MAP Views

Avenza PDF Maps 1.4 has more new features for you to explore. One new feature is the ability to import your own KML points for use on a map. These points can represent anything from your favorite restaurants to GPS waypoints of your weekend hike. If you have MAPublisher, you can take full advantage of this feature by creating your own points with your own attributes. In this example, we'll be exporting points of interest to a KML/KMZ file from a Toronto map that we created in MAPublisher.

In a previous blog, we discussed about how to georeference Adobe Illustrator document using MAPublisher. To recap, below are four of the required items to to make georeferencing possible:

1. The scale of the map in the Adobe Illustrator document (e.g. 1 : 25,000,000, etc.)
2. Details of the coordinate system the data is in (e.g. World Robinson projection, WGS84 geodetic system, WGS84 UTM Zone 32 N, etc.)
3. The XY coordinates of one tie-in point in the coordinate system of your map in the Adobe Illustrator document
4. The map's rotation angle.

We found that the most tricky information to collect is the coordinate system of the map. It can be very easy if it is clealy indicated in a map like this:

If you are using an existing Adobe Illustrator file that was created without the use of MAPublisher, then it does not contain any geographic parameters. The following step will enable you to georeference your Adobe Illustrator document and ultimately create an attribute-rich, accurate scale and world grid structure for your map. Please familliarize yourself with the main MAPublisher functions and in particular those in the MAP Views section of the MAPublisher User Guide (chapter 4) before proceeding.

Before beginning to georeference an Adobe Illustrator file, you must be in posession of the following information:

• The map scale in the Adobe Illustrator file (e.g. 1:25,000 etc.)
• Details of the coordinate system the data is in (e.g. World Robinson projection, WGS84 geodetic system, WGS84 UTM Zone 32 N, etc.)
• The XY coordinates of one tie-in point in the coordinate system on the map in the Adobe Illustrator document
• Finally, the MAP rotation angle value.

When first creating a map, very often you will find yourself having to align GIS data, especially if it is found or supplied by various sources. You might find that the coordinate systems assigned to each of the datasets might be different. This can prove challenging for many cartographers and GIS users. However, with MAPublisher, you can transform and align your datasets to one coordinate system very easily using the MAP Views panel.

When transforming a world map in a geodetic system (such as WGS84) to a predefined projection (such as Robinson) using MAPublisher, the central meridian of the predefined projection should be set to 0 degree longitude as shown below.

Image 1: world map in WGS84

Image 2: world map in a predefined Robinson Projection