Abstract: A method of linking digital text based electronically stored documents to geographical spatial maps has the steps of compiling a group of digital text documents; and providing a link creator, the link creator generates hyperlinks in the digital text documents relating to a location or a structure and connecting the generated hyperlinks to geographic features or locations in a mapping application. The method further includes the step of identifying keywords or phrases in the digital text documents; creating a direct link between the keyword or phrase and the geographical location or feature on the map application and searching a keyword or phrase in the digital text documents to create a subset of documents containing the keyword linked to a geographical feature or location. The link generator has a computer generated hyperlink creator program for generating hyperlinks in digital text documents and connecting the hyperlink to geographic features and locations in digital mapping applications.

Abstract: A server has one or more communication ports. A host computer has a driver communicatively coupling the host computer to the server via a secure encrypted network connection. The driver emulates the one or more communication ports of the server by defining a corresponding local communication port for each of the communication ports of the server, and further includes an application programming interface (API) by which an application program executing on the host computer is granted full control of one of the communication ports of the server, including hardware and software flow control, as if the communication ports of the server were local to the host computer.