Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!wuarchive!dogie.macc.wisc.edu!vms.macc.wisc.edu
From: jrstremikis@vms.macc.wisc.edu (John Stremikis)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.postscript
Subject: Geographical maps in PostScript
Message-ID: <3476@dogie.macc.wisc.edu>
Date: 13 Apr 90 14:37:10 GMT
Sender: news@dogie.macc.wisc.edu
Organization: University of Wisconsin
Lines: 34

I have appreciated the discussion and pointers to ftp
sources of world map coordinates.

While I've tried the PS programs posted, and like the 
results... I'm really not a PS programmer or hacker
(well... not very much of one).

Alt. 1: I've been very satisfied with using a combination of
McSink and Wingz (or Excel) to take the coordinates
and prepare a file for import to Super3D. (You may want to
scale the points up). 

Alt. 2: I've also been very satisfied to use McSink to add
tabs to the file, and then use Wingz' XY or Scatter graphing 
functions. Wingz does a _very nice_ job of labeling the
axes.

Alt. 3: Finally, I'm using Adobe Illustrator to create a "PostScript
template" of a very, very crude map. I open the "template"
in McSink, and focus on the very end, to get an idea of the
format Illustrator likes. Then, I use McSink to make the
geographical coordinates file "look like" what Illustrator
wants. (A lot like Marshall Jose suggested.) Finally, I
paste into the Illustrator file what McSink has assembled.

Illustrator will open the file nicely... for screen preview,
though, again, you may want to scale the points up 
somewhere in your process. It's also possible to add
singular points (such as a station location), and use
Illustrator's text tools to affix labels. Again, Marshall
Jose has done well in suggesting a way of getting started.
(For those of us once or twice removed from actual programming.)

John Stremikis