TransCAD

Creating Maps

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Creating Maps
 TransCAD draws maps using data from
geographic files stored on your computer, CD-
ROM, or file server. When you open one or more
geographic files, TransCAD creates a new map
window in which to display the layers.
 You can then use commands and tools to change
the geographic area that is shown on the map. You
can also use Create-a-Map WizardTM to
automatically select the appropriate geographic
files to display an area of your choosing.
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Creating a Map  There are three ways that you create a
new map with TransCAD:
 TransCAD comes with  Use Create-a-Map WizardTM.

dozens of different TransCAD automatically chooses

geographic files, and
lets you create and use
your own files too.
Each geographic file
contains a number of
map features, or
simply features.
the appropriate geographic data
files to display any location of your
choice.
 Open an existing map in the Map
Librarian. TransCAD automatically
opens the map for a location of
your choice.
 Manually choose one or more

geographic files. TransCAD opens

a new map that displays only the
files that you have chosen.
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 Using Create-a-Map WizardTM
 Create-a-Map Wizard lets you create maps in four
different ways:
 General Purpose Map – TransCAD chooses one or more
geographic files based on the area you want to see, and makes a
general purpose map like the ones you might find in a street map,
road atlas, map book, or telephone book.
 Open a Geographic File – You choose a geographic file and the
area you want to see, and TransCAD opens the file and zooms to
the desired location.
 Map of My Own Data – You choose a dBASE file or other
tabular data file that contains your own data, and TransCAD
looks through the file and figures out how to use the data to
make a map.
 Combine Existing Maps – You create a new map by mixing and
matching the layers that appear in your other maps.
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Start Create-a-Map
Wizard

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Using the Map Librarian
 When you use the Map Librarian, you
choose:
 The map library

 A category of maps within the map

library
 One or more maps from that category

 The marker that sets the map location

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Open Maps with the Map Librarian

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Creating a Map by Opening
Geographic Files
 When you open one or more geographic
files, TransCAD creates a new map and
displays features from the files as layers in
the map.
 You can open geographic files directly from
one of the TransCAD CDs, from a hard disk
or file server, or any combination of these.

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Create a Map by Opening
Geographic Files

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Moving Around a Map
 A paper map shows a limited geographic
area. You cannot change the area that is
shown or the size of individual features on
the map.
 A TransCAD map, however, is dynamic.
You can focus in on any specific area you
want, and change the map so that the
features you want to see are shown at the
size you want to see them. You do this by
changing the map’s scale and center.
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 Scale and Center
 Large scale maps make each
feature look larger, and show a
smaller geographic area.
 Small scale maps make each
feature look smaller, and show
a larger geographic area.
 The center of a map is the
location of the middle point of
the map.

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Using the Map Locator

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 Setting the Scale to a Value

•Ratio – A scale of 1:1,000 means that every feature on the

map is shown at one thousandth of its actual size.
•Miles per Inch – A scale of one inch = 100 miles means that
every inch on the map corresponds to 100 miles on the earth
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Saving, Closing,
and Retrieving
Maps

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Saving and
Retrieving
Workspaces

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Organizing Maps in a Map Library
 Libraries is for creating, adding, or
removing map libraries
 Contents is for adding, changing, or
removing categories and maps within the
current map library

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Configure Map Libraries

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Change the Contents of a Map Library

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Using other Geographic File Formats
 TransCAD provides direct support for these
geographic file formats:
 Records with a coordinate for a point, in any
ODBC database
 Points, lines, and areas stored in an Oracle
Version 7 (Spatial Data Option) or Version 8i
( Oracle Spatial) database.
 ESRI Shapefiles

 MapInfo TAB files

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Using ESRI Shapefiles as Map Layers

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