CalTopo has been having some performance issues lately, no point in trying to pretend otherwise. Behind the scenes, there two different platforms: a Python/Mapnik/PostGIS stack that powers MapBuilder and auto-routing, and a Java app for everything else. MapBuilder has been struggling for a while, but lately that started bleeding over into the rest of the […]
In the very beginning, I started what would ultimately become CalTopo as a hobby project focused on offline environments – a command post or tailgate somewhere off in the woods far away from the nearest internet connection. As CalTopo grew, that ability for entirely self-contained operation has remained as a little known but fundamental building […]
In my last blog post, I mentioned that I spent the tail end of 2016 cooking up some new map layers. Well, here we go. Terrain Shading and Custom ReliefIn SAR, it’s not uncommon to have a group of people huddled around a large-format map, looking at it from all angles. While relief shading helps […]
The CalTopo blog has been quiet since spring, but that doesn’t mean a lack of progress, much less a lack of work. Time to take a quick look back at the second half of 2016. First, the personal front. CalTopo has been my full-time job since May, and although it’s averaged more than 40 hours […]
At the beginning of 2015, I tried selling statewide BirdsEye(TM)-format maps on MicroSD cards. Because Garmin locks your GPS’s firmware, you need to install an unlocked copy in order get maps from anywhere other than their paid BirdsEye subscription service. A naked cash grab if there ever was one; Garmin would apparently prefer to milk its […]
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