Process for Submitting Maps

1. Submit a Proposal to Paul Metzger.
2. After project approval, submit the composite image to Dave Honan.
3. Once the processed image has been returned, lay trackwork and submit to Corey Vernier for initial review(s).
4. Once the trackwork has been approved, submit the .his file to Paul for review of proposed connections.
5. Corey & Paul will transmit their approved files to Dave for final review. Once approved by Dave the project will be submitted to Jim for posting to the server.

1. Submit a Proposal to Paul Metzger, with the subject of your email reading "Map Proposal: Location Name." This email will contain two parts:
   1. A link to the TerraServer image so that he can view and comment upon your proposed map. This will ensure that the proposed map will be a useful addition to the Yard Duty network, and that effort is not wasted by creating a composite image if modifications need to be made.
   2. A description of the proposed map: Name, location, operating railroad(s), and important features. Also, for your first submittal, please include your full name and your Yard Duty handle so that the entry on the Projects page can be completed.
   Once the project has been approved, this information will be posted to the Projects page. Also, please explain any future plans involving the project being submitted (junction with a branch line, small yard to serve a series of satellite maps, etc); this information will aid in the decision to approve a project.

   I strongly suggest that first-time designers choose a relatively small yard, an important junction, or an industrial area near an existing yard for their first project. A list of suggestions has been assembled by the staff. I have found that it is easier and far less frustrating to learn the design process on a simple map; once competence with fundamental techniques has been demonstrated, designers are free to propose any project they feel comfortable with.

2. After approval of the proposal, the composite image is created and submitted to Dave Honan for processing. See Appendices Ia and Ib of this file for details about creating the composite image. Designers are welcome to use whatever method they choose, so long as all of the tiles are laid properly (i.e., no overlapping: all image edges should be perfectly straight). The following criteria apply to all submitted images:
   
   • Images will be created using 1-meter resolution TerraServer images.
   • Images will be submitted in .jpg format, with a filename similar to 9xxx-complete.jpg.
   • Any images that contain the USGS logo and/or gaps/discontinuities* among the tiles will be rejected. There must be no trace of the USGS logo; if you use the downloadable images to assemble your composite image, take the time to place a tile over the corner where the logo is located. (The only exception is if a USGS logo appears on a piece of the image that will obviously be cropped off.)
     * A discontinuity occurs when two TS tiles overlap.
   • Images must be saved at no more than 15% compression (see below) to avoid loss of image clarity. Ensure that modifying the compression ratio does not change the dimensions of the image! File size on the submitted image is not an issue, so do not concern yourself with trying to stay within any limits. Saving with no compression is acceptable.
   • Images should not be cropped or rotated. I will take care of these processes.
   • The composite image should be assembled such that there is a 15-pixel border surrounding the completed image. See Steps 5 & 6 of Appendix Ia for how to attain proper image dimensions.
   It has come to my attention that different programs treat the compression ratio differently:
   • In Adobe Photoshop, in the JPEG Options dialog box that appears after the Save as... dialog box, set the Quality to 10.
   • In Jasc Paint Shop Pro, in the Save As... dialog box, choose Options... and set the Compression factor to 15.
   • In Microsoft Photo Editor, in the Save As... dialog box, click the More >> button and set the JPEG quality factor to 85.

3. Next, track will be laid. The first round of reviews will be handled by Corey Vernier. After Corey is satisfied that most of the major defects have been corrected, he will forward the .yrd file to Dave for final review.

   Beginning designers must thoroughly read the Introduction to Map Design, and the standards set forth in both the IMD and the Map Design Reference must be adhered to by all designers. For new designers, I ask that progress updates be submitted periodically to ensure that any track-laying mistakes do not propagate. I highly recommend studying existing maps numbered higher than 1060 to understand proper design techniques. Once designers have demonstrated competence laying track, all that will be required is a completion submittal. All submittals will be thoroughly reviewed, and the the .yrd file will be returned with comments added specifically pointing out mistakes that must be revised. Please ensure that you attempt to make every revision requested, because it is extraordinarily annoying to find the same defect repeated in future submittals; this also demonstrates a lack of attention to details on the part of the designer. If you have questions about any of the revisions requested, please do not hesitate to ask. When returning a revised .yrd file, please ensure that reviewer comments remain so we can quickly ensure that the issues have been properly remediated. In some cases the reviewer will make partial revisions when returning the .yrd file to demonstrate proper techniques.

4. After the trackwork has been approved, submit the .his file to Paul for review of proposed connections. The lat/lon coordinates locating the center of the map are to be included in the .his file. Please view this sample file to see how a .his file is properly assembled, and be sure to follow the proper format for writing connections. (See Appendix II for locating the coordinates and their proper format.) When submitting connections, we encourage designers to include a description of the prototypical routes through which these connections pass so that we will understand the concept behind the proposed routings. If the designer does not know where a connection should go, please make note of that fact and we will attempt to devise an appropriate route. The Superintendent of Connections reserves the rights to modify submitted connections and include additional connections.

