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Topographic Mapping

NATMAP Digital Maps - Troubleshooting 2003 Release

 

Please note: Geoscience Australia no longer supports the 2003 Releases of NATMAP Raster Mosaic or NATMAP Raster Mapsheets, and we recommend that users upgrade to the latest version of this product, NATMAP Digital Maps 2008 Release. The 2005 versions - NATMAP Raster Premium 2005 and NATMAP Raster 2005 - are now subject to limited support only and this support will be withdrawn when NATMAP Digital Maps 2008 has been available for one year.

 

Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 Issues

An issue has been identified with the latest release of Microsoft's Internet Explorer 7. If you have upgraded to Internet Explorer 7 and are now experiencing difficulties with either NATMAP Raster Mapsheets 2003 or NATMAP Raster Mosaic 2003, download a patch here (raster2003_fix_ie7.exe [15MB]). Save this file temporarily to your hard drive, then run.

This patch is only available online. Users unable to download the patch should consider upgrading to the latest version of this product, NATMAP Digital Maps 2008 Release.


[back to top]

Windows XP Service Pack 2 Issues

An issue has been identified with changes to the Internet Explorer 6 web browser, introduced by Windows XP Service Pack 2. More detailed information on the problem and some fixes are available.

Installing

I want to copy all maps to the hard drive and install the Viewer from there. Is there an easy way to do this?

You can now download a file to copy the maps to your hard drive correctly and then run the Setup program. This batch file has been thoroughly tested and is virus free. It should work on all Windows platforms (not tested on Vista).

  1. Download the setupHD.bat file and save it to your computer.
  2. Run the setupHD.bat file. You will be prompted to enter your CD drive letter (in most cases this is D or E) and to load CD1 into your CD drive.
  3. Once CD1 has finished copying, insert CD2 and press any key to continue.
  4. The installation process will begin as soon as the contents of CD2 have been copied to your hard drive.

Note that this batch file creates a folder on your C: drive called 'natmap'.

You also need at least 1.3Gb of free space on your C: drive in order to copy all the maps from either Mapsheets or Mosaic.

If you already have the latest version of the Viewer installed on your computer, click the Cancel button when the Setup program begins running.

Posted 4 May 2004

I load the CD in and nothing happens. Isn't there an AutoRun?

There is no AutoRun feature on the CD.

Many users have their Viewer configured to read maps off the CDs. If there was an AutoRun feature, then it would try to run the Setup program every time the user was asked to swap CDs (which isn't very desirable). Therefore, no AutoRun feature was added.

I load the CD and start Setup. I get an error message that says "This is not a valid Win32 application" or "This is not a system32 application".

This is caused by one of the following:

  • problem with your CD-ROM driver;
  • an incorrectly downloaded file (not appropriate here); or
  • a virus.

To work around this problem, you need to run the Setup from your hard drive instead of the CD. You can do this by either:

  1. Full hard drive installation: follow these instructions.
  2. Install from hard drive but leave maps on CD: Copy just the setup files (all files from the top level of your hard drive except for the 'Rasters' folder) to a folder on your hard drive. Run Setup.exe from your hard drive. Once the Start screen is loaded, exit from the program, and launch the Raster Configurator. Specify where on your CD your maps are located by following the steps for adding a search path. This will load the correct location of the maps into the Viewer software.

If the problem is your CD-ROM driver, you will need to obtain a new driver. Check your computer manual and/or contact your place of purchase for more information (you may be able to download one for free).

Updated 4 May 2004

When installing, I get an error with error code "0x80040707".

This is caused by an incompatability between some Windows XP machines and InstallShield. A solution and more information is now available.

When installing, I get the following error message:

Error number: 0x80070725
Description: Incompatible version of the RPC stub
Error Message 0x80070725

This happens because of an incompatible version of OLEAUT32.dll in your Windows system directory. If you are using Windows NT 4 or Windows 2000 please refer to Microsoft Knowledge Base Article Q321915 . If you are using Windows 98 please try the following steps (you will need your Windows 98 installation CD-ROM in your CD drive):

  1. Search for OLEAUT32.dll on your computer. Make a back up copy of this file somewhere on your system (in case you need to restore it).
  2. Select Start/Run and type in sfc to activate the System File Checker utility.
  3. Select option 2 - "Extract one file from installation disk".
  4. Enter oleaut32.dll in the space provided.
  5. Press Start (in the SFC box).
  6. In the Restore From window, enter the path to your CD (this will vary according to your PC setup) and press OK.
  7. The original OLEAUT32.dll file will be restored - you will then need to reboot your computer to complete the process.

