Open Source Map Data - Tried it, not impressed

 

I tried OpenSource Map Data on my Garmin 760
http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/OSM_Map_On_Garmin/Downloa...

I downloaded the largest/latest US Garmin IMG file from here http://daveh.dev.openstreetmap.org/garmin/Lambertus/04-11-20...

Main Site: http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Main_Page

I was originally happy to see that my "County Road xx" was listed as such , not as CR-xx on the Garmin maps.

I found that I could not enter an address to route to, but I could use recently found and favorites.

When I first headed to work, it routed me the way I normally go to work, something Garmin maps don't do. Then about half way down the road, it told me to make a U-Turn, and then showed the road ended, which it did not.

Tooling around Mobile AL, the routing was just atrocious, I can not recommend the OSM data, it was awful.

Text to speech did work fine however, and no speed limits were displayed on highways.

Open Source

Open Source means *you* can make the corrections to the maps and fix the problems you've found. That way you and anyone else downloading the map in the future benefits from the corrections and updates.

--
Drivesmart 66, Nuvi 2595LMT (Died), Nuvi 1490T (Died), Nuvi 260 (Died), GPSMAP 195

2nd'ing Open Source

rocknicehunter wrote:

Open Source means *you* can make the corrections to the maps and fix the problems you've found. That way you and anyone else downloading the map in the future benefits from the corrections and updates.

Exactly. I fixed an intersection where an old off-ramp was removed, and added a pedestrian bridge that had been replaced with a new one after a closure of six months or so. That bridge saves about a mile of walking. I don't think the big map companies are harvesting the Open Source data though...which is too bad. They could pick up the change files and run them against their mapping and for the high priority ones, verify their maps to see who is correct.

--
Nuvi 760 (died 6/2013); Forerunner 305 bike/run; Inreach SE; MotionX Drive (iPhone)

Most

Open source maps are not going to be route able. Garmin does not share that kind of info.

For maps (mostly Topo maps) I use GPSFileDepot.com.

They are free.

--
If you ain't got pictures, I wasn't there.

That's not

alpine1 wrote:

Open source maps are not going to be route able. Garmin does not share that kind of info.

That's not what most of the maps listed on the website say. Most of them are listed as 'routeable'

--
Nuvi 350, 760, 1695LM, 3790LMT, 2460LMT, 3597LMTHD, DriveLuxe 50LMTHD, DriveSmart 61, Garmin Drive 52, Garmin Backup Camera 40 and TomTom XXL540s.

Topo & Trail maps

alpine1 wrote:

Open source maps are not going to be route able. Garmin does not share that kind of info.

For maps (mostly Topo maps) I use GPSFileDepot.com.

They are free.

I know it sounds like the wrong use for an auto GPSr, but I use my nuvi 265WT for hiking and geocaching. I've used the topo & Trail maps from GPSFileDepot.com for this. I change the GPSr settings to: Usage Mode = Pedestrian, Route Preference = Off Road, Map View = Track Up, Vehicle = Cross-hairs, and topo map with a transparent trail map overlay. It works great. The big drawback is battery life and no way to recharge on the trail. I'm thinking one of those AA battery cell phone re-chargers with the appropriate connectors may be the answer. The other problem is it is not waterproof.

Most, perhaps, but not all ....

alpine1 wrote:

Open source maps are not going to be route able. Garmin does not share that kind of info.

For maps (mostly Topo maps) I use GPSFileDepot.com.

They are free.

These are routable.

http://garmin.na1400.info/routable.php

One other potential problem

avandyke wrote:

The other problem is it is not waterproof.

Similarly, if you drop your nuvi on the trail, you are more likely to wind up with an ugly paperweight. Outdoor units tend to be more rugged than those designed for vehicular use.

The Nuvi 500 Is Waterproof

Which is what I use on my ATV. With a cradle and power supplied with from the ATV battery.

We had a rider overturn and had to call Life Flight.

I gave Life Flight the Lat/Long and in twenty minutes they came right overhead. After they landed, and the paramedics took care of business, I asked the pilot how good was the coordinates. He said they were off by about 30' feet.

Not bad for out in the middle of nowhere.

--
If you ain't got pictures, I wasn't there.

That's spot on

alpine1 wrote:

... He said they were off by about 30' feet.

Or exactly correct if both of your units had an accuracy of 15 feet, but in opposite directions...

Either way, more than close enough to be found in an emergency situation.

--
Drivesmart 66, Nuvi 2595LMT (Died), Nuvi 1490T (Died), Nuvi 260 (Died), GPSMAP 195

I tried open source maps

I tried open source maps once. The problem with them was not being unroutable at, but partially routable. You never know when they will give you a good route or simply an impossible route.