What is memory map

[ibexman]

Could some one explain in laymans terms what memory map is , is it just the software or a complete gps type system how is it used when on the move ?????

[Mark90]

www.memory-map.co.uk

Mapping software uses OS maps and arial photography. Can be installed on PC or PDA. When connected to a GPS it does the moving map thing, ie shows you on the map where you are. Can also records tracks of where you have been. Can export/import data, ie tracks/routes/waypoints. Will NOT do route finding, ie turn left at next roundabout.

[Roman]

Mapping software uses OS maps and arial photography.

Map coverage is not very impressive, IMHO.

Does it do aything that Touratech Quo Vadis can't do?

[Neil Marshall]

If all you need is mapping software then the Fugawi range of OS maps are excellent - you can add notations, waypoints etc and even see the topography in 3D. Often available on Ebay, sometimes as 'back up copies' or buy cheapest here. Maps are in Landranger 1:50,000 scale.

Also worth looking at the free GPS Utility - an easy-to-use application that provides management and manipulation of GPS information. You can use it to transfer data to/from a GPS receiver and store the data in PC files in one of several text formats; convert between different map datums and many coordinate formats (Lat/Long, UTM/UPS, country grids etc.); route and track statistics are available and can be transferred to a spreadsheet ; by using a scanned or digital bitmap you can digitize waypoints, routes and tracks. You can plot your GPS information as a map and add map annotations in text or image form. Works with Fugawi, Google Earth, Memory Map etc.

I have a hand held Garmin GPSMap 60 which is a fabulous bit of kit and includes autorouting. But I learned quickly that it's pretty useless for walking and off-roading as there is no relevent data to display in open countryside....conversely, even in the smallest of villages you can even see house numbers. So for off-roading, a GPS receiver linked to mapping software on a laptop or PDA is best. 16 channel bluetooth GPS receivers are available from £45, 12 channel PMCIA cards for under £40....just make sure they're compatible with your mapping software. Bluetooth is desirable as GPS works by line of sight. Best of all is to use an external roof mounted aerial.

Neil

[Les Henson]

What is memory map

I forget!

Les.

[Mark90]

Map coverage is not very impressive, IMHO.

Depends on what your coverage requirements are, UK, Europe, or world wide.

Does it do aything that Touratech Quo Vadis can't do?

Dunno. Does TTQV come with UK OS mapping (1:50 or 1:25)? Send me a copy to 'evaluate' against Memory Map and I'll let you know

If all you need is mapping software then the Fugawi range of OS maps are excellent - you can add notations, waypoints etc and even see the topography in 3D. Often available on Ebay, sometimes as 'back up copies' or buy cheapest here. Maps are in Landranger 1:50,000 scale.

I don't think there's much to choose between Memory Map / Fugawi / Anquet. Few differences in features and what each does best or easiest. All depends on what your exact requirements are and which you prefer the 'feel' of.

More people seem to use Memory Map so it tends to be more readily available to 'evaluate', hence more people use Memory Map.

[pongo]

Depends on what your coverage requirements are, UK, Europe, or world wide.

Dunno. Does TTQV come with UK OS mapping (1:50 or 1:25)? Send me a copy to 'evaluate' against Memory Map and I'll let you know

I don't think there's much to choose between Memory Map / Fugawi / Anquet. Few differences in features and what each does best or easiest. All depends on what your exact requirements are and which you prefer the 'feel' of.

More people seem to use Memory Map so it tends to be more readily available to 'evaluate', hence more people use Memory Map.

Speaking as a retailer of all GPS equipment and software, including Garmin, Fugawi, Memory Map etc. I would suggest that Memory Map is the best available for UK. I say this as someone who has been laning for years (26 odd), and also navigates in winch competitions.