You should now be able to install Raster Mapsheets or Mosaic 2003.

 

I am using Windows NT. Why does a desktop icon not appear?

On some NT machines and systems the desktop icon for NATMAP Raster may not appear because of administrative restrictions. Please check with your system administrator. More information can be found in the Installation chapter in the User Guide.

Why can't the Viewer find the maps after I have copied the maps to my hard drive?

When copying maps to your C: drive or another network drive, ensure that:

  1. the maps from each CD are still stored in directories called "cd1" and "cd2" in the chosen directory. For example, you have created a directory on your C: drive called "C:Natmap"; in this directory you would have copied the "mapdata.txt" file and created two directories called "cd1" and "cd2", which contain the maps on CD1 and CD2 respectively.
  2. the search path for the Viewer to find the maps is set to the correct directory (in this example, the Configurator would need to be set to C:Natmap in order for the maps to load correctly).

Refer to the RASTER VIEWER CONFIGURATOR section for more details.

Updated 30 January 2004

I get the following self-registration error message:

"One or more files did not properly self-register.

Following files did not self-register:

 

  1. C:Program FilesEarth Resource MappingImage Web ServerClientNCSecw.dll. The specified procedure could not be found.
  2. C:Program FilesEarth Resource MappingImage Web ServerClientNCSView.dll. The specified procedure could not be found.
  3. C:Program FilesEarth Resource MappingImage Web ServerClientNCSAddOn.dll. The specified procedure could not be found."

 

This error occurs when an ECW plug-in (such as the Arc/Info ECW plug-in) or another piece of software that can read ECW files is installed that uses later versions of shared files than that used in NATMAP Raster.

If you no longer need the ECW plug-in, uninstall it. Reinstall NATMAP Raster.

If you still need the ECW plug-in, or you are unable to uninstall the plug-in, try either of the following:

  • Uninstall Raster. Rename the folder C:Program FilesEarth Resource MappingImage Web ServerClient to something like Client_old or Client_plugin. Reinstall Raster.
  • copy all the files in the C:Program FilesEarth Resource MappingImage Web ServerClient directory that start with NCS and have a .dll extension. If you are using Windows NT, paste these files into C:WinNTsystem32; otherwise paste the files into C:Windowssystem. Run Raster.

 

I get the following self-registration error message:

e.g. "The following files did not self-register:

  1. C:Program FilesNatmapNATMAP RASTER VIEWER1.4ControlsECWConverter.ocx. A device attached to the system is not functioning.
  2. C:Program FilesNatmapNATMAP RASTER VIEWER1.4ControlsGazetteerControl.ocx. A device attached to the system is not functioning.
  3. C:Program FilesNatmapNATMAP RASTER VIEWER1.4ControlsMapDataControl.ocx. A device attached to the system is not functioning.
  4. C:Program FilesNatmapNATMAP RASTER VIEWER1.4ControlsRedfearn.ocx. A device attached to the system is not functioning."

 

Try the following:

  • Check your version of Internet Explorer. We recommend Internet Explorer v5.5 but no earlier than v5.0. You may need to reinstall a later version.
  • Manually register files using the regsvr32 command. Click on Start > Run..., then in the dialog box type "regsvr32" plus the full path name and file name. Include quotes if any names have spaces. You can also drag the icon representing the file from Windows Explorer into the dialog box rather than typing the path and file name.
    The line in the dialog box should read: regsvr32 "{installation path}{filename}". Hit OK and the file may register.
  • You may have old versions of some operating system files, particularly if you are running Windows98. The files possibly causing the problem are msvcrt.dll and mfc42.dll, located in the System directory. Check the Microsoft website for more up-to-date versions (you need msvcrt.dll v6.10.8637.0 or later, and mfc42.dll v6.00.8665.0 or later). Rename any existing versions on your computer, and download the updated versions into the same directory.

