GEODIS v1.05
Overview
GEODIS (GEOgraphical DISplay)  -  (c) 1995/96 Rolf Aeschbacher

This program draws maps of different countries on the Psion Series 3a. You can
move the map around, enlarge or reduce it (zooming) and you can search for and
display places. Information such as distance between places, population and
elevation of cities etc. can be viewed.

Geodis uses overlays to draw details such as roads, lakes, hotels etc. on the
map. You can turn overlays on or off at any time.

This program was developed specifically for the Psion Series 3a, with two
objectives in mind: low disk and memory usage and fast screen drawing. The
firts goal was achieved by using compact binary files that are only loaded by
the program when required. The second goal, fast drawing speed, is more
difficult to achieve, as it is dependent on processor speed. Waiting time can,
however, be reduced by interrupting screen-redraws by pressing ESC or any other
active key (eg. pressing F interrupts screen drawing and goes straight to the
"Find" menu).

Note: Files that are contained in the full version only and functions that only
the full version has, are marked with [*] below.

Installation
If you have installed an earlier version of Geodis you should first delete alle
files in the directory \App\Geodis\ as well as the file \App\Geodis.opa. Also,
remove the application from the system screen.
Note: Since version 1.03 Geodis resides in \App\Geodis\ to make it more
standard. Since version 1.05 each map has its own directory in \App\Geodis\.

- in \APP\
  Geodis.opa

- all common files in \APP\GEODIS\
  Geodis.pic
  Georich.opo
  Geosupp.opo
  Geomsg.01 (English texts) or
  Geomsg.03 (German texts)
  Geohlp.01 (English online help, optional) or
  Geohlp.03 (German online help, optional)
  *.ini  the initialisation files of the installed maps

About ini-Files and maps
All .ini files may be renamed or copied. Thus if you copy Europa.ini to
Europe.ini you can start both and have different views of the same map! In this
case I also recommend assigning an application button to Geodis - this allows
you to switch between the views by just pressing a button.
Maps can be on any drive. Geodis checks the drives M, A and B (in that order)
for \App\Geodis\Geodis.pic. The drive on which that file is first found must
contain the common files Geomsg, Geohlp and the .opo files.

Installation Schweiz/Switzerland
(all cantons, all communities)
\APP\GEODIS\Schweiz.ini
all other files in \APP\GEODIS\SCHWEIZ\
Border.ch
County??.ch
Ewho.ch
City??.ch1 (9 files)
Default.ch3
Dist.ch1
Mapinf01.ch
Overlays (optional, extensions ch2 and ch3):
- Gipfel	important mountains
- McDonald	McDonald's Restaurants
- Movenpic	Moevenpick restaurants/service areas
- Seen	Lakes of Switzerland
- Staedte	all 110 cities with population
- [*] Autobahn	Highways
- [*] Badminto	Badminton places with addresses/telephone numbers
- [*] Baeder	Kurbaeder - health resorts
- [*] Bergrest	a choice of alpine restaurants
- [*] Bowling	Bowling alleys, supplied by Ralph Oderbolz
- [*] Fastbox	Fastbox machines
- [*] Firmen	Swiss enterprises
- [*] Fluesse	Rivers
- [*] Gitter1+2	the national grid
- [*] Kantone	all 26 cantons of Switzerland
- [*] Western	Best Western hotels
- [*] Zh_*	Types of communities in the canton of Zurich (5 overlays)

Installation Germany
(all federal states, more than 1500 places)
\APP\GEODIS\Germany.ini
all other files in \APP\GEODIS\GERMANY\
Border.de
County??.de
Ewho.de
City??.de1 (9 files)
Default.de3
Mapinf01.de
Overlays (optional, extensions de2 und de3):
- Laender	Federal states (Bundeslaender)
- Longlat	Longitude/Latitude grid

