🚀 go-pugleaf

Gunnar Jacobsen wrote:
> 
> I have a very bad experience after I had a business with them. I bought from
> them
> a development library to work with geographics files. After I had pay them
> about
> $ 500,00 I recieved from them a CD disk but no handbook or manual. One
> printed A-4 paper with these begining.
> 
> Dear Colleague:
> 
> Thank you very much for your purchase. Please contact us immediatly if you
> have any
> questions regarding the installation or "use of our software tools".
> 
> After I read this paper, I send to the support staff, a question about how
> to start to use
> there product that I just paid about $ 500,00 for. I got a very quick
> responce.
> IF YOU PAY US $299.00 MORE WE WILL TELL YOU HOW TO USE OUR
> PRODUCT.
> 
> I thought at least if they dont delivere a handbook or manual I could ask
> how to
> start to use there product without paying them.  So now I have a useless
> product
> and $500.00 less in my pocket.
> 
>                                                 G.J

Gunnar,

I don't know about any "help" difficulties with the firm as you
mentioned, but that software is entirely inappropriate for use in many
areas outside of the United States.  Perhaps someone did you a favor. 
The algorithms are specifically intended to accommodate any map
projection and Grid System used by the United States Geological Survey. 
You will incur GROSS computational errors in many countries by using the
wrong formulas coded in your nifty CD.  The main transformation engine
in the original version of your CD is the General Cartographic
Transformation Package (GCTP) written by Elassal as a FORTRAN
translation of John P. Snyder's work:  "Map Projections Used by the U.S.
Geological Survey,"  Geological Survey Bulletin 1532.  

If you peruse the first work, you will notice ZERO non-U.S.
implementations of ellipsoidal projections used for large-scale Grid
Systems.  The late Mr. Snyder asked me for formulas for some foreign
areas, but he subsequently published (in his revision) only those
specifically used and needed by the USGS.  The USGS apparently has never
gone into a co-operative geological mapping agreement with many
countries that use the "special" formulas.  

Snyder revised that original work, and "Map Projections - A Working
Manual," U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1395 is now in its
fourth or fifth printing.  GCTP now includes just those very few
ellipsoidal equations that I supplied to Mr. Snyder and that USGS
actually used for some projects, for instance, the Cassini-Soldner. Mr.
Snyder referenced me for information on the weird Lambert versions, but
did not even cover the non-U.S. but National implementations of the many
variations of the Transverse Mercator.  Lots of countries legally
REQUIRE specific truncations of the infinite series.  Computational
differences will yield coordinates tens of meters different from the
correct values in some areas of the world.  If you are working at scales
smaller than 1:100,000, it makes no difference.  If you are working in
large-scale implementations of data, GCTP and PROJ4 are not correct in
some areas of the world.

Since your e-mail address is not in the U.S., I mention the above as
pertinent to your possible interest.  Note that GCTP is available for
free over the internet from numerous USGS sites, the NGS site, and a
slightly expanded version in terms of a few foreign implementations (not
comprehensive) at another USGS site that offers "PROJ4" in the "C"
language also for free.

Can you get your money back, or do you now have a shiny, new frisbee?

Cliff

-- 
Clifford J. Mugnier (cjmce@uno.edu)
The Topographic Engineering Laboratory
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
UNIVERSITY OF NEW ORLEANS
New Orleans, Louisiana  70148

Voice and Facsimile: (504) 280-7095