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GPS maps are confusing

One can use GPS maps in the planning phase of a trip, during the trip and in the evaluation phase after the trip. We will only look at digital maps. There are maps to be loaded into a GPS receiver. Maybe these are the true GPS maps. Other maps are used on a desktop PC, a pocketPC or both.

Topographic maps are often raster maps (image files like a photograph) and can very well be scanned paper maps. Street maps on the other hand are often vector maps (program instructions to draw lines and arcs in different colors). They require less memory, but are often saved in brand-specific file formats.

Let’s look at different maps and some examples.

GPS maps that can be loaded into a GPS receiver

This is the domain of brand-specific GPS maps. Examples are (of course) Garmin and Magellan. Garmin’s MapSource MetroGuide U.S.A. and MetroGuide Canada contain road and street maps and allow you to transfer waypoints, routes and tracks between your PC and GPS unit. You can load maps, addresses, business listings and points of interest into any mapping Garmin GPS unit. With Garmin’s United States Roads & Recreation you can do the same. MapSource TOPO USA is a 1:100,000-scale GPS map.

Magellan’s series of GPS maps are called MapSend. There are MapSend Street maps for the USA, Canada and Europe. They can be downloaded into Magellan mapping GPS receivers. There is also a MapSend Topo for the United States. It contains highly-detailed 3D topographic maps.

Now there is an easy to use program to create your own GPS maps for Garmin mapping GPS receivers

Mapwel

Creation of your own GPS maps involves 3 main steps:

1. Drawing of map
2. Compilation of map data into native format of GPS unit
3. Upload of map into the GPS unit

The major differences between Mapwel and other software for creation of GPS maps are:

All-in-one software.

Mapwel allows user to do all 3 tasks in a single program. User does not have to convert data from one program to another until the map is loaded in GPS, and to struggle with each program's conventions.

Easy to use

Mapwel has very user-friedly graphic environment that allows user to draw and edit maps in a vector form. Number of automation tools simplifies creation of maps: automatical split of areas and lines to conform GPS technical requiremnts, automatical handling of holes in areas, etc. All data (scanned bitmap, imported tracks and waypoints) are stored in a single MPW file to simplify the files management.

Curves

Unlike other mapping programs, Mapwel provides curves along with polylines for drawing of vector objects. Curves allow faster drawing of map because much lower number of curves is needed for approximation of object's contour than straight lines. Moreover, use of curves anbles user to control size of data uploaded into the GPS because curves are automatically sampled into polylines with adjustable number of lines.

Compatibility

Mapwel supports number of map formats, including the widely used ESRI shapefiles. User can easily import detailed maps and upload them into GPS within few minutes. ESRI shapefiles support is included even in the basic version of Mapwel. Mapwel software includes stand-alone freeware program MAPupload.exe that serves for upload of IMG files (Garmin GPS native file format) created in other software into the GPS.

Add Map function

When uploading your map into the GPS, other software usually deletes all other maps in the GPS memory. Mapwel allows to add map to existing maps. Note: this function does not work when map loaded in GPS uses unlock code.

"What You See Is What You Get"

Mapwel is designed to facilitate as comfortable work on maps as possible, User can draw lines and areas in any color and special viewing modes display how the map will look on monochrome or color GPS display (WYSIWYG interface) anytime during the drawing process.

Datums conversion

Internal datum of Mapwel is WGS84 because GPS internal format is WGS84 too. Mapwel allows user to convert coordinates from 280 local datums to WGS84 when drawing map.

Zoom levels

To make map displayed on a GPS small display legible, Mapwel automatically controls displaying of map objects like areas, lines and points at various zoom levels. Zoom level of each object is based on the object's type. For example, Major highways are visible in a larger scale than hiking trails. Visibility of objects is also affected by number of objects in the map. GPS maps with low number of objects are displayed at once, while detailed maps appear gradually as the user zooms-in the map.

GPS maps that can be loaded into a pocketPC, Palm PDA or Smartphone with internal or external GPS receiver

Features

quickly displays and zooms vector and raster maps prepared by a PC utility VITO MapManager (Free).
shows your location on the map displays and records a track of movements.
shows heading, speed, scale, and compass.
supports pushpins with notes, icons, and coordinates.
exports tracks in a popular GIS format.
reads vector maps made from a GIS source files.
reads raster maps made from several JPEG images.
has the largest map collection of different countries.

The big advantage of Vito maps.

Vito has a huge collection of GPS maps for far away countries that you will find nowhere else. The maps at scale 1 : 1 million are calibrated and sold at a flat rate of $4,- per country.

Nokia has started offering the smart2go mapping and navigation platform as a free download, which will allow millions of people to use GPS map coverage offered via their mobile devices.

The platform will allow for mapping and routing in over 150 countries and has support for full turn-by-turn satellite navigation in over 30 countries. The smart2go application will feature on selected Nokia S60 and Windows Mobile 5.0 devices initially, while there are plans to roll out support for most of the major mobile OS platforms, including PocketPC, Linux and other Windows Mobile devices.