 

Starting the Viewer and using the Configurator

Initialisation Problems

If you have not inserted a NATMAP Raster CD into your CD drive or if you have changed your system since the last time it was run - for example, if you have copied all of the map data files to your hard drive - you will be presented with the following screen:

Raster Viewer initialization error dialog box

If you insert a CD and choose Retry and the mapdata.txt file is still not found, you will be presented with the same screen. You should probably choose Setup at this stage.

Choosing Setup will present you with the following screen:

Prompt for selecting correct mapdata.txt file

Choose OK and you will be presented with the standard File Open box. Use the dialog box to select the mapsmapdata.txt file, then press OK. For example:

Example dialog box for selecting mapdata.txt file

The Viewer and other software should now run as normal.

I've copied the maps to my hard drive and used the Configurator to add a new search path. When I try to load a map, I get an error message saying the map can't be found.

Check that you have copied the maps correctly and maintained the correct directory structure.

When you use the Configurator to add a new path, make sure you select the folder that contains the mapdata.txt file, not the folders that contain the actual maps. This file contains information used to help load the correct map.

Loading a CD after an Viewer initialization error appears does not relaunch the Viewer.

If the Raster Configurator is set to search for maps on CDs only, and the Viewer is launched without a CD, then an initialization error will appear. Loading a CD and pressing Retry will not work.

Solution 1:  Press Cancel, close the Viewer and relaunch with the CD in the CD-ROM drive.

Solution 2:  If disk space permits, copy data to the hard drive and reconfigure the map image search path to the folder of your choice on your computer's hard drive.

I've changed the location of my maps, or added a new location, using the Configurator. The changes don't appear in the Viewer.

You need to close the Viewer first before any changes you make in the Configurator are activated.

I have just installed NATMAP Raster but whenever I start I get the following message:

"An ActiveX control on this page is not safe. Your current security settings prohibit running unsafe controls on this page. As a result this page may not display as intended."

I have changed my Internet Explorer security setting to LOW but I still cannot load any maps.

This is an Internet Explorer problem and appears to be caused by a problem with a Windows file used by IE. To resolve the issue, you need to:

  1. Remove Internet Explorer
  2. Rename the COMCAT.DLL file in your %SystemRoot%System32 folder
  3. Reinstall Internet Explorer

An error message appears requiring a screen resolution of at least 800x600.

The Viewer will not run on a screen resolution of less than 800x600 pixels. This is the minimum screen resolution at which all buttons, map windows and other links will fit. At 800x600 resolution, you will need to ensure that the Autohide property setting for the Windows task bar is turned on.

The bottom of the Viewer screen is cut off. I can't change layers.

When running a display at 800x600 pixels, the user should ensure that any task bars have their autohide property setting turned on. For the Windows task bar, this is done from Start > Settings > Taskbar, then ensuring that the Autohide check box is ticked.

Posted 30 January 2004

I launch the Viewer, and I get a blank coloured screen with a picture indicator, but no picture:

Missing splash screen from Viewer

This problem can be caused by a file association you have on your computer - the Windows name for describing which program opens which types of files. The program you already use to open these file types won't let you open them in other programs such as Internet Explorer.

You would probably also find that if you can start the Viewer, the icons down the side navigation panel in the Search for a Map and View a Map windows would also be missing.

Solution:

  1. Go into Windows Explorer, select Tools > Options..., and select the File Types tab.
  2. Look for an association that refers to the program you use to open JPEGs or GIFs (e.g. "Photo Suite Image") - there should also be a list of all the different image types it can open including JPEG, GIF, JPG etc.
  3. Delete this association.

 

The Viewer should now display all images correctly. If not, you may have missing files, and you should uninstall and reinstall the Viewer.

Searching for a map

I am missing images from the navigation panel on the left side of the Viewer:

Missing icons from Search for a Map window

Refer to the solution for fixing file associations in Windows Explorer.

