GeoDis v1.06
============
Overview
========
GeoDis (Geographical Display)  -  (c) 1995-97 Rolf Aeschbacher

This  program  draws maps of different countries on the Psion Series 3a/3c. 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
first  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 all
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
  Geogps.opo (for GPS support, optional)
  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 maps you want to install

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 drive from which it was started,
then  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. GeoDis can be started directly from a remote drive,
for example from a DOS disk in the Cyclone drive.

Installation Schweiz/Switzerland
--------------------------------

see separate file

Installation Austria/Oesterreich
--------------------------------

see separate file

Installation Germany/Deutschland
--------------------------------

see separate file

Installation US-City
--------------------

see separate file

Installation USA
----------------
(all states, largest cities)
\APP\GEODIS\Usa.ini
all other files in \APP\GEODIS\USA\
Border.us
County??.us
Dist.us1
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
all other files in \APP\GEODIS\EUROPA\
Border.eu
County??.eu
City1?.eu1 (3 files)
Dist.eu1
Mapinf01.eu
Overlays (optional, extensions eu2 and eu3):
Country.eu2	Country borders
Islands	Islands

Installation Mtro
------------------
(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 and me3):
Lines1	Mtro 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 and 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.
See also the section "Setup" below.

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 seven 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: Coordinates (national grid), with a precision of 1 km
- Swiss,  Austria & US-City map: Geographical coordinates (longitude/latitude),
  calculated from the grid coordinates
- Swiss  map:  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 USA 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
-------
Many  GeoDis  maps  have distance tables. The program knows the distance on the
road  between  the  cities  contained  in this list. Choose two such cities and
press D for distance.


Searching (F, L)
================
The  search  text  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 search text 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
calculations 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.

GPS
===
If  you  connect  the Psion to a GPS (Global Positioning System) GeoDis will be
able  to  display  the  current position and direction of movement on the Swiss
map. You'll need an NMEA-0183 compatible GPS unit (I have the Garmin GPS 38), a
serial cable for the GPS and a serial link for the Psion S3a/3c.

Because  the Swiss map is based on a 1 kilometer grid the coordinates read from
the GPS will be rounded up/down to a hole number of kilometers.

Note that GPS support is only available when the file \app\geodis\geogps.opo is
found at programstart.

First  connect  the  GPS  with  the  Psion,  then activate GPS within GeoDis by
pressing  Psion-Shift-G.  Turn  on the GPS and activate NMEA output. As long as
the  GPS has no "fix" GeoDis will display "invalid fix" or "invalid data". Only
when  GeoDis  receives  the  first  valid  position  the blinking cross will be
displayed on the map.

Press  SPACE  to  immediately read out the coordinates from the GPS even if the
time  interval was not over yet. If position or direction has changed since the
last readout the display will be changed accordingly.

Should  the  logfile  (Gpstemp.*)  be  in  use  or  read-only  NO error will be
generated - the data is simply not saved. This is because an error prompt would
interrupt the running program. If GeoDis displays the coordinates at the bottom
right  corner  together with "/log" then you can be sure that the data has been
saved correctly. If just the course (magnetic heading) changes, no log entry is
written.

Simulator: Press Psion-Shift-G, then Psion-Enter. This shows how the moving map
works without having to connect a GPS to the Psion.

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 Psion 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   safely   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, Mtro, 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 [*]
1.06
- Locator is now Psion-Y
- Psion-P: number of objects and size of overlay is given in the title
- Save  coordinates:  Psion-Shift-Enter  or  Psion-Enter;  always  saved in the
  internal drive (Geotemp). This allows running GeoDis from a read only disk.
- fixed a bug which prevented GeoDis from running from the Cyclone disk drive
- Display places and formulas is now Psion-S - can have up to 7 city files (was
  3)
- changed county file format to include menu texts (Psion-S)
- introduced geo_xx.opo files (map specific routines)
- city search can be aborted by pressing ESC
- Geocomp.opo:  new option will allows overlay source files to have the overlay
  description on the first line of the source
- Display routines made faster for cities and for point overlays
- GeoDis logo appears only every 10 times (approx.) when the program starts
- Place names and overlay texts can be turned on/off independently. Psion-J for
  place  names  and Psion-K for overlay texts. Psion-B overrides J/K and always
  switches between text display on/off.
- GPS  support:  only  available  when  \app\geodis\geogps.opo  is   found   at
  programstart.
- Schweiz:  new  Overlay  Gourmet;  Overlay  Kantone:  cantons  in  the   usual
  languages, with population; updated overlay Bowling
- Germany:  Overlays  Inseln,  Berge,  KFZ (car registration), Laender (federal
  states) with population
- Europa:  new  overlay  Country;  overlay  Islands:  added  Malta  +  Elba and
  capitals/area/country
- New  Map: US-City. For technical reasons, there is no border with this map at
  largest scale.
- Fixed memory problem with the distance table: when Alloc fails, the heaps are
  compressed,  followed  by another Alloc. When this fails, an error message is
  given.
- new map: Austria
- Changes to the display routines to make GeoDis more Siena compatible

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

With  the  additional  program  "Geocomp"  you  will be able to create your own
overlays.

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 or GBP 15 in cash.

The  small  maps (small in bytes) are fully included with the Shareware version
and with the full version of GeoDis:
USA, Europa, France1, Metro, Canaries, Vector.

The big maps cost one registration fee each.
Currently these maps are:
- Schweiz (3000 places)
- Austria (2400 places)
- Germany (1500 places)
- US-City (6400 places)

For  one  registration  fee there is one of the above maps included. If you pay
US$40  you  can choose two maps etc. Please notify the name(s) of the map you'd
like to register to me when registering.

Checks are very expensive to cash with the bank. So if you have to send a check
please add 20 % to the amount.

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

In  Germany  GeoDis is distributed by PSIOlogic. If you credit their account by
DM 30 you will be sent the full version and the registration code.
PSIOlogic
Michael Baas
Taunusstrasse 4
D-63589 Linsengericht
Tel 06051 470065
Fax 06051 470066
Account 305006 Raiffeisenbank Gelnhausen (BLZ: 507 626 49)

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 formatted DOS disc and a SAE (self-addressed envelope).

If you cannot read ZIP compressed files, please tell me so with your order. You
will then be sent a disc with the uncompressed files.

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

[End of file]

