Map system

Maps in oziTarget Map

A Windows moving-map built around offline MBTiles — the same idea as a calibrated raster in Ozi Explorer, packaged as a fast tile pyramid. If you already maintain Ozi .map files, most of your know-how still applies.

How the map system works

The primary map layer is an MBTiles file (.mbtiles): a SQLite database of image tiles at multiple zoom levels. When you open a map, the app streams only the tiles needed for the current view — fast pan and zoom without loading a full megapixel image on every move.

You can also use online basemaps (OpenStreetMap, satellite layers) from the Map menu when you have internet. Competition and club charts are usually delivered as calibrated MBTiles you build or receive.

A project (.otmp) captures a reusable venue setup: which map to use, an optional viewport, datum/grid hints, and linked waypoint and track files — mirroring the Ozi habit of saving a map set for an event.

Moving maps from Ozi Explorer

What you can reuse

✓ Ozi Explorer .map files — import calibration metadata and Point01–Point09 pixel/world pairs.
✓ The same raster image — open the JPG/PNG/TIFF alongside the imported .map.
✓ Ozi waypoints (.wpt) and tracks (.plt) — load, save, and export for interchange.

What you cannot do

! oziTarget Map does not open Ozi's paired image+.map as the live moving map — you build or obtain .mbtiles.
! Ozi-specific compressed/proprietary map containers are not supported as map layers.
! GDAL is required on your PC to build tiles — the app drives gdal_translate / gdalwarp but does not ship them.

Typical migration workflow

1 Locate your Ozi .map and the matching raster (same pixel dimensions where possible).
2 Map → Map Calibration → open the raster (or an existing .otcal bundle).
3 Load → Import Ozi Explorer .map file and review all nine points.
4 Add points 10–15 if you want extra GCPs (Ozi only defines nine slots).
5 Build tab → run MBTiles generation → File → Open MBTiles… on the output.
6 Save a project (.otmp) if this is your standard event map.

Calibrating a new chart

Any new raster that is not already an MBTiles file — club task map, scanned plate, photo export, revised edition — goes through calibration once. Then you reuse the .mbtiles for every flight.

1 Help tab — skim in-window notes and GDAL install links.
2 Map tab — enter map name, datum, projection (or import an Ozi .map).
3 Point 1–15 tabs — set each GCP by Lat/Lon or UTM; click the image or type Image X/Y; lock placed points.
4 Save — write an .otcal bundle (raster copy + JSON + all slots) for backup.
5 Build — with at least three GCPs, set the GDAL folder, preset, and zoom range, then build.

Tips for a good calibration

Spread GCPs across the whole sheet — corners, edges, interior.
Use grid intersections or unmistakable features.
Snap to 1000 m grid for UTM and Swiss metric entry.
Spot-check alignment at several zoom levels before task flying.

GDAL is required once per PC

Install GDAL via OSGeo4W or QGIS. The Build tab remembers the folder containing gdal_translate.exe and produces Web Mercator tiles (EPSG:3857) inside the MBTiles container.