Any open source sat nav?

cormie

Hi,
Does anyone know of any open source sat nav out there, or any hack similar to the likes of http://www.rockbox.org, but for Sat Navs instead of MP3 players?

I'm just thinking, RockBox above is by far the best software there is for MP3 players and it's ported on to many players like Archos, iRiver, iAudio, iPod so all you do is load it on and it replaces the original interface, menus etc.

If there was something similar for Sat Navs it would be excellent, I just read recently that my Airis t920a wont be getting map updates, that the new maps will be only provided with the new model, so I'd have to buy a whole new Sat Nav. This of course wouldn't be the case if it was open source, it would hopefully mean I could get updated maps and loads of new features whenever they are released, free of charge.

Is it only a matter of time before something like this is out or is it out already? Or is it not possible with Sat Navs?

Krusty_Clown

My Garmin Quest is around 4 or 5 years old, has been discontinued for 2 or three years, but is still getting mapping updates (for a fee), system updates and PC mapping software updates. Maybe there's a lesson there somewhere?

The key criteria is the maps. Without the maps, there's no point in doing anything else with the device. Creating and updating the maps costs companies like NavTeq a lot of money, time and effort. It's unlikely that the level of maps you require will be available for a long long time. But the idea of open source is that individuals can contribute (and not just take). So you can help develop the mapping for Ireland, which will improve the chances of updated mapping being available some time in the future.. OpenStreetMap, is one such project. Also, OpenSource GIS has a list of OS GIS projects. I would imagine that it would be much easier to find an OS project for a less dedicated platform, like a PDA, Smart phone, internet tablet, etc.

Here's a thread that describes a process for configuring a 920A to allow it to run Open Source software. might be the best place to ask..

rai555

I know that Mitac Mio range are user friendly for different customizations, i'm going to get one.

Good luck