Installation USA
(all states, largest cities)
\APP\GEODIS\Usa.ini
all other files in \APP\GEODIS\USA\
Border.us
County??.us
Ewho.us
City1?.us1 (3 files)
Default.us3
Mapinf01.us
Overlays (optional, extensions us2 and us3):
- Lakes	the big lakes
- States	the states
- Pun_*	the states with Capital Punishment (5 overlays)

Installation Europe
(Europe overview with largest cities, islands)
\APP\GEODIS\Europa.ini
alle anderen Dateien in \APP\GEODIS\EUROPA\
Border.eu
County??.eu
City1?.eu1 (3 files)
Dist.eu1
Mapinf01.eu
Overlays (optional, extensions eu2 und eu3):
Islands	Islands

Installation Metro
(Paris subway, all stations)
\APP\GEODIS\Metro.ini
all other files in \APP\GEODIS\METRO\
Border.me
County01.me
City??.me1 (6 files)
Mapinf01.me
Overlays (optional, extensions me2 und me3):
Lines1	Metro lines
Lines2	R.E.R. lines
Saine	River, islands and city limits

Installation France1
(all departements with their numbers/names, no cities)
\APP\GEODIS\France1.ini
all other files in \APP\GEODIS\FRANCE1\
Border.f1
Overlays (optional, extensions f12 and f13):
- Departem	all departements

Installation Canaries
(overview map of the Canary Islands)
\APP\GEODIS\Canaries.ini
all other files in \APP\GEODIS\CANARIES\
Border.ci
Mapinf01.ci
Overlays (optional, extensions ci2 und ci3):
Cities	Capital cities
Islands	Names of the islands
Longlat	Longitude/Latitude grid
Peaks	Peaks, largest elevation

Installation Vector
(some vector graphics as overlays, of course with Zoom)
\APP\GEODIS\Vector.ini
all other files in \APP\GEODIS\VECTOR\
Border.ve
Overlays (optional, extensions ve2 and ve3):
- Columbia	Space 'ship' Columbia
- Illusion	Optical illusion
- Krumm	Optical illusion
- Lissajou	Lissajous
- Maisha	Vector girl
- Penrose	Optical illusion
- Porsche	surprisingly, a Porsche
- Skull	yes, a skull!
- Spiral	Mega spiral
- World	Globe

Install Geodis.opa with Psion-I.

Files not needed by the program
Geocomp.opo	to create overlays [*]
Geomanag.opo	Manager for Geodis files [*]
Geodis01.txt	English documentation (ASCII file)
Geodis03.txt	German documentation (ASCII file)
Geodis01.wrd	Doc in Psion WRD format (available on request)
Geodis03.wrd	Doc in Psion WRD format (available on request)

Configuration files
The files Geodis.??s and Geodis.reg are created automatically in the directory
M:\OPD\. The former contains the setup and the latter the registration details.

Keys
+ - 1 2 3 4 5 6 7: zoom in/out, select zoom level
Arrows: scroll map, Psion-Arrows: scroll map in large steps
ESC: stop drawing
Space: full redraw
Enter: redraw overlays
Star *: center again
Help key: online help. please read!!
TAB: toggle scale ruler
Diamond: much/few detail

Display (A)
To make the program more flexible and to save memory, the maps are subdivided
into up to three regions. Psion-M shows information about the loaded map when
the relevant Mapinf file is present.

Formulas (A)
Only maps with cities: The 'display' dialog has an entry 'Places by formula'.
Activate it and you will be able to enter a formula. For the data of each place
the formula is computed (using EVAL). If the result gives TRUE that place is
drawn on the map.

Variable sized marks:
If you choose "variable" from "Display", Geodis uses different font sizes
dependent on population for the place names. Small italic font means that there
is no population data present. 8 different fonts are used.
If you choose "outlined box" or "filled box", each place matching the formula
is drawn as a box on the map. The size of this box depends on the population
and the elevation: the larger the population the wider the box and the larger
the elevation the taller the box. The boxes are between 1 to 16 pixels large
(inclusive), where 1 pixel wide/tall means that the population/elevation is not
known. You can as always press B to turn the text display on/off.

