GSGS maps

Discussion in 'General' started by Alex1975uk, Aug 22, 2019.

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  1. Richard Lewis

    Richard Lewis Member

    Hello Stuart,

    Hope you’ve sorted it out.

    Most maps for download are JPG/JPEG or PDF which is straightforward for most people. The Library of Congress gives you a choice of JPEG, GIF, JPEG2000 or TIFF, whilst the Australian National University and Princeton University only have the option of TIFF.

    As you say, “a serious pain in the rear”. :mad:

    Richard
     
  2. Stuart Avery

    Stuart Avery In my wagon & not a muleteer.

    Hello Richard,

    Its not worked which is a real shame has I'm working on showing some photos of memorials and a headstone in time. I do have the Rimini, & Coriano in the 1:50.000 scale. I really would like all three if possible.? If not all three, then at least Montescudo, & Coriano?

    I do have all of the relevant war diaries & the regimental histories.

    Stu.
     
  3. Bedee

    Bedee Well-Known Member

    Stuart,

    I converted the maps to JPG, so please let me know your email address.
    I will send you a link with the Converted Maps, as you requested.

    After that we can close this thread.
     
  4. Stuart Avery

    Stuart Avery In my wagon & not a muleteer.

    Bedee,

    thank-you. I do appreciate what you have done. I don't think its wise to say ( "After that we can close this thread".) Its for others to say.

    Regards,

    Stu.
     
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  5. Stuart Avery

    Stuart Avery In my wagon & not a muleteer.

    Bedee,

    these three maps must of taken some time for you to convert. When you consider that 2MB is the maximum per post to Upload a file, then i don't have much chance of showing them on here! ;) Two maps at (111MB,& the other at 109MB).

    If anyone requires them, then i will send on? Once I've downloaded them that is. Alex, thanks for starting this thread.

    Regards,
    Stu.
     
  6. Bedee

    Bedee Well-Known Member

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  7. Stuart Avery

    Stuart Avery In my wagon & not a muleteer.

    Bedee,

    Bingo: They will do for me with the software that i have at the moment. I do need to get another laptop & more software that is up-to date. The present one is getting on for six years old & has been bashed about with a new original hard-drive & battery.

    Regards,
    Stu.
     
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  8. naltar

    naltar New Member

    Hello,

    A few comments on sites and formats used, some people might find it obvious, others, possibly, useful: mcmaster provide full resolution (600 dpi files) in tiff format, equivalent to (more or less) tif with lzw compression (lossless, i.e. no loss of quality). In short, opening such files requires a (relatively) powerful computer (fast processor, lots of ram), these are large files (400 - 600 Mb), and tiff files, once downloaded to local computer, need to be de-compressed by photoshop, etc. "on the fly". That said, lossless compression saves around 10 - 25% in size on each file. If you have thousands of files, as mcmaster do, it shaves off a terabyte here and there.

    I agree that jp2 is a disaster (not the only one, djvu is another), it's one of those closed formats that companies tried (and still do) to "monetise", but as the format hasn't been widely accepted, as, say, pdf has, we have this farce with plug-ins, conversion tools, etc. Nevertheless, jpg2 is much smaller, perhaps 1/10 of tif size, not only because mcmaster reduced jpg2 resolution, but because jpg2 uses a lossy image compression (more efficient, but proprietary and therefore "locked" variant of a jpg compression). The format comes from the bygone age when bandwidth (internet speed) was much lower / slower, and nobody could afford to download 500 Mb of data just for one map (plus providers, e.g. libraries, didn't have computers, and bandwidth to cope with "serving" such large files). So, jp2 kind of, limps on. I think, currently, mcmaster should just give up on jp2 and switch to jpg, would make life much easier for end users. That said, they provide full-size tifs, can’t complain about that…

    I think mcmaster does, relatively speaking, the best job by providing un-crippled, i.e. full-scan-resolution files, but yes, it comes at a "cost" - such files take longer to download and open (and I wouldn't try to open them in any internet browser, because even if a browser can open tifs, it would grind to a halt with even a jpg file that's over 40 Mb, never mind a 500 Mb tif or tiff. Browsers were simply not designed to handle such large files, they were created to open very small, poor quality jpg files, cat memes and ad banners, I suppose.