Posted 30 January 2004

I've launched the Search by NATMAP name, Search by NATMAP number, or Search by Coordinates tools. I then change the map layer, but the drop-down lists do not update.

This is a known bug. To work around this, select the map layer you wish to view, and then click on the appropriate search tool button located in the top left of your screen. The correct lists of map names will appear and you will be able to load the correct map layer.

Why do I get more than one result for the same place? In many cases, you may get two or more results for the same name, place type and state. This is because the original Gazetteer has hundreds of feature codes, which has been aggregated into the 20+ Place Types used in the NATMAP Raster Place Name Search and the on-line Place Name Search on the Geoscience Australia website to make searching easier. Each individual entry remains in the data; however, in the NATMAP Raster Place Name Search the results are displayed with the aggregated Place Type, not the original feature code.

I can't find my Place Name, but I know it exists.

Some places (mainly beginning with 'O') were not appearing in the Place Name results due to a sorting problem in the data files.

Solution:

  1. Download the corrected place name data files.
  2. Unzip the 17 *.dta files into the RASTERCommon folder in the location you have installed the NATMAP Raster Viewer. (In most cases this will be C:Program FilesNATMAPNATMAP RASTER VIEWER1.4RASTERCommon. If you can't find this folder, or don't remember where it is, do a search on "RASTERCommon".) Overwrite any existing files.
  3. Run the Viewer. Search by a place name and check that it appears in the list.

 

Updated 27 April 2004

If you're sure that the place name is spelt correctly, try using a alternate name. Many place names have alternative names, some of which are officially recognised and some which aren't. If you think that a place name has been omitted, or is spelt incorrectly, please contact Geoscience Australia.

I've clicked on the Place Name, but it's taken me to the wrong place.

Check you are clicking on the correct result - see the note on multiple results. Another reason is that large area features such as administrative areas, or long linear features such as rivers, are difficult to assign one coordinate point to. If you believe that there is an error in the position of a feature, please please contact Geoscience Australia.

I get a mountain that doesn't have an elevation.

Not every mountain, hill or trig station in the Place Name Search has an elevation attached to it. At the moment around 500 of these features have elevations attached, and more will be progressively added in future versions.

I've gone back to the Place Name Search and my results have disappeared.

The bottom right part of the Place Name Search page is generated each time the Place Name Search is loaded. Any place name, state or place type you have previously entered will still be there - you just have to click on the Search button again to reload the results.

I zoom in on the Index Map and the 1:250,000 scale map boundaries disappear.

The map boundaries will disappear depending upon the current zoom level.

Using the Viewer

Updated 30 January 2004

I select a map, but instead of the maps being displayed I get an error box where the map should be:

Maps not displayed correctly due to IWS conflict

This problem occurs if ER-Mapper Image Web Server IE Plugins (versions 1,7.x.x and up) are installed. It may also occur if the Arc/Info ECW plug-in is installed. This plug-in allows the display of ECW images in the Internet Explorer web browser. It is used by both the Raster viewer software as well as many ER-Mapper Image Web Server (IWS) sites and specialist software. Raster uses an earlier version than many of these plug-ins. Computers without this plug-in or those using Version 1,6.x.x or below should be unaffected.

Solution 1 (do not use if the Arc/Info ECW plug-in is installed):

  1. Navigate to the following directory:
    95, 98, 2000, Me, XP: C:Windowssystem
    NT: C:WinNTsystem32
  2. Select all files beginning with NCS which have a .dll extension.
  3. Delete these files.
  4. Close down all programs and restart your computer.
  5. Start the Raster Viewer.
  6. Select a map to check it loads correctly.

 

Solution 2:

  1. Uninstall Raster.
  2. Rename the folder C:Program FilesEarth Resource MappingImage Web ServerClient to something like Client_old or Client_plugin.
  3. Reinstall Raster.

 

Solution 3:

  1. Navigate to C:Program FilesEarth Resource MappingImage Web ServerClient
  2. Copy all files in this directory beginning with NCS.
  3. Paste these files into the C:Windowssystem directory on 95/98/Me/2000/XP, or the C:WinNTsystem32 directory on NT
  4. Start the Raster Viewer. Select a map to check it loads and views correctly.

