So I've just bought myself a Garmin EDGE 705, but now I'd like to know where the heck I'm going.

I'm pulling down ShonkyMaps (which are free) at the moment, but I'd be keen to try a few different ones or maybe just go with whatever's best that people recommend (prefer free, commercial is okay).

I discovered the hard way I can't use SDHC cards, so I'm restricted to 2GB.

Ideas?

Check out http://www.openstreetmap.org/ - this is basically /the/ open mapping project. It's f***ing awesome and when I buy a GPS device I'll make sure it's compatible with their s***. I'm not sure what devices work with their system or not but its worth knowing about anyway.

i work in logistics in operations

this is what we recommend.
http://www.onlineshoppingaustralia.com.au/images/postimages/prodBK686031t100jpg-P.jpg


people never learn their way around with GPS. also they take you the long way so often. and into traffic often.

last edited by sleepy at 10:31:22 08/Jan/09

i work in logistics in operations

there is a company called operations?

I cant get to openstreetmaps at the moment, down for anyone else?

Was having a look at it before lunch, it seems the area you can export to XML format is very limited...
Do you have an account there Trog and is the area increased if you login?

I was hoping to do something like the whole of QLD. (Possible the Eastern States of Australia)

Was having a look at it before lunch, it seems the area you can export to XML format is very limited...
Do you have an account there Trog and is the area increased if you login?

I do not, sorry. I haven't used it and don't really know much about it other than it exists and I think its a mad cainer thing they're doing and would love to get involved if I had some more time.

It's down for me now as well, FYI - was working fine when I posted it earlier this morning.

i work in logistics in operations




there is a company called operations?

is this the same guy who gets really upset and offended if someone responds with a stupid answer in his threads. (refer 1 year old computer bios thingo)

'logistics' is the industry - 'operations' is the area i work in.

:(

I need new gps software for my little winCE machine.

It uses "iGO" at the moment, and its not too bad, but there is no street names... plus I just like to play.

I got a TomTom and have free uploads for 30 days. No need to update agin.

I live off a refidex that is years old, no different as far as I am concerned :P

I got a TomTom and have free uploads for 30 days. No need to update agin.

I live off a refidex that is years old, no different as far as I am concerned :P

I used to think my 9 year old Melway was good enough until last month when I tried to find a cricket ground that didn't exist in the year 1999.

How does having free uploads for 30 days mean you never have to update again?

I dont think i've had a Refidex in my (personal) car for about 5 years (had the GPS for 3yrs). It was easier to just lookup whereis/RACQ, jot a few directions and remember the way to most places. Work cars get a new UBD every year.

I know for people like Tradies who often work on new developments anything over a year or 2 old is somewhat useless. Even that is sometimes a stretch. Luckly working in the local area you get to know most places you need to be and it's easy to find places you dont know by location and side streets.
Having handy Aerial photography you can look up before you leave is a plus as well :)

I used to think my 9 year old Melway was good enough until last month when I tried to find a cricket ground that didn't exist in the year 1999.

Well I guess when I come across an issue with my map I will upgrade. But I won't upgrade for the hell of it.

How does having free uploads for 30 days mean you never have to update again?

Well from the day I bought it, I can update to the most current map (as opposed to the map it was shipped with) and it will be enough for me.

I am not one who buys a new refidex each year, so I don't understand the desire to constantly update GPS maps

http://www.onlineshoppingaustralia.com.au/images/postimages/prodBK686031t100jpg-P.jpg

I use this very not often. My GPS is in my Brain.

people never learn their way around with GPS. also they take you the long way so often. and into traffic often.

I agree, the number of times my GPS has told me to turn when it meant go straight or vice versa is also amazing. In the end I smashed it to pieces out of nerd rage. UBD requires you to constantly pull over & have a look if you're driving by yourself though and in the middle of the city that's a pain in the ass.

Well I guess when I come across an issue with my map I will upgrade. But I won't upgrade for the hell of it.

Cheapskate, they're like $15-$20.

people never learn their way around with GPS. also they take you the long way so often. and into traffic often.

Yeah...I think I saw this happening this afternoon. On my way to Grilled for lunch, saw a car flying up McLachlan St into oncoming traffic :S Pretty sure that's a 1 way street the whole way...

So I signed up to much around and test a few stuff, wont let you export XML anything larger then about the size of Greater Brisbane.

The other formats probably could be converted and Co-ordinated but it's really not a use full mapset for GPS Devices... unless you never travel out of Brisbane.

Nice toy though, I think Google maps still better if you need to look up addresses and directions.

Cheapskate, they're like $15-$20.

On the TomTom site it says it was $84, and that was due to a half price sale

I only use it when I am going somewhere I don't know, which is rare. I would rather be told where to go than struggle with maps and written directions, especially with children in the car.

I won't rely on it to think for me for everyday driving

Oh I thought you meant upgrade your UBD, yeah GPS maps are expensive as hell. My bad.

I actually used one (navman f15) the other day on a drive down the coast.. we were around the hinterlands and i had no idea what the roads were like.. quite handy to see where the roads were going before i got there!

last edited by Boxhead at 21:53:10 08/Jan/09

And the cooly awesome thing about OSM is you can export all the map layer data to CityEngine.

http://digitalurban.blogspot.com/2008/12/cityengine-now-for-mac.html
http://www.procedural.com/cityengine/features.html

I dont have any time to play with it during the day unfortch

That OSM is a really good idea, but for the suburban places I checked in Melb there is a lot wrong. I would hate to rely on it, but I definitely think the idea is great - I hope it catches on.

The map data entry is a war of attrition at its err finest.

