Natmap Digital Maps 2008

About NATMAP Digital Maps

NATMAP Digital Maps 2008 is the next generation of Geoscience Australia's popular NATMAP Raster 1:250 000 scale topographic digital maps.

NATMAP Digital Maps 2008 are exact digital copies of Geoscience Australia's NATMAP topographic maps. They cover the whole of Australia at 1:250 000 scale, and are current to 2006.

NATMAP Digital Maps 2008 comprises an improved Map Viewer and latest release 1:250 000 scale topographic digital maps which are ideal for a range of professional and recreational uses. The digital maps are provided in ECW image format, a type of 'Raster' format - the term Raster is used frequently throughout this guide and refers to tools and map data used in NATMAP Digital Maps 2008.

NATMAP Digital Maps 2008 have a wide variety of professional and recreational uses, including:

• real-time navigation with global positioning systems (GPS)
• route and adventure planning
• as backdrops in geographic information systems (GIS), where other information is overlaid and analysed
• map-based presentations
• a convenient and compact method of storing maps. 

NATMAP Digital Maps 2008 contains all the software needed to use the maps on the Microsoft Windows 98, ME, 2000 or XP as well as Vista operating systems and Internet Explorer 5.5 or later (refer minimum system requirements). This product has not been developed or tested on Macintosh operating systems.

Major features

• Includes all published 1:250 000 scale NATMAPs up to July 2006.
• Landsat 7 satellite image of Australia.
• Load maps by selecting from more than 322,000 place names, coordinates, NATMAP name or by using the index map.
• Transition viewer allows one map to be placed over another with a variable transparency slider tool included (new in 2008).
• Split View allows two maps or a map and satellite image to be viewed and compared side by side (new in 2008).
• Measure distances on-screen.
• Display coordinates as latitude/longitude or grid coordinates on either the GDA or AGD datum.
• Image resolution 200dpi.
• Overview windows provide convenient indication of the location of the map on display in relation to the surrounding region and Australia.
• Includes software to select, view and manage the digital maps.
• Compatible with select GPS software such as OziExplorer or TrackRanger.
• Compatible with many GIS and graphics packages, either by direct viewing or by exporting to GeoTIFF, TIFF, JPEG, Bitmap, or PNG formats.
• Print maps for area of interest.
• Dynamic scale bar changes as you zoom.
• Ideal for laptop or desktop computers.

• Eight MGA94 maps provided as a single mosaic for each UTM zone (UTM zones 49-56) - suitable for measuring distances and areas.
• All 514 mapsheets joined into a seamless map mosaic at 1:250 000 scale (Geographic/Equirectangular projection) - suitable for location based activities.
• Small scale reference maps at 1:1 million; 1:5 million and 1:20 million scales.
• 2005 Landsat Satellite image of Australia (25 metre pixel size).
• Natmap Digital Maps 2008 Viewer software (version 1.6).

What features have been updated in the 2008 versions?

• Inclusion of maps revised to July 2006.
• Improved installation and software setup.
• Microsoft Vista compatibility.
• One (Premium equivalent) version only, replacing standard and premium versions.
• Updated place names - Gazetteer of Australia 2006 Release.
• New Transition Viewer allows one map to be placed over another with a variable transparency slider tool included.
• New Split View allows two maps or a map and satellite image to be viewed and compared side by side.

Are upgrades available for users of previous versions?

If you want the updated maps and functionality found in NATMAP Digital Maps 2008, you will need to buy the new version. No upgrades are available for this product.

System requirements

Geoscience Australia provides easy to follow self-help resources for users - the User Guide contains useful trouble shooting tips and a list of frequently asked questions.