How to create a vector map for GPS displaying contour lines?

How to create the most modern vector map with equivalent horizontal lines like the 1 / 25 IGN map for your TwoNav GPS?

You can tell you right away that it's not trivial, but by following the guide, you can benefit from beautiful, very practical and free maps 😏. We propose a method in this article.

Preamble

The concept of getting a free vector or Garmin type map for TwoNav GPS “no terrain” is already the subject of articles available on UtagawaVTT.

The TwoNav GPS is designed to be used primarily with the IGN 1/25 map, however the user can, thanks to the very powerful Land software, import or create their own maps and integrate them into the GPS.

OSM vector map with level curve (equidistance 10 m) scale 1/8 (correct scale for mountain biking is 000/1 / 15/0000), track color modulated by slope.

Regardless of the GPS provider (TwoNav or "others"), in principle, maps are available periodically, there is always a gap between the reality on the ground and the "onboard" map.

Importing a tile or slice of OpenStreetMap without using the services of a mapping platform or turnkey site allows you to get an updated version within the previous hour so that an OpenStreetMap contributor can immediately benefit from their contribution.

In this lesson, the author reflects on a specific mountain bike ride or competition held outside of his comfort space, so he should get a map.

This is a specific situation where, depending on the country you have visited, obtaining a card can be difficult or even costly.

Importing an OSM slab or tile

Creating an OpenStreetMap Account

• Go to OpenStreetMap (Open an account if necessary)

Selecting the geographic area of ​​interest (slab or tile)

Opened account:

• Hover / center the screen on the target geographic area,
• If we have a trace (outline)
  • Import the Gpx tracing into OpenStreet: TraceGPS Menu.

Rest assured, refresh the screen to see the graph is “loaded”.

1. Center / crop the map displayed on the screen,
2. Load / import track to OSM:
   • Edit menu,
   • Center / Scale This second solution allows you to import with confidence the tiles that cover your playing field.

Importing a vector tile / slab

In the Export menu, click Api Overpass.

• Follow the loading process in the lower left corner of the screen,
• The “map” file is imported into the download folder in a few minutes.

Rename the map file with the extension “.osm”: it becomes map.osm

Creating a vector map Land

• Open Land software

  • Open the map.osm file
  • Save this file in mpvf format (macartevectorielle.mpvf) so that this map (tile) can be used by GPS

Vector tile / slab is now available for Land and GPS.

The next step is to add a contour layer to represent the relief.

Import assistance

Refer to the guide on how to set an accurate DEM in TwoNav GPS as part of our guide, all you have to do is import and load the tiles for the respective country into a working directory.

1. Connect to the site https://data.opendataportal.at/dataset/dtm-france
2. Download the tiles corresponding to the selected country or geographic sector.

To create contour lines, you need to install the free QGIS software on your computer.

Creating curves

Qgis is a Swiss army knife software that allows you to manipulate different types of data to create a map.

Link to the QGIS installation site

After installation, you need to add some extensions (plugin), in particular OpenLayerPlugin.

Installing plugins / extensions

• How to do it, just follow this guide,
• Which plugins to install: marked in the following image

If the extension is not listed:

Select the relief that matches the map

1. Open Qgis, don't forget to save the project,
2. Open the OSM basemap, Internet menu (this is a plugin ..).

1. In the left window of "Explorer" open the folder with relief tiles,
2. drag the slab into the Layer window.

The relatively large size of these slabs allows you to quickly "find" the correct slab (s).

If you have a track, route, or track included in the map perimeter, in the explorer window, select the folder in which the track is recorded, then drag the track into the layers window to view your track in terrain.

Leave only useful tiles / tiles in the layer window

Combine embossed tiles if (and only if) your ROI spans more than one tile

Menu of three small dots "...", mark only the tiles you want to combine, return with the arrow and select the recording format * .tif

Adapt relief zone to vector map

1. In the ground
2. Open map “macartevectorielle.mpvf«
3. Use zoom to view the entire slab
4. Construct a new road / track (gpx) bounding the map outline (frame),
5. Save this track “Emprise_relief_aiuto.gpx”

The illustration below shows a vector map and a digital terrain model (map.cdem) built using this tutorial.

With Qgis:

1. In layer window: leave only merged relief layer (* .tif)
2. Drag the frame file.gpx from the Explorer window to the Layer window. "Emprise_relief_utile.gpx" defined in the previous step.

If your trace is being dragged into the layer window, you can ensure overall consistency by checking the box.

The raster menu allows you to specify that combined relief layer must be cut according to materialization structure vector capture map.

