Not every map project covers unmapped terrain. Actually, it is quite likely that an older orienteering map of the same area already exists.
As our environment is constantly changing, sooner or later orienteering maps have to be updated. But how is this best done?
We have created a Wiki page about Updating Orienteering Maps in OCAD. It contains a possible workflow, as well as numerous tips and suitable functions.
Have fun reading it.
SPORTident has launched a major update in June 2020 of its Orienteering App.
Thanks to a cooperation between OCAD and SPORTident, the latest OCAD Update includes the function Upload to SPORTident Center.
SPORTident Center is the results platform for orienteering events. Maps and courses created with OCAD can be imported directly into a new or existing event in SPORTident Center and are immediately available in the Orienteering App afterwards.
Have a look at the example of a small event yourself.
More about the Upload fom OCAD to SPORTident Center:
More about the SPORTident Orienteering App:
SAS.Planet is a free application used to view and download satellite images submitted by such services as Google Maps, Bing Maps, Yandex.maps, Yahoo! Maps and many more.
The satellite images can be downloaded and then loaded into OCAD as georeferenced background maps.
We can recommend the following workaround:
1. Download SAS.Planet from the web and run the application.
2. Zoom to your desired location and select an extend.
3. Open the Selection Manager and edit the tab Stitch. Don’t forget to create a file for georeferencing. We’ve chosen the settings as follows.
4. Start the download.
5. Open a map project in OCAD. Your map needs to be georeferenced. To georeference a new map, you can use the New Map Wizard.
6. Go to Menu Background>Manage>Open.
7. Choose your downloaded satellite images. As they most probably do not have the same coordinate system as your map project, you need to transform the satellite images. Choose Google Mercator as coordinate system.
8. Click OK and the satellite images appear as georeferenced background maps.
Orienteering maps should been drawn according to the International Specification for Orienteering Maps (ISOM). This ensures that different types of terrain around the world are mapped with the same symbols that every orienteer understands.
These specifications are updated from time to time. For example, the specifications for Forest Maps (ISOM 2017) and Sprint Maps (ISSprOM 2019) have recently been revised. Orienteering maps, which were still drawn with symbols of an old specification, can be easily updated to the current specifications in OCAD.
Sometimes it’s tricky to find out which symbol set is the current one or with which symbol set a map was drawn. The wiki page Symbol Set Overview was created for this purpose.
A demonstration how to update a Sprint Map from ISSOM 2007 to ISSprOM 2019 can be seen here.
Have you always wanted to get to know your home better? Do you have to entertain the kids somehow? Or maybe you just have some more time and want to make your first map?
Then let’s start and map your home with our new symbol set.
The following three steps will give you a good start.
#1: If you are not yet working with OCAD, download and install OCAD Trial. Choose the Orienteering Edition.
#2: Download the MapYourHome_SymbolSet.ocd from our website or directly here.
#3: Watch this short video on YouTube, which helps you to set up a map.
If you want to learn more about OCAD and how to use it, please go to the OCAD Quick Start Wiki page. For more advanced users, we can recommend the Tutorial Drawing Orienteering Maps in OCAD.