GPS reviews, news, tips and tricks
With today’s topic, I’m starting a new series, a follow up to my Handheld GPS 101 posts. Are you ready to move on to the next class? Alright then. Today’s topic is mapping software — and I’m not talking about maps for your GPS here, but rather desktop or laptop software that will turn you into a power user. read more
DeLorme has made their worldwide topo basemap available for download, at a cost of one cent per 100 square kilometers (minimum purchase $10). I’m flying today, sitting in a cramped seat, so I’m just going to link to some additional images and paste in the news release for more info…
Navico, a marine electronics company which owns Lowrance, has announced a cartography toolkit for third-party map developers. The handheld Lowrance Endura series is among those supported, and the toolkit also supports raster imagery.
Jim Bensman’s free MyTrails map for Garmin receivers now covers 37 states, including the entire eastern US. Pretty cool for a project that started with just St. Louis area trails! This goes to show what one person can do, and it makes it even harder for me to understand why Garmin hasn’t put out a better trail product, given the massive amount of trail data found at Garmin Connect.
This is a transparent trail map, so it won’t block other maps enabled on your device. In the image at left from Asheville, NC’s popular Bent Creek area, some trails (gray) are on the underlying Garmin Topo US 2008 product, while others (red) only appear on MyTrails.
To get the MyTrails map, simply follow the link above and download and run the .exe files. Once they run, the map will be available in MapSource or BaseCamp. While the trails aren’t routable, it is nice to have additional information available on your GPS while out in the field.
UPDATE: I’ve posted my hands on review of the Satmap Active 10 TREK.
The Satmap Active 10 is finally coming to the US this week, as the Satmap Active 10 Trek. National Geographic is partnering with Satmap to offer TOPO! state series maps, Adventure Maps and Trails Illustrated maps. The unit will include a basemap, but I expect that most users would want to add some of these other options, which could make this one expensive unit, since the maps will retail for $99.99 each, on top of the $369.99 for the unit. Lets see, that’s a hundred bucks for the Carolinas, another hundred for an upcoming trip to California, and I can’t stay away from Utah. Sorry guys, raster imagery is nice, but unless I’m misreading this, your map pricing model is DOA.
Garmin has partnered with the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) to offer six regional mapping packages at $9.99 a pop. You can preview coverage at RTC’s TrailLink site (which offers free .gpx downloads, BTW!). Here are links to the Garmin maps:
Via Jake’s Journal
TOPO Afghanistan
is being announced today by North Hollywood Cartography, an authorized Garmin MPC developer. This is actually the third-generation of the product; the first was released through GPS File Depot. The next iteration included the entire country. The newest version adds a digital elevation model for 3D viewing in BaseCamp and compatible Garmin receivers. Geographic points of interest including wadi (arroyos/dry creek beds), summits, kariz and settlements.
Sales will be through government distributors and to individuals affiliated with the ISAF or other government users.
While there are military issue GPS receivers being used in Afghanistan, I’ve been impressed by the number of comments and questions I’ve heard over the years from troops using their own standard, commercially available handheld units in the field.
Well, well. I think I missed the story in Waypoints when I said BirdsEye goes international. What’s new is not the international coverage; it’s the BirdsEye Select products that bring detailed raster topo imagery to Garmin handhelds.
The UK has had such imagery for awhile, and I’m not sure what all the differences are between the Garmin GB Discoverer series (which offers both 1:50K and 1:25K scale maps) and the Garmin Select product at 1:25K. Perhaps some of our friends across the pond can chime in.
What’s interesting to me though, is this bringing us closer to seeing a quality USGS topo product from Garmin. At least I’m hoping that’s the plan.
Ever had the itch to make your own maps? Wished that you had access to the same cartography tools used by Garmin? Well, your dreams may be coming true. A new MapSource Product Creator page on Garmin’s developer site offers you the opportunity to…
Create custom maps that can be easily loaded into Garmin devices with the MapSource Product Creator (MPC). The MPC can create everything from full country topographic maps to maps for specific industry, military or research applications.
Done a map update lately? If so, you may want to check your nuvi and see if it’s ready to head south of the border. The screenshot above is from my nuvi 765T after the latest map update. From GpsPasSion:
GPS Tracklog is written by Rich Owings, author of GPS Mapping.
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