Generate curves

Two parameters to define:

1. Vertical equidistance:
   • 5 m, on plain or hilly terrain,
   • 10 m, in the middle of a mountain or in steep valleys,
   • 20 m, in the mountains.
2. File storage folder and .shp file format

Qgis extracts curves, they have an unusual color, clicking on the “Properties” layer of the curve allows you to choose the color, thickness and appearance of the curves. only in Qgis.

Once you have a Gpx file, all you have to do is find it in explorer and drag it into the layer window to make sure the curves cover the useful slab.

Link curves and map

From Land, menu open map:

• Open the map (vector tile),

• Open file "curves deiveau.shp»From the stage of creating a curve

  Curves are superimposed (in front) on the vector map. The card closest to the root of the card is placed on top of the others.

Right click on the layer: Properties (you have enough patience to come!)

Save the level curves layer as “contour lines.mpvf"

For each of the two mpvf maps: right click layer => save plasticine.

The clay file stores personalization, appearance and visual characteristics of objects on the map. It must be in the same directory as the * .mpvf card.

These two maps are now available and can be used by Land and GPS.

Land allows you to create a file that "encapsulates" the two maps. To facilitate the transfer to GPS, it is preferable (not necessarily and not to impose, but simply more flexibly) to group the files in one folder. There will only be one file to duplicate, and the whole will remain "computer" consistent.

Create an example folder: CarteRaidVickingVect

In the ground

Rename your hypermap and save it in the same path as the folder. MapRaidVickingVect (!! not in this folder !!).

This "trick" allows you to have a folder tree that can be transferred to GPS and to the Earth, just copy or move these two lines at the same time to the directory ... / map (example below) GPS and / or Land to have an identical map on these two pillars.

Open our two vector tiles from the folder we created earlier.

Drag two mpvf maps onto imp map, level curve layer tuzhur at the top of the list.

Clay format files allow you to find the graphic aspect. It is possible to customize the graphics of the paths or paths of the “OSM” slab, you just need to expand the layer of this slab, click the layer icon, then adjust the properties of the corresponding sublayer, do not forget to save the clay (right click the layer and save ...).

Then Land created a hypercap in imp format, save this map (Save). Now it is enough to open only this hypermap.

*CompeGPS MAP File*  
 Version=2 VerCompeGPS=8.9.2 Projection= Coordinates=1 Datum=WGS 84 
   

You can :

• adapt, for example, the zoom level to your needs,

• place files of different resolutions to adapt the scale
• mix vector map and raster IGN map for simultaneous display of both types of maps on the screen

Example of OSM sublevel configuration

File transfer to GPS

Copy the data directory containing the maps (defined above) to / map GPS, copy the hyper map format.imp file to / map GPS.

Tip: To make adjustments or customize the graphical appearance of the map shown on the GPS screen: GPS connected to a PC via a USB cable, open the RaidVickingVect.imp map copied to the GPS in Land, save your settings, without forgetting to save the layer settings in a file clay.

Use in GPS

GPS displays tiles in two ways:

• R icon: directory where your files are stored,
• V icon: for each vector map.

When R “Bitmap” is checked (as shown below): Two maps are displayed. If the V "Vector" icon is checked, both must be checked. Place the curved layer at the top of the list.

Final rendering in GPS (in the screenshot, the image resolution is 72 dpi, on the GPS screen this is an image resolution of about 300 dpi, that is, the resolution is increased 4 times on the GPS screen). Note that the setting for the sky blue paths for the Land demo is indeed present in the GPS. The zoom level in this screenshot is 1/8, which is double that of a regular mountain bike. Personalization allows you to tailor the look and decide whether to display map elements (such as a photo icon).

As part of this "demo" in the image below, personalization made the "cameras" disappear; Under the tourism layer are crossed out.

In the image below, the zoom level is 1/15.

Finally, a screenshot of the GPS screen (image below), which opens up a field of different possibilities. Presented at the same time:

• OSM vector tile,
• Contour tiles,
• IGN card 1 / 50 (relevant country),

Note:

• That the curves "match" the IGN curves, therefore the DEM used is reliable,
• Personalization allows you to place vector elements in front of or behind the IGN map,

The user can:

• Eliminating delays or gaps in updating various maps,
• highlight singles (example ...),
• add a relief layer "DEM" so that the map is in 2D or 3D.

Or just get a vector elevation map.

An example of setting up a map, two screenshots of the GPS screen (72 dpi / 300 dpi screen, which is 4 times better) this is the same village, the image on the right is slightly enlarged. What was personalized: the thickness of the curves is 2 pixels instead of 1 pixel, the color of crops, forests, the design of buildings. Everything is customizable, and to transfer or transfer this personalization from one card to another, it is enough to duplicate the clay file.