This page has the new NATO APP-6a military map marking symbols made up as TrueType Fonts, for download. The new standard has been agreed recently by NATO nations in STANAG 2019 Edition 4, and is supposed to be taught from Apr 2001 and brought into service from September 2001. It also contains an application to make MapSymbs more useful.

You need a PC running any version of Windows from 3.1 or later, and later model Apple Macs. The total size of the APP-6a package is about 1.67Mb and takes the form of a self-extracting ZIP file. To view some of the supporting documents you will require MS Word, PowerPoint and Excel. MAC Users: These fonts can easily be converted for use on a Macintosh with a utility such as TTConverter (Thanks to George for that one).

• Click here to download TTConverter

Download the files to your hard drive and UNZIP them into a directory - I call mine FONTS. Open the CONTROL PANEL and FONTS, and ADD FONTS. Select the FONTS Directory and SELECT ALL. Then INSTALL. There are MS Excel spreadsheeds giving the font Key Map with each font, but no additional instructions with these files.

Tom Mouat shall, in no event, be liable for any damages whatsoever (including, without limitation, damages for loss of profits, business interruption, loss of information, or other pecuniary loss) as well as any and all losses, costs, or expenses of any kind (including legal fees and expert fees) arising out of the use or inability to use these fonts and sample files, even if Tom Mouat. has been advised of the possibility of such damages. Tom Mouat will have no responsibility to replace media damaged by accident, abuse or misapplication. Tom Mouat gives no warranties, either expressed or implied, with respect to these fonts and sample files and any associated documentation. You download and use these fonts and sample files at your own risk. The non-exclusive licence to download these fonts and sample files is dependent and subject to your agreement to the above.

Tom Mouat hereby asserts and gives notice of his right under section 77 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of these fonts and sample files (except where stated). These fonts and sample files remain the intellectual property of Tom Mouat, but they can be used and copied freely.

These fonts and sample files may be distributed by any means, provided that the following limitations are obeyed:

• No profit is made from the reproduction or distribution of these fonts and sample files. This includes using my fonts for advertising or commercial demonstration purposes - so if I turn up at a trade show like ITEC again and find someone demonstrating their product with my Map Symbols again, without giving me credit or paying me for them, I shall be very disappointed.

Commercial Companies and Software Manufacturers are permitted to include MapSymbs, or references to MapSymbs with any of their sales products, provided that the following limitations are obeyed:

• The MapSymbs fonts and sample files are not required to be installed in order for the product to function.
• The MapSymbs fonts and sample files are identified as being separately developed by Tom Mouat.
• The MapSymbs fonts and sample files are physically or electronically separated from the Commercial product, either by being provided on a separate Floppy Disk, separate CD ROM, or by a clearly labeled separate Directory within the commercial product.
• If the MapSymbs fonts are made available online within the Commercial Company's own website, there must be no charge to download the fonts, they must be identified as being separately developed by Tom Mouat, and a link must be provided to this site on the same page as the download link (as close to the download link as makes sence given the overall website design).
• A fully working copy of the commercial product that is being associated with the MapSymbs fonts and sample files is provided at no cost to Tom Mouat. This provision of a copy of the software is intended to be used solely to ensure compatability with the fonts and sample files, and to allow Tom Mouat to answer any queries that users may have concerning the product and MapSymbs fonts and sample files. It is not intended as payment for the provision of MapSymbs fonts and sample files. Ownership of this copy of the software remains with the manufacturer who may request its return at any time.

The server holding these files does not permit server side access, so FTP programs and commands will not work. Simply click on the link below to download.

NEW: Proper installation program. I have provided the download as an executable file that will automatically install the fonts under MS Windows. This download contains the latest embeddable version of the NEW APP-6a MapSymbs, an explanatory Help-File, additional example files, a copy of Character Map Pro, and is backwards-compatible with all previous versions. An un-install utility is also provided.

