GMapCatcher

GMapCatcher is an intuitive and easy to handle piece of software designed to offer you the proper means of viewing the map of a specific geographic location when you do not have an Internet connection. It supports CloudMade, Yahoo Maps, OpenStreetMap, Bing Maps, SkyVector, and Nokia Maps.

The program is fairly simple to understand and work with, requiring only a basic and uneventful installation process, after which you can begin looking for the maps you might need.

Keep in mind that the maps that you can view with GMapCatcher are the ones you have previously downloaded, as it does not store them in itself. As such, when you first use this application, you will need to have Internet access, to be able to save the maps to your computer

The main window of the utility allows you to input the name of the city whose map you need, then press the 'Ok' button to retrieve it. You can use your mouse scroll wheel or the assigned slider to zoom in and out of the image, while a dedicated menu lets you select the preferred view mode as either 'Map', 'Satellite' or 'Terrain'.

From the 'Tools' button, you can select the operation that you want to perform, meaning you can 'Download' or 'Export' maps, by entering the coordinates of the targeted location, the 'Area' in square kilometers, the 'Zoom' levels, with a minimum and a maximum value.

At the same, you can perform 'Track Control' activities, using previously imported GPS tracks, or work with the 'GPS Window' to view the 'Latitude', 'Longitude', 'Speed', 'Altitude' and several other details, provided that you have a GPS device to connect to.

Moreover, GMapCatcher lets you input the width and height of the map that you need, the 'Zoom' level and the measurement units, along with the center. You can 'Edit Locations' and 'Edit markers', adding or removing the ones you no longer use.

GMapCatcher is quite handy and useful, as it enables you to procure high-resolution maps from the web which you can later use to orientate yourself when traveling and you do not have an Internet connection at your disposal.