    To come back to the main subject, where to get GSGS files, recently mcmaster added about... 1530 GSGS / AMS scans of Germany 1:25,000, plus another 1,000 original German editions, mostly post-war. Well, yes, if anyone wonders, technically, some of those post-war German ones are in breach of copyright, but I still say, good for them, at least they're doing a lot of good work there, unlike our glorious BL). Also, as somebody already mentioned, the Library of Congress make available a relatively small (around 100+) scans for the Holland-Germany border area (I'm not sure if it's still GSGS 4414 or a different series, I vaguely recall it might be called "Eastern Holland").

    There's also a UK-based project called "A Vision of Britain through Time" (https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/maps). They do provide high resolution files (600 dpi) of GSGS maps that cover Europe (e.g. GSGS4072), but make it tedious to download more than one scan, by making you fill out a form (Who are you? / What is your subject area? / What are you using our data for?). That said, they only provide small-scale maps.

    Plus, of course, the site of the National Library of Australia, already mentioned by somebody else, full-size download (tifs), and they do keep improving the interface and keep adding new maps. Obviously, they can only scan what they have, and their holdings are rather limited as far as Europe is concerned.
    There's also the NLS (in Edinburgh), and while they have scanned an awful lot, they have, from the start (and well before that) made it very clear they don't want their collection freely available, as in "downloadable", so they only provide access via a "zoomify" or similar "control measure".

    Regards,

    n.
     
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  9. m kenny

    m kenny Senior Member

    That is why Microsoft ICE and the Dezoomify 'hacks' are so useful!
     
  10. Stuart Avery

    Stuart Avery In my wagon & not a muleteer.

    Hi Richard,

    you seem to be the chap when it comes to maps.I was just wondering if you could find a map for me in JPEG format ? Italy 1:25,000
    S.AGATA FELTRIA First Edition Sheet 108 I. I do have the one to the scale of 1:50,000 but it has far to much detail on it! Bedee, did provide me with that one. The Montescudo that he has provided is fine in the former scale.

    It would be a shame if i had to use Google earth photos, or maps? Your time on this is appreciated. I've resized everything else that I've had to.

    Regards,
    Stu.
     
  11. Richard Lewis

    Richard Lewis Member

    Hello Stuart,

    I think these are the 1:25,000 sheets that you are looking for:

    • 108 I NE, S. Marino
    • 108 I SE, S. Leo
    • 108 I SW, Novafèltria
    • 108 I NW, Montegelli

    Unfortunately I can’t find them on line, neither GSGS, German nor Italian versions. Sorry!

    Regards,

    Richard
     
  12. Stuart Avery

    Stuart Avery In my wagon & not a muleteer.

    I think you may have advised me in the past re Microsoft ICE? Not sure if you have still got the original version of it ? It was rather good. I lost it off my Laptop when my hard-drive went pear-shaped. Not sure about the updated version. It leaves black edges. I did stitch quite a few large maps with the original.:cool:

    Regards,
    Stu.
     
  13. Stuart Avery

    Stuart Avery In my wagon & not a muleteer.

    Hi Richard,

    thanks for your time. The one that i need is the part of San Marino. I will show a cropped version of the one that i have. Its rather detailed has mentioned. I could try & order some of the maps from Italy via another forum member. Not likely to happen for a while.

    I will have to use Google Earth.

    Regards,
    Stu.

    S Agata Feltria 108 L small.jpg
     
    Last edited: Apr 18, 2020
  14. Tony56

    Tony56 Member Patron

  15. Stuart Avery

    Stuart Avery In my wagon & not a muleteer.

