These files untar into map data (one directory per continent)
and a simple program that reads the map data and draws maps.

	The map data comes from the "CIA world map database" originally,
but the version here is a highly compressed version created by Brian Reid.
His format is "documented" by the code in domap.c! Sorry, that's all the
documentation there is. Really.

	The map data itself consists of coastlines, rivers, lakes,
international political boundaries, US state boundaries, and Canadian province
boundaries. Note the boundaries predate the end of the cold war...

	The map-drawing program uses some bits of code written by Brian Reid
to read the map data. He has assured me the bits of his code used here
are public. (He also uses the same map data in a DEC proprietary map-drawing
program that is much fancier than this one. But that code isn't free like
this code is.)

	I split the files up by continent, so you can just grab the ones
you want. Be warned the CIA has a STRANGE way of subdividing the world into
"continents"! The README and other such generic stuff is in DoMap.tar.gz.
I chopped the continental ".tar.gz" files into several pieces because
some ftp's out there go bonkers with files bigger than about 500K; just "cat"
them together (although cat is REALLY inefficient and slow).

	If you don't know what the ".gz" and ".tar" endings mean, ask someone
else!

	The program "domap" is meant to be used with "vplot", but it shouldn't
be too hard to modify it to work with something else. (Read the comments inside
domap.c.) Basically you'll just need to come up with routines for drawing
a vector and changing the pen color, and changing the appropriate vplot calls
to do those things into whatever graphics system it is you use.

	For serious use, there are some glitches here and there that were
present in the original source and need to be hand-edited out. If anyone does
that, please send me the fixes. Also note the ORDERING of vectors can only be
described as bizarre. If someone writes a program and reorders the rivers and
coasts, etc, into continuous "polylines" that would be WONDERFUL. PLEASE,
PLEASE, PLEASE, if you fix any of these problems SEND THE FIX BACK TO ME!!!!!

	The mysterious "vp_" calls in domap refer to the vplot graphical
system, available by ftp from sepftp.stanford.edu. It shouldn't be too much
trouble to modify domap to suit whatever graphics system you prefer. Note
that you may need to throw a switch in the code of domap if your machine uses
byte-swapped binary numbers internally. If it doesn't work and you know
nothing about C code find someone locally who does to help you.

	This is free data. UNIX/C hackers should have no trouble getting it
to work. Those who want a canned system, or to get it to run under DOS, you're
on your own... I can't help you.

	- Joe Dellinger

	Sun Jun 23 18:25:25 CDT 1996
	joe@sep.stanford.edu
 
PS:     If you need to know the longitudes and latitudes for places, try
 
        telnet martini.eecs.umich.edu 3000
 
        It only lists a few places outside the US though.
.