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TIP: Trac Plus

Using Trac Maps in Trac Plus

Farm Trac Plus gives you the ability to make basic, geo-referenced maps. If you created maps with Farm Trac (prior to Farm Trac+) and have upgraded to Farm Trac+, you may want to add GPS coordinates to your Farm Trac maps. In order for a proper conversion, existing Farm Trac maps should be drawn to scale. To add geo-referencing to a Farm Trac map, you will need to obtain a single GPS coordinate for one location on your map. This position may be obtained from a GPS receiver or from USGS government road and waterway data. To add GPS coordinates to a map created in Farm Trac:

1. Select Preferences from the File menu then select Geographic Coordinates. A globe will appear beside your cursor.
2. Click on a point on your map for which the geographic coordinates are known. The Enter Coordinates box will appear. Coordinates may be obtained from GPS data or other map information. If you do not know any coordinates, click on any spot on your map and enter all zeros for the coordinates.
3. Click OK to convert the map to real world coordinates.
   If you entered all zeroes for your coordinates, use the USGS road and waterway maps to define your coordinates. To do this:
4. Import the USGS road and waterway maps for your area and zoom in on the part of the map where your farm is located. If these maps have been previously imported, go to Layer Management and load these layers so they are displayed. For best results, zoom in on an intersection or other feature that appears on your original Farm Trac map.
   
   Note: For more information on importing USGS maps, refer to the tutorial for Farm Site on the Farm Works CD.
   
5. Select the Layer Tools toolbar.
   
6. Click on the Registration Points button. The Registration Points box will appear.
7. Enter a Description that defines the location in terms you will understand later: 550E and Ash Road, for example.
8. Click the chosen location on the roads and waterways map. The coordinates will appear.
9. Click Record to save the coordinates with the name entered.
10. Click Done to close the Registration Points box.
11. Next, go to the Layer Management box by clicking on the Layer Management button.
12. Remove the roads and waterways from the "Displayed Layer List" by clicking on the layers (in the Displayed Layer List) and clicking on the left arrow button in the Layer Management box.
13. Move the Main Farming Layer so that it is the only layer being displayed. This can be done by selecting the "Main Farming Layer" in the Available Layers list and clicking on the right-arrow button. The Main Farming Layer is the layer that has the map that you created in Farm Trac.
14. Select the Done button in Layer Management to display the Main Farming layer.
15. Select the Zoom All Fields button, or type the letter A on your keyboard, if your map is not displayed.
16. Use the Zoom Tool to zoom in on the location of the registration point selected in step #8.
17. To finish the map conversion, select Preferences from the File menu then select Geographic Coordinates again. A globe will appear beside your cursor.
18. Click on the selected point for your registration. The Enter Coordinates box will appear.
19. Select the defined coordinates (from step #7) from the Registered Points drop-down list: 550E and Ash Road, in our example.
20. Click OK. The Farm Trac map will now have real world coordinates.
21. To display the map along with your roads & waterways, return to the Layer Management box by clicking on the Layer Management button again.
22. Move the road and waterway layers to the Displayed Layer list. This can be done by selecting the layers in the Available Layers list and clicking on the right-arrow button. Make sure that the Main Farming layer is the first layer that is listed (this is known as the Active Layer). The arrow keys on the right can be used to move a highlighted layer up and down in the Displayed Layer list. Click Done to display the maps.
23. Select the Zoom All button if your roads and waterways are not displayed.
24. Your Farm Trac map will now be displayed along with the roads and waterways. If the maps are not perfectly aligned, you can use the Edit Points tool (in the Mapping Tools) to change the shape of fields. The Pointer Tool can be used to move objects or to delete un-needed items such as roads that were drawn on your Farm Trac map.

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Martens Farms has been providing individual training and setup for customers by phone and in person across the United States since 1996. We help you make the most of Farm Works software.

Call us at at 877-585-6761 and ask for Lorra.