Just ran by this vid of a wip android app that looks like its OSM backed

http://phandroid.com/2008/12/19/android-navigation-application-in-alpha-avoids-america/

As for it catching on, I just logged into my account on osm.org I had forgotten about and there are 10 others (that have chosen to publish their location from a setting maybe?) within 7km of where I live that can all publish GPS traces of new roads etc. Don't know how it goes getting them authorised into the main planet.bz2 though, I haven't pushed anything up.

UBD requires you to constantly pull over & have a look if you're driving by yourself though and in the middle of the city that's a pain in the ass.

how often do you need to actually refer to the map?
i guess its good for some. ive used a gps out in the scrub trying to find lot 345 number 12390 middle of nowhere rd, hicksville. but thats about it. in those circumstances they are handy i say.

.. quite handy to see where the roads were going before i got there!

and that is different to a map how.?? last map i looked at tells you all those things. whether its a sealed road, a dead end, private road...etc etc etc.

i think they are good for some people eg. CHICKS and f*****s. (generalizing)
im kidding but in my experience with our guys that use them, they cause more hassel than they are worth.

eg. you ask a location of certain freight p/u from richlands to go to banyo. get in contact with the driver.
"where are you?"
"i'm on the gateway bridge"
"why are you on the gateway bridge"
"cause i'm heading to banyo"
"repeat. driver why are you on the gateway bridge???!!!???."

i guess its amusing watching blokes have no idea and trust the technology blindly. i'm sure it will get better in time.

seriously that swift and shift show is too close to home.

"where are you?"
"i'm on the gateway bridge"
"why are you on the gateway bridge"
"cause i'm heading to banyo"
"repeat. driver why are you on the gateway bridge???!!!???."

Sif go through the city. Gateway would be faster if there are no accidents haha

swift and shift is gold as well.

last edited by Skitza at 01:11:38 09/Jan/09

Check out http://www.openstreetmap.org/ - this is basically /the/ open mapping project. It's f***ing awesome and when I buy a GPS device I'll make sure it's compatible with their s***. I'm not sure what devices work with their system or not but its worth knowing about anyway.

Just added some road names, every little helps.....

richlands - western freeway, toowong, if it looks busy then left turn through bardon and paddo etc. down through ashgrove,newmarket,grange,kedron,northgate,banyo etc etc. nowhere near the city. a lot quicker than going ipswich road and then getting involved in the bayside bound traffic as well as the inbound/outbound city traffic from western suburbs.

depends what time of day but that is a looong way via gateway.
i think GPS will be good eventually. but at the moment they seem to be stuck on taking you via major roads and busiest traffic areas.
i heard they are trying to refine the alternate routes and interactive systems where individuals can give updates.(source: some half arsed radio station) however then everyone will take the alternate routes.
i personally like how lots of people have them. leaves the less known shortcuts a lot clearer for me.

If you havent seen this, you should click it now. Must surely be on par with Google's search fountain visualiser.

http://vimeo.com/2598878

^ ito world (whoever they are they rendered that video in the link above) have an app you can signup for on their website that digs into osm map stats.

http://www.openstreetmap.org/user/morb_au

^ this guy plonked over 15,000 new items into the db last week alone. He must have some kind of trace bot up ins.

If you havent seen this, you should click it now. Must surely be on par with Google's search fountain visualiser.

http://vimeo.com/2598878

Nice find.

I have a Navman as I do quite a bit of driving for work and primarily use it to find new addresses and/or locations. Brisbane isn't too bad generally but if you have ever tried to find an address at places like Robina or the back of the Gold Coast in general it can be pretty frustrating.

I have had some wrong turns and back street adventures but all in all I think they are ok to use if you do a lot of driving because it saves you having to stop or take your eyes off the road to use a UBD. I don't use a lot of the features otherwise except maybe the built in speedo and distance stuff.
Speaking of which, does anyone know how accurate the speedo is on a GPS? Mine is always showing 5-10 kms/hr slower than the speedo in the car.

You can switch on alerts that let you know where a range of things are such as closest petrol stations, shops and restaurants etc and the Point of Interest finder I use quite a bit cos I have a BP fuel card so it finds the nearest BP when I am in unfamiliar territory.

The biggest letdown of the Navman brand is the price of the map updates. Anyone know if there are any yum cha updates that will work for Navman other than the official map releases (a bargain at $179!)?

Mine is always showing 5-10 kms/hr slower than the speedo in the car.

It really depends on the area your in. If you're driving through the city (Lots of Buildings) or Forrest (Tall trees) then the GPS can give false readings/Multi-path errors. Out on the freeway/open country road then chances are the GPS speed is more accurate then your Speedo.

Speedo's havent been known to be the most accurate of devices. Also, if you have ever changed the rolling diameter of the tyres without adjusting the speedo, then it's incorrect. My Spedo has about a ~8% correction, If speedo says 100 i'm really doing 108. So I like having the GPS speed for long/highway trips.

The track function is also really good. Helps find 4wd tracks i've travveled before and on touring holidays it's really easy to show people where you've been.

I have the same problem with maps. It's very easy to find 'open source' maps that work with TomTom but not Garmin / NavMans.

Managed to get hold of the Garmin maps, but it turns out it only has major roads. Hence, while yes I do live in the sticks, it really does actually look on the map like I live in the sticks!

So still hunting :(

Not sure if TeleNav have their own maps or a converter for popular mapping data already available...

http://www.telenav.com/gps-navigator/t-mobile-g1-phone/



last edited by trillion at 18:00:39 13/Feb/09

Mine is always showing 5-10 kms/hr slower than the speedo in the car.

In my car its more like 4-5 km/hr difference. In concluded that the speedo is slightly wrong, a GPS should be far more accurate at determining distance travelled.

Most speedos read higher than you're actually travelling as a safety margin.