Contents - Index

Browse Gazetteer Entries

The programme includes a list of nearly 18,000 gazetteer entries, that can be browsed directly through the 'Browse Tables > Browse Gazetteer Entries' command, or used as a reference when making Spatial Queries. The gazetteer entries are derived from the GeoNames database, and a proprietary programme is used to extract and format them for use with the 'VK Callbook Mapper'. Where possible, both the State and Admin-level-2 names are provided for each entity. Where the Admin-level-2 name is not available (such as in the case of ACT), then a NULL value is given.

Assuming that you have entered your QTH's latitude and longitude position by clicking 'Help > Options > Mapping > User Details', you can then perform a 'User Spatial Query' on the table data by right-clicking any table line and choosing 'User Spatial Query'. What this command does is to order the complete table by distance from your User-location. You can thus discover the entries that are the closest to you, and those farthest way. A 'Bearing' column is also added to the table, that shows the short-path bearing from your User-location. If you wish, you can order the table by bearing simply by clicking that column's header. Note that making Spatial Queries does not alter the data in the databases in any way.

Another option in the context-menu shown when you right-click a line is 'Row Spatial Query'. What this command does is to order the complete table by distance from the location of the entry in the row that you clicked on. You can thus discover the entries that are the closest to that particular line-value, and those that are farthest way. A 'Bearing' column is also added to the table, as before.

Gazetteer entries can be plotted directly on to the Online and Overlay Maps by right-clicking an entry and choosing 'Show on Map' from the context-menu. Once an entry has been plotted on a map, its position can then be used for a variety of new Spatial Queries, where the entry's position is used as the centre-point for a table-search.

Markers plotted on the Online and Overlay maps are contained within 7 different invisible layers, each of which can be turned on and off or cleared individually. Gazetteer markers have their own layer, so any plotted Gazetteer markers can be hidden temporarily, or permanently cleared from the Online and Overlay maps without affecting any other markers or polygons currently displayed. To control the Gazetteer markers, click 'Markers > Hide Gazetteer Markers' or 'Markers > Clear Gazetteer Markers'.