I don't quite undertand how the map coverage could be described as "not very good", given that you can get the whole GB on 1:50,000 on CD or now on DVD for a fraction of the cost of buying it on paper. You can also get 1:25,000 of all the national parks, national paths etc. or if you want a specific area in 1:25,000, you draw the area you want covered, and we will produce it for you. Also, you should note that the new V5 version has now been released, and has some great new features, and has effectively gone down in price. Whereas before there were 12 regions, there are now 6. You can also get aerial photography linked to GPS, which is great for laning and competition, and if you want really detailed aerial photography, we can provide hi-resolution stuff, which will show people, marks on the road etc. If anyone wants some advice on anything to do with GPS, ring me on 01622 200915.

Just a note about the "evaluation" copies, I understand your motives, but some of us are trying to make a humble living. Whatever your job is, I am sure you would be unhappy if your livelihood was undermined by nefarious means, just to save a few quid.

[Mark90]

I don't quite undertand how the map coverage could be described as "not very good", given that you can get the whole GB on 1:50,000

I suspect Roman is getting at world wide map coverage, ie flight charts or topos of deserts or remote parts of Labia

[Neil Marshall]

I suspect Roman is getting at world wide map coverage, ie flight charts or topos of deserts or remote parts of Labia

So that's what that nice Colonel Gaddafi does in his spare time.....how does the GPS help?

Neil

[Mark90]

Ooops, must have been a typo

[Roman]

Depends on what your coverage requirements are, UK, Europe, or world wide.

Mark,

You can't sell a navigation package in this country if it does not include the UK, so that's out of the question.

Europe - each supplier has his own idea of how big Europe is. For some it's still like in the old days of the Iron Curtain. Some other, like TomTom, cover countries further east and south, but not North. And Memory Map provides mapping for France and Germany only, but not Benelux. Silly or what? Better make sure you check what's in the box if your travels take you a bit further than the Callais shopping area.

Worldwide - in theory, you can use any scanned maps for any place in the world. But in practice, imagine how many 1: 25 000 or even 1: 250 000 maps you'd have to scan and calibrate to go on a holiday trip across Morocco. And doing this for a trans Africa would probably take longer than the trip itself. That's why IMHO availability of pre-scanned and calibrated maps is more important than how many functions the software package can boast. Touratech Quo Vadis has the best covergae AFAIK. You can download a demo version from here: http://www.ttqv2.de/files9/qv3www_e.exe

The real problem I have encontered is using scanned/calibrated topo maps on a Pocket PC PDA. I have Pathaway 3 but it's full of bugs and pretty unstable. Does any one have experience with a better package?

[Roman]

I don't quite undertand how the map coverage could be described as "not very good", given that you can get the whole GB on 1:50,000 on CD or now on DVD for a fraction of the cost of buying it on paper.

pongo,

For navigating in the UK you can realy get away with an AA road atlas, like we have done for dozens of year preceding the GPS. And if you are lost, you can stop and ask. It's about the world outside :-)

You can also get aerial photography linked to GPS, which is great for laning and competition, and if you want really detailed aerial photography, we can provide hi-resolution stuff

What is the coverage of those pictures, how are they calibrated?

BTW, is there a rule of thumb calculation to compare sat/aerial map resulution to scale. For instance, a 30m/pixel would be an equivalent of which map scale?

[Neil Marshall]

Garmin's City Select Europe software covers the following areas:

Great Britain and Republic of Ireland

Great Britain: Full Coverage

Isle of Man

Northern Ireland: Full coverage for major cities with intertown roads

Ireland: Cork, Count Kerry, Dublin, Galway, Limerick, Waterford

Channel Islands

Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden

Denmark: Full coverage for major cities with intertown roads

Finland: Espoo, Helsinki, Joensuu, Jyväskylä, Kauniainen, Kotka, Kouvola, Kuopio, Lahti, Lappeenranta, Oulu, Pori, Tampere, Turku, Vaasa and Vantaa