5. The final submittal to Dave will contain approved .yrd and .his files; in most cases the final submittal will be transmitted by Corey and Paul. Dave reserves the right to make editorial changes to .his files. After the project has been approved in entirety, it will be submitted to Jim for inclusion in the Yard Duty network.

One thing the staff wishes to stress is that we will work with the designer to create a quality map, and to help him through the learning process. As designers improve their work, we will allow them more autonomy in the early stages of the Process.

A listing of all ongoing map projects will be maintained at http://members.trainorders.com/longhoodforward/projects.html. The list will be constantly updated to inform all of the status of the various maps I am handling. The various official stages that will be shown:

• Initial submission: Will state map name/location and designer, but a construction ID may not be assigned.
• Project approved: Assignment of construction ID, approval for designer to begin constructing composite image.
• Image received: Notification that the image has been received, and is undergoing review & processing.
• Trackwork ongoing: Indicates that the polished image has been returned, and the designer is laying track.
• Trackwork review: Indicates that the completed trackwork has been submitted, and is undergoing review and modifications.
• Yard submitted: Indicates that the completed yard has been submitted to Jim for posting.

Appendix Ia: Dave's process for compiling a composite image

Notes:

• I use Paint Shop Pro (PSP) 7.04, and all keyboard commands referenced below are those utilized by that program. Copy & Paste are generally standard commands, but check your program for its definitions. You'll notice that I use my keyboard extensively -- I find it much more efficient than moving the cursor with a mouse or touchpad.
• Final images can not be larger than 20MB in memory (not file size), which is a limit Jim has set to avoid having YD hog too many system resources. Most images won't approach this limit, but be prepared for your image to receive some intensive cropping if it's on the large side. Do not worry about trying to stay under this limit when creating your image, because the size will come down during the processing phase.

1. Get a piece of graph paper (I recommend 1/4" grid) and a pencil.
2. Locate the yard on TerraServer, and plan where one of the corners of the final composite image will be. Zoom in to this location (1 meter resolution) and set the image size to Medium. Note that it is best to leave a buffer around the edge of the proposed map for cropping purposes.
3. The display TerraServer provides consists of six 200-by-200-pixel images (tiles). Starting in the corner you defined above, right click on the tile and save it in a new directory. (I've created a subdirectory in the Yard Duty directory called "sat photos," and I create a separate subdirectory for each yard.) I utilize a filename format that looks like "yardname-###.jpg", where ### is a three-digit number. It's handy to copy "yardname-" to the clipboard, so all you have to do when saving images is hit Ctrl+V (paste), type in the number, and hit enter -- the images are automatically saved with a .jpg extension*. I start the numbers at 001 and progress sequentially as I save images... read on for the purpose of this.
   * - Internet Explorer only. I cannot confirm that Netscape does this, and Firebird 0.7 will not properly perform this function.
4. As you save each image, note on the graph paper where the images are located in relation to each other, with one number per grid square (you can omit the 0 prefixes for clarity). What you'll create is a grid that shows exactly how all the tiles fit together, which comes in very handy when making an image for a yard that lies at an angle.
5. After you've collected all the tiles necessary to create the yard image, draw a rectangle around the grid you've made. For both the width & height, count the number of grid squares, multiply by 200, and add 30 to the result. These two numbers will define the dimensions of the composite image.
6. Open up your favorite image-editing program and create a new image using the dimensions (in pixels) you determined above. Set the resolution to 72 pixels/inch (or dots per inch), and the image type to contain 16.7 million colors (24 bit). Although the tiles only show greyscale colors, using the 24 bit setting eases polishing. The reason for creating an image 30 pixels larger than the composite's dimensions is to create a 15-pixel border (this makes cropping easier). Also, by creating an appropriately-sized image, you can ensure that your tiles will be laid properly, without overlapping.
7. Save the image with an appropriate filename, such as "yardname-complete.jpg." At this point, I'd recommend saving at 15% compression* to minimize data loss (which is inherent in saving jpeg images). I will return the approved image 50% compression.
   * NOTE: Ensure that changing the file compression does not affect the image dimensions!
8. Open the first tile (yardname-001.jpg). (In PSP, I find it handy to keep the Browse window open, and I switch back and forth between it and the composite image with Ctrl+Tab, opening the tiles directly from the Browse window.) Next, select the whole image (Ctrl+A), copy it (Ctrl+C), close the tile (Ctrl+F4), say no to saving changes (N), and Ctrl+Tab over to the composite image. Zoom in to 1:1, and paste the image in as a new layer (Ctrl+E).
9. At this time, I'd suggest turning gridlines off; they'll only get in the way. Also, ensure that the coordinate readout (at bottom-left) is in pixels. Select the "Mover" tool, click (and hold) on the image selection, and drag it to the appropriate corner. Keeping an eye on the coordinate readout, position the selection so that it's located exactly at a pair of coordinates that end in 15, such that there's a 15-pixel border between the edge of the selection and the corner of the image. Once the selection is in position, release the mouse button, and hit Ctrl+D to deselect the image and secure it in place. This image will be your anchor point off which the rest of the tiles will be placed.
10. Ctrl+Tab back to the Browse window and open the second image. Repeat the process above, only align it alongside 001 such that the edges form a straight line; use the coordinates to check that you're placing the image in the correct spot. Place the image, deselect, and repeat this process until you've built the entire image (remember to refer to the grid if you aren't sure where an image is supposed to go). Also, be sure to save your progress along the way.
11. Once you've completed the image, send it to me for review and processing.

