StarChase GPS projectile
This week in GPS is a weekly link roundup of (mostly) GPS related odds and ends, from GPS Tracklog and other places around the Web. To get a few of the biggest stories as they break, follow me on Twitter. Ever wonder about what those StarChase GPS projectiles that make for safer police pursuits look like? That’s it in the image above.
From GPS Tracklog
Our posts from the past week:
GPS in the news
- Expert: GPS could have prevented Yarnell Hill tragedy
- Elderly Couple Stuck In Mud For 2 Nights After GPS Leads Motor Home To Oregon Back Road
Garmin BMW Motorad V motorcycle navigator
Garmin
- Garmin Extends Partnership with BMW Motorrad, New Navigator V Available Now (image above)
- Garmin updates this past week: BaseCamp, eTrex x0, Forerunner 220/620, GPSMAP 62/78, MapInstall and MapManager (for Mac), Oregon 6×0
- Of note: The change log on the latter includes “Improved GPS performance”
- Hmm, looks like Garmin may be getting ready too announce a new golf sportswatch
- SD game, fish and parks map updated (Magellan and Lowrance editions discontinued!)
- A sneak peek at a forthcoming nuvi hack post from Boyd Ostroff:
Coming soon!
TomTom
- South Africa gets new new TomTom GO series; still missing in the US
The business of GPS
- Garmin dips toe into corporate wellness with private API integrations
- Nokia Here software to load offline map updates incrementally; it will be interesting to see if PND manufacturers adopt this
- Google Said to Avoid U.S. Antitrust Challenge Over Waze
- LightSquared Wants Time to Consider Joining Falcone’s GPS Suit
Satellites and such
- Bypassing US GPS Limits for Active Guided Rockets
- New GLONASS Navigation Message Proposed for Interoperability with GPS
Geocaching
- The Original Geocaching Bling Turns 12
- Podcast discussion of night caches
- Cool Geocache of the Week video
- Five Mistakes/Things I Learned Caching
GPS tracking
- NSA tracked Americans cellphone GPS data during pilot program
- SPOT rescue: Kayakers found alive in Tajikistan after three-day search
- That SPOT Gen 3 is finally in stock BTW
- Connecticut Bears Stay Close To Home, GPS Data Show
- A Different Kind Of Bike Share Lets You Lock Your Bike Wherever You Want
- Kickstarter: GPS Cookie – Leaving Crumbs Wherever it Goes
- A sad statement: Bullet-proof backpack uses GPS to track children
- Is the Prime I GPS Tracker really the “world’s smallest real-time tracker?”
- Now that’s a small GPS tracker:
Imagine a GPS unit small and light enough to fit on the back of a bumblebee. Researchers down at Oregon State University plan to build one.
Drones
- Justice Dept IG: FBI spent over $3M on domestic drones
An Android GEOPDF map app
Going mobile
- GeoPDF map app for Android (see image above); I tried to test it with free USGS downloads but the government shutdown has taken the map store offline (thanks to Zack for the confirmation)
- Scout for Android update: Meeting up with friends is easy:
Just geo
- The best of the Google Earth Blog for September, 2013
- Maps: State Estimates of Substance Use and Mental Disorders
Marijuana percentage use by state in the past year; ages 12 and up
All the news that doesn’t fit
- Nissan’s autonomous Leaf shows its smarts on Japanese test track
- British highway to become internet-connected ‘network of sensors’ over 50-mile stretch
Updated GPS reviews
I’ve updated these review and resource pages with the following links:
- Garmin HUD – Popular Mechanics reviews this heads up display
About Rich Owings