Waypoints is a weekly link roundup of (mostly) GPS related odds and ends. To get a few of the biggest stories as they break, follow me on Twitter.
Bad maps
Geocaching
- Geo-Community Finds Body Of Missing FTF Hunter
- Eastern US, Canada and European updates now working for the Geomate.jr
- Caches Along a Route
- Magellan nails a geocaching deal with Parks Canada
GPS in the news
- Missing millionaire:Police release GPS report for fishing boat he was last seen boarding
- Garmin employee called as expert witness in murder case
- French Company Fined €10,000 for Failing to Share GPS Tracking Data With Employee
- GPS, GIS play increasing role at local farm operations
Garmin
- A sneak peek at the Garmin GLO users manual, courtesy the FCC (and you can expect their usual security certificate warning); note that it is not waterproof
- Garmin tempe wireless external temperature sensor expected release date: August 24
- A Garmin fenix video promo
- Send Google Maps To Garmin Bug
- Garland Ranch Regional Park Trail Map (Carmel Valley, CA)
Updates
- Garmin firmware updates this week: Approach S3, nuvi 30/40/50, 12xx, 13xx, 14xx, and zumo 660/665
- ExpertGPS v 4.53
GPS tracking
- American praised for GPS tracking of Japanese radiation data
- Progressive: 900,000+ Drivers with Telematics-based Insurance
- SPOT Satellite Messengers provided at discount to Anguilla fisherman (but who’s paying for the annual plan?)
- DC cabbies Protest New Smart Meters as Invasion of Privacy
- GPS collars will help keep Banff bears off train tracks
- GPS tracking device leads to arrest of terrorism suspect in London
Indoor positioning
- World’s Smallest Six-Axis Integrated MotionTracking Device
- Indoor Google Maps help you make your way through museums (and over 10,000 other indoor locations)
- Finally: Indoor GPS System Uses Your Smartphone and Earth’s Magnetic Field
Going mobile
- Garmin’s iPhone App Mirrors Navigation onto Kenwood’s In-Dash System
- My Tracks 2.0 (for Android) announced
Garmin-Sharp cycling team
- Tour de France crash decimates Garmin-Sharp team
- Ouch!
- Garmin’s Alex Howes breaks collarbone in training crash
- Millar wins thriller in Stage 12 of Tour
The business of GPS
- Another nail in the PND coffin: Cost of in-car navigators should drop with expected NHTSA ruling requiring backup cameras in all cars (and hence a screen)
- Want to bet we’ll see pink and white Forerunners with a panic button before long?
- MapQuest Selects TomTom Maps to Power Its Mobile Application
- Loss of Renault Exclusive Status Drives TomTom Shares South
- ACR Electronics acquired by J.F. Lehman and Company
- Garmin Announces Ruling in “Ambato” Patent Case
Just geo
- Five-mile long landslide in Glacier Bay National Park
- 2011 Global Surface Temperature
- New Web-based OSM Interactive Map and other OpenStreetMap News (see it here)
- Company offers coordinates on bumper stickers and apparel with your coordinates
- Google: Biking directions expands into Europe and Australia
- Google Maps for Africa gets better – walking directions launched
Backcountry briefs
- Autistic man lives on frogs, roots during 3-week ordeal in Utah desert; via Meanderthals
- Hiker awaiting help for broken leg ends up rescuing his rescuer
- Historic summit registers are missing from High Sierra peaks; via Meanderthals
Miscellany
- Magellan eXplorist 310
and 510 topo bundles
now available; I don’t care what they say though, they do not have 1:24K worldwide coverage!
- DIY GPS Dog Collar/Pedometer
- Drones and GPS Spoofing Redux; via @GPSGIS_Eric
- The five most connected cars
- TomTom North American traffic congestion index for Q1 2012 (full report in PDF format)
- Algorithm Uses Your and Friends Locations to Predict Your Future Location (within 20 meters!)
- NOAA Planning Changes to Space Weather Alerts
GPS deals
These are some bargains we’re currently tracking at our GPS deals site:
- NEW: Garmin nuvi 2360LT for $118.99 shipped
- BACK AGAIN: Garmin eTrex 20 for $159.99 shipped
- Garmin nuvi 1350LMT for $115.98 shipped
- $50 Garmin Forerunner trade-in offer
- Super-thin Garmin nuvi 3760LMT for $199.95 shipped
- SPOT Connect Satellite Communicator for $99.95 after $50 rebate
- Get up to $30 cash back for fuel when you buy a TomTom
- $30 rebate on Garmin Edge 200 GPS cyclometer
- Garmin dezl 560LMT truck/RV GPS for $339.99 shipped
- Super-thin nuvi 3760T for $179.95 with free shipping
Updated GPS reviews
I’ve updated these review and resource pages with the following links:
- Garmin Edge 500 – Cycling Info reviews this mid-range model
- Garnin Forerunner 405 - crAAKKer reviews this runner’s GPS sportswatch
About Rich Owings
RE: magellan with Parks Canada (PC). That press release is a bit misleading since they copied the model I developed with a few Parks Canada sites over the years. Having been contacted by PC in the spring, I know they were not happy how this got churned out. I can tell you there has been ZERO interest in this and the original set of sites selected are not the ones currently in play hence why PC has not pushed this at all via their social media.
Thanks Jim. I appreciate the added info. So it sounds like it’s just Magellan and CCI Entertainment off doing their own thing.
Can’t blame PC, since the CGI approached them with a modified version of the National contest Environment Canada held last year. With the budget cuts to Parks here comes a tv show with a package and PC just has to select some sites.