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Mountain High Maps
Frequently Asked Questions

    General Product Questions
    Copyrights and License
    Quality and Accuracy
    Software Compatibility Issues
    Product Availability


General Product questions:

What does the product comprise?

There are two products - Mountain High Maps (MHM) and Mountain High Map Frontiers (MHMF). Mountain High Maps from Version 2.0 and subsequent versions include all the Frontiers material. The two products may be purchased and used independently.

MHM V.4.0 is a collection of 78 relief maps and 39 globes covering the entire world in TIFF format images along with all the corresponding geopolitical information including political borders, rivers, city, latitude & longitude, and names for countries, cities, and rivers - all these are presented in both mask and path format as well as EPS format for Macintosh and Windows. The package includes animated globes and pre-colorized maps.

MHM Frontiers is a collection of Illustrator EPS maps featuring coastline, political boundaries, cities, rivers, latitude/longitude and names for those same items presented in TIFF masks, Illustrator EPS and FreeHand format files. There are no relief maps, globes, animated rotations or colorized maps on Frontiers

What is Frontiers?

Mountain High Map - Frontiers is a collection of 78 Illustrator EPS maps featuring international boundaries, coastlines, rivers, cities, latitude/longitude and all corresponding names for outline mapping. It is designed for compatibility use with MHM relief maps but primarily it can easily and accurately be used as a stand-alone mapping tool. Internal boundaries are also included for the USA, Canada and Australia. The collection is politically up to date and includes boundaries for the CIS (former USSR republics) and Yugoslavian states. The disc has three file formats, TIFF masks, Illustrator EPS and FreeHand internal format. It is also a hybrid and will run on both Mac and PC platforms.

What is GlobeShots?

GlobeShots is a collection of globe images from the Mountain High Maps. Fifteen global views from our MHM collection have been colorized in many different ways to give a hundred high resolution globe images and 160 low resolution images. They are supplied as downloadable collection at 300 dpi RGB TIFF files.

Are these satellite images?

No, these are highly detailed and accurate topographic relief models.

What is the source of the data?

A considerable number of mapping sources were used to produce the models. Most of the data is based on official government or hydrographic surveys.

What are the system requirements?

You will need a computer running Windows or the Apple Macintosh Operating System with a minumum of 4 Gb of memory, preferably higher. The more real memory you possess, the quicker the images are manipulated. As a rule of thumb, a color image requires twice the RGB file size plus more Mb for best performance.

You will also need any application which supports JPEG, TIFF, EPS (MAC / WIN) formats: Adobe Illustrator v.5.0 or later (MAC), v.7.0 or later (WIN).


Questions about accuracy and quality issues

What is the resolution?

There are two types of resolutions to discuss:

1 - Image resolution - the Mountain High Map images are stored at 300 dpi (Dots per inch or pixels) resolution. Most images average around 2,500 x 2,500 pixels, some much larger - a typical image is 6 to 8 inches or larger per axis at this resolution. Of the three World Maps, the largest world map (GALL projection) is 5500 x 3500 pixels giving a grayscale TIFF file of 17 megabytes or 51 megabytes when converted to RGB color.

2 - Map resolution - varies with each map according to the map scale. The map resolution is expressed as meters or kilometers per pixel and each map is listed on the map inventory sheet. Europe is typically 500 meters per pixel, the USA is 800 to 1,000 meters per pixel, some regional maps run from 100 to 400 meters; as you might expect, the larger the area the image covers, the lower the resolution. Continental views start around 3,000 meters per pixel and the best world view in the collection is 6,000 meters per pixel. View the full catalog of maps with corresponding resolution.

Do you have a world view?

The MHM world map is in a Gall projection (similar to Mercator). It is 5500 x 3500 pixels giving a grayscale TIFF file of 17 megabytes. When colorized this is equivalent to 51 Mb in RGB format or 68 Mb in CMYK format. The full collection also includes a Van de Grinten projection featuring the Americas in the center of the map. The Gall projection is the most suitable for wrapping on a sphere.

How large can I make an image?

A typical image stored at 300 dpi measures 6 to 8 inches (or larger) on each axis. MHM can be doubled and doubled again with ease to provide a map at least 2 ft x 2 ft. Beyond this point the image may start to pixelate, however, this can be reduced somewhat by resampling or interpolating the image. This process takes each pixel and redivides it into smaller pixels and averages the color value with adjoining pixels to provide a smooth image gradient. Some customers expand the images to fit on exhibition walls or large posters. As with any photographic image, eventually the image grainor pixels will be visible.

Are there rivers and cities?

