Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Military history/Cartography

message: Certain of the USMA maps contain errors.  A precious few have rather serious errors, as they depict entire army corps miles away from their actual locations.  Content experts are usually aware of these errors, and make allowances for them in their research and writings.  I've just completed a considerable revision of one of the USMA maps for just these reasons.
Good luck! (You're going to need it!)  Philippsbourg —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Phillipsbourg (talk • contribs) 04:42, 1 April 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Please be advised

message: If a map's copyright has expired, is it allowable to 'chop up' a map? For example, I've found a good map for the Second Punic War, but it has a large border and text around it, and this has all been scanned by the university which maintains the collection. Is is violation of copyright to edit the image? - Vedexent 03:35, 8 March 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: If the map is public domain, you can do whatever you want with it: chopping up, resizing, cropping, etc.  From a copyright standpoint, it's just a bit of colored paper. —Kirill Lokshin 03:54, 8 March 2006 (UTC)

text: I would think that using the background layout would make the new map a derivative work, which would carry the same copyright terms as the original background did.  This might be a problem if the background is under a license that forbids modifying the image (but why that would be the case for maps, I don't know). Kirill Lokshin 22:41, 1 May 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Map Copyright question 

message: For those working on maps, Wikipedia:WikiProject Maps may be of use. It doesn't seem to get a lot of activity, but may have some useful tips, including on the talk page. --Kevin —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Kevin Myers (talk • contribs) 15:54, 8 March 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Wikipedia:WikiProject Maps 

message: Does anyone know of any good software packages for creating maps? Other than a painting or drawing program; I'm thinking along the lines of pre-generated outlines that you can then drop symbols, labels, arrows, etc. onto it. Anyone know of, or use, software like this? - Vedexent 22:21, 8 March 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: I wish! If you find good software, drop me a note. The Minister of War (Peace) 07:11, 30 March 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Well there is MapInfo, 3 000$ for a licence, I wish I would of been a Wikipidian a year ago, I had the sofware at work.Dryzen 14:44, 25 April 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Arrows can be made with Inkscape, maybe other things as well, but i didn't managed to download a map from Inkscape. Cyberboard has the possibility of making your own counters and symbols. Cyberboard maps should be downloadable, but i didn't had success with it (I am a historian and no programmer).--Daanschr 17:49, 15 May 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Those are graphic software rather than cartographic. But i gather that from the viewer's poitn of view it really dosen't matter does it? Could use Corel Suite or Adobe?Dryzen 19:35, 16 May 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Map Creation Software? 

message: It looks like linking to the image (rather than actually displaying it inline) doesn't actually register as a link in MediaWiki.  As a consequence, the various Commons file-usage tools won't report the links here, and if any of the images are deleted as duplicates, this page won't be updated by the admins there.  The obvious technical solution would be to display the maps as a gallery (which would poperly show up as a use of the file), but that will produce a massive page that will choke browsers.  Any ideas?  Maybe we should create subpages by conflicts or periods and have galleries there? Kirill Lokshin 23:43, 26 April 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Subpages would seem the only, logical solution. Bear in mind, though, that unlike here, the Commons has not yet been overrun by the "When in doubt DELETE" mobs. So the life expectancy of the typical image, especially the likes of historical maps, is much greater there. Common sense still lives on the Commons, it would seem...for the most part.--R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine) 21:45, 28 April 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  A nasty problem 

message: Salutations wikipedian cartographers, as a real cartographer I may have been blind to more mundane and simple tools. I was wondering what you might have been using to produce the myrad of maps available on wikipedia? As well as what where the licences most commenly used? Thank you for your time.Dryzen 19:42, 16 May 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: I want to make maps, but i don't like the map creating programs. The license of selfmade maps is very easy. Just say it is selfmade and your map remains. I have only created one map (see Lucius Paullus), but i had problems with  and GIMP.--Daanschr 14:50, 17 May 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Tools 

message: Hello, Ive been trying to make a series of maps which give a basic overview of allied/axis territory in world war 2 for each month, see commons:template:WW2 month. I have a couple of good WW2 atlases but there were still some gaps, and there are lots of things which need checking or correcting. The eastern front in particular was not complete from the maps I was looking at and I had to estimate some areas.  There are also problems with exactly what to choose - for instance a map of April 1941 could show yugoslavia as neutral or allied (before apr 6) or german occupied (after apr 6) and the german lines could be shown anywhere from yugoslavia to greece (which was also conquered the same month) Just thought Id ask here for any comments. See also the  --Astrokey44 03:40, 5 July 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  WW2 maps