Jan 21, GPS Software for Mapping and Navigation

GPS navigation is much easier with a good map. These GPS software programs allow you to create and prepare calibrated maps for use on a PC (or laptop), pocket PC or Palm PDA. Many allow you to navigate the maps with the help of a GPS receiver.

See also our GPS maps page and our Marine Charts page.

Our favorite GPS software for analyzing recorded trips is Gartrip. This really international shareware program for Garmin and Magellan receivers lets you edit and review your waypoints and routes on a graphic chart (with or without scanned map as background). The route editor even calculates the estimated traveling time. It imports and exports your waypoints, routes and tracks from and to your GPS receiver and a variety of other programs. Really impressive is the review and play-back of your track logs with altitude or speed diagrams and a lot of options to play with.

Master Navigator Software is for laptops with Windows XP. No need for electronic maps. Just use your own scanned maps from any exotic place on Earth. The GPS software program is intended for GPS navigation with a moving map and allows the input of several different instruments. The main features: Fully automatic (no user interface needed... suited for mobile applications). Imperial or international units or mixture of both. Rich, detailed configuration. Easy-to-learn WINDOWS based user interface. Easy-to-use thanks to single key functions. Utilizes most features of modern graphics cards. Multi-lingual. Supports complete range of sensors. Up to eight channels of sensors in one system. GPS and other NMEA 0183 compatible sensors. Moving Map (will rotate to show direction, fast zoom). Instruments on map (speed, heading, altitude/depth, attitude, clock, etc.). Fly on map feature (find places on bad weather using virtual view). Trip meters, 4 different, measures trip, time and speed. Supports 150 different projections and 3000 datums around the world. Large projection/datum database (add your own definitions). Navigate routes and navigate to point functions. (Shows XTE, CMG, etc.). Autopilot output (standard NMEA autopilots: APA and APB). Supports most common image file formats (JPEG, BPM, GIF, BNG, TIF, etc.). You need 3D graphics acceleration on your PC (Hardware OpenGL support). (Minimum HW: Windows (XP), 800MHz CPU, 256Mb RAM, 32Mb OpenGL 3D graphics, 1024 x 768 res.). Several import/export formats: BSB, KAP, TIF-TFW, GIF-GFW, PNG-PGW, etc.

BackCountry Navigator (www.backcountrynavigator.com/) is GPS navigation software for outdoor recreation that runs on your Pocket PC. The GPS software displays topographic maps and aerial photography for the United States. When used with a GPS connected to your Pocket PC, it shows your location on a moving, multi-resolution map and guides you to waypoints you import, download or define. BackCountry Navigator is appropriate for all activities for which you would normally use a topographic map and compass or GPS

BackCountry Navigator has a number of benefits to the outdoor enthusiast: Navigate with color Topographic Maps describing terrain of land and waterways. Use Aerial Photography for a rich, overhead image of your area of interest. Download USGS Geographic Places for Points of Interest from over two million geographic features within the United States at the touch of a button.Download maps directly to your Pocket PC whenever connected to the internet without the need for desktop software, subscriptions, or CD Roms. Use public domain maps from TerraServer-USA with no additional cost or subscription needed. In other words, use *Free Maps* for any region of the United States.Create tiled maps that define the area of your adventure, without being limited by the boundaries of quads, counties, or states. Use multiple maps resolutions automatically to load the appropriate image as you zoom into or out of a map. Define unlimited Custom Waypoints for navigation with a tap of the screen. Use a Pocket PC GPS Receiver to show your location on a moving, multiresolution map of the wilderness. Import GPX files (GPS Exchange format) to use waypoints defined by friends or other internet users. Display geocache locations on your map and see formatted descriptions and hints. Use the full display capabilities of your VGA Pocket PC with 2003SE for crisp and sharp images.

Unlike many GPS software programs that are restricted to street and highway networks, GPS PAD can be used in any environment. Your position and movements can be tracked and analyzed with or without map material. Map material of any sort including aerial images can be converted with the accompanying desktop software for use with the program. Map material can also be added to previously logged journeys. Areas of applicability include hiking, biking, maritime navigation, surveying, geocaching, GPSdrawing and much more.

Features: Moving map navigation. Zoom in/zoom out. Panning function. Map overview with moving position navigation. Freehand drawing. Waypoints. GPS track recording and replay. Distance measurement. Signal strength, position and number of satellites. Height profile. Speed profile. Average speed. Elevation. Track length. Navigation to target. Target distance. Current speed, height and position. Arrow. Compass. Import NMEA, TomTom, Mobile Navigator, TOP 50. Export Top 50. Different display formats and units. Energy management. Battery status. Automatic backup file. Handbook.

