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Custom raster maps on newer Garmin GPS's

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    #32
    jolly47roger
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8 ✭jolly47roger


    I was thinking more about projections and made a trial. I took a map of France from Google maps. These are definitely Mercator projections and I wanted a big area so that any differences between Mercator and a Transverse Mercator would be obvious. I then created a KMZ from it and overlaid it on Google Earth. The shift in the middle is quite obvious - which leads me to believe that Google Earth is not a Mercator projection. More likely a Transverse Mercator, I think.


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    #33
    IrlJidel
    Registered Users Posts: 412 ✭✭IrlJidel


    jolly47roger wrote: »
    I was thinking more about projections and made a trial. I took a map of France from Google maps. These are definitely Mercator projections and I wanted a big area so that any differences between Mercator and a Transverse Mercator would be obvious. I then created a KMZ from it and overlaid it on Google Earth. The shift in the middle is quite obvious - which leads me to believe that Google Earth is not a Mercator projection. More likely a Transverse Mercator, I think.

    Looks like it is using Lat/Lon WGS84.

    "The overlay image itself must have a North-Top orientation with simple cylindrical projection. Simple cylindrical projection (or Plate Carrée) is a simple map projection where the meridians and parallels are equidistant, straight parallel lines, with the two sets crossing at right angles. (This format is also known as Lat/Lon WGS84 projection.) Because a certain amount of modifications to overlay images is allowed, you might find that the more common UTM maps work well enough over small areas. However, for a more precise overlay of a large region, simple cylindrical projection is required."


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    #34
    jolly47roger
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8 ✭jolly47roger


    Version 2.0.1 of MAPC2MAPC has been uploaded. There are a number of changes :
    - Handle more .cal formats;
    - handle files with line feeds only;
    - adjust tile position and size for Mercator projection for Garmin;
    - handle Mercator projections when merging;
    - configure DrawOrder and JPG quality;
    - don't compress JPG in KMZ;
    - remind to save preferences on Exit

    All feedback welcome!


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    #35
    IrlJidel
    Registered Users Posts: 412 ✭✭IrlJidel


    jolly47roger wrote: »
    Version 2.0.1 of MAPC2MAPC has been uploaded. There are a number of changes :
    - Handle more .cal formats;
    - handle files with line feeds only;
    - adjust tile position and size for Mercator projection for Garmin;
    - handle Mercator projections when merging;
    - configure DrawOrder and JPG quality;
    - don't compress JPG in KMZ;
    - remind to save preferences on Exit

    All feedback welcome!

    I used the latest edition 2.0.2 which adds the ability to remove tiles before they are added to the kmz:
    "Version 2.0.2 Advanced tiling for Garmin maps - see preferences"

    This rocks! Makes it much easier to remove tiles that are not useful such as map cover, map legend etc.

    Tile generation takes longer now I presume this is because you are changing the projection to Mercator? I don't see much difference in the accuracy of the map between my old and new version. Both are still very accurate. Does the projection only realy matter if you are using a very large map area or are Irish maps using a mercator derivative already?

    Thanks again for the early Christmas present ;-)


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    #36
    K09
    Registered Users Posts: 649 ✭✭✭K09


    I have a Garmin Etrex. Can I upload maps for this??


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    #37
    IrlJidel
    Registered Users Posts: 412 ✭✭IrlJidel


    K09 wrote: »
    I have a Garmin Etrex. Can I upload maps for this??

    No. Only Colorado, Oregon or Dakota Garmin handhelds have the ability to display raster (ie scanned paper ) maps


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    #38
    Alun
    Registered Users Posts: 21,464 ✭✭✭✭Alun


    K09 wrote: »
    I have a Garmin Etrex. Can I upload maps for this??
    Nope. Not the ones we're talking about here anyway. You'll need a Dakota, Oregon or Colorado. Depending on exactly what etrex model you have, it must one of the mapping models, you can install the Emerald Isle contour maps, but these are really only contours plus large expanses of water, nothing else. For street level mapping you can use maps based on OSM (Open StreetMap) maps, some of which have contour information as well.


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    #39
    jolly47roger
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8 ✭jolly47roger


    MAPC2MAPC won't be any slower creating Garmin tiles - only the Map Merge will be slower because of reprojecting from and to Mercator. What seems to take the time is rebuilding the images palette to control the number of colours and size of the output - it may be I'm not using FreeImage to its best ability.

    The Irish Grid is a form of Transverse Mercator and is close enough to the simple cylindrical projection that Google Earth and Garmin use.


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    #40
    IrlJidel
    Registered Users Posts: 412 ✭✭IrlJidel


    IrlJidel wrote: »
    The difference between the x50 and x00 series are:

    x50 supports USB2 for faster transfers
    x50 has a 3D axis compass
    x50 has improved screen readiblity
    x50 store more waypoint and routes ( 2000 vs 1000 & 200 vs 100)
    x50 has a geotagging camera.

    There are rumours of a 450 series which would be the same as the 550 but without a camera.

    Looks like 450 series has been announced:

    http://garmin.blogs.com/my_weblog/2009/12/outdoor-options-expand-with-new-oregon-units-garmin-connect-and-custom-maps.html

    Strange timing, if they missed releasing in time for XMAS you would think they would hold out and announce it at the big Consumer Electronics Show. Maybe they have something else planned for that.


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    #41
    Takeshi_Kovacs
    Registered Users Posts: 1,115 ✭✭✭Takeshi_Kovacs


    Yes, just noticed that 450 series has been released, so i am very tempted to part with a few pesos and get one.

    How are ye getting on with your current 550 garmins? Any noticeable issues or complaints?


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    #42
    Alun
    Registered Users Posts: 21,464 ✭✭✭✭Alun


    Takeshi_Kovacs wrote: »
    How are ye getting on with your current 550 garmins? Any noticeable issues or complaints?
    About the only niggling thing for me is that there's a significant mismatch between what the trip odometer shows and the distance travelled by analysing the track log. There was a similar problem with the original H series etrex's which they solved eventually but not on the Oregon series. A few other small annoyances too, but nothing major. The touch screen user interface is surprisingly easy to use even in difficult conditions with gloves on which is a surprise. The screen is very readable, but IMO not quite up there with my etrex Vista HCx's.


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    #43
    Takeshi_Kovacs
    Registered Users Posts: 1,115 ✭✭✭Takeshi_Kovacs


    Sounds good... have you been able to test it out under cover such as in forest/woodland, does it keep signal.
    How do you find its accuracy?


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    #44
    Alun
    Registered Users Posts: 21,464 ✭✭✭✭Alun


    Takeshi_Kovacs wrote: »
    Sounds good... have you been able to test it out under cover such as in forest/woodland, does it keep signal.
    How do you find its accuracy?
    I've not used it that much under tree cover to be honest, but it seems to be as good as my Vista HCx in that regard so far. It's a different chipset to the etrex H series (STM Cartesio as opposed to MTK), but is still a high-sensitivity chipset. Accuracy is as good as any other consumer grade GPS on the market really.


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