• I agree - Download the Complete APP-6a Font Pack Version 3.2 (963K)
  
  

• I agree - Download the User-Requested MapSymbs and Keymap (0K)
  
  

This new section is offered (now that I actually have some space on my server) in response to the hard-pressed programmers who have contacted me.

• MAC Users and those Windows users with restricted systems. The bare fonts without any installation program or sample files (but with Excel Key map): Click Here (384k)
• MAC Users. The TT Converter can convert my TrueType font for use on the MAC: Click here (48k) (Only required for older Mac OS versions)
• JAVA Programmers. Some Java programmers have had difficulty getting the standard fonts to work. There are some notes: Click Here and, more recently, Bob Hayes very kindly made a JAVA TTF Test Displayer for use with MapSymbs to show you how, with the source code, etc.: Click Here (32k).
• SOLARIS Systems. Some users have had difficulty installing the fonts on SOLARIS systems. This tech note from the Sun Developers Website should help Click Here (45k). You will also require the freetype font server as well (xfsft-1.1.6.solaris2.6-sparc.tar.gz) so Click Here for that. (Thanks to Mark Easterbrook for that).
• LINUX Programmers. The fonts names have been re-encoded here, so the same font names can be used in LINUX and WINDOWS on the same machine: Click Here (416k) (Thanks to Valerie Summers for that).
• Restricted GIS users. Some GIS software will only allow "Symbol Encoded" fonts to display a single character (so overlaying the unit size marker is impossible). This link will download a set of the fonts "Character Encoded" so you can use the software's ability to display plain text to allow multiple (overlaying) characters: Click Here (383k) (Thanks to John Fullerton for that). Please note that this set has NOT been updated with the extra 4 User Requested fonts.
• Special FalconView Font. I was asked for a "Lettering Font" that has the APP-6a symbols as well as numbers and letters. Since FalconView will only display a single font type in a text box, writing labels for the map symbols was impossible - until now! Click here to download.(273k) (Thanks to Stephen Sherman for that).

The APP-6a extract from the Land Component Handbook Part C (basically the UK interim APP-6a manual) designed to replace the Map Symbol section of the Stafff Officer's Handbook is available below:

• Click Here to download the UK interim APP-6a manual.

If you are new to the differences between the old symbols App-6 and the new App-6a ones, I wrote an article for Army Doctrine and Training News No. 17 dated Summer 2002, which is available below:

• Click Here to download AD&T News article.

Peter Guth has produced an application that will insert a bitmap of the compiled symbol with associated text to the clipboard. It only works with the new APP-6a fonts, but is really rather neat. If you are transmitting maps with symbols overlayed on them, one method is to scan the map and insert the bitmap icons, then save the whole thing as a JPEG graphic. You reduce the file size and don't have any compatability problems for the person receiving them at the far end.

• Click here to download MilIcons. (1.6Mb). (If you find this useful, please take time to let Peter know).

Daniel U. Thibault of the Defence R&D Canada - Valcartier (DRDC Valcartier) has very kindly sent his analysis of the differences between Mil Std 2525A and Mil Std 2525A Change 1; and the differences between Mil Std 2525A Change 1 and Mil Std 2525B. These documents are available in MS Word 97 Format (A4 pages).

• Click here to download version differences documentation. (39K).
  
• Click here to download the complete NATO App-6a annotated DRDC Valcartier Edition manual. (5.2Mb).

I have produced a brief on the discrepancies in the icon placement, in relation to the actual unit location, between APP-6 and Mil Std 2525A and B. This is available as an MS Word 97 document (A4 pages).

• Click here to download icon placement documentation. (22K).

The following application is designed to let you preview and pick characters easily from specified fonts, such as MS Wingdings; but make using my MapSymbs fonts MUCH easier to use: Character Map Pro a freeware product from PhotoshopClub.com

• Click here to Download Character Map Pro. (225K)
  

You are on the NEW App-6a page. If you want to go to the old App-6 page instead, click on the link below:

• Click here to go to the Original APP-6 MapSymbs Download