Examples for formulas: see online help

Diamond key
Switch between much and few detail (all cities/large cities).

Info about places (I)
The following information about cities is displayed:
- Canton, state or country
- Elevation (m or ft)
- Population (for Switzerland based on the 1990 national census)
- Swiss map only:
  a) Coordinates (national grid), with a precision of 1 km
  b) Geographical coordinates (longitude/latitude), calculated from the
     national grid coordinates
  c) Locator: a code which is used for HAM Radio and Packet Radio for worldwide
     positioning, calculated from the geographical coordinates (example:
     JN47HM)

If it is an item from an overlay you will see the name of the overlay in the
title in angle-brackets [...].

Distances (D, T)
Psion-D
The 'distance as the crow flies' is calculated from the coordinates.

Note: Unfortunately the distances calculated for the US map are not very
accurate. Use those figures with care.

Geodis also calculates the bearing which is the direction from one place to the
other.

Psion-T
Swiss map:
The program knows the distance on the road between the 36 cities contained in
this list. Choose two such cities and press D for distance.

These maps also have distance tables: USA, Europa.

Searching (F, L)
The searchtext can be up to 30 characters long. It is case INsensitive by
default and 'Umlauts' don't have to be entered. If you enter 'zur' Geodis finds
Zurich, Zurzach etc.
Geodis always searches all parts (three for the Swiss map), whether they are
activated or not (see Psion-A, "places", to activate), however the activated
parts are searched first.

Psion-F
F searches for places or for texts in overlays. You can press Psion-Enter after
entering a searchtext to search through all overlays.

Psion-L
L searches for cities only and presents all cities that have been found in a
sorted list.

Anchor city (N)
You can anchor a place that is already displayed. All further distance
calculatons will be made from that place.

History (G)
Places selected during a Geodis session are stored in their own list, which can
be recalled by pressing G. If a place is selected from this list, the program
switches to the search function, using the place-name as search text.

Overlays (O, P)
Overlays can either be points (cities, hotels etc.) or lines (roads, lakes,
rivers etc.). The former can be represented by a picture.

Psion-O
An overlay can be drawn black or grey. For 'point overlays' you can choose to
display it as picture or as text (Psion-A). Psion-Enter lets you
activate/deactivate all overlays.

Psion-P
This presents a list of all overlays. Choose one to see its description.

Files with the extension .??2 are overlays (the two ? stand for the map code -
CH for Switzerland, US for USA etc.).
The extension .??3 is used for the appropriate icons. These are standard PIC
images, which can easily be changed with a pixel editor. These pictures can be
arbitrarily large, but currently the program places them correct on the map
only if they are square.

Currently a maximum of 28 overlays can be displayed simultaneously (six in the
unregistered version).

Registered users can create their own overlays. The full version contains the
program you need to do that: Geocomp.opo.

Setup
The registered version automatically saves your setup when you quit the program
(file M:\OPD\Geodis.??s, separate for each map). You can set this file's
attribute to 'read only' once you are satisfied with your setup. I personally
use Psion-Esc to quit Geodis - although this means aborting the program you can
do no harm to the program because Geodis has only read access to its data.
Zoom setting and map position is also saved at program exit. If you cannot see
the map after starting the program, try pressing 1 for smallest zoom. If this
doesn't help, you can savely delete the relevant settings file
(M:\OPD\Geodis.??s) so Geodis will use default settings when you next start
that map. Of course you can also press F and search for a place, this
automatically recenters the map.

Memory
You need max. 100k internal memory to fully use Geodis with the Swiss map. The
other maps run with less memory because they contain fewer cities.

