Feedback on Mapping/GPS setup for Expedition Travel

[FJLED]

So after reading a multitude of GPS/Mapping setup threads I can say I have learned a great deal from this forum. However, when it finally comes time to put together my setup is still have many questions.


My goal is to have topo or satalite maps to document the offroad trails I am taking on our travels. I would like to be able to tie the video and photos that I take to the waypoints on the trail through time stamps or other means. This way when I send the files to family or friends they can see where exactly during our travels the images were taken.


I am not opposed to having a mount and computer in the FJ for the travels, but if I do go this route I probably would also get a back up handheld GPS. This would be a safety measure in case the laptop failed for whatever reason and also would enable us to travel away from the FJ and camp on hikes. I already have an old magellen unit for on-road use which is sufficient for my needs.


I'd appreciate it if you could help me in coming up with a system that meets my above requirements. I'd rather purchase the appropriate equipment once and have it last 3-5 years than have to buy redudant items because one of my purchases did not suit my needs.


Here is what I initially had come up with...


Fujitsu T4310 Convertible PC - Multi-Touch
http://store.shopfujitsu.com/fpc/Ecommerce/buildseriesbean.do?series=T4310&var=e
or
Fujitsu T4410 Convertible PC - w Multi-Touch
http://store.shopfujitsu.com/fpc/Ecommerce/buildseriesbean.do?series=T4410
]

^I'm not sure if a slightly smaller laptop or netbook would be better. This will be the first time I've used a computer in my vehicle for mapping, so I appreciate your thoughts.


Tied to

GPS Puck
http://www.semsons.com/glbuusbgpsre.html


And running either Overland Navigator or Delrome Topo USA 8.0 (I would need to verify that both of these are compatible with Windows 7)


I would then probably go with a handheld unit like the PN-40



Thanks in advance for the response and feedback.

 

[off-roader]

Good plan. I personally don't like the Delorme software because it's using low res topo maps and there is no upgrade to hi res maps.

The Overland Navigator software on the otherhand is Hi Res.

I'm personally using Nat Geo topo (hi res) of CA but will get ON software as needed for other states.

I do have a backup hiking GPS (Garmin Etrex Legend) as well as a street gps (Tom Tom).

I also run MS Streets & Trips 2009.

 

[FJLED]

Thanks for letting me know about the Topo USA resolution.

In regards to hard drive for the laptop - has anyone had problems with SATA drives due to vibrations? or should I go with a SSD

 

[fishbum]

DeLorme = Low Res? Go to Options and select "High Detail Contours" if you want higher resolution on their vector-based TOPO data. Almost all the TOPO software from various vendors is based on the same Digital Elevation Model anyway.

Are you referring to the USGS quad maps? Yes, those are scanned, and there are plenty of other sources for higher resolution versions of those.

Note that if PN-40 is your handheld GPS choice you need to use the DeLorme Software.

Oh, and skip the puck and use the PN-40 for that.

 

[bmonday]

I'm personally using Nat Geo topo (hi res) of CA but will get ON software as needed for other states.

I also run MS Streets & Trips 2009.

Using what hardware? He's looking for hardware guidance here.

My personal impression is that the hardware he's inclined to use here is overkill. Lance said he's running topo maps on a Netbook, which can be had easily for $300, and usually come with more durable SSDs. They are smaller and lighter too.

Plus, if it gets stolen, it's less of a hit to the wallet. Hell, buy 2 and have a backup in case of theft or failure. Still only spending half as much.

 

[nvprospector]

Good plan. I personally don't like the Delorme software because it's using low res topo maps and there is no upgrade to hi res maps.

Yes they do. The active subscription has the lo-res but the purchased DVD's have the hi-res. That is why active subscription is $30 and the DVD's are $99.