System Requirements: GPS PAD GPS software runs with Windows Mobile 2003 and requires approx. 620 Kb of memory. It does NOT require any additional software packages. The program can also be installed on a memory card. Any NMEA 0183 GPS receiver can be used.

Andromeda Productions has some handy products for boaters. NAVTOOLS GPS connects your GPS navigation system to your PC using a NMEA0183 serial connection. Routes can be created or loaded from the NavTools Route application, where after NavTools GPS will continuously monitor your position, required course and speed and estimated time of arrival in each new waypoint.
NAVTOOLS ROUTE is a complete route planning application. Unlike any other similar application. NavTools Route is able to calculate the most economical engine rpm setting to reach your destination on schedule, taking into account average or predicted weather along the route (data will include wind speed and direction as well as wave heights and current). Many handy tools are included.
NAVTOOLS METEO is an easy to use small application to retrieve worldwide weather charts and information from the NOAA Internet servers. Files can be retrieved via email if you do not have an online Internet connection available (integrates seamlessly with most email programs, including Amos Mail).

From Italy comes OkMap, a program for the outdoor enthusiast, comparable to OziExplorer, but only for the PC.

The program allows you to calibrate rastermaps, as well as multi-layered vector maps. See next page for a full list of features: http://www.okmap.org

New from Russia is Octoox.

Octoox' features are:

1. General positioning Basic coordinate, altitude, speed, and heading information. Mark, store, go to, and measure distance to points of interest (POIs). Distance travelled, average and maximum speeds.

2. Speed limits and cameras Configurable "Exceeding preset maximum speed" alarm. Recording and sharing of the speed camera location and maximum speed.

