Open Source TOPO map/GPS software...

Cartography, maps, navigation, GPS and more.
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Guy
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Re: Open Source TOPO map/GPS software...

Post by Guy » January 13th, 2012, 7:11 am

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/

This site isn't much use for trail hiking but it's pretty good for runners, city hikers or cyclists who want to plan out a route & know how far it is & what the elevation profile looks like. I used it a lot to plan out road runs before I had a GPS unit.
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Lurch
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Re: Open Source TOPO map/GPS software...

Post by Lurch » January 13th, 2012, 8:23 am

Koda: You should add the Libre Map Project to your list of complete maps. USGS quads are technically public domain, and that site has high res scans for just about every quad in the US, searchable by quad, or feature name.

For Software you may also want to toss in ArcGIS Explorer. Arc is probably beyond what anyone on here would need, especially for hiking, but it can do some powerful stuff. The full license runs in the thousands of dollars, and it's an extremely high end mapping and analysis program (Just about every government level, from local city, to county, to FEMA and other Fed groups use ArcGIS). This is their free viewer side (think Google Earth)

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Koda
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Re: Open Source TOPO map/GPS software...

Post by Koda » January 13th, 2012, 9:30 am

Thanks everyone, keep them coming. I'll look at those links closer and add them when I get a chance to sit at my computer.
Eric Peterson wrote::? Wow, Back Country Navigator really works on Android SmartPhones?

Downloading the demo now and I guess I will find out!

I have a LG smartphone and wonder if it will work with GPS when there is no cell
coverage, like over on the Wilson River Trail.
YES, you just wont have a topo map layer to reference where your track or waypoint is on a map, unless you cache the map layers to your phone before hand.

Yes, it was made for the Android and works excellent on an LG. I use an LG Ally which IMO is not the greatest Android phone but the BCN app works excellent and the Allys GPS antenna never fails to keep its signal. My problem with the lower end phone is it does not have the processor power to run smooth so I just don't multitask with it when using the app. BCN lets you cache any topo maps to your phone for use when your outside cell reception, it takes a little practice to learn +DL time but worth it. I can tell you the easiest way, the instructions are basic.

I think they just added a feature in the app to take geotagged photos... I think this app was worth buying, I look forward to trying it on an android tablet.

here is a track I uploaded recorded entirely with the BCN last summer, and BTW I just discovered that GPSies has a feature to "smooth" out and eliminate tack spike errors before you download a track. http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=pibfgvujjpbiudad
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Dustin DuBois
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Re: Open Source TOPO map/GPS software...

Post by Dustin DuBois » January 13th, 2012, 5:45 pm

For the Windows Phone mobile OS (note: not Windows Mobile, Windows Phone is the new incarnation) you can add "Outdoor Trekker" as it's the best one I've found for this OS. The full version is $4.99 but you can select "Try" and the trial is fully-functional (but there is an occasional nag-screen that comes up with ads - the ads don't display in airplane mode =D..). I've compared to the other similar/popular on the Windows Phone marketplace and this one beats them all. http://www.373ksoftware.com is the website.
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Guy
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Re: Open Source TOPO map/GPS software...

Post by Guy » January 13th, 2012, 6:13 pm

Wow, Back Country Navigator really works on Android SmartPhones?
Eric I have Back Country Navigator loaded on my Android Inspire 4G.

I hate reading instruction manuals but I had to with BCN I didn't find it very intuitive but that's just me!

On the plus side once you have got the hang of it it does a good job! There are many free Map sets available that you can download to your phone. This came in very handy last October when I was in the UK I was able to download topo maps of all the parts of the UK I would need before I left the US. Currently I have all My Topo maps for the Gorge & Mt. Hood Loaded (You do need a phone that can hold a few gigs of data to be able to do this).

Weather it works or not as a GPS will depend on how well your Phone GPS works, Koda reported good results with his phone I have been less happy with my Inspire 4G, It worked fine when I was in the UK hiking treeless Fells but in the Gorge it has a hard time keeping a GPS connection.