Tim

 

[DaveM]

My goal is to have topo or satalite maps to document the offroad trails I am taking on our travels. I would like to be able to tie the video and photos that I take to the waypoints on the trail through time stamps or other means. This way when I send the files to family or friends they can see where exactly during our travels the images were taken.

I do this now with my existing Garmin GPS, a standard digital camera and some software called Houdah Geo. It compares the camera and GPS time stamps and geo-codes the images for you. Not sure about video, but can't be that hard to manually add once in Google Earth.

Digital topos are available free online from a variety of sources. New USGS layered topos go online Dec 10th I belive (GeoPDF format). I use these and some other software to create 3d shaded relief trail maps of routes I’ve travelled with the GPS tracks overlaid: http://www.sonic.net/~dmed/MedeCart/Portfolio_files/Steens Full.jpg

 

[Ryanmb21]

Digital topos are available free online from a variety of sources. New USGS layered topos go online Dec 10th I belive (GeoPDF format). I use these and some other software to create 3d shaded relief trail maps of routes I’ve travelled with the GPS tracks overlaid: http://www.sonic.net/~dmed/MedeCart/Portfolio_files/Steens Full.jpg[/SIZE]

DaveM - I'm very interested in how you do this, can you explain a bit more? maybe in a new thread?

 

[soonenough]

....I personally don't like the Delorme software because it's using low res topo maps and there is no upgrade to hi res maps....The Overland Navigator software on the otherhand is Hi Res....

....The active subscription has the lo-res but the purchased DVD's have the hi-res. That is why active subscription is $30 and the DVD's are $99....

I'm not sure I'm following you guys here. I don't know what you're referring to when you say "low-res" and "high-res" versions of the DeLorme Topo USA maps. As far as I know, their maps are what they are; they don't offer different versions of the same thing. The annual subscription allows you to download additional types of maps (i.e. USGS 7.5-minute topo, color satellite, B&W satellite, aerial imagery, etc), but those have nothing to do with the topo maps included with the Topo USA software; you can use the DeLorme software without downloading anything additional, which is why the annual subscription is a payed option.

As far as I know, Overland Navigator uses digital scans of the USGS 7.5-minute topo maps, and stitches them together to form one large map.

Are you calling commerical topo software (like DeLorme, Garmin, NatGeo, etc) "low res" and USGS maps "high res"? If so, then I guess I see what you're saying, but I don't know that I'd refer to Topo USA as "low resolution". Here's a good comparison of the DeLorme Topo, Garmin Mapsource, and USGS 7.5-minute topo maps of the same area:
http://forum.delorme.com/viewtopic.php?t=16085#p87970

My goal is to have topo or satalite maps to document the offroad trails I am taking on our travels. I would like to be able to tie the video and photos that I take to the waypoints on the trail through time stamps or other means. This way when I send the files to family or friends they can see where exactly during our travels the images were taken.

I think DeLorme would be a great option for this, as it can do pretty much everything you said you want. I doubt you're going to find a more powerful topo (and street) mapping package available (for $99 anyway). You can download as much satellite/aerial imagery as you want for $30/year, and it's yours to keep even if you cancel the subscription. It will record a track of where you've been if you have it connected to a compatible GPS unit (like the PN-40 or a USB/Bluetooth unit). It also has the functionality to automatically geotag photos from your tracks based on timestamps from the photo's exif data (the video part I don't know about). Here's a demo of it on DeLorme's website: http://www.delorme.com//TopoUSA/samples/GeoTagging/popup.htm. However, a common complaint about the DeLorme software is the learning curve; supposedly it's not the most intuitive, so you've got to be willing to invest some time into familiarizing yourself with it.

EDIT: no, I don't work for DeLorme, I've just been researching topo-mapping software to death lately.

 

[DaveM]

DaveM - I'm very interested in how you do this, can you explain a bit more? maybe in a new thread?

Sure, follow me: http://expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=514109&posted=1#post514109

 

[fetus]

I use a wrist mounted Garmin Foretrex 401, a Panasonic digital camera, and Robogeo.