    Hi Tony, I'm afraid its not any good. It may be at my end but it does look that sharp.

    It looks has if i will need the 108 I NE, S. Marino that Richard, has suggested. I will not know till i see it. This will be a real shame if i cant get this map? I've got the relevant war diaries, Official Histories, period photos & photos that I've taken whilst being on (two) battlefield studies of the Gothic Line. One chap of 1/9 GR got the VC for his part in this short battle.

    The area that i need is just to the north of San Marino. Borgo Maggiore, which can just be made-out in the map that i posted. I also need the road junction point 433-Point 456. The name of the chap who got the VC was Rifleman Sher Bahadur Thapa, 5 Ind Bde,
    4 Indian Division. Tony, thanks for your time. This will get on my nerves if this map can't be found?

    Regards,
    Stu.
     
    Last edited: Apr 25, 2020
  16. Tony56

    Tony56 Member Patron

    Stu, Think this may be too modern, but does it cover what you want? Scale is 1:25,000 and I an see a Point 433.
    Borgo.jpg
     
  17. Stuart Avery

    Stuart Avery In my wagon & not a muleteer.

    Tony, that looks good to me.

    It does look modern but its a vast improvement on what i have. Not seen that before. I will go with that. Can i start a PM with yourself so that you can email the map to me? How the hell did you come across it? It really does look good. Happy days. It even shows Valdragone which is bound three.

    Thank you for your time.:cheers:

    Stu.
     
  18. Richard Lewis

    Richard Lewis Member

    Hello Stuart,

    I don’t know if this is what you mean:

    Mappe IGM - Carte Topografiche IGM - su Maps-Store.it They say there is a delay due to the crisis but it seems they are taking orders.
    It looks like 108 I NE S. Marino is available, 1949 edition. However there is a minimum order of 4 maps, cost €5.37 each (Paper versions I assume).

    Or versions at €25 from the Italian Geographic Military Institute:
    1937 edition:
    108 I-NE (S. MARINO) Anno:1937 Serie 25V: riproduzione JPG a 300 DPI — IGM E-Commerce Site
    1949 edition:
    108 I-NE (S. MARINO) Anno:1949 Raster: Serie 25V, formato ED50 ritagliato, ultima edizione — IGM E-Commerce Site

    Regards,

    Richard
     
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  19. Stuart Avery

    Stuart Avery In my wagon & not a muleteer.

    Hi Richard,

    one of them is what i mean. With out checking with the chap that ordered them for me, then I'm not sure which one. I'm sure they will be of use to other forum members who may which to order any of the maps via either web-site. I cant recall how much i paid for each of the (eight maps) that make-up the Anzio Beachhead. I just know that they are rather large & detailed.

    The file below is the maps as one. Plenty of patience was required. I nearly lost it when I cocked-up the originals when it came to joining them together.:) The easy part was putting it on the staircase wall.

    Tony, has provided me with another link to another website which takes a while to get your head around. If he reads this post, then I'm sure that he'll provide it. Thank you to you both for your time.

    Regards,
    Stu. Edit: a difficult jigsaw.
    rsz_19_complete_&_on_the_staircase_wall.jpg
     
    Last edited: Apr 25, 2020
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  20. Tony56

    Tony56 Member Patron

    I'm on to it! - The Italian map site is:
    .:: Geoportale Nazionale ::.

    If using Google you can use the 'Translate to English' facility by right clicking anywhere on the screen, alternatively use the help (?) button, bottom right.

    This image shows the basic procedure:-
    Italy maps.jpg

    A couple of examples here:-

    Anzio
    Anzio.jpg

    Cassino

    Cassino.jpg

    Not saying the maps are GSGS and some areas look to be more modern than WW2 but many are from that era. If you want to use it as wallpaper, like Stu has, then you will need quite a few screen prints to stitch together!
     
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