NWA-PCUG Newsletter Article
Street Atlas USA v4.0 by DeLorme
A Review by John R. Clark - January 97
rcmahq@nwark.com
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Would you like to print your own custom maps where you control the scale and place your comments on it. Street Atlas USA is for you. {Whats more these maps may be saved and E-mailed to anyone who has the same product.}

No longer will the place you are looking for be off the map or in the corner of a map. With "Street Atlas USA" by DeLorme you can place just about any known location in the center of your map and place it there in a scale down to 1/10th mile per inch. Even if you don't know where it is you can just enter the street address and Zip code and this product will locate it for you automagically. You are also able to locate by area code and phone exchange as well as by city name.

If you think I like this product you are correct, but I also like and own their "MAPeXpert", "Global eXplorer" "Map & Go", and version 3 of "Street Atlas". This 4th version has some definite improvements and a few drawbacks.

Improvements: Over 60 tips are available when you load the CD-ROM which solve most questions a beginner would have in using a new product. Once mastered these tips may be turned off. Version 4.0 has both County boundaries and Zip Code boundaries visible at certain levels of magnification as with mountain peaks and altitudes. At magnitude 10 many mile markers and picnic rest spots along the US Interstate roads are shown. The road distance between two points may be determined. In several cases the location of country cemeteries are show.

For a person who has moved away from his home town, this product will remind you of many locations you may have remembered from your youth. This may appear to be a drawback the first time you view such a map, for the display can appear as nothing but names. However by centering on a given spot and moving to a higher magnification you will find a great improvement.

Since the movement to 911 for emergency calls, all the country roads have received names. Those names are included with this product. Also all those little twists and turns in country roads and the names of the various creeks and streams.

Street maps for all the cities and small towns are shown, and when the magnification is level 12 or higher these streets are clearly identified. This means if you plan a trip you can print different maps, one to get you close, and another to get you to the point.

This is one of the CD-ROMS that I would recommend to anyone without any reservations. Is it 100% accurate? No, with this much data there are bound to be a few errors like the placement of Springdale Airport on the east side of Hwy 265. However if you go to our meeting site and can't find the airport, I don't think a map will help you.

Next month I will continue this review with a report on how you can hook up your GPS receiver to the computer in your car and watch your progress on your trip.

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