SECTOR MAP   Ver 0.92   19 JUN 01

     ****************************************************************
     *                                                              *
     *  Experimental stuff ---                                      *
     *                                                              *
     *    SectMap now displays "real" data, in addition to ATCC     *
     *    sector files.  See the REAL section around line 440       *
     *    for details.                                              *
     *                                                              *
     *    Some changes to the ATCC-related parts that I planned     *
     *    a few months ago have not yet been made.                  *
     *                                                              *
     *    This file is large enough to need a table of contents     *
     *    and section numbers.  Coming soon.                        *
     *                                                              *
     ****************************************************************


   SectMap is a public domain Windows 95/98/ME program to display
   ATCC(tm) sector files in a map format.  So far, it does NOT work
   on Windows NT/2000.

   You may change the map range, map center, and turn on/turn off
   various items, to display the data in a way you like.  The maps
   may be printed on any printer you have on your system.

   SectMap will not draw items in exactly the same locations that
   ATCC does.  If you care why, some reasons are given in the other
   help file (SECTMAP1.TXT).  I can make the displays closer to each
   other, but other items have a higher priority.  I may wait to
   see what ATCC-2 does before I change those parts of SectMap.

   SectMap will also display data from an auxiliary file for each
   sector that contains information about things like airway labels
   and positions for sector numbers/frequencies.  I have created
   the first version of these additional files for the original ATCC
   sectors, plus Gil's ZAN 05.

   Sector developers may be able to use SectMap for the graphical
   part of their sector documentation -- although the more complex
   sectors will likely need additional graphics.

   The aux files are not necessary to operate SectMap.


   --------------------------------------------------------------
   |                                                            |
   |                      INSTALLATION                          |
   |                                                            |
   --------------------------------------------------------------

   SECTMAP.ZIP contains the following files:

      SECTMAP.EXE    The program.

      SECTMAP.TXT    This help file.
      SECTMAP1.TXT   Help info of interest to sector developers.

      SMZAN05.TXT    Aux data file for ZAN 05.
      SMZAU75.TXT    Aux data file for the original ATCC sector.
      SMZAU82.TXT    Aux data file for the original ATCC sector.
      SMZLA19.TXT    Aux data file for the original ATCC sector.
      SMZLA38.TXT    Aux data file for the original ATCC sector.
      SMZNY66.TXT    Aux data file for the original ATCC sector.
      SMZNY97.TXT    Aux data file for the original ATCC sector.

   and, for the 'REAL' data:

      SMDATA.BIN    binary data - lines, fixes, etc.
      QUERY.EXE     program to filter routes over designated fixes
      LOOKUP.BAT    batch file to make nicer output from QUERY

      ROUTES.TXT    flight plans - entered by destination airport
      ROUTESD.TXT   flight plans sorted by departure airport
      REFS.SRT      references to fixes in ROUTES.TXT (for QUERY)
      BSORT.EXE     (sort) used by LOOKUP
      UNIQ.EXE      (unique) used by LOOKUP to filter duplicate entries


   (1)  As always, make a backup of your ATCC sectors, and run a
        virus scan on this package.

   (2)  You may unzip SECTMAP.ZIP directly into your ATCC folder
        if you wish.

   (2)  If it is not already where you want it, copy SECTMAP.EXE to
        your ATCC folder, or another folder of your choice.  Keep
        the 'real' data files in the same folder as SECTMAP.EXE.

   (3)  If you have ZAN 05, copy SMZAN05.TXT to the folder where
        ZAN 05 is located.  The latest set of files from Spongey are
        split into several folders.  The TXT file must be in the same
        folder as the associated sector files.

   (4)  If they are not there already, copy the remainder of the
        SMZZZNN.TXT files to the ATCC folder with the original sectors.
        The TXT files must be in the same folder as the associated
        sector files.

   (5)  Ver 0.71 included a file called SECTMAP.INI.  That file
        will not be distributed in the future, so your existing
        INI file will be preserved.  The initial INI file will be
        created when Environment|Remember is selected.


