What is a custom map in the PATHFINDER app?

The PATHFINDER app can display custom maps created in Mbtiles file format. Users can save and share portions of the map in Mbtiles file format. Here you can see how to create and upload Mbtiles files for use in the PATHFINDER app.

Creating Mbtiles Files

The introduction to Mobile Atlas Creator and Maperitive will go over the differences for each program. Use the program that best suits your needs.

Mobile Atlas Creator

Mobile Atlas Creator is free software that converts images used in maps into the Mbtiles file format.

Installing Mobile Atlas Creator on your Computer

1. To create Mbtiles files, you must first install Mobile Atlas Creator on your computer. The latest version of Mobile Atlas Creator can be downloaded from https://sourceforge.net/projects/mobac/files/.
2. Unzip the file and run the installation program. – Window : Execution Mobile_Atlas_Creator.exe – Mac or Linux : Execution Mobile_Atlas_Creator.jar
3. For more information, visit ‘http://mobac.sourceforge.net/quickstart/install.html’.

Create Mbtiles files

(1) Select the desired Map source

(2) Select the desired area on the map using Drag and Drop.

Note: Please check the number of image tiles downloaded. Downloading more than 10,000 image tiles is not recommended.

(3) Select the Zoom level to save.

(4) You can change the name of the file in Atlas Content by right-clicking the title and selecting Rename.

(5) Add the selected area to the map in Atlas Content. First, enter a name in the Name field.

Click the Add Selection button to add the selected region to Atlas Content.

(6) Click on Atlas in the upper left corner to open the menu and select Convert Atlas format.

(7) Select the Mbtiles SQLite file format.

(8) Click the Create Atlas button to start creating Mbtiles.

(9) When the creation process is completed, you can check the completed file Maperitiveby pressing the Open Atlas Folder button.

Maperitive

Maperitive can create Mbtiles files from Open Street Maps.

Installing Maperitive on your Computer

Windows: Compatible with Windows XP SP3 and newer with Microsoft.NET 4 installed. Download the latest zip file from ‘http://maperitive.net/’. Unzip the file and run maperitive.exe.

OS X: To run Maperitive on OS X, download the latest version of Mono from ‘https://www.xquartz.org/’ (X11 is already installed on MAC). Download from ‘http://maperitive.net/’, and go to the Applications directory to unzip it. From the terminal, you can go to the Maperitive directory and run it. Please refer to the Wiki Maperitive Installation for detailed installation instructions.

Create Mbtiles files (1) Turn on Maperitive and zoom in on the desired map area.

(2) Select the desired map style through Tools -> Add Web Map

(3) Select Map -> Set Geometry Bounds to select the area to save.

• After selecting an area, zoom out to review the selected area.

(4) Select Map -> Download OSM Data. Wait for the download to complete.

(5) To create Mbtiles, enter the zoom level range (minimum and maximum) for the desired area into the Command prompt. For example: if you want to create Mbtiles with a zoom level between 5 and 18, type into the Command prompt “generate-mbtiles minzoom = 5 maxzoom = 18”.

For more information, please reference: http://maperitive.net/docs/#Commands

(6) After the download is complete, follow the path displayed in the Command prompt to see the Mbtiles created. For detailed explanations please refer to ‘http://maperitive.net/docs/TenMinutesIntro.html#Using%20The%20Map’.