The advantage of the wrist mounted GPS is that I don't have to undock a GPS when I dismount from my Jeep to take photos.I get a more accurate depiction of where I was standing at when the photo was taken, and I don't have to juggle a GPS and a camera.

The one downside is that if you want to be precise you have to manually note the direction your camera is facing. You then can imprint a North facing arrow on the photo.

Robogeo will also allow you to create a KMZ file for Google Earth. I don't know how to geotag a video though. You can also sync a voice recorder file with notes to each photo.

I need to mess with my settings as the WGS84 shouldn't be there.

 

[off-roader]

DeLorme = Low Res?

yes it uses low resolution topo data. You get $100 worth of free downloads including downloading the hi-res topo data... but not sure if you could download the entire state of California with that. If you can, then I'd consider it the equivalent of the Nat Geo Topo (State Series) software.

One advantage the Delorme software has is you can use it with satellite imagery which I wish the NG Topo Series had.

 

[FJLED]

Guess I am a bit confused on this hi-res vs. low res topo maps....can anyone clearly explain this one for me as I'm a noob to all this.

 

[fishbum]

yes it uses low resolution topo data. You get $100 worth of free downloads including downloading the hi-res topo data...

I think you may be confused about this... the TOPO software is vector-based data for the entire US, includes land cover, contours, routable roads, hydro, POI, etc... It's not low res.
The $100 download certificate (or $40 certificate, or the annual Map Library subscription for $29.95) gets you supplemental data, like color imagery, black and white imagery, scanned USGS TOPO quads, or NOAA charts... There is no "hi res" topo data.

In fact - compare DeLormes TOPO data against Garmins Mapsource TOPO data, and Garmin's is what looks low-res!

 

[soonenough]

Guess I am a bit confused on this hi-res vs. low res topo maps....can anyone clearly explain this one for me as I'm a noob to all this.

The United States Geological Survey 1:24,000-scale topo maps (aka "Quads", "7.5-minute", etc) are kinda the 'gold standard' to which all other maps are compared because they have extremely high levels of topographic detail. The USGS also offers maps in other scales (1:50,000, 1:100,000, etc), but they have less detail/resolution than the 1:24,000 scale maps. I think I'm understanding what off-roader is saying. He's calling DeLorme "low resolution" because its maps aren't based on the USGS 1:24,000 maps.

Having said that, I think the DeLorme maps have plenty of detail for what the average user needs. Moreover, I think they have an advantage over the USGS maps in the fact that many of the USGS maps were made a long time ago, which means the DeLorme maps are usually much more up to date when it comes to man-made features (roads). The DeLorme topo maps have all of the streets from their current Street Atlas software embedded in them, so it can route you along streets and highways like most on-road GPS units. You will not be able to do that with a USGS map alone. As for the Nat Geo topo maps, they may have more detail (i.e. "higher resolution"), but keep in mind they're $100 per state, not $100 for the entire country. Don't get me wrong, their maps look awesome, but you'd have to drop some serious cash to have the same coverage.

Here's a visual to show you the difference between the DeLorme, Garmin, and USGS 1:24,000 topo maps of the same area. (Disclaimer: I did not create these pictures and take no credit for them; I copied them from this thread in the DeLorme forums: http://forum.delorme.com/viewtopic.php?t=16085#p87970)

Garmin Mapsource

DeLorme Topo USA 7 (version 8 is now the current version)

USGS 1:24,000

For me personally, there's nothing I'd be realistically doing where the DeLorme maps just wouldn't cut it. Again, keep in mind, the streets you see in those maps are up to date and are routable just like in typical street mapping software. Now, for the best of both worlds, you can pay for the $30/year subscription from DeLorme, download the USGS 1:24,000 maps, and create a hybrid view with the base topo/street maps:

DeLorme Topo 7 w/ USGS 1:24,000 Overlay