   You may want to set up a shortcut to the program, or add it to
   your start menu.  For info on how to do that, click Start, Help,
   and see topics "Shortcuts" and "Start menu".

   Excuse me, may I use your disk for a moment ...

   When you run SectMap, it creates or updates a file called
   SECTMAP.INI to hold various environment data, including the name
   of the last folder accessed.  So regardless of where you put
   SectMap, after the first run you will not have to do excessive
   mouse-clicking to get to the sector files.

   SectMap also creates a file called DUMP.TXT, to receive debugging
   messages.  I've turned off most of these as the initial bugs
   have been corrected, but at least a zero-length file will still
   be created.


   --------------------------------------------------------------
   |                                                            |
   |                     PROGRAM OPERATION                      |
   |                                                            |
   --------------------------------------------------------------

   If you are not trying to develop new sector files or document
   existing ones, there are only a few things you need to know to
   operate this program.  You can learn a lot of it by just trying
   the menu items, and see what happens.

   Open an ATCC sector file with File|Open.  If necessary, move to
   another folder by double-clicking on the folder, or with the
   "one level up" button.

   BAK (backup) files will not be opened.  (SectMap would try to find
   a center named BAK.)   I would prefer to display fewer files in
   the dialog box, but not all center names start with 'Z', and there
   is not a lot of flexibility in the dialog box controls.

   Things you need to know:

      (1)  SectMap reads C_INFO and SECT_XX to set the initial map
           center and map range.  This does not work quite right in
           some cases.  You may fix it by manually setting the center
           and range with menu selections.  The map center may also
           be set by right-clicking where you want it to be.

      (2)  You may turn various map items on or off by selecting
           items on the Data menu.  The map is re-drawn after each
           selection.  The Properties menu item allows you to set
           a bunch of items at once.

      (3)  The program starts with landscape orientation set for
           printer output.  I'm not sure if this will work in
           all cases (e.g. after you select a different printer).
           You can use File|Printer Setup if it doesn't.


   --------------------------------------------------------------
   |                                                            |
   |                        FEATURES                            |
   |                                                            |
   --------------------------------------------------------------

   Tool Bar

      There are toolbar buttons on the left for RANGE UP, RANGE DOWN,
      and REDRAW.  The RTE+ and RTE- buttons allow you to cycle through
      the flight plans for the entire center.  The other items on the
      toolbar were intended for sector developers, but now I doubt
      their usefulness.  You can read about them in SECTMAP1.TXT.

   Message Line

      The bottom border of the display (called the "status bar" or
      "message line" in Windows documentation) shows the following
      data about the current mouse position:

         Horizontal:Vertical pixels from upper left.
         Lat/Long.
         Variation.
         True bearing, magnetic bearing, and distance from map center.


                      ----- DISPLAY MENU -----

   Display | by Facility | ...

      You can quickly set the map center and map range for
      U.S. Centers, and few other configurations, with items
      in this sub-menu.  More will be added later.

   Display | Center

      The center can be set to a fix defined for the currently open
      sector, or to a lat/long.  The lat/long is of the general form
      N1234.56/W12345.67 (no spaces, optional decimal point and
      following digits).  If you need more details, look in
      SECTMAP1.TXT - Command Elements - <position>.

      The map center dialog can be accessed with ctrl+C.  The map center
      can also be set by right-clicking where you want the center to be.

   Display | Range

      The range can be set from 0.1 NM to 11000 NM, although not all
      lines will be drawn at very small ranges, and there will be
      quite a bit of distortion at very large ranges.

      The map range is measured along the shortest screen or page
      dimension.  If you set 100 miles, you will get 100 miles from
      the map center to the nearest edge, and more along the other
      dimension.  This is different from ATCC, which shows the
      requested range horizontally, and less vertically.

      The range can be changed with toolbar buttons, and the dialog
      can be accessed with ctrl+R.


                        ----- DATA MENU -----

   Data | Fix Names

      Fix names can be turned on or off.  Future improvement -
      separate switches for fix labels and symbols.

   Data | Solid, Dotted, Dashed SECT_XX Lines

      I used these names because their use for airways, sector
      boundaries, and approach boundaries is not the same for
      all sectors.

