I have some pretty specific requirements for my laptop GPS software and I'm having a bit of trouble looking at manufacturers' websites to try to figure out which ones do and don't do what I need them to. Honestly, I think I may need more than one program to do all this.
I've just bought a Windows laptop due to the fact that I can't find any good mapping software on the Mac (and RouteBuddy does not count as "good"). I've got a US GlobalSat BU-353 USB GPS device.
Let's get a big one out of the way: I do not need the software to be able to plot a route from point to point or tell me where a given address is. If it does that, more power to it, but if it doesn't do route finding, I don't care.
What I do need:
1) Extremely good coverage of extremely small roads. I need it to show me extremely low-level road detail like US Forest Service roads, mining roads, fire roads, etc. It's ok if it doesn't name them so long as it draws them on the map. As a reference, the printed DeLorme's Atlas & Gazetteers are the least-detailed maps that will work. Right now, that's what we use and we're trying to move into the digital age
2) The ability to import waypoints and route either created in the software itself or in 3rd party software such as Google Earth and Google Maps. I have a large number of routes already created in .kml format and .gpx format that I'd like to be able to bring into the software (it's OK if I have to use GPS Babel to convert them)
3) The software needs to warn me as I approach a waypoint in my current route and then read the waypoint's comment as I get there. Right now, I use a program called GPSRouteNavX under MacOS X to do this. It's for aircraft navigation, so it'll count me down 15 seconds ahead into each waypoint and then, when I get there, read the comment to me (such as "Turn right onto Bob Rd." or whatever I've written in).
Again, I'm ok with having one program do the mapping duties and another program help me with audible route navigation. If I can get them both in the same program, that's awesome, but I'm not holding my breath.
I've just bought a Windows laptop due to the fact that I can't find any good mapping software on the Mac (and RouteBuddy does not count as "good"). I've got a US GlobalSat BU-353 USB GPS device.
Let's get a big one out of the way: I do not need the software to be able to plot a route from point to point or tell me where a given address is. If it does that, more power to it, but if it doesn't do route finding, I don't care.
What I do need:
1) Extremely good coverage of extremely small roads. I need it to show me extremely low-level road detail like US Forest Service roads, mining roads, fire roads, etc. It's ok if it doesn't name them so long as it draws them on the map. As a reference, the printed DeLorme's Atlas & Gazetteers are the least-detailed maps that will work. Right now, that's what we use and we're trying to move into the digital age
2) The ability to import waypoints and route either created in the software itself or in 3rd party software such as Google Earth and Google Maps. I have a large number of routes already created in .kml format and .gpx format that I'd like to be able to bring into the software (it's OK if I have to use GPS Babel to convert them)
3) The software needs to warn me as I approach a waypoint in my current route and then read the waypoint's comment as I get there. Right now, I use a program called GPSRouteNavX under MacOS X to do this. It's for aircraft navigation, so it'll count me down 15 seconds ahead into each waypoint and then, when I get there, read the comment to me (such as "Turn right onto Bob Rd." or whatever I've written in).
Again, I'm ok with having one program do the mapping duties and another program help me with audible route navigation. If I can get them both in the same program, that's awesome, but I'm not holding my breath.
Hi Williaty,
Welcome to the forum!
I would encourage you to give Streets & Trips 2009 a try. You can download it and try it out for 60 days for FREE. That way you can investigate the road detail and see if it meets your needs.
S&T has a data import wizard that allows the import of pushpin data in many formats but .kml and .gpx are not currently on the list. If you can convert to .csv or .xls that will work.
S&T has audible route navigation and can guide you to your destination.
Welcome to the forum!
I would encourage you to give Streets & Trips 2009 a try. You can download it and try it out for 60 days for FREE. That way you can investigate the road detail and see if it meets your needs.
S&T has a data import wizard that allows the import of pushpin data in many formats but .kml and .gpx are not currently on the list. If you can convert to .csv or .xls that will work.
S&T has audible route navigation and can guide you to your destination.
OK, I've been playing with the S&T2009 demo a couple of days now. It does everything I need it to do, it just doesn't do it very well.
1) Are there demos for any other major packages?
2) The interface is horrible. Is there any software with a better interface?
3) It's audible announcements of upcoming turns are announced seemingly randomly with no apartment regard for how long it's going to take to get there. Is there software that announces an upcoming action a given *time* before arriving at the action, then repeats the action at the moment that you need to do it (this is how my little Nuvi works)?
4) In rural areas, the map doesn't display small roads at a low enough zoom. In other words, in the country or mountains, you have to zoom out quite a bit to see even two small towns on the map at a time. The moment you do this, all the roads disappear because they're too small to be shown at that zoom level. Is there any software that will let you set at what zoom level given classes of roads appear on the map (so you can say "hey! I'm in the country, I need 1-lane gravel roads displayed even though I'm looking at half a county at a time!)?
1) Are there demos for any other major packages?
2) The interface is horrible. Is there any software with a better interface?
