Geographical mapping software

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There are two programs of which I am aware that should be able to do what
you require elegantly and one somewhat klugey workaround. The first is a
program by Malcom Ross' call the "Paleogeographic Information System" or
PGIS. This is an update of the old Terra Mobilis program that includes lots
of useful features lacking in the older version, one of which is the
ability to submit a file of coordinate points and get the program to plot
these on the appropriate paleogeographic reconstruction. The last I knew
Ross was working at Rice University so you might check their web page for
his e-mail.

[Note to Malcom: If you're still supporting the program and/or have
information you'd like to provide to the paleo. community about it I'd be
happy to make that info. available on the PaleoNet Pages. Let me know].

The second atlas program with good plotting capability is the Electronic
Arts 3D Atlas. This is a home-market interactive atlas that does lots of
things professional and advanced student paleontologists won't be
interested in. But it also does a few things they will be interested in,
including being able to accurately plot points on a nice-looking color map
of the physical Earth. The maps even have a limited zoom capability so that
you can get maps of your field area in regional detail.

3D Atlas also does paleogeographic reconstructions, but I don't think the
coordinate plotting function works in that part of the program. I'd like to
know more about the reconstructions that the 3D Atlas uses, but
unfortunately they don't provide much documentation in their manual...other
than to say that the paleogeographic map part of the program was done in
collaboration with University College London. If anyone over at UCL can
find out any information about the data that was used for these
reconstructions, please post it.

My copy of the 3D Atlas came bundled with a new Mac I bought a year or so
ago. They probably have a web page.

As a last resort, there's always the Xerox PARC Map viewer at:
http://pubweb.parc.xerox.com:80/map but this is only for recent Earth maps




Norm MacLeod




>Date: Mon, 19 Aug 96 04:21:31 PDT
>Reply-To: KNAPPERTSBUS@ubaclu.unibas.ch
>Originator: paleonet@ucmp1.berkeley.edu
>Sender: paleonet@ucmp1.Berkeley.EDU
>Precedence: bulk
>From: Knappertsbusch <KNAPPERTSBUS@ubaclu.unibas.ch>
>To: Multiple recipients of list <paleonet@ucmp1.Berkeley.EDU>
>Subject: Geographical mapping software
>X-Comment: PaleoNet Mailing List
>
>Dear collegues,
>
>I am seeking for a graphical program which allows to plot and print
>worldwide geographical data (Latitude/Longitude, and an
>associated numerical value) on a Macintosh. The program should be
>capable of various projection types, an should run on one of the
>newer PowerPC Macs (Model 8500 or newer). It should have an
>ascii-type of interface for easy data exchange and entry.
>
>Can anyone recommend me a program package, that is not too much
>expensive ? Is there eventually public software available, which
>can be downloaded from the web or from an ftp site ?
>
>Any comment would be welcome. Thanks a lot.
>
>
>Michael Knappertsbusch
>Geology Department
>Natural History Museum Basel
>Augustinergasse 2
>4001 Basel, Switzerland
>
>Tel. No.: +41-61-266 55 64
>Fax No.: +41-61-266 55 46
>Email: Knappertsbus@ubaclu.unibas.ch
>

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Norman MacLeod
Micropalaeontological Research
N.MacLeod@nhm.ac.uk (Internet)
N.MacLeod@uk.ac.nhm (Janet)

Address: Dept. of Palaeontology, The Natural History Museum,
         Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD

Office Phone: 0171-938-9006
Dept. FAX:  0171-938-9277
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