   Data | Line Definitions

      (Mostly for developers.)  Shows the place-bearing-distances
      used to define Solid/Dotted/Dashed lines in the MAP_XX file.

   Data | Non-map fixes

      Fixes defined for the current center, but not displayed on
      the current sector map, are shown in small font.

      These fixes would be used for initial aircraft positions,
      handoff points, and by other sectors in this center.

   Data | Sep Info

      (Mostly for developers)  When selected, each fix that is
      also a sep will show the sep number, sector number, and
      altitude range.

      To slightly reduce clutter on the map, the altitude range
      is shown as 'L' or 'H' for seps with "normal" low and high
      altitude ranges.  These ranges are 0-23 or 0-26 for low,
      and 24 or 27 to at least 45 for high.  The 26/27 split is
      for ZDV/ZLC/ZAB.

   Data | Runways

      Runways defined in the current AIRPORTS file will be shown
      if this item is selected.

      At ranges below 25 miles, runways and taxi to/taxi from points
      are shown to scale.  At ranges above 25 miles, only the
      runways are shown, at a constant size.

      Expect some unusual runway/taxiway displays until developers
      have had a chance to fine-tune the definitions.  Exactly how
      ATCC uses these definitions is not documented, and the sectors
      work pretty well with the current definitions.  And ... it is
      an enroute simulation, so who cares what happens near the
      airport :-)

   Data | Grid

      If the Data|Grid item is selected, meridians and parallels
      will be displayed at:

         1 degree intervals at ranges up to 300 miles
         5 deg lat/10 deg long intervals at ranges above 300 miles

   Data | Locations

      Displays locations of several items in C_INFO that may be
      of interest to developers.  At the Origin X,Y, the center
      designator, elevation, and variation is shown.  The locations
      of radar sites for primary targets, and the VFR cluster sites
      are also show with a "+" and the range.  These sites often
      overlap.

   Data | Setup Map Test

      Setup Map Test is used to print a map without names/labels.

      Your job, of course, is to fill in the blanks from memory.
      (You can get a lot more done, separation-wise, if you don't
      have to spend time looking up fix names.)

      Selecting Data|Setup Map Test will automatically turn on
      some items, and turn off others.  De-select Setup Map Test
      when you want to see the names/labels again.

      Items on the 'Real' menu are not automatically turned off,
      but probably will be in a future version.

      One item that is turned off is "non-map fixes".  These are
      fixes defined for the sector, but not displayed on the map.
      Some of these fixes would never be used in a clearance.
      Others will be.  You may want to turn them back on for
      some sectors.


                       ----- ROUTES MENU -----

   Routes | Select..., Deselect, Prev, Next

      (Mostly for developers.)  Displays data for an individual
      route from the ROUTES file.  Symbols explained in SECTMAP1.TXT.

   Routes | List

      (Mostly for developers.)  'List' prints the route numbers used
      by the current sector, plus the number of aircraft per hour, and
      the number of departures per hour.  Details in SECTMAP1.TXT.

   Routes | This Sector/Center Westbound/Eastbound

      Shows flight path for all routes in the selected categories.
      Eastbound routes are shown in red.  Westbound routes are shown
      in green (black is used for too many other things).

      'Real' westbound routes are now shown in blue.  That color
      may be a better for this item too.

      Current sector routes are solid lines.  Other routes are dashed
      lines.  Eastbound routes are offset by one pixel from westbound
      routes so both can be seen.  For printer resolutions, a larger
      offset will be programmed sometime.

      East/West is defined by the "direction indicator" on line 2 of
      the route.  "Current sector" routes are those listed in SECT_XX.


                        ----- REAL MENU -----

   Numerous on/off switches control the display of data from the DAFIF
   database, FAA databases, observed routes, and other data that I have
   collected over the years.  Details later.

   Note - the item "Real|Routes|Flight Plan" displays thousands of
   line segments, and will be quite slow on machines slower than 600 mhz.


                    ----- ENVIRONMENT MENU -----

   Environment | Remember

      Several items are written to SECTMAP.INI which will be used
      the next time the program runs.

