Updated Raster and Vector format support With version 1.5 moving to a newer (2.4.4) version of the GDAL libraries, Cartographica is now supporting a variety of new Raster and Vector formats. Note that there are some file formats which we haven't been able to test, due to lack of example files. GDAL writers have tested previously (presumably), but if you can help us out with example files for these formats, please contact Support. New Vector Formats OpenStreetMap OSM and PBF files (no tests) Geomedia MDB EDI Geo SVG IDRISI Vector ARC/Info Generate files SEG-P1 / UKOOA P1 …

Fracking has become a hot button topic among environmentalists and politicians over the past 10 years. Shale Gas is a type of natural gas found deep within shale rock formations. In 2000 shale gas provided only 1% of U.S. natural gas production; by 2010 it was over 20% and the U.S. government's Energy Information Administration predicts that by 2035 46% of the United States' natural gas supply will come from shale gas (Wikipedia, 2013). There is significant debate about whether fracking should be increased to these levels due to the environmental risks associated with the fracking process. Opponents …

According to a recent article on Burrito Justice, during the Cold War the Russian government spent a lot of time and effort to create detailed maps of the many places in the world as potential targets for their military. The maps detail many different aspects such as elevation, water ways, and even streets that would be passable by tanks and other military vehicles. Now that the Cold War is over we can talk about the absurdity of it all and enjoy the hard work that the Russians put forth to make a series of really nice maps. The best location …

Usually, our blog posts are all about the business of using Cartographica for analysis or for some other professional application. But, I am here to tell you that Cartographica can be used for exploring, and for viewing some of the most interesting locations on the planet. In a recent CNN article titled "Where Planes go to Die" author Thom Patterson points out some of the best aerospace sights on the planet. In checking out some of Patterson's suggestions I realized that Cartographica really allows you to explore and view interesting places without needing to do much work. Cartographica can be …

MapQuest has recently made available, through information on their developer website, access to their tile servers for OpenStreetMap-style tiles of satellite imagery (mostly from government sources) and their street databases. Because both CartoMobile and Cartographica support customized OpenStreetMap-style tile sources, you can now add these to your maps. Cartographica Desktop Within an existing mapset, add a new live layer by choosing File > Add Live Map… Choose Other OpenStreetMap Server: from the list of sources Type the following into the URL box: http://oatile1.mqcdn.com/tiles/1.0.0/sat Click Add A new layer named OpenStreetMap Live will …

There are a lot of mobile mapping applications for iOS, and even with that as a backdrop, we decided to develop and release CartoMobile because we saw a place for a sophisticated and easy-to-use App for creating and accessing your geospatial data from anywhere. We're often asked what sets CartoMobile apart from other mapping Apps for iOS. Basically, we believe that you should be able to have easy access to your data on the go. Here's how we have done this: No Need to Import/Export — CartoMobile handles shapefiles and raster files directly. There's no need to do any coordinate …

Recent reports have indicated that North Korea is planning a nuclear weapons test in the near future. The possibility of this test has been confirmed by multiple governments including South Korea and the United States. According to this article by the Associated Press North Korea successfully performed two nuclear test in 2006 and 2009. The nuclear tests have come under scrutiny by the United States and other countries. The discovery of the nuclear test came through observations made by satellite imagery of the test site location. Take a look at this article's satellite imagery. Simultaneously, North Korea is also planning …

In recent weeks there has been talk about the increasing risk of Iran's nuclear program promoting potential for Israeli preemptive attacks. I wanted to use this post for dual purposes. First, I had a general curiosity about the location of Iranian nuclear facilities so I thought I would try to find a reliable source of information to create a few maps highlighting the locations of these facilities. The best source that I found in my short period of research was from a document created by the Congressional Research Service at the Library of Congress. In the report written by Hussein …