digital maps for Mauritania

[rkubin999]

Hi folks,

am in midst of planning for 4x4 sahara and west africa. I have a panasonic toughbook with nRoute and GPS. Have Olaf map for Morocco, but am looking for something for Mauritania. We plan to spend time exploring Adrar and Aoukar regions and would like info on any maps, routes/tracks etc. What have other people found? I understand that Viagens4x4 has a map that covers Mauri/Mali/Senegal. Has anyone tried this one? WHat about any good sources for digitized russian or other maps?

thanks, Rick.

[Warin]

Digital maps ?

There are at lest 2 kinds

Raster .. like a photo .. think of it as a photo of a paper map .. you can zoom in .. like using a magnifying glass .. this is waht you have from the old russian maps.

Vector .. this is what you have with Olaf's map, zooming in can get you more detail, zooming out stuff disappears so your not just seeing black ants swarming over the screen.


These are two different beasts and need separate software to use them.
----------------------

The Russian maps used to be available on the web .. free but tedious. You could also buy a CD with them on it. IIRC mapstore?

For vector maps likes Olaf's map use Open Street Map (OSM) - free and world wide coverage. May not have as much detail as you want .. but then the commercial maps may not have that either!

[Compass DA]

Hi

I just crossed Mauritania using offline maps for iPhone/iPad.

They are quite reliable, even the free version. So if you have a tablet the App is called MapsWithMe.

You need to zoom in a country and download full street view.

Regards

[Toyark]

For off the tarmac- I still have not found any better maps than the Russian topo ones- for those areas- These, of course are well out of date by a long stretch - but still the best. Unless some kind soul comes along and gives me a 'heads up' for a better one !

Warin- you may not have tried the 'Soviet military maps' app? they are very easy to install BUT they are slow to download-- for example- Mauritania at max zoom took 16 hours to download- so this best done on your fast broadband at home before you go. screen shot below of Garmin's Monterra showing East of Atar.

Originally Posted by Warin

Vector and Raster maps- These are two different beasts and need separate software to use them.

- may I correct you? no separate software is needed to use maps in either format on Garmin's Montana series, Monterra and the handhelds 62S and 64ST - The geo-referencing of each image takes ages to do though.
I did a talk at Hubb Germany on how to do this-

Note: of all 4 units above, only the Monterra is capable of running Android hence the Soviet Military map Android App. You can use images available free on the web (or GE screen shots) but you will need to geo-reference each one before use and maybe this is what Warin refers to as 'free but tedious' - which I agree with- it does take ages to do but it is do-able!



and don't forget one of each of those!

[Warin]

Originally Posted by Bertrand

- may I correct you? no separate software is needed to use maps in either format on Garmin's Montana series, Monterra and the handhelds 62S and 64ST - The geo-referencing of each image takes ages to do though.

Hi. Yes .. I'd call this a 'special case'

The software on those is set up to handle both 'formats'.

On a PC I use

Garmins "Mapsource" for the vector maps (a considerable collection of these)

and

"Oziexplorer" for the raster maps ... (again a considerable collection! Including the Russian maps)

---------------
I've recently got an androd phone .. it presently has OsmAnd for vector maps and Androzic for the raster ... I'll have a look at 'Soviet military maps' app later. I'd prefer not to have to download all the maps I've already got though!

Still using my Garmin 60Cx.. see no reason to update at this time .. I'd like to be able to use the raster maps too .. but for the $ I cannot see throwing the 60 away.

[ydv]

I wonder how good is OSM topo, comparing to Soviet maps. Anyone has compared the two?
e.g. East of Atar on OSM
Same area render in Base Camp:

[Chris Scott]

Nice map Janusz, enjoyed scanning that as an alternative to Google.

Only problem is I haven't got enough hair left to pull out trying to make it work on my Nuvi. Perhaps that's a good thing.

Depends what you're doing off course, but in the desert away from main pistes I'd rely on paper with GPS of course. And for me IGNs @ 1m do the job.
Or 200k if needed - all digitised as rasters on CD (below).

The IGN 200s are works of art (below). I would not describe Soviet maps like that.

Ch

[Surfy]

iPad and MotionX let you use different Mapsources like Google Road, Google Satellite, Google Hybrid View - what you can download before you go.