3. WiFi mapping Requires a WiFi adapter. Mark positions where WiFi is available as you go.

ExpertGPS GPS software is a powerful tool for viewing, editing and mapping your GPS waypoints, routes and tracks. It downloads USGS Topo maps and aerial photos from the Internet (USA only), but you can load and calibrate your own (scanned) maps. Very useful for GeoCaching use, as it understands the GeoCaching.com format for downloading coordinates. With a laptop, connected to your GPS receiver, you can do real-time navigation. USAPhotoMaps is an exceptional, free tool developed and distributed by Doug Cox. Use it to automatically retrieve and display TerraServer aerial photos or topographic maps. The GPS software program also connects to GPS receivers to display tracks and waypoints or real-time locations. A companion utility, BigJPEG, merges TerraServer image tiles into geo-referenced files that can be used in other spatial mapping programs. GPSTrackMaker is feature rich, free GPS software that creates, edits and deletes track logs, routes and waypoints. You can use a lot of different map-formats with the program and its database contains more than 250 different datums. With a laptop computer and a GPS receiver, you can do real-time navigation. GPSTrackMaker Pro (GTM PRO) is for users that use the GPS software program professionally, in other words, for those users that need area calculation, data transfer for Microsoft Excel, import and export to AutoCad and ArcView, and other advanced functions. GPS Utility is a GPS software program for manipulating GPS information. Its list of supported file-formats is impressive. Using a scanned-in bitmap you can digitize waypoints, routes and tracks. This GPS software is particularly useful for editing and splicing together track and route segments. With a laptop computer, linked to a GPS receiver, your position will be shown in real-time on a moving map. Together with Terrain Viewer, 3D color rendering is possible. Memory-Map Navigator from Maptech is a full-featured electronic navigation package that displays high quality scanned (raster) charts and topographic maps. It interfaces with a GPS to plot your position in real time, and you can use it to program the GPS with routes and waypoints, and to download a track log from the GPS. You can print full color, high-resolution charts with your waypoints, routes and tracks. Pocket PC support is included. Their QuickChart Technology is really impressive. It provides instant zoom-in and zoom-out with the mouse wheel! Panning the map is real fast, dragging the map with the left mouse button. Also from Maptech is the Outdoor Navigator GPS software for pocket PC, Palm PDA and SmartPhones. For a modest annual fee you can download any of more than 60,000 U.S. Topo Maps 1 : 24/25,000, 1 : 100,000 and 1 : 250,000 scale and NOAA Nautical Charts, all scales from overview charts to harbor charts to your pocket PC, Palm or SmartPhone. Present coverage for continental United States and Alaska. With a NMEA-0183 GPS receiver connected, you can do real-time tracking on the map/chart of your choice. Waypoints can be entered on the screen with your finger or the stylus. You can navigate to the active waypoint. Our favorite for geo-referencing our own maps is OziExplorer, an interactive, raster image, trip planning and moving map GPS software which allows the user to add waypoints, routes and tracks to the map by simple point & click and then download these to a GPS receiver. Reads maps in various formats. Numerous datums, grid systems and map projections are supported. OziExplorerCE is an add-on, which enables the use on a pocket PC. It provides real-time navigation with moving map. It even chooses automatically the best map for the actual GPS position. GPS Manager (GPSMan) is a graphical manager of GPS data that makes possible the preparation, inspection and edition of GPS data in a friendly environment. The GPSMan GPS software supports communication and real-time logging with both Garmin, Lowrance and Magellan receivers and accepts real-time logging information in NMEA 0183 from any GPS receiver. GPSMan can also be used in command mode (with no graphical interface) One of the many features of GPSMan is making conversions of routes into tracks/ tracks into routes, by keeping a certain number (fixed by the user) of track points/ tracks into a waypoint taking the averages of the latitudes, longitudes and altitudes of the track points/ waypoints in a group into a waypoint taking the averages of their latitudes, longitudes and altitudes. Keith Sheppard's MapMan is a free map generating GPS software tool designed primarily for owners of Garmin GPS devices with mapping capability. However owners of other brand devices, devices without mapping, or even those who don’t own a GPS at all, may be able to make use of some of the features. MapMan GPS software allows you to scan in paper (or other) maps, or use maps downloaded from the Internet, and sketch over them to set up Waypoints and Routes to upload to your GPS. You can also download Waypoints, Routes and Tracks from your GPS and display them on screen However MapMan really comes into its own if you also have copies of the GPS software products cGPSMapper and SendMap Equipped with these additional products you can use MapMan to create home-made digital maps which can then be uploaded to a GPS device which supports mapping. Willem van Schaik’s GEM is a Win32 GPS software program that downloads maps and aerial photos from MapQuest, which provide a very good international coverage. The maps are stored to the hard-disk for later use as moving-map with a GPS receiver connected to your laptop. The program supports four different zoom-levels. PocketGEM is the version for pocket PCs. If you have Internet connections from your pocket PC, you can wirelessly download maps. In the other case you download maps via the PC and sync or copy them to the pocket PC. A "PPC with GEM" unit can be used as a rover to communicate its position to a GEM equipped base station, which is rather unique. TrackLogs Digital Mapping for Windows PC combines genuine Ordnance Survey digital maps with route planning and managing software. The software lets you print out OS maps over multiple sheets and routes, created in TrackLogs Digital mapping can be transferred to a compatible GPS receiver. IBIS is a set of mapping and navigation functions that uses data from a GPS receiver along with maps, GPS type road display and other various displays to provide a comprehensive navigation tool set. Features include: Support for marine charts in BSB, NOS/GEO and Maptech pcx published formats as well as DRG Geotiff format land maps and user scanned maps and charts in various formats. NMEA input, waypoint, route and track up- and download. Multiple Track creation and re-display. Trailgauge is accurate map route planning GPS software for Windows. It can use any bitmap image as a map e.g. scanned paper maps, images from internet map sites or commercial GIS raster data. The GPS software program supports hundreds of map projections and datums and can download tracks from a Garmin GPS receiver to analyze on your map. Full support for track logs, routes and waypoints. Motor bikers don't want to go fastest or shortest: They want to go curviest and nicest. Inexpensive PC-based motor bike tour planners will yield very good results on that, but they are not prepared for transmitting route data to handheld GPS-receivers. GPS-Route (German description, presently working for German planner outputs only) bridges this gap and converts route description outputs of those planners to multiple overlapping GPS routes automatically. Turn directives (left, right, roundabout exit no. etc.) are coded into the route point names, so they really lead along the way. An additional mode covers overlay files produced by the German/Austrian Top50 topographic map material. This is especially interesting for wanderers and bicycle tourers. Kevin Millican’s RealMaps is a mature mapping utility with enough guidance and forethought to help even beginners become competent cartographers and navigators. The GPS software is intended for the Psion Series 5 and other EPOC32 computers and also the Series 3(SIBO) platform. The program could be used for the following worldwide applications: an Atlas, Storage and Display of quality maps, either scanned or produced by PC applications for use on the move, Coastal navigation and GPS moving map display. A major feature of the GPS software is that it can integrate map images from any number of sources together to meet the user’s own requirements.