      If this item is turned off, no further changes to the
      saved items will occur (but the current values are written
      to disk first).  Unless you are doing something unusual, you
      probably want to leave this selected all the time.

      More items will probably be saved in later versions.  You may
      look at the INI file with Notepad to see what is saved now.

   Environment | Run Maximized

      If this item is selected, and if Environment|Remember is
      also selected, the next time the program runs it will
      use the full screen.

   Environment | Font Select ...

      This brings up a standard Font Selection dialog box.  Only
      the font name and font size are used.  Parts of SectMap
      automatically make some text slightly larger or slightly
      smaller than the base font size.  If you select an unusual
      font, SectMap may have trouble with vertical spacing.

      The initial fonts are Terminal for the map, and Courier for
      the message line.  I think these are distributed with Windows,
      so everybody should have them.  I've changed my fonts so
      many times, I don't know what is standard anymore.

      Some fonts are available in only a few sizes.  If you select
      one of those fonts, Windows will pick the best size match to
      what SectMap requests.  It may pick the same size for all items.

      The message line font cannot be changed in this version.

      The current font will be used next time if Environment|Remember
      is selected.

   Environment | Higher Contrast

      My new laptop with the expensive XGA TFT display is less than
      spectacular when displaying light colored lines.  They have
      removed the contrast control present in older models, and
      the manual describes both brightness and contrast in the
      same breath with some double-talk language.

      This switch draws the airways in a slightly darker color,
      making them easier to see on that type of display.


   --------------------------------------------------------------
   |                                                            |
   |                       NON-FEATURES                         |
   |                                                            |
   --------------------------------------------------------------

   Range marks from MAP_XX.ZZZ are not drawn.  I believe ZLA 19 is
   the only sector that uses them.

   Lambert is not the best projection for very large map ranges,
   for areas near the poles, or for areas that straddle the equator.
   If this program gets used for other things, I will add other
   projections.

   Lines are not drawn if the end points are way beyond the edges
   of the map.  This prevents incorrect lines from being drawn
   by projection routines that are not bulletproof.  If lines are
   missing, try a larger map range.


   --------------------------------------------------------------
   |                                                            |
   |                      "REAL" DATA                           |
   |                                                            |
   --------------------------------------------------------------

   Real data consists of fixes, boundaries, routes, frequencies,
   etc. gathered from on-line sources, other users, and personal
   observations.

   DON'T TAKE THE TERM 'REAL' TO LITERALLY.  Some of the data is
   many years old.  Some data items are educated guesses.  Some
   data has been modified to be more useful for a particular
   application, which might make it less useful for another.

   One problem is too much data.  If you have a 600+ Mhz processor,
   you shouldn't be too frustrated.  The display speed can be
   improved by organizing the data better, and I will do that
   after all the data types have been determined.

   Expect a lot of changes.  I already have a long list, but feel
   free to email your ideas to me.


   QUICK TOUR - REAL ITEMS
   -----------------------

     When the program starts, if an ATCC sector file is not opened,
     center boundaries are displayed.  The default map covers
     about 2/3 of the U.S.

     (display VORs)
     1) Pulldown - Real | Fixes | select Vor
     2) Click redraw button (pencil icon - lead end, not eraser end),
        or press F5

     (add routes to ORD)
     1) On right side, click in RTE TO box (to get cursor), type ORD
     2) redraw/F5

     (add high boundaries - not many defined yet, high airways, DFW Sids)
     1) Properties, tab Real, select Boundaries-High
                          and select Airways-High
     2) click OK or press <enter>
     3) On right side, click in SID box, and type DFW
     4) redraw/F5

     If the airways are hard to see (some laptops), select Environment,
     Higher Contrast.