In Mauretania you can use it offline. You can too use other Mapsources like Openstreetmaps, Bing Road, Satellite. You can switch these downloaded Mapsources anytime, to look what gives you the best and most detailed overview.

We use this solution for our transafrica, very powerful! Specially between Cameroon till Angola there is no alternative to satellite hybrid view - this was very helpful.


Also to find a "quiet" spot for a wildcamp, the satellite view is the best you can get.

Offroad Navigation with MotionX
4x4tripping: Offroad Navigation mit MotionX HD (iPad)

MotionX the "custom Map" option
4x4tripping: Offroad Navigation mit MotionX - die neue "Custom Maps" Funktion

MotionX is fine for offroad navigation and orientation. You can see where you are, see where you was (trackrecording). It has no point to point Navigation, so it cant tell you when you had to go left or right.

For this you better use a road navigation app like TomTom Marocco. It covers too Mauretania and brings you a well sorted POI Database like ATMs, Fuel stations, Police who can be handy too.

The solution like showed here, just works on Apples iPhone or iPad. You will find a way with Android, but never so easy like showed here..

Surfy

[rkubin999]

Thanks everyone.

A few questions:
- Chris, what is a source for the digitized IGNs?
- what is source for the Russian maps online?
- how do I get the topo OSM download?

I came across the following 1:1,000,000 Operational Navigation Chart from u of texas archive:
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/onc/t...322829_j_2.jpg

On this map there appears to be a piste from Oudane south east to the road near Tichit. I have seen GPS coordinates somewhere that seem to follow this roughly (can't remember where I saw them). Is anyone aware of such a route?

Less than 6 months to departure!!! Getting excited!

Rick

[Chris Scott]

- Chris, what is a source for the digitized IGNs?

Darrs in Munich last time I looked, or bootleg copies of Darrs

- what is source for the Russian maps online?

Strictly speaking 'Soviet'. I thought Touratech bought them all off a guy called Quo Vadis and called them TTQV. Also available as bootleg.

Maps of the Sahara | Sahara Overland

- how do I get the topo OSM download?

Start somewhere here I suppose. Then it gets complicated.

If you're scanning Texas archives you may find US TPC (1:500k scale) better than ONC 1 millions.

But both ONC/TPC are pilot maps, not so useful for ground info (anything that looks like a track becomes a piste without differentiation).
Don't know of that route, maybe a Paris-Dakar stage or a route in Cyril Ribas' book - Mauritanie au GPS. Looks quite duney up north.

Ch

[Ulrich]

Hello,

You also can find digitalized and ECW-calibrated maps here:
www.desert-info.ch :: Thema anzeigen - Karten Welt 1 Mio - Afrika 2 Mio - Afrika 1 : 500/250 000

I think they also have 1:250.000 IGN maps for Mauritania (not shown in the overview - contact them for further informations). Maybe there is also a Mauritania one-sheet-map.

Greetings

Ulrich

[Whiskey]

@rkubin999

My Italian friend explained to me that is possible direct route from Ouadane over the dunes SE to Tichit. No piste at all! You must be very well supplied and experienced driver. You can expect to find deep and soft sand not driving more than few km's per such day. I can ask him in how many day's he passed through and his recomended supplies.

Piste heading East just before Ouadane, I think goes around the Guelb er Richat. Locals said that this piste is used by "Societe" guys from nearby mine ???


Thomas

[ydv]

My input:

Russian maps:
http://maps.vlasenko.net/
(bottom left corner you can find the links to 1:50000, 1:100000 etc.)

Africa Topo OSM (ready to install in Base Camp):
http://www.gmaptool.eu/en/content/africa-osm-topo

Other OSM Maps (excluding topo layer, routable)
http://garmin.openstreetmap.nl/

[rkubin999]

Originally Posted by Whiskey

@rkubin999

My Italian friend explained to me that is possible direct route from Ouadane over the dunes SE to Tichit. No piste at all! You must be very well supplied and experienced driver. You can expect to find deep and soft sand not driving more than few km's per such day. I can ask him in how many day's he passed through and his recomended supplies.

Piste heading East just before Ouadane, I think goes around the Guelb er Richat. Locals said that this piste is used by "Societe" guys from nearby mine ???


Thomas

Hi Thomas- thanks for the note. Yes, interested in info from your friend on days required and supplies. If he has any GPS coords that would be great as well.

Rick.

[ricgrey]

Both work in the World Maps,
Rich...