Norway: Full coverage for major cities with intertown roads

Sweden: Full coverage for major cities with intertown roads

Germany

Germany: Full Coverage

France and Benelux

France: Full coverage for major cities with intertown roads

Belgium: Full Coverage

Netherlands: Full Coverage

Luxembourg: Full Coverage

Italy, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein

Italy: Full coverage for major cities with intertown roads

Austria: Full Coverage

Switzerland: Full Coverage

Liechtenstein: Full Coverage

Spain and Portugal

Spain: A Coruña, Alcobendas, Alcorcon, Alcorcón,

Alicante, Badalona, Barcelona, Bilbao, Burgos, Córdoba, Donostia-San Sebastián, Elche, Girona, Granada, Las Palmas (part of the Canary Islands), Las Rozas de Madrid, Las Rozas, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Madrid, Málaga, Móstoles Alcobendas,Murcia, Oviedo, Palencia, Pamplona, Palma de Mallorca, island of Ibiza, Sabadell, Salamanca, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Santander, Sevilla, Toledo, Valencia, Valladolid, Vigo, Vitoria- Gasteiz, Zaragoza

Portugal: Albufeira, Amadora, Braga, Cascais, Coimbra, Faro, Lisboa, Porto, Setúbal

Andorra:

Gibraltar:

Czech Republic

Czech Republic: Prague, Brno, Plzen, Karlovy Vary, Ostrava

and Mlada Boleslav

Greece

Greece: Athens

City Select Europe v7 contains general map detail for most cities and towns throughout Western Europe. Metro areas listed are covered in the greatest detail.

Neil

[Roman]

Garmin's City Select Europe software covers the following areas:

Hi Neil,

That leaves out of the picture:

Belarus,

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bulgaria

Croatia

Cyprus

Estonia

Hungary

Iceland

Latvia

Lithuania

Macedonia

Malta

Moldova

Monaco

Poland

Romania

San Marino

Serbia and Montenegro

Slovakia

Slovenia

Ukraine

and last, but not least - the Vatican City!

Well, that's about another 50% of Europe, isn't it? But I bet they have a map for this place:

[pongo]

pongo,

For navigating in the UK you can realy get away with an AA road atlas, like we have done for dozens of year preceding the GPS. And if you are lost, you can stop and ask. It's about the world outside :-)

What is the coverage of those pictures, how are they calibrated?

I agree that on the road, an atlas is fine (if you can read it, and lets be honest, quite a few people can't). I am referring more to the off-road side, whether laning, walking, mountain biking etc. Or you may wish to fly or you might be at sea. We do a lot of nautical/aeronautical charts too.

For competition use, moving OS makes a major difference.

How about another situation: If you are lost somewhere in the mist on the Brecon Beacons, then you cannot just stop and ask, you are reliant on yourself, and if you have a GPS then you have a far greater chance of getting out safely. Imagine being somewhere near the top of Pen Y Fan, and the mist descends (it has happened to me). You can see about a yard (yes, I am that old, not gone metric yet). With a GPS and moving map, you can not only see where you need to go to reach safety, but you can pick your route, so avoiding the scree face. Now you will say you can do that with a map and compass, and I agree, you can, as long as you KNOW precisely where you are on the map. If not, or if you lose track and get lost (very easily done in nil viz) then with no visibility you could not establish your position, as there is no scope for taking reciprocals etc. hence you cannot be sure of taking the correct or safe route.

Also, for green laning, I will guarantee that there are people on this forum who have driven down a track, thinking it is a BOAT/RUPP, and found that they were actually on the wrong track. Laning being the big political thing it is now, we have to take responsibility for ensuring we are where we think we are. If you get it wrong, you can guarantee it will be in the local paper next week, complete with full exagerration of the damage you did on the footpath/bridleway/private road.

Or if going across Salisbury Plain, it is very easy to pick the wrong track, as the armour can make a new track very quickly, so making map reading very testing. Again, with a GPS-linked moving map, no problem. It also stops dead any arguments with the land warden about where you are precisely, and where the track is. I speak as an ex-soldier (26 years) and I know that even with the best training and map skills, it is still very easy to get it wrong, especially in poor visibility. As a company commander, I would have loved to have had such kit.

So even in UK, there is a great deal to be gained from using a GPS to it's full extent, not just using sat/nav to drive from home to your Auntie Enid's in Bognor.