     (position to ZDV, show sector numbers and freqs)
     1) Pulldown - Display | by Facility | U.S. | select Denver
     2) Properties, tab Real, select Freqs-Sect Numb and Freqs-High
     3) OK/<enter>

     (position to ZLA, change airports, display fixes and oceanic airways)
     1) Pulldown - Display | by Facility | U.S. | select Los Angeles
     2) On right side, change RTE TO box from ORD to PHNL and
        clear SID box (e.g. - double click in it and press DEL/DELETE key).
     3) Properties, tab Real, select Fixes-Xn and Airways-Oceanic
     4) OK/<enter>

     (display everything, full redraw takes 10 seconds on 600 Mhz machine)
     1) Pulldown - Display | by Facility | Other | U.S.
     2) Properties, tab Real, turn on everything (not all are functional yet).
     3) On right side, clear RTE TO box.
     4) redraw/F5

     If you did not clear the RTE TO box, you will not see all the routes.

     (turn off variation display)
     1) Pulldown - Real | Other | Variation (un-check)

     (check the radar range)
     1) press Ctrl+R, and enter 500 in the dialog box.
     2) press Ctrl+C, and enter ENM in the dialog box.
     3) Pulldown - Real | Other | Radar Range ... | enter 200

     Shows approximate radar reception in Alaska at higher altitudes.
     The default circles are 100 NM.

     The Special Use Airspace display only uses straight lines.  The
     original data has some curved segments - will be shown later.

     The RCAGs (remote transmitters) are at least 3 years old.


   RIGHT MARGIN AIRPORT BOXES
   --------------------------

     If all boxes are empty, display of routes, Sids, and Stars is
     controlled by menu items Real|Airways|Sids, Stars, and FP Routes.
     These can also be changed on the Properties-Real tab.  All items in
     each category are displayed when selected.

     If any box is not empty, the display of that item will be limited to
     the airport shown in the corresponding box.

     Unless you want to show everything in the database, leave the
     check marks on the Sid/Star/FP Routes menu items turned off, and
     enter the airport of interest in each box.

     The top 2 boxes control Flight Plan Route display.  The "OR" button
     can be changed to "AND" by clicking on it.  If the button says "OR",
     all routes that either start from the origin airport, OR end at
     the destination airport, or both, will be displayed.  (Lots of
     routes.)

     If the button says "AND", only routes that both start at the origin
     airport, AND end at the destination airport will be displayed.
     (Not many routes.)

     The bottom 2 boxes control Sid and Star display, and are independent
     of the top two boxes.  These boxes are related by a logical-OR.

     For airports in the 48 states and Canada, use either xxx or Kxxx or
     Cxxx.  For elsewhere (including Alaska and Hawaii), use the 4-letter
     ICAO identifier.  Select Fixes|Apt, and a range of 7000 miles to see
     which airports are in the database.

     To see the results after changing data in these boxes, press the
     redraw button or F5, or change something on the pull-down menus,
     or the property pages.

     Future improvements - buttons to clear all boxes, copy one box to
     the others, copy one orig/dest to other orig/dest.  Multiple
     airports per box.  Tab key to move between boxes.


   INCOMPLETE DATA/FUNCTIONS
   -------------------------

     Just about everything, really.

     Not at all - approach boundaries and frequencies, fix symbols.

     Frequencies have been gathered over the years.  The really old ones
     show up in gray.  Individual frequencies are placed in the general
     area where they are used - not where the transmitter is located.

     Radar sites and RCAGs are from an NFDC CD-ROM from 1998.  RCAG stands
     for Remote Communications - Air/Ground, i.e. transmitter/receiver not
     located at the facility.  Most sites have more than one frequency.
     Many frequencies are available at more than one adjacent site.
     Some sectors use transmitters that are outside the lateral limits
     of the sector.  Some data over-prints - but it's that way on the CD.

     More data welcome, updated data welcome .....  Many thanks to at
     least the following people for contributing various items that are
     used in the database:  Gil Strickland, Paul Kineke, Ron Roessel,
     Bud Stine, David Perrin.


   ROUTES THROUGH A PARTICULAR SECTOR
   ----------------------------------

     Separate programs (QUERY, LOOKUP) allow listing the flight plan
     routes that go through a particular sector --- sort of.  What they
     actually do is list the routes that pass over fixes that you
     designate, and that are in my database.  If you specify all the
     right fixes, you will get the desired routes.

     So far, this is a text processing function, not a graphical one.