3) It's audible announcements of upcoming turns are announced seemingly randomly with no apartment regard for how long it's going to take to get there. Is there software that announces an upcoming action a given *time* before arriving at the action, then repeats the action at the moment that you need to do it (this is how my little Nuvi works)?
4) In rural areas, the map doesn't display small roads at a low enough zoom. In other words, in the country or mountains, you have to zoom out quite a bit to see even two small towns on the map at a time. The moment you do this, all the roads disappear because they're too small to be shown at that zoom level. Is there any software that will let you set at what zoom level given classes of roads appear on the map (so you can say "hey! I'm in the country, I need 1-lane gravel roads displayed even though I'm looking at half a county at a time!)?
If you like your Nuvi you'll feel right at home with Mobile PC. It has the same interface and the same features. It really is just like stuffing your Nuvi into your laptop, especially if you have a touchscreen on your laptop.
Laptop GPS World has a forum dedicated to it. You can start here:
http://www.laptopgpsworld.com/432-review-garmin-mobile-pc
...ken...
Laptop GPS World has a forum dedicated to it. You can start here:
http://www.laptopgpsworld.com/432-review-garmin-mobile-pc
...ken...
Well, honestly, the only thing I think that the Nuvi does right is being smaller than a laptop (so it can stay in the car permanently) and properly warning me about things I need to do.
Sorry, I thought from your comments that you liked the way the Nuvi worked.
Mobile PC does everything you asked about. It gives voice guidance the same way the Nuvi does, with an advance warning farther away from the next direction change and a final warning close, but not too close, to the turn (typically at 150 or 100 metres, depending on how fast you're travelling).
Because of the larger screen and higher resolution of a netbook or laptop, Mobile PC allows for better zoom control. You can see a large portion of the map without losing a lot of detail. That part is way better than the Nuvi.
Garmin has a huge selection of maps to choose from, from street maps to topo maps at low (100K) or high (24K) resolution. And there are a gazillion free Garmin-compatible maps out there for download. So you'll be able to deal with your desire for detailed rural coverage in a variety of ways.
If you have used Mapsource for loading maps to your Nuvi or for doing trip planning on your PC, there is a free Garmin navigation alternative called nRoute. It has the same user interface as Mapsource but also has the navigation functions to use a GPS. You can see some discussion threads about nRoute in the Garmin Mobile PC forum.
...ken...
Mobile PC does everything you asked about. It gives voice guidance the same way the Nuvi does, with an advance warning farther away from the next direction change and a final warning close, but not too close, to the turn (typically at 150 or 100 metres, depending on how fast you're travelling).
Because of the larger screen and higher resolution of a netbook or laptop, Mobile PC allows for better zoom control. You can see a large portion of the map without losing a lot of detail. That part is way better than the Nuvi.
Garmin has a huge selection of maps to choose from, from street maps to topo maps at low (100K) or high (24K) resolution. And there are a gazillion free Garmin-compatible maps out there for download. So you'll be able to deal with your desire for detailed rural coverage in a variety of ways.
If you have used Mapsource for loading maps to your Nuvi or for doing trip planning on your PC, there is a free Garmin navigation alternative called nRoute. It has the same user interface as Mapsource but also has the navigation functions to use a GPS. You can see some discussion threads about nRoute in the Garmin Mobile PC forum.
...ken...
Is Garmin nRoute the same as the software called Garmin RoadTrip on the Mac? It sounds similar.
Quote:
Originally Posted by williaty
Is Garmin nRoute the same as the software called Garmin RoadTrip on the Mac? It sounds similar.
...ken...
Take a look at DeLorme's new Topo
I have been eyeing Topo 8 pretty heavily. It looks really cool. However, the staggering number of threads about problems with the software makes me a little wary of dropping that much cash, plus more for more maps, on it until after it has had some time to mature a bit.
I use Google Earth for my off road trips. It takes some work to scan and save the area I am going to explore but I like it. I am using a program called Goops to control the viewing of GE with a Garmin 20x reciever.
Double check the Google maps. They've changed data companies and no longer use Navteq. I think the new company is TeleAtlas, or something like that. There have been some discrepancies reported.
Yeah, after the switch to TeleAtlas, Google Maps gets A LOT of the roads in my area wrong. The mapping data also doesn't display roads and road names at the correct zoom levels, leading to great difficulties figuring out what road goes where and what its name is.
OK, so I figure I ought to update this with what I actually found out.
I ended up trying Microsoft Streets and Trips 2009, DeLorme Street Atlas 2009, Garmin MapSource+MobilePC (with both the CityNavigator North America 2010 and TOPO US 100k mapsets) and a couple of smaller, lesser know packages.
DeLorme Street Atlas 2009: Has easily the worst user-interface I've ever used in any mapping, navigation, or GIS program. It was knocked out of the running for that alone. However, it has a GREAT database of POIs, by far the best of any tested software. Sadly, the searching isn't as advanced as it needs to be. The in-route display is acceptably good, especially when the UMPC option is enabled. The mapping data seems pretty good, from what I saw. However, using it to manually find your way around an obstacle is almost impossible due to the HORRID UI.