Rivers are presented in many ways - on the base relief maps, large rivers appear as part of the ocean mask where the river width exceeds one half the pixel size. With Version 4.0, a full hydrography system of rivers are available either as a Photoshop path on the base relief JPEG map, as a TIFF mask or alternatively as a Illustrator EPS or FreeHand file layers. River names can be selected as a separate layer or path and may be edited.

City locations along with longitude / latitude graticules are also presented in Versions 2.9 as both Photoshop paths, TIFF masks, and Illustrator EPS or FreeHand file layers. City names are located in a separate layer and are editable.

How up to date is Frontiers?

Frontiers Version 4.0 was published in March 2015 and includes current configuration for former Soviet Republics and the rearranged Balkan countries in detail. Please check with Digital Wisdom for any later updates as these well may be downloadable from our web site.


Copyrights issues

What are the terms of the License Agreement ?

The license allows royalty free reproduction of Mountain High Maps in most media, print, broadcasting and multi or web media, providing the images have been modified with your message or proprietary material. The most important restrictions prohibit providing the images as clip art for resale or reuse, either on a CD-ROM, BBS, stock agency, image bank, postcard or poster. Atlas publications in print and in electronic form restrict the relative amount of Mountain High Maps within the total content of the publications. Some restrictions also apply to cartographic services, broadcasting and large printing groups. Contact Digital Wisdom for more details about your specific situation.

Is it royalty free?

Yes, within the limitations of the license agreement and providing you register - registration is free of charge. See Terms of the License above.

Can we use the images in a video?

Yes, your customized MHM images may be used in a video within the terms of the license. An appropriate credit should appear at the beginning or end of the video program.

Can we use the images on a Web site or Internet?

Special clauses (in addition to the normal license) describe conditions to permit the use of MHM on Web or Internet sites. These conditions protect Mountain High Maps while giving Web publishers use of the maps in their web pages.


Purchasing issues

Product availability?

Product is available for immediate downlopad via our online store at MountainHighMaps.com Payment can be made by major credit card or PayPal.

Can I buy just one image?

Mountain High Maps is available by the individual map - visit the catalog and select your map of interest - at the bottom of each page specification you will find download options for map package ((Illustrator EPS and Relief maps) or just Illustrator EPS versions. Individual images average 15 to 20 Mb in full color RGB, and to enable user to buy smaller subsets of individual maps. We also package Continental Editions of the maps for users who need specific views. Continental Editions is available for Africa, America, Asia, Australia, Europe, World View, Globes and Animations - For other custom map situations, please use the Custom Mapping page to select specific mapping requirements, styles and request a quote to your specifications.

Can I buy just the Globes?

Digital Wisdom has now published GlobeShots - a collection of 15 different globe views in RGB color. If the view you are seeking is not part of this collection, please call Digital Wisdom to discuss your specific needs or special requirements, or check our Custom Mapping page to select styles and request a quote to your specifications.


Software compatibility issues

Can it be used with Adobe Illustrator?

Mountain High Maps can now be used with Macintosh Illustrator CS4 but you cannot alter the TIFF imagery within Illustrator. We strongly suggest you use Adobe Photoshop to manipulate the MHM images, output the completed work as an EPS file to Illustrator and complete any artwork under the Illustrator application.

What is the format?

Mountain High Maps images are stored in TIFF and JPEG format. These are industry standard format for graphic images under all platforms, Mac, PC and UNIX. Almost all professional graphic application software packages allow import of TIFF and JPEG files.

Can the images be put on a sphere?

There are two world maps suitable for wrapping: the largest map in the collection is a Gall projection world map map #605 at 17 Mb in grayscale or 50 Mb in RGB, a smaller version Gall map #604 runs at 4 Mb grayscale or 12 Mb RGB. These images are typically wrapped onto a sphere using a rendering or 3D modeling program (such as Stratavision 3D, 3D Studio or SGI based software). On MHM Version 2.0 and higher, a set of 38 animations have been provided as Macintosh QuickTime files or on the Windows version as .MOV files (.AVI files are also available).

What equipment do I need?

To fully use the full capabilities of the Mountain High Maps and GlobeShots images, you need to have a Macintosh or PC with Adobe Photoshop, a minimum of 4 Gb of memory, preferably higher. The more real memory you possess, the quicker the images are manipulated. As rule of thumb, a color image requires twice the RGB file size plus much for best performance and to avoid memory paging.

Mountain High Map Frontiers requires less memory since the files are either Illustrator EPS files internal format. Word processors running with 2 Gb of memory can import the EPS outline maps into a document.


Any comments or problems with these downloads? Please let us know - thank you!
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