Method and apparatus for generating digital map images of a uniform format

Claim 1

A computer-implemented method of converting a printed map into a digital map image, comprising: electronically scanning a printed map to create a permanently stored bit-mapped map image corresponding to the printed map; displaying the permanently stored bit-mapped map image for editing; cropping with image editing software the displayed bit-mapped map image into smaller images that are then deleted, moved, sized, and merged back into the displayed image to remove an unwanted part of the image and to select the remainder as a map image corresponding to a desired geographic area, the map image having discrete boundaries defined by reference grid lines; moving the boundaries of the displayed map image with image editing software to shape the geographic area into a predetermined rectangular shape; sizing the displayed map image with image editing software after the image has been shaped to contain a predetermined pixel area; permanently storing the displayed map image as a bit-mapped map image of the printed map after the displayed image has been shaped and sized, the displayed map image being stored with an identifier of a reference point and size of the geographic area represented by the selected map image; and repeating the above steps to create a plurality of digital map images from the printed map, each image having a uniform format of the predetermined pixel area and an identifier of a reference point and size of a geographic area and a uniform shape that can be fitted adjacent to each other to form a seamless map comprised of a plurality of such images.