Updates
1.02
- the large screen in the S3a emulator is used automatically
- keys 1 - 7 jump to a specific zoom
- formulas (Psion-A)
- extended overlay format
1.03
- several maps
- Psion-Enter from the Info dialog can be used to save the coordinates of the
  current place. Use the module Geocomp.opo to create your own overlays. [*]
- language independence because of message files. Currently there are only
  codes 3 (German) and 1 (English) supported. You can rename these files to
  default to the other language (rename *.01 to *.03 or reversed). It is also
  possible to press PSION while starting Geodis - this swaps the language.
- conversions between mi, km, ft, m
1.04
- max. 28 Overlays
- enhanced searching (exact match)
- Psion-Enter searches in all overlays
- Swiss  border created again (some Swiss villages were placed in Germany...),
  Border of Liechtenstein
- new maps: France1, Vector
- Geosupp.opo is now needed in any case
- variable sized marks in the formula menu
- Distance table for the USA map
- Swiss map: HAM-Radio/Packet Radio Locator
1.05
- Overlays: Firmen (enterprises), Best Western, McDonald's actualised (Swiss
  map)
- new maps: Germany, Europe, M‚tro, Canaries
- conversion: m to ft is now calculated correctly
- Info about maps: mapinf01.?? files (currently in English only)
- display all/no overlays: Psion-O, then Psion-Enter
- Bearing info when viewing distance between places
- Each map has now its own directory in \app\geodis\. This makes handling of
  the maps easier and also speeds up file access.
- always all city parts all searched, but starting with the activated parts
  (Psion-A, places)
- introduced language specific County files: County.xx files renamed to
  County??.xx where ?? is currently 01=English and 03=German. Geodis checks the
  presence of both files but uses the language which is in the Psion ROM in
  preference. Holding the Psion key down while Geodis starts will swap the
  language.
- limitation removed in the unregistered version: diamond key, history,
  distance table
- better display handling, less screen redraws needed when using overlays; use
  SPACE for a full redraw and ENTER to redraw just overlays
- Geomanag.opo: lists files which belong to a map or counts all Geodis files.
  Also shows the two letter extension code: city1a.ch1 - CH is the code for the
  Swiss map. Geomanag can also copy or delete a map. To stop the scrolling
  display, use Ctrl-S to pause and Ctrl-Q to continue the output. [*]
- Zoom setting and map position is also saved at program exit
- Formulas (Psion-A): different font sizes dependent on population
- Geocomp can not only compile point overlays but now also line overlays [*]

Registration (R)
This program is not free. You can try it out for two weeks without obligation.
If you like the program, then you must register it after this time, or delete
the program. Registration is through payment of a small fee (see below).

What are the advantages of registration?
You will receive a code which you can enter in the "Register" menu selection
(Psion-R). This enables additional features as follows:

- the limitation to six overlays disappears
- your setup is saved
- 100 instead of 20 found places can be viewed in a sorted list

You will also receive the full version of Geodis with 3000+ places in
Switzerland,  1500+ places in Germany and all overlays as well as all available
maps (see "Installation" for a description of all currently available maps).

You may pass this program over to friends, but only complete and unchanged.
However you are NOT allowed to copy the full version which you have paid for.
Note that, once registered, there is a file Geodis.reg which you must not copy
- it contains your name.

Please support the shareware system! Only through your support can it survive.
If nobody registers the program, I have no motivation for further development,
and I will ask myself whether it would have been better to release it as a
commercial product.

Cost:
Registration costs only CHF 20 or US$ 20 oder GBP 15.

You can register online via Compuserve (US$ 22): GO SWREG, then follow the
instructions. The registration ID for Geodis is 6320.

Delivery: on a PC DOS disc or for Compuserve members by binary e-mail.

Registered users of Geodis will receive updates free and automatically if the
update can be sent by e-mail. If you don't have access to electronic mail I ask
you to send a formated DOS disc and a SAE (self-addressed envelope).

Disclaimer
Geodis has been tested as much as possible and all data has been entered
carefully. However I cannot guarantee that this program works as expected and
that the information presented is correct in any case. The program is provided
'as is', you use it at your own risk.

Author
Rolf Aeschbacher
Bacheggweg 2
CH-8424 Embrach
Switzerland

E-Mail: 100116.3357@compuserve.com
Compuserve: 100116,3357
FidoNet: 2:301/811.26
Homepage: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/aeschbi/
National giro account (PC): 84-51241-4