Microsoft Streets and Trips 2009: Has a pretty good user-interface. It works 90% the way I'd expect and want it to. It has an OK database of travel-related POIs, but doesn't have SA2009's depth for strange POIs (like the night I needed a coin-operated laundry). The generally good UI and generally good mapset allows you to work-around obstacles in real time fairly easily in the car. Sadly, the in-route display and voicing let the package down somewhat. In the end, this was a close 2nd, held back by the sub-par in-route display and speech.
Garmin Mapsource+Mobile PC: Has an ok, but not great, UI. It's definitely usable, but you have to be willing to work the way it wants and not the way that makes sense. The POI database in the CNNANT2010 maps is ok for most travel-related things, but that's about it. It's possible, but not quite as easy as it should be, to route yourself around obstacles in real time with this. The CNNANT2010 mapset has 90% of the roads I want to use, the Topo 100k 2008 map has the other 10%. Sadly, the Topo maps are not routable, causing a big PITA in the process. However, the in-route display is 90% of what I'd like and the voice prompts occur generally at useful times. In the end, this is the option that I chose.
I ended up trying Microsoft Streets and Trips 2009, DeLorme Street Atlas 2009, Garmin MapSource+MobilePC (with both the CityNavigator North America 2010 and TOPO US 100k mapsets) and a couple of smaller, lesser know packages.
DeLorme Street Atlas 2009: Has easily the worst user-interface I've ever used in any mapping, navigation, or GIS program. It was knocked out of the running for that alone. However, it has a GREAT database of POIs, by far the best of any tested software. Sadly, the searching isn't as advanced as it needs to be. The in-route display is acceptably good, especially when the UMPC option is enabled. The mapping data seems pretty good, from what I saw. However, using it to manually find your way around an obstacle is almost impossible due to the HORRID UI.
Microsoft Streets and Trips 2009: Has a pretty good user-interface. It works 90% the way I'd expect and want it to. It has an OK database of travel-related POIs, but doesn't have SA2009's depth for strange POIs (like the night I needed a coin-operated laundry). The generally good UI and generally good mapset allows you to work-around obstacles in real time fairly easily in the car. Sadly, the in-route display and voicing let the package down somewhat. In the end, this was a close 2nd, held back by the sub-par in-route display and speech.
Garmin Mapsource+Mobile PC: Has an ok, but not great, UI. It's definitely usable, but you have to be willing to work the way it wants and not the way that makes sense. The POI database in the CNNANT2010 maps is ok for most travel-related things, but that's about it. It's possible, but not quite as easy as it should be, to route yourself around obstacles in real time with this. The CNNANT2010 mapset has 90% of the roads I want to use, the Topo 100k 2008 map has the other 10%. Sadly, the Topo maps are not routable, causing a big PITA in the process. However, the in-route display is 90% of what I'd like and the voice prompts occur generally at useful times. In the end, this is the option that I chose.
Williaty, I agree. I was using Goops with Google Earth for my off road trips but have recently started using MobilePC with topo maps. I create routes in GE then import them to Mapsource, then load into MobilePC.
RJW
RJW
How are you routing on the topo maps in Garmin Mobile PC?
I do my routing in Google Earth using the directions tool, save the route as a KMZ file, convert to a GPX file with GPSVISUALIZATION, inport that to Mapsource, then upload the track to Mobile PC. Sounds complicated but just takes a few minutes. The track or route then shows up in MobilePC on the actual road without having to pick a lot of points in Mapsource. GPS Visualizer
Once you have the track showing up in Mobile PC, will it keep you on the route on its own with voice prompts, or do you have to look at the screen and figure out which way to turn?
Williaty said... True, however, one touch of the space bar will repeat the directions for the turn. Two quick touches of the space bar will give the next set of directions.
I personally like the graph/meter bar. It is very easy to see and gives a good proximity to the next turn.
I also like the fact that both route numbers and street names are given.
Lousy text to speech.
I haven't tried real rural or dirt roads with this to date.
I must say for jump into the vehicle and get running navigation up and running, I prefer the Garmin Mobile PC. It reroutes in a few seconds, the text to speech is better IMO, the interface is simple. The reciever is quick and accurate.
Just a few of my observations.
Quote:
"3) It's audible announcements of upcoming turns are announced seemingly randomly with no apartment regard for how long it's going to take to get there."
I personally like the graph/meter bar. It is very easy to see and gives a good proximity to the next turn.
I also like the fact that both route numbers and street names are given.
Lousy text to speech.
I haven't tried real rural or dirt roads with this to date.
I must say for jump into the vehicle and get running navigation up and running, I prefer the Garmin Mobile PC. It reroutes in a few seconds, the text to speech is better IMO, the interface is simple. The reciever is quick and accurate.
Just a few of my observations.