The platform contains over 15 million POIs that help people explore the most interesting sights, restaurants or examples of accommodation around them. Customers can select their favourite locations and send them to friends by multimedia message, Bluetooth wireless technology, infrared or e-mail. They can also send map excerpts and routes or save map screen shots to the gallery on the device. Recognised brand names like McDonald's will have the option to place branded icons across the world’s digital maps downloaded onto millions of mobile devices.

smart2go is a hybrid map solution: GPS map data from Tele-Atlas and Navteq can be downloaded directly via a wireless network (e.g., GPRS/3G/WLAN) and stored on the devices memory card as needed. If all the desired map data is stored, no network connection is needed for mapping, routing and navigation. For managing downloads of bigger sizes there is an additional PC desktop tool available.

smart2go also comes with the option to upgrade to fully-fledged turn-by-turn navigation. With just a few clicks, customers can turn their device into a voice-guided navigation system by purchasing a navigation licence. There are various licences available: from a one-week to a three-year term. When travelling to a new country on holiday one can download the relevant maps via PC in advance and subscribe to the navigation service for the duration of the holiday at affordable cost.

Mobile GMaps is a FREE application that displays Google Maps, Yahoo! Maps, Windows Live Local (MSN Virtual Earth) and Ask.com Maps and satellite imagery on Java J2ME-enabled mobile phones, PDAs and other devices. MGMaps can connect to a GPS receiver over bluetooth or use internal GPS features on some phones in order to automatically display the map for your current position.

Mobile GMaps is distributed under the Attribution - NonCommercial - NoDerivs Creative Commons license. You may download, use and distribute the application free of charge only for personal, non-commercial purposes.

A new major version of MGMaps is released, MGMaps v1.31. The new version includes a better map tile caching and zooming implementation, support for GPS over the serial port, hybrid maps, traffic info, improved favorites, search and view KML services. All of the exciting features from v1.2x are included, like: Mobile WikiMapia, FON, Subway maps, Navizon support, etc.

GPS maps that can be used on a desktop PC to program waypoints, routes and tracks, which can be downloaded to a GPS receiver

National Geographic Topo maps are 1:24,000 and 1:100,000 scale USGS topographic maps with seamless coverage for one state. For all 50 states of the USA. Runs on desktop PC and you can upload/download waypoints and routes between your GPS and your PC. Now also for Macintosh. Unfortunately you can not transfer tracks to your GPS receiver.

For Great Britain come GPS maps for use on a PC from Anquet and TrackLogs, based on the more than excellent Ordnance Survey 1 : 25000 and 1 : 50000 series of maps.

Same as above, but a copy of the map can be downloaded to a pocketPC, Palm or Smartphone

The Anquet Virtual GPS

Anquet Version 06 supports a wide range of standard GPS and Pocket PCs with in-built GPS capability. For Version 06, Anquet introduced a unique set of software tools which are set to revolutionize the way GPS is used. The Anquet Virtual GPS replicates the functions of a standard GPS unit on your laptop, Pocket PC or Smartphone. When used in conjunction with a basic, screen-less GPS receiver, such as a Bluetooth GPS, the Anquet user has access to full GPS capability without the need to purchase an expensive handset. In addition, combining a basic GPS receiver with the Anquet Virtual GPS software offers a much wider range of options for managing battery life in the field. When The Anquet Virtual GPS is accessed, the user sees on screen the same directional arrow and location information for the selected waypoint that would be displayed on a conventional GPS receiver.

Anquet and Smartphone

Anquet software is now compatible with Microsoft enabled Smartphones. Functionality on the Smartphone is similar to that on Pocket PC, opening up a world of opportunity for phone users for route planning and viewing digital mapping. For example, used in conjunction with a basic, screen-less GPS receiver, a Smartphone can now be used to navigate a route using a combination of on-screen OS maps and The Anquet Virtual GPS.

Anquet and Pocket PC

Anquet Version 06 provides enhanced functionality for Pocket PC. Users can now create and file routes and waypoints directly on their Pocket PC as well as exchange routes with their GPS without the need to transmit data via their desktop computer.

See our GPS software page for lots of other software solutions.

ETopo Digital GPS maps are pre-calibrated for use with OziExplorer, Memory Map and Fugawi software and consist of several scales topographic maps of Canada. Memory Map offers Ordnance Survey maps of the UK for use on a desktop PC and pocketPC. You can even use your own scanned paper maps. Together with Memory Map Navigator and any GPS receiver you can build a real-time positioning system.

OziExplorer does not offer maps, but with this program you can use almost every digital raster map in a lot of different file formats. These GPS maps can be geo-referenced on the PC and used on a pocketPC (not Palm) as a moving map real-time positioning system. It even can transform your maps in 3D format.

Fugawi offers Ordnance Survey maps of the UK, but you can use any digital raster map in the program. You can geo-reference your own scanned maps. For use on desktop PC, pocketPC and Palm. An external GPS receiver makes it to a real-time positioning system. Additional information: Fugawi UK GPS Software is a stand-alone product and can only be used with the included maps.

MapTrax offers Topographic Maps for Australia and New Zealand. These maps can be used with, OziExplorer, Memory Map and Fugawi.

Outside the U.S.A.

The rest of us, who live outside the U.S.A., will have to do a little more 'do-it-yourself' with programs like Memory Map, OziExplorer and Fugawi, but this gives a lot of satisfaction too. A topographic map looks much nicer on a 1600 x 1200 pixel PC screen than on the tiny screens of a pocketPC or GPS receiver. This makes planning a lot easier.
And if you wish to print the result of your adventures, you can do so in full color with your waypoints and tracks and even annotations, projected on exactly the map-section of your choice.

Free GPS Maps

If you want to download free GPS Maps for hiking, fishing, snowmobiling, on- and off road sightseeing, as well as waypoint co-ordinates, route and/or track data that lead you through unique travel adventures, visit Doug Adomatis’ site at Travel by GPS .

More about Maps

On the site www.maps-gps-info you will find everything from Antique Maps to Electronic Maps for use with GPS.

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