DeLorme Topo North America is an exciting new mapping software for those
who need topographic maps for personal or professional use. Here are some
of the most important features:
Complete topographic map coverage of the United States and Canada
Road and city map coverage of Mexico
The maps are more recently updated than most USGS 1:24,000 scale maps
Great road and trail identification
View and print at 15 different zoom levels of detail
View maps in 3D or in shaded relief
Map annotation tools for text, lines, waypoints
Download tracks and waypoints from your GPS
Create routes and waypoints on your computer and upload to your GPS
Operating Systems PC: Microsoft® Windows® 7 (all versions) with 1GB of RAM (2+ GB recommended), Windows Vista® (all versions) with 512 MB RAM (1+ GB recommended), Windows XP (Service Pack 2 or later) with 512 MB RAM (1+ GB recommended), Windows Regional Options set to English, United States, Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0 or later.
Macintosh: Compatible with Intel-based Macintosh computers running Boot Camp® for Windows XP/Vista/7.
Hardware: 1.5 GHz or higher processor, Pentium 4, Athlon 64 or later, 2 GB of available hard-disk space (8 GB if all map data for North America is loaded to hard drive), DVD-ROM Drive, 1024 x 768 screen resolution or higher, 3D-capable video card with 64 MB VRAM (128+ MB recommended).
For GPS Use: Compatible with DeLorme Earthmate PN-30 and higher GPS receivers (the PN-20 is no longer compatible).
I have personally used almost all of the topo mapping packages available
and believe that DeLorme Topo North America is the most up-to-date and also
gives you the most value for your money. Here are the reasons:
you get detailed mapping for all of North America instead of a single state,
you can use multiple zoom levels that go even more detailed than a USGS 1:24,000 scale map,
the program can be used to upload and download GPS routes, tracks and waypoints from computer to GPS,
you get a powerful software package that can be used to manipulate the maps in many different ways (see samples below),
DeLorme has added lots of road names and route numbers that are not shown in any of the other mapping packages,
the maps are more up-to-date than a typical USGS quadrangle
