gmap4 author

Dude this is awesome!
Nice work. Way to bring together lots of different data sources and display them neatly.
The Search function is very nice too.

I just promoted Gmap4 from version 1 to version 2.

Little reason: I added support for viewing the set of topo maps that used to be known as Terraserver and now are known as Microsoft Research Maps. Click the map type button in the far upper right and select “US Topo”. You can really see the quality difference compared to the MyTopo maps.

The US Topo maps often load a bit slow. Part of the reason is that each map tile must be re-projected on-the-fly in order to match the map projection used by Google Maps. I added support for these maps in case they show old (abandoned?) trails that are not on the MyTopo maps.

Big reason: This update introduces a new text file format that makes it super easy to produce maps. For a quick look, scroll down a bit on the Examples page: mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4_…

This new file format is so easy that middle school students can quickly learn how to produce maps.

Here’s another example. This is a map showing the lower Mississippi River valley. Click the “i” icon near the upper middle for an interesting story.
To turn the symbol labels on/off click Menu ==> Labels On/Off.
mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.…

If you are curious, here is the data file that produced the ‘Mississippi’ map:
sites.google.com/site/gmap4…

Maps can include:
* Many different kinds of symbols (i.e. markers/icons)
* Lines of any color and any width
* Balloons that appear when symbols are clicked
* Links in the balloons
* Clickable photo thumbnails in the balloons
* And more

Did I mention that this is truly easy?

For the details, you can search the Help file on ‘delimited’. Or just go to page 32 in the 5-6-2011 version of the Help file. mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4_…

Homepage: mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.…

Enjoy.

Joseph

Hi, when I zoom out far many of the maps tiles don't work, so I cannot tell where I am. It would be useful to be able to zoom far out, to find the general area I am interested in.

Otherwise, nice product. Mytopo seems to be nicer than the USGS images.

As a note, people may be interested in acme mapper: mapper.acme.com/

Cheers

Thanks for the kind word.

The topo tiles do not work well (or at all) when you zoom way out. Just switch to one of the regular Google Map views when you need to zoom out a lot.

Gmap4 has been updated to version 2.1.5 dated September 14, 2011. For a full list of the changes in this version please see mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4_…

Remember, Gmap4 lives in the cloud and does not require you to download or install anything. Anytime you view a map with Gmap4, you automatically will be using the most recent version.

The big news is that you can now strap on a personal jet pack and fly around in 3D anywhere in the world. (The Gmap4 ‘Search’ feature is a useful way to zip you to the spot where you wish to begin flying.) This feature runs Google Earth in your browser.

You can zoom in and fly over any map that has a GPS track (or other data) and see the world in 3D. No sweat, no bug bites, no blisters.

All you have to do is download the Gmap4 ‘Help’ pdf file dated September 14, 2011 (or more recent) and search for ‘Tips for flying’. Anyone can quicky and easily learn to fly with just a mouse by taking a quick trip through flight school by reading those tips. Those tips give you step-by-step instructions that will show you how to fly over the John Muir Trail in California starting from the summit of Mt. Whitney. This is ability to fly with a 3D view is easily the coolest feature in Gmap4.

Gmap4 ‘Help’ file: mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4_…

For most people this updated version of Gmap4 works fine. However, a few people have reported that all they see when they try to use Gmap4 is a blank screen. If you are having trouble viewing maps with Gmap4, then I have a favor to ask. In addition to updating the code I also put together a short list of easy things that you can do to try and get the latest version of Gmap4 working on your system. Here’s the favor: Please download the ‘Help’ file and search that file for ‘tips on flying’. Near the end of that section you will see a heading that starts “Background...”. That section gives you a peek under the hood and suggests several easy/quick things you can do to try and get the current version of Gmap4 working on your system.

Some of those suggestions have worked for others, so I hope if you are having problems that you take a few minutes and give them a try. And if nothing else works, then the last suggestion gives you a link to the prior version of Gmap4 that does not include the new ‘Earth’ feature which seems to be the source of most of the problems.

In addition, the ‘directions’ feature has been re-written. Right-click the map and then click either ‘Direction from here’ or ‘Direction to here’. After the route appears, you can drag it to make changes. You can build a Gmap4 URL that will open with the directions panel displayed and the destination filled in. This will be useful for helping people obtain directions to a meeting spot. Search the Gmap4 Help file for ‘Tips for using directions’.

Also, information on how to donate has been added to the ‘Action’ menu and the Gmap4 website.

Enjoy!

Gmap4 has been updated to version 2.1.6 dated September 17, 2011.
Homepage: mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.…

Reminder: Since Gmap4 lives in the cloud (1) you never have to download or install Gmap4 and (2) you are always automatically using the latest version of the code. But if Gmap4 does not seem to work then please clear your browser’s cache and try again. To see the Gmap4 version number you can click Menu ==> About on any map.

This update fixes the ‘blank screen’ problem that some users experienced after the September 12th update. If you experienced that problem, then please try Gmap4 again.