GPS Tuner from Megalith is a high precision measurement, mapping and geocaching tool for pocket PC. The GPS software program delivers more accurate positions than your GPS receiver can. All that is due to the Averaging Software Solution. The program can use JPG, GIF, PNG and BMP files as map, that can be easily calibrated (max 2000 x 2000 pixels). Tracks can be saved in the track log with selectable time interval. The moving map shows direction, waypoints and track. Waypoints can be added to the map and a target can be set. The Digital Compass display will guide you to this target. As soon as you are standing still automatic averaging is on. Trek-Tracker Pro is GPS software for real-time GPS navigation on the map of your choice, using the pocket PC environment. It is intended to be a navigational tool for people on foot. You can use numerous maps or scan your own maps, which can be geo-referenced with the program. It navigates on a map in any orientation. GPS Pilot’s Tracker for Palm PDAs is a GPS software navigation system with tracks logging. Track logs can be exported to a PC for exploitation in GIS applications. Maps can be loaded from anywhere from topo maps, marine charts, satellite images to street level or site plans. Included in the price is one year subscription to Vicinity maps, which have full coverage to house number location for USA, Canada and 18 European countries and city-to-city coverage for almost 40 other countries. The program supports wireless (or via modem) web access for map downloading. The GPS software program offers full support for the Garmin iQue and rotating screen on the TapWave Zodiac and Tungsten T3. GPS Pilot’s TripPilot for Palm PDA’s is a route planner with driving direction on interactive maps. Fulfill departure and destination address by typing a specific address (Full integration of the Palm Address Book), choosing a POI or locating yourself with GPS co-ordinates. The GPS software program supports 11 languages. For on-line cartography: Smartphone, wireless connection, land modem or PC-Internet gateway (MocchaPPP, SoftickPPP). For maps and device support: see Tracker above. With Fugawi GPS software you can easily create accurate digital maps from any scanned map or existing map database (i.e. BSB marine charts or USGS topographic maps).Then, in real-time navigation mode, your exact position is displayed on the map as you move and new maps are automatically loaded as you travel to new areas. You simply position waypoints, routes and tracks on your map with a click of the mouse and then upload them to your GPS receiver. For PC, pocket PC and Palm PDA. WinGPS Pro is GPS software developed by sailors for sailors. You can easily scan and calibrate charts to build up your own chart database, but the program supports calibrated digital charts of DKW, NKF/EuroSea, BSB (Maptech) and BSB/PCX-format (world-wide coverage). Making routes is easy by simply clicking on your chart. Dangerous or forbidden areas can be marked on the charts and you will be warned when entering such zones. Only for PC. With an inexpensive extra COM-port 4 NMEA instruments can be connected to the PC and software. GPS Map Explorer is a simple, but powerful GPS software program for PC to use with your Garmin GPS receiver. The main focus is on viewing and analyzing track logs in various ways. You can use your own scanned maps (GIF/JPG). GPS information can be imported/exported to/from Map Source, Ozi, Gardown and G7ToWin. The program can control an Auto Pilot for your boat. With this free GPS software program you can run multiple tracks on scanned maps. Touratech QV (TTQV) is GPS software for the PC and Palm PDA (not pocket PC). It displays your own scanned maps or you can select from a large number of ready calibrated map CD-ROMs / DVDs which Touratech QV can open directly. Just by using the mouse you can create waypoints, routes and tracks, which you can upload to your GPS receiver. It has powerful search functions and supports most NMEA equipment for navigation. PathAway is a moving map navigation program for Palm PDAs. It has added support for expandable Hi-res screens for OS5 devices like the Sony NR Series. You can ipmort your own maps using PathAway Tools or Touratech-QV. Maps can be obtained from mapping web sites, CD-ROM, scanned or digitally photographed. The program supports most popular Map Projections and Datums. Your track can be recorded and creating routes is simple by clicking points on the map. Data can be transferred from and to Garmin and Magellan receivers. Support for the Garmin iQue 3600 is now implemented in the program.
On October 4, 2004. MuskokaTech announced the release of the highly anticipated PathAway GPS 3 GPS software on the Windows Mobile (formerly Pocket PC) Handheld platform. This GPS software version offers all of the same power and functionality of the current version on the Palm OS platform.