It is much easier to read maps on than the small Garmin screen, recently Don sent me some quite large Topo Files, there was no easy way I could find to load these into my Garmin but it was easy to put them into BCN. So I used my garmin to track my route but the phone for navigation (when I had a GPS connection!)

Personally I don't think it will be long before phones will replace GPS units but I don't think we are quite there yet!

Of course the other problem with all smart phones is you need a warm bare finger to work them - not always available when winter hiking in Oregon :)
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Koda
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Re: Open Source TOPO map/GPS software...

Post by Koda » January 13th, 2012, 6:29 pm

Koda wrote:
*edit to add the following list of electronic mapping applications...
Software:
  • Viking, Viking is a free/open source program to manage GPS data.
  • Prune, GpsPrune is a free/open source application for viewing, editing and converting coordinate data from GPS systems
  • http://www.topofusion.com/, proprietary software with GPX output. Windows OS only :(
  • http://www.easygps.com/, EasyGPS is the fast and easy way to upload and download waypoints, routes, and tracks between your Windows computer and your Garmin, Magellan, or Lowrance GPS. Free :) Windows only :(
  • http://www.gpsbabel.org/, the ULTIMATE GPS file translator filetype converter utility. Up/Download to any GPS device.
  • Google Earth, what? your not using this already..?
  • ArcGIS Explorer Desktopa free GIS viewer that gives you an easy way to explore, visualize, and share GIS information.
Web Browser Utilites: Smartphone GPS Applications Complete Maps and Misc: I'm certain there are more feel free to add your favorite. Some of these I have used or tried, the majority I have not... Will update the list as I find more.
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Koda
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Re: Open Source TOPO map/GPS software...

Post by Koda » January 13th, 2012, 6:45 pm

Guy wrote: Of course the other problem with all smart phones is you need a warm bare finger to work them - not always available when winter hiking in Oregon :)
this is the problem I have with my LG Ally, but otherwise works fine. On this note, there are a few companies making rugged waterproof Androids... I wonder if their screens work better in cold winter temps.

EP, (and any BCN user) if you go to their website they have a desktop application to install that lets you build/edit data/mapsets and interface with your phone via USB. I have not tried this yet though, it looks to be free though... maybe I should add this to my list. (my primary focus is free here)
http://www.backcountrynavigator.com/con ... op-edition
Image
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Guy
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Re: Open Source TOPO map/GPS software...

Post by Guy » January 13th, 2012, 6:53 pm

EP, (and any BCN user) if you go to their website they have a desktop application to install that lets you build/edit data/mapsets and interface with your phone via USB. I have not tried this yet though, it looks to be free though... maybe I should add this to my list. (my primary focus is free here)
http://www.backcountrynavigator.com/con ... op-edition
Koda, I'll go back & check but is this now available for Android Phones? I had high hopes for this before my UK trip but at that time it was only available for Windows phones (Who the hell has a Windows phone ;) )
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Koda
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Re: Open Source TOPO map/GPS software...

Post by Koda » January 13th, 2012, 6:54 pm

Guy wrote: I hate reading instruction manuals but I had to with BCN I didn't find it very intuitive but that's just me!
On the plus side once you have got the hang of it it does a good job!
same for me, I found a good way that wasn't so clear in the manual was to zoom way out on your area of interest then select (finger drag rectangle) the whole area you plan to operate in, but then select the level of zoom... most detail for me to download it at. The download time takes way longer to download the map layer but then you get only one large, more than enough map as opposed to blocks (like in the image I put above).
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Koda
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Re: Open Source TOPO map/GPS software...

Post by Koda » January 13th, 2012, 7:00 pm

Guy wrote: Koda, I'll go back & check but is this now available for Android Phones? I had high hopes for this before my UK trip but at that time it was only available for Windows phones (Who the hell has a Windows phone ;) )
BCN was developed around the Android platform (iirc). The desktop application works on a Windows PC. (I use Linux so maybe it will work with wine I would like to try this), they also have something for "windows mobile" but I don't know what that is.

As far as [phone] operating systems, I'm sticking with open source. Tired if proprietary and non-backwards compatible files that are my work.
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