In order to use the new 3D ‘Earth’ view, your computer system needs to have the Google Earth browser plug-in installed. The Gmap4 code now checks to see if your system already has this plug-in installed. If your computer system does not have this plug-in installed, then you will see a message telling you that and a link to Google where you can download the plug-in if you decide to install it. If you decide to install the plug-in, please follow the instructions in that message. You need a broadband connection and a reasonably modern computer to use the 3D ‘Earth’ view.

Also, your security software might ask you to give permission before this plug-in will work.

If you decide to not install the plug-in, simply close the message window. You can continue using all the other features of Gmap4 except the ‘Earth’ view.

Gmap4 has been updated to version 2.2. The full list of changes is posted on the Gmap4 “what's new” page (see hompage link below). Here are some highlights.

First, Gmap4 can add labels to Google maps. The labels are built from the waypoint names in your file. Your existing maps will work with this feature, except KMZ files are not yet supported. Labels can be styled with your own HTML and CSS. The following link displays a GPX file that is hosted at Topofusion and displays with labels turned on. mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.…

To open Gmap4 with labels turned on, include this parameter in your Gmap4 URL: &label=on
To toggle the labels after a map is displayed click Menu ==> Label On/Off

You can style the labels with your own HTML and CSS. This label feature works with all the file formats that Gmap4 can read except KMZ files. Label support for KMZ files will be added in a future update.

Below is an example of a map I made with fancy labels. Note that (1) each label is clickable and (2) when you shift to an aerial map view then the labels acquire a solid background so the text does not disappear in shadows on the aerials. This map uses a delimited text file that is hosted at Google Sites.
mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.…

Second, a number of features have been added to the delimited text file format that Gmap4 can display. The section of the Gmap4 Help file titled “Delimited text files - Some details” has been completely re-written and now starts with a series of example maps that will let you rapidly learn the basics. If you want the most control over your map, this is the file format to use.

Third, the internet security features of Gmap4 have been enhanced. If you look at a file that causes Gmap4 to display a security-related message on your screen and you think that message is a ‘false positive’, then please go to the Gmap4 contact page and send an email. Include the URL to the map (Menu ==> Show map URL) in your email.

Fourth, Gmap4 can now display files that include a '?' character in the URL for the file.

For more information please see the Gmap4 homepage: mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.…

Enjoy!

Joseph, the Gmap4 guy

The Gmap4 production code is now version 2.3. This is the first version that includes special features for smartphones and other mobile devices.

1. Gmap4 can now find your location on the map. This service will use some or all of:

• Your IP address
• Cell towers
• Wi-fi hotspots
• Any GPS chip in your phone or other mobile device

Simply open any map in your phone’s browser and then select Menu ==> Findme. You can try this right now on your desktop/laptop just to see how it works. However, your desktop/laptop location will likely not be very accurate since in many cases only your IP address will be used.

You can also build Gmap4 URLs that will automatically run the Findme feature when the map opens. Simply include the parameter ‘findme=on’ in the Gmap4 URL.
Example: mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.…

Since Gmap4 uses the Google maps Application Programming Interface (API), this feature only works if your phone’s browser is online to the internet.

Also, because Gmap4 is a web application, you do not need to download or install anything in order to use Gmap4 on your phone. To open Gmap4 on your phone:
A. Open your phone’s browser. (Remember, that browser has to be online.)
B. Do a web search for Gmap4 - the first hit should be the Gmap4 homepage
C. Select the link just under the homepage title. That link opens Gmap4 and displays a map of the world.
D. Select Menu ==> Findme

Of course you can save the Gmap4 URL as a bookmark in your phone’s browser.

Gmap4 does not save your location or report it to anyone. For more details, please search the Gmap4 Help file on ‘mobile’.
mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4_…

Here are two links with more information if you are curious how this works:
mozilla.org/en-GB/firefox/g…
support.google.com/gmm/bin/…

2. You can turn off the coordinates in the lower right corner

Turning off the coordinate display in the lower right will let you see more of the map. You can toggle that display by selecting Menu ==> UTM - LatLng - Off

To open Gmap4 with that display already off, include the parameter ‘&coord=off’ in the Gmap4 URL
Example: mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.…

3. Tweaking the mobile interface
Gmap4 is not a ‘native’ app for your phone. Instead, the exact same code that runs in the browser on your desktop/laptop also runs in the browser on your phone. Amazing! But this means my options for improving the interface when running on a phone are somewhat limited. What I can do fairly easily is add buttons. However, each button would cover part of the map.

Question: Are there any features of Gmap4 important enough that they should have their own buttons? One obvious candidate is the ‘Findme’ feature. Any others?

4. The MyTopo maps now display ads in one corner. That was not my idea!
For example, this map shows part of Yellowstone National Park:
mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.…

The Trimble Company now owns the MyTopo maps. As the 'price' for being allowed to continue displaying the MyTopo maps at no cost, Gmap4 must display Trimble's ad images when the MyTopo maps are on the screen.

Joseph, the Gmap4 guy
Redmond, WA