PathAway Professional Edition contains all of the features of the Standard Edition PathAway GPS 4. In addition, PRO edition GPS software incorporates 2-way Tracking capabilities via Http and SMS (Simple Messaging Service). PathAway sends location information via internal Phone, or external Phone connected via Bluetooth. You can send your location automatically or manually to other PathAway PRO users, or to a tracking server. Use PathAway PRO to monitor positions of multiple users. Great for group travel, search and rescue operations, people tracking, or asset tracking.

MapCruiser is an electronic map viewer for marine and land navigation for PC that easily integrates with a GPS receiver for real-time navigation on digital charts and maps. The GPS software program has advanced chart printing and chart quilting. It is compatible with the following types of charts and maps: NDI (BSB), Maptech (BSB, Topo, RML, Tiff Data), SoftChart (NOS), ETopo (JPR), USGS (DRG) and GeoTiff. QuakeMap is a powerful GPS mapping program for PC that displays aerial and topo maps from Terraserver-USA and relief maps of the world. You can draw your route, print aerial and topo maps and see waypoints (including geocaches) on the map. Routes and waypoints can be loaded to a GPS receiver. Track logs can be loaded from the GPS receiver and analyzed. QuakeMap fetches earthquake information from several public ‘recent’ lists and overlays it on the map. EasyNav is a popular sea navigation GPS software for PC specially designed to be used by yachting enthusiasts anywhere on board, at home, as well as on rented vessels lacking instrument computer connecting capabilities. It enables navigation with or without GPS. Without GPS, it navigates by calculation from data the user enters in the logbook, including compass and mile register errors, leeway and stream. Several databases are included: Vessel configurator, Objects for navigation, Worldwide shorelines and chart imaging. It will be able to display simultaneously up to 100 mixed charts, designing a single image. GPSDash for pocket PC is able to interpret data from receivers that do support the NMEA-0183 protocol and presents the most significant data over a visual appealing dashboard. The GPS software shows your current position on your favorite map in nearly any available raster format. Map calibration is easy with two reference points and it automatically selects the best map, based on your current position. The created NMEA-data logs can be replayed in real time or accelerated. Topo-Fusion is GPS Mapping software for Windows. It downloads maps (Topo and Aerial Photo) automatically from Microsoft’s TerraServer and stores them on the hard drive. Topo and photo maps can be combined, using alpha blending, to visualize both at the same time. Can be used as real-time navigation software for your notebook. We played several hours with the demo-version of the program and it is really fantastic, but as TerraServer has degraded to USAServer a couple of years ago, there is no real use for it outside the USA. Navio GPS software from Tiny Stocks works with any serial or Bluetooth GPS device that supports the standard NMEA-0183 format. For PC and pocket PC, it tracks your position and moving progress on any map, that you have scanned in and geo-referenced, using two reference points. It lets you calculate the distance between any two points on the map and you can keep track of an unlimited number of waypoints. You can plot the course from waypoint to waypoint on the map. All GPS movement data can be saved and you can replay them later or see the entire route on the map. This program is great for traveling, hiking, geocaching, golfing and much more. VITO SmartMap from VITO Technology is a GPS software program for working with high resolution color maps for the pocket PC, that is compatible with CF and serial GPS receivers. The GPS software detects automatically the GPS receiver and supports vector and raster maps. The recorded track can be exported to a standard ESRI Shape file. The software package includes the free MapManager program for a desktop PC. MapManager GPS software allows a user to make a digital map from various data sources: ESRI Shape File format, scanned maps in the JPEG format and the tracks, recorded by SmartMap. MapManager converts maps to the VTM format to accelerate the working on a pocket PC.

The Eye4Software GPS Mapping software can be used for realtime navigation or positioning, route planning and to manage your maps, waypoints, tracks and GPS routes. The software supports different types of map formats like including: GeoTIFF, AutoCad DXF/DGN files, ESRI Shapefiles, BSB nautical charts and image files like GIF, BMP, JPG, TIF and PNG files, which can be calibrated using different map projections.

Waypoint, track and route information can be uploaded and downloaded to or from a GPS receiver supporting NMEA0183 or Garmin PVT (USB), or can be exported or imported to different file formats like Garmin PCX, GPS Exchange and OziExplorer files.

Applications of this software includes (home use): Hiking, cycling, running, boating and geocaching and (professional use): Research, track and trace, survey etc.

RoseLine is a high tech peak finder program for the PC that will create interactive maps and show you all the peaks visible from any viewpoint in Oregon or Washington.

The program helps you create maps that show what peaks are visible from a given viewpoint. copyright © GPS-practice-and-fun.com All Rights Reserved

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