Posted 30 January 2004

I am missing images from the navigation panel on the left side of the Viewer:

Missing icons from Search for a Map window

Refer to the solution for fixing file associations in Windows Explorer.

The climate graph doesn't update when I change maps or move around.

The Climate Graph window opens a new Internet Explorer window and displays a JPEG image of the climate graph for the particular 1:250,000 scale map area you have viewed on your screen. However, if you leave the Climate Graph window open, and you move maps using either the Hand Pan or the Click Pan tool, the climate graph will not update in the new window.

Solution:Reclick the Show Climate button. The correct graph will be displayed.

An error message appears saying "Tile '' has no projection".

This message may appear when scrolling or point-panning on some machines with slower PC processing speeds. It is resolved by restarting the Viewer.

Maps do not appear in the Locator and Magnifier windows.

If there is an error message saying that 20M.ecw or 5M.ecw cannot be found, then you should uninstall the Viewer and reinstall in order to restore these maps.

If there is no error message, and the Locator and Magnifier windows remain green, then the problem is caused by a limitation in Internet Explorer versions earlier than v5.5. This limitation was removed at IE5.5 Service Pack 1. You are best upgrading Internet Explorer to at least v5.5 SP1.

I have loaded a map, and am not zooming or panning around. My CPU usage stays high (at least 60%).

As with missing Locator or Magnifier maps, this is caused by a limitation in versions of Internet Explorer prior to v5.5 SP1. If this problem persists, you need to upgrade to at least this version of IE to better handle map display.

I have moved the Locator / Magnifier / Information window completely off the screen and can't drag it back.

Press the Show Locator button on the left-hand side of the screen twice. This will close and reload the window so it is partially visible on the side of the screen.

I'm having trouble using the Zoom tool. Why isn't there a Zoom Box tool?

The version of the ECW software developers kit (SDK) used in this release of Raster did not have the Zoom Box tool available - only the standard ER Mapper Zoom tool.

I click on the centre of the blue cross in the main Viewer. The map then jumps and the coordinates change slightly.

This is caused by a slight incompatability between the cursor, the centre of the cross, coordinate calculations performed by the Viewer software, and maintaining the shape of the map in the browser window, which adds up to around 1-2 pixels (which for the 1:250,000 scale map layers is about 30-60 metres).

It is more significant when zoomed out, as each pixel on the screen represents a larger area on the map.

There is no workaround for this bug; however, the error remains less than the stated accuracy of NATMAP Raster which is 150m.

Posted 15 January 2003

I have the blue cross centre hairs turned off. If I minimise the side navigation bar, the blue cross reappears

There is no workaround to this minor bug at this stage - it will be looked at in the next version.

Some of the coordinate display buttons don't work

Some buttons are designed to be disabled depending upon which coordinate display mode you are in.

I'm using 800x600 screen resolution and I can't see the layer pop-up menu

If you select the layer control box, and no pop-up menu appears, use the up- and down-arrow keys on your keyboard to move between the layers. Hit ENTER once you've chosen the appropriate layer.

Map images

The map image isn't very clear and/or the colours aren't very good.

Check you have:

 

Grid lines are missing from some of the maps

Some grid lines may disappear from the screen, especially on the index map. This is due to screen resampling of the ECW image. The grid lines will reappear when you change your zoom level.

Exporting

I cannot export SE53-11 BRUNETTE DOWNS. (Mapsheets only)

There is a problem with this ECW file that is preventing export into other formats.

 

If you have already installed your maps onto your hard drive, then save this new file to the same location as the existing map.

If you are running the maps off your CD, then follow these instructions:

  1. Create a folder on your hard drive or network (e.g. C:NATMAP).
  2. From CD1, copy the mapdata.txt file located in X:Rasters250K-Sheets (where X: is your CD drive) to the folder you created in Step 1 above.
  3. In this folder, create another folder called "mapsheets-cd1".
  4. Save the downloaded map in the "mapsheets-cd1" folder.
  5. Open the Raster Configurator.
  6. Follow the instructions for adding a search path to the Configurator. The folder you need to select will be the folder you created in Step 1.
  7. Follow the instructions for modifying the search path order in the Configurator. The folder you created in Step 1 needs to be at the top of the list. Click the Apply button and then click OK to exit the Configurator.
  8. Start the Viewer and load the map.