Other uses for Memory Map: I am currently buying a house. Using the 3D, I was able to look at the flooding potential of houses we looked at. It was also very useful for looking around the local area, to spot any good or bad points. I have also downloaded some old maps from the 1800's, and georeferenced them, so creating moving maps with all the old history on. Not essential, but interesting when getting to know an area.

The aerial photography as standard is 1:25000 scale. Coverage is the bottom 2/3 of UK currently, but it is being expanded quickly.

As for foreign maps, the limit to coverage is not anything technical, it is to do with copyright. Negotiating with all the foreigh equivalents of OS is a long-drawn affair.

As for overlanding, getting the maps is just a part of the planning. Scanning them and georeferencing them is not difficult, and once you are out there, they help add to the pleasure of the trip, recording the tracks, times, speed etc. Datalogging your journey.

[Mehetabel]

pongo,

For navigating in the UK you can realy get away with an AA road atlas, like we have done for dozens of year preceding the GPS. And if you are lost, you can stop and ask. It's about the world outside :-)

What is the coverage of those pictures, how are they calibrated?

BTW, is there a rule of thumb calculation to compare sat/aerial map resulution to scale. For instance, a 30m/pixel would be an equivalent of which map scale?

The coverage from remote sensing [arial and satellite] is QUITE extensive, it is just a question of getting it and getting the accuracy [which is the expensive part ]. The accuracy of the imagery is determined by the quality of the diigital elevation model [DEM] used. This accuracy [measured in circular error] that is readily available can range from 3m to 100m. 25m [pixel size = detail] imagery on 90 -100m DEM [accuracy] from Landsat is quite prevalent but for planning routes across the landscape you probably want 4m [detail] and 25m [accuracy] or better.

BTW both India and the Netherlands are complaining about the detail [1 -4m pixels, <25m accuracy] of the product that Google recently launched so I would say the coverage is "decent" .

You friendly local Imagery Analyst

John

[Roman]

BTW both India and the Netherlands are complaining about the detail [1 -4m pixels, <25m accuracy] of the product that Google recently launched so I would say the coverage is "decent"

John,

Are you referring to the brownish high resolution squares in Google Earth that normally show urban areas, or the greenish ones showing the countryside? I am wondering why the Dutch and Indians are complaining and what they can do about it?

[Mehetabel]

John,

Are you referring to the brownish high resolution squares in Google Earth that normally show urban areas, or the greenish ones showing the countryside? I am wondering why the Dutch and Indians are complaining and what they can do about it?

Yes, those squares . The article follows:

Associated Press Online

October 15, 2005 Saturday

Google Satellite Photos Worry India Leader

By OMER FAROOQ

Indian President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam expressed concern Saturday about a free mapping program from Google Inc., warning it could help terrorists by providing satellite photos of potential targets.

Google Earth, an Internet site launched in June this year, allows users to access overlapping satellite photos. Although not all areas are highly detailed, some images are very high resolution, and some show sensitive locations in various countries.

At a meeting of top police officials in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad, Kalam said he worried that "developing countries, which are already in danger of terrorist attacks, have been singularly chosen" for providing high resolution images of their sites.

The governments of South Korea and Thailand and lawmakers in the Netherlands have expressed similar concerns.

South Korean newspapers said Google Earth provides images of the presidential Blue House and military bases in the country, which remains technically at war with communist North Korea. The North's main nuclear facility at Yongbyon is among sites in that country displayed on the service.

The Google site contains clear aerial photos of India's parliament building, the president's house and surrounding government offices in New Delhi. There are also some clear shots of Indian defense establishments.

Debbie Frost, spokewoman for Mountain View, Calif.-based Google, noted that the software uses information already available from public sources and the images displayed are about one to two years old, not shown in real time.

"Google takes governmental concerns about Google Earth and Google Maps very seriously. Google welcomes dialogue with governments, and we will be happy to talk to Indian authorities about any concerns they may have," Frost said in an e-mail statement Saturday.

Kalam, a scientist who guided India's missile program before becaming president, called for new laws to restrain dissemination of such material. He said existing laws in some countries regarding spatial observations of their territory and the United Nations' recommendations on the practice are inadequate.