     Here's the help produced if QUERY is run without command line
     arguments:


-----------------------------------------------------------------

        QUERY 1.0 of 25 JAN 01

Reads ROUTES.TXT, using REFS.SRT as an index, looking for
fixes listed on command line.  Two fixes may be joined by a hyphen,
which means both fixes must be in the route  (cheap airway lookup if
the airway doesn't have fix in the sector).

Output goes to terminal, but can be re-directed to a file or printer.

Sample command lines:
  query hbu
  query hbu als-jnc abots hgo-jnc
  query oal >out.txt     (output goes to file named out.txt)
  query oal mva >prn     (output goes to printer, may need >lpt1)

A route will be listed multiple times if it passes through more
than one fix on the command line.  Use LOOKUP(.BAT) to get around this
problem, and see the results appear in NOTEPAD.  Note:  LOOKUP uses
files named 'out' and 'out1'.

-----------------------------------------------------------------


     LOOKUP will run QUERY with the same inputs, but sort the output,
     remove duplicates, and run NOTEPAD showing the output.  LOOKUP's
     output can't be sent to the printer or a file, but you can do that
     from NOTEPAD.

     Sample command lines:

       lookup hbu
       lookup hbu als-jnc abots hgo-jnc
       lookup oal
       lookup oal mva

     In the distant future - since the sector boundaries are stored in
     lat/long format, and so are the routes (in SMDATA.BIN), it is
     mathematically possible to calculate if a route segment crosses a
     sector boundary segment.  Then one could say "HBU sector", have the
     program look at all segments of all routes, and display the ones
     that enter/leave that sector.

     The math isn't the hard part - it's basically the same function that
     the "intersecting lines" button uses.  The problem is how to organize
     the data so it doesn't take 6 months to produce an answer.


   UPDATING THE DATABASE
   ---------------------

   The SMDATA.BIN file is built from a bunch of small databases.
   If you are a Red Green fan, think of them as being duct-taped
   together.

   I don't think it will be possible in the near future for you,
   the user, to modify the source data and rebuild the database.
   Documenting the formats and providing useful error messages
   would take too much time.

   A related problem is trying to use current-cycle DAFIF data
   with the Flight Plan Routes file.  When an airway or Star is
   modified, some routes will no longer be valid.

   My current thinking is that it is better to use a home-brew,
   but consistent database, rather than have an up to the minute,
   but partially broken one.  The main goal is to make it easy
   to build ATCC sectors, not to be "official".  However, it makes
   sense to use as much DAFIF data as possible when changes are
   made to the database structure.


   --------------------------------------------------------------
   |                                                            |
   |                         URLs                               |
   |                                                            |
   --------------------------------------------------------------

   As of June, 2001:

      Xavius' web site (now with a message board) is:
         http://www.xavius.com

      Spongey is a volunteer who posts user-created sectors and
      related information at his web site:
         http://www.users.waitrose.com/~sadunn/atcc.htm

      Two message boards for ATCC are on Yahoo (formerly eGroups,
      and before that OneList).  You may choose to automatically
      receive all postings via e-mail, or you may choose not to
      receive any e-mail, and just read the board when you wish.

         http://www.yahoo.com/group/atcc    (for users)

         http://www.yahoo.com/group/atcc1   (for developers)

      The Digital Aeronautical Flight Information File is a
      world-wide database, 19 Mb zipped, revised every 28 days.
      It can be downloaded from:

         http://164.214.2.62/products/digitalaero/dafifindex.html


   --------------------------------------------------------------
   |                                                            |
   |                    CHANGE HIGHLIGHTS                       |
   |                                                            |
   --------------------------------------------------------------

   Ver 0.92

      Lat/Long - bug fixes, additional allowable formats.

   Ver 0.91

      Small additions, bug fixes.

   Ver 0.90

      Experimental version to display DAFIF and other "real" data.

   Ver 0.81

      Bug fixes in "Departures" list.
      Clean up Portrait/Landscape switching.

   Ver 0.8

      Added locations, line definitions, and route display.


   Bob Raemer
   [email protected]