 

Posted 10 December 2003

I exported the current view as an ECW file. When I load the ECW into another program, the coordinates are wrong.

There is a bug with the ECW exporter. Rather than assigning the coordinates of the current view to the exported image, the ECW exporter uses the coordinates of the top left of the image file currently loaded in the Viewer. If you have loaded the Mosaic, for example, then the top left corner of the Mosaic file (250k.ecw) will be assigned to any subset images you save as ECW files. For Mapsheets images, the top left corner of each individual map image (i.e. sg5310.ecw, sk5523.ecw, etc.) will be assigned to any subset ECW files.

Solution 1:

Save your current views as GeoTIFFs if you want to retain correct coordinate information. If you need to convert GeoTIFFs to ECW files, you should download, install and use the free ECW compressor from ER Mapper.

Solution 2:

  1. Download the free ECW Header Editor from ER Mapper and install it on your computer.
  2. Set your current view to the extents you wish to export.
  3. Click on the Map Information window. Record the coordinates for the top left of the current view.
  4. Export the current view as an ECW file.
  5. Start the ECW Header Editor you installed in step 1. Open the ECW file you created in Step 4, and change the coordinates of the top left of this ECW file to those you recorded in Step 3. Save your changes.

 

Posted 19 November 2003

I have tried to export the current view as an ECW file, and I get the following message:

Error message when exporting ECW larger than 700Mb

There is a 700Mb limit on exporting the current view as an ECW file. This is a limit imposed by the ECW software used in the Viewer.

I tried exporting the current view or an individual map, and I get the following message:

Warning message when exporting large files

There is a limit on how large a file you can export which is imposed by a combination of your computer and the Viewer software.

Printing

I'm having trouble printing to my Canon printer.

Download and install the most recent driver for your Canon printer from the Canon website.

I don't get a scale bar when I print from a Mosaic layer.

This is because of the map projection used for the Mosaic layers.

Problems with other Software

I can't run TrackRanger v3.3 to v3.5 after installing NATMAP Raster Viewer.

The TrackRanger GPS navigation system produced by Advantech Design shares many ER Mapper files as the NATMAP Raster Viewer. These files have a .DLL (Dynamic Link Library) extension. TrackRanger uses different versions of these DLL files to the NATMAP Raster Viewer. If NATMAP Raster Viewer is installed after TrackRanger, TrackRanger may not work as installing NATMAP Raster Viewer overwrites these shared DLL files.

Solution: TrackRanger v3.6f will detect and upgrade the DLLs installed by NATMAP Raster 2003. Versions of TrackRanger earlier than this may not work with NATMAP Raster 2003. Earlier versions of TrackRanger will detect and upgrade DLLs from earlier versions of NATMAP Raster.

I installed the TrackRanger demo from Australian Outback Tracks; now Raster will not work.

Installation of the TrackRanger demonstration software included on the Westprint Australian Outback Tracks CD causes the same problem as installing old versions of TrackRanger.

If you want to preview these maps without installing the TrackRanger demonstration software, download the demonstration version of OziExplorer or ER Viewer software. Geoscience Australia does not take any responsibility for the use of third-party software.

If you have already installed the TrackRanger demo, then you will need to uninstall TrackRanger, Raster and OziExplorer, and any other software (including plug-ins) that view ECW images. Reinstall Raster and then your other software.

Posted 15 January 2004

I have installed the ArcGIS ECW plug-in - now I can't use the Viewer.

As with TrackRanger, this is caused by a DLL conflict. A solution and explanation are now available.

Note that this can occur with any ECW plug-in you may download which has a version number of 1.7.x.x or later.

I installed the on-line viewer - now I can't use the NATMAP Raster Viewer.

Refer to the notes on the ArcGIS ECW plug-in.

Contact:

mapfeedback@ga.gov.au

Updated: 23 09 2008