Useful map/aerial photo software

I tried an earlier version of USAPhotomaps that didn't work well on my system. But the latest version works like a charm and is amazingly useful for locating or drawing bicycle routes, both on and off-road.

It could also be very useful for bicycle and pedestrian planning.

From the USAPhotomaps web site:

USAPhotoMaps downloads aerial photo and topo map data from Microsoft's free TerraServer Web site, saves it on your hard drive, and creates seamless maps from it. You can:

# Scroll and zoom
# See the latitude/longitude
# Add waypoints, routes, and text
# Jump to any waypoint or latitude/longitude in the U.S.A.
# Transfer waypoints, tracks, and routes to and from most GPS receivers
# See your GPS location
# And much more.

Just for example, using the software I was able to draw the outline of a route I commonly ride around my neighborhood and instantly find out how long the route is. It is easy to print the map with the route overlaid.

You can use the software for free, although there is a screen that pops up when the program ends requesting a donation (though this is rather simple and unobtrusive, in comparison to other similar "nag screens", which can be VERY annoying).

[via the mid-america-mtb email list]