Appendix Ib: Utilizing Satya's Image Stitcher

Satya Phanse (satyap) has written a utility that allows composite images to be assembled automatically, without having to worry about the time-consuming task of painstakingly lining up all the tiles in a composite image. However, in the interests of security (this program runs off Satya's personal server), use of the program will be restricted to myself.

The Image Stitcher operates by stringing together a series of filename-ordered images, starting in the top-left corner of the composite image and progressing linearally until reaching the user-defined row length; at this point the program moves to the next row and proceedes in this fashion until all tiles have been used. There are three important constraints that must be followed:

1. Tiles must be collected such that the final image will be a perfect rectangle.
2. Tiles must be numbered squentially starting from the top-left corner, proceeding across the top row, continuing from the left edge of the second row, and proceeding so forth throughout the rest of the image:
   

   001	002	003	004	005
   006	007	008	009	010
   011	012	etc...

3. Image Stitcher cannot handle more than 300 tiles.

As a result of this, the Image Stitcher will be best utilized for relatively horizontal and vertical images. However, through use of the numbers-on-a-grid method described above, one can create a perfect image for a diagonal map via the inclusion of a blank image, provided here:

Obviously, one doesn't have to use that method, and can simply save every tile within the rectangular boundary required to assemble the appropriate image. It's up to you how you choose to proceed; using blank.jpg will make cropping easier and cut down on file size but will add confusion to the saving process and possibly lead to mistakes.

To properly utilize the Image Stitcher, follow these steps:

1. Starting in what is to be the top-left corner of the composite image, save the TerraServer tile as "example-001.jpg" (replacing "example" with something appropriate, yet simple, for your project).
2. Moving to the right, successively save images -002, -003, etc.
3. Once you reach end right edge of the image, return to the left edge and save tiles for the second row, continuing the same numerical sequence. (One shortcut to this is to work backwards from the right edge of the second row: If your image is 14 tiles wide, start on right right with -028, then work left with -027, -026, etc.) Please check to ensure that once saved the individual image files can be opened by a graphics program or Windows Picture Viewer, otherwise the Image Stitcher will not work.
4. Once all of the tiles have been saved, collect them all in a .zip file. (You can get a free utility to do this at winzip.com.)
5. Email the .zip file to me, being sure to state the number of tiles per row in your email, otherwise I won't be able to do anything with your submittal. Additionally, when creating the .zip file, be sure the Save extra folder info option is unchecked to avoid unnecessary and confusing subfolders being created on my computer. Once these steps are followed properly I will run the Image Stitcher, crop the resultant image appropriately, and return to you an image ready for trackwork.

Appendix II: Latitude/longitude coordinates

To locate the lat/lon readout:

1. At TerraServer, zoom in to the center of your proposed yard image (2-meter resolution is ok).
2. Click the "Info" button above the image.

1. Determine the lines that cross closest to the center of the proposed image.
2. The latitude lies along the horizontal lines, and the longitude lies along the vertical. Choose the appropriate decimal values for each (the middle number of the three provided), and round to the third decimal place. Thus, choosing a random spot in Terre Haute, IN, I find
   
   • lat = 39.48951
   • lon = -87.41847
   (The negative longitude designates it as a location lying west of the Prime Meridian; a negative latitude would be south of the equator.)
   
3. When added to the .his file, the coordinates should appear in this form:
   
   • Yardname: 39.490, -87.418
     

rev 01/26/04
(added instructions to Appenddix Ib)

rev 01/24/04
(added Table of Contents)

rev 01/21/04
(revised location of MIP)

rev 01/20/04
(added grid to Appendix Ib/Step 2; added Project Submittal Schedule; modified Process to specify to whom each submittal should be made; adjusted Process Steps to reflect staff responsibilities; added Paul & Corey to contact info list)

rev 12/24/03
(expanded Appendix I to Sections A & B to incorporate Image Stitcher; added note on proper connections format; revised Step 3 to state annotated .yrd files will be returned; placed entire document in table for aesthetic purposes)

rev 09/24/03
(expanded USGS logo note, added suggested image file name in Step 2)

rev 09/22/03
(specified TS resolution in Step 2)

rev 09/21/03
(added program-specific notes to Step 2)

rev 09/17/03
(eliminated brackets from email subject, revised last paragraph, added note on first-time designers in Step 1; added note on revision emails, stated IMD & MDR as standards in Step 3; revised unknown-connections sentence in Step 4; modified Super. of Conns. statement in Step 5)