By way of clarifying the distinctions between these two DeLorme software offerings, the list below describes the features and functions available to XMap users that are not included in the Street Atlas family of products.
Before beginning, it is important to define the role that each of the products has been designed to serve. Street Atlas USA is a packaged consumer mapping application whose primary functions are route planning and GPS navigation; simple map annotation; and map printing. This product is ideally suited for the casual map user.
XMap, which originally evolved from the Street Atlas platform and which includes all of the features of the consumer-level mapping products, was designed to facilitate the import, display, analysis, and management of third-party or user data. It offers tools for importing and editing existing spatial data layers, customizing the visual characteristics of this data, viewing imagery and other raster layers, and much more. In short, Street Atlas is great for viewing DeLorme map datasets, but if you want add your own map data, XMap is a better choice.
The following list outlines the key features that differentiate XMap from Street Atlas USA:
- Access to shapefiles and other vector layers
XMap offers a versatile toolkit for consolidating the management of data from multiple sources. With the growth in popularity of spatial technology for data management, the availability of GIS data has expanded accordingly. Vast archives of data layers are freely available for download from government, commercial, and educational institutions. - Access to aerial imagery from multiple sources
As well as retrieving imagery using DeLorme’s NetLink functionality, XMap users can import geographically referenced third-party imagery in MrSID and GeoTIFF formats. These files can often be found on the same GIS archive sites noted above. - Interoperability with other GIS and CAD software titles
A key consideration when managing data is the ability to send and receive data from other applications. XMap can import and export files that are fully compatible with virtually any GIS or CAD system. - GIS analysis tools
The GIS tab in XMap includes a powerful array of tools for exposing the spatial patterns and locational characteristics within your data. This capability optimizes decision making processes and workflow management practices in your organization. - Image registration
The ImageReg tab in XMap is used to convert any image file, such as a scanned paper map or aerial photograph, into a geographically referenced map layer. To achieve this, you must match a series of specific points on the image the same recognizable points in the adjacent XMap map window. - Customizable DeLorme base map datasets
The Map Display tab within XMap’s Options window provides a Custom Map Features option. Using a series of check boxes, the contents of the map window can be altered to include just those features that are appropriate for each situation. For instance, when displaying your data, you can choose to enable just contours, borders, and major highways to reduce clutter on the map. - Configurable split screen view
The contents of the secondary, or left, map window in XMap can be independently configured to create an alternative view of an area. For instance, you can choose to display imagery on one side and a topographic map on the other or you can assign certain GIS layers to the primary map while limiting the contents of the secondary map to the roads and streets. These two map views are geographically linked so as you pan or zoom one, the other will be adjusted accordingly. 
Access to elevation data for 3-D terrain modeling and profiling
One of the base map dataset options for XMap is XMap USA Topographic Data, which includes a digital elevation model. This component of the data allows you to render any map, aerial image, or GIS layer as a 3-D terrain model. It also enables XMap’s Profile tool for analyzing the characteristics of a slope as defined by any linear object on the map.- Efficient data management and distribution mechanisms
At the Enterprise level, XMap provides the means to centrally manage all of your organization’s data and to deploy it in either editable or read-only format. The innovative data synchronization system ensures that all of you field technicians have the latest version of your critical GIS layers, which are delivered with the simple click of a button in their copy of XMap. The check-out/in process is used to assign the GIS features contained within a selected geographic region to another XMap user for the purpose of editing. Meanwhile, the corresponding region in the original layer is rendered uneditable until the checked-out section is checked-in. - Compatibility with DeLorme’s PN-Series GPS receivers
XMap fully supports the Earthmate PN-40 and PN-20 GPS receivers. Any map created in XMap, including GIS layers, aerial imagery, topographic maps, or scanned and registered maps, can be transferred to a device. Conversely, data collected in the field in the form of waypoints and tracks, are easily downloaded and, if necessary, converted into GIS layers.
In the early 1990s, Street Atlas USA was the first CD-ROM software product to deliver map data for the entire U.S. Inevitably, professional map users were quick to appreciate the value in this innovative product. However, as users’ requirements evolved, it became clear that Street Atlas USA was not meeting the needs of business and professional customers, so DeLorme developed XMap as a more advanced mapping application. Today, XMap is the preferred software for countless companies and organizations.
Such was the case recently during a training program for employees of FiberNext, a fiber optic solutions provider headquartered in Bow, New Hampshire. Longtime users of XMap and Earthmate GPS technology, FiberNext had recently upgraded to XMap 6 and had hired some additional staff. Recognizing the need for training, they contacted DeLorme to arrange a class. During this two-day session, the process of efficient data collection was discussed and a strategy was developed to optimize the use of XMap for this purpose.
The template layer can also be preformatted with a classification scheme so that as the data for each pole is added, the symbol on the map will immediately reflect the values that have been typed. In the field, the technician can automatically assign a pole to a specific class by selecting the required symbol from the Classification menu on the toolbar. This process will also insert the appropriate value in the corresponding field in the attribute table.
For advanced GIS applications, DeLorme offers XMap 6.2 GIS Editor, which includes full data editing capability, and XMap 6.2 GIS Enterprise, which provides efficient tools for corporate GIS data management and distribution and now includes support for ArcSDE 9.3.