| Versions |
  |
|
| Author |
 Topic  |
|
gpspassion
93394 Posts |
 Posted - 15 oct. 2004 : 18:46:02
|
THE GPS AROUND THE WORLD "FILE"
On of the best hings about GPS is that it knows no borders, wherever you are on earth, you can rely on more than a third of the 28 satellites orbiting the earth. This new "GPS around the World" file will share GPS experiences outside of the classic North America/Western Europe areas as well as the World Map Database.
Kicking off the series are igurevich38's comprehensive dual Road Software / Off-Road Software articles about GPS Assisted Navigation in Israel. For road software he used the local version of Destinator 3 and his off-road software was OziExplorer.
We have Australia lined up and if you would like to join in the fun from your part of the world, drop a line here!
___________________________________________
Discounts and Assistance/Réductions et Assistance (Club GpsPasSion)
Best "GPS" PocketPC/Choisir un PDA ou un Kit "GPS" / Où commencer? |
|
|
Ads
|
|
|
wavshrdr
USA
152 Posts |
Posted - 17 oct. 2004 : 01:41:31
|
I'll be glad to participate. I am an American but I've traveled quite a bit outside of the US. I have used my GPS in quite a few different countries. I used my GPS's in Western Europe as well as Eastern Europe such as Ukraine, Poland and Russia (even as far as Siberia).
Unfortunately using a GPS in Russia is risky if you aren't a Russian legal resident. It is also difficult to come by GPS maps and software for Russian if you are not within Russia. I speak, read and write pretty good Russian so I was able to seek out a few "electronic markets" where I was able to pick up the appropriate software I needed. I didn't find any that catered to English speakers.
Ukraine is similar to Russia but I had absolutely no success tracking down any GPS maps or software. I heard of a company called Visicom but I couldn't find a vendor quickly in Kiev. It was also quite spendy from what I saw too. Supposedly it would provide routing. If you just need maps, Handmap is a choice for Ukraine. As a last resort you can try the terrible Garmin maps for the Soviet Union. I can personally attest to the fact that they are incredibly inaccurate at times. I was on the Crimean peninsula high on a mountain and my Garmin map said I should be floating somewhere in the Black Sea!
Most of these maps don't provide any sort of routing. This won't be a big help if you want to drive. However if you WANT to drive in Ukraine and Russian I suggest you get your head examined first. This not for the weak-hearted and you better understand Russian at least a little bit and carry lots of bribe money or items with you. I could write a book based on my travels in the former Soviet Union but it has always been interesting and a GPS definitely adds to the enjoyment.
My experience in Europe has been frustrating to say the least while using PrymeNav. Good maps but you can't route very far. I posted in detail in another thread.
Hopefully this thread will provide benefit to others on this forum.
-TIM |
 |
|
|
gpspassion
93394 Posts |
|
|
wavshrdr
USA
152 Posts |
Posted - 17 oct. 2004 : 04:47:40
|
I could add a few thousand photos if you want. At last count I have taken over 7,000 photos while in Eastern Europe. I have a few shots of my GPS while in Siberia. I tried to keep the GPS hidden so I wouldn't get arrested.
I do have some pretty interesting photos of Warsaw, Kiev, Crimea, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kizhi and a lot from Siberia.
As for traveling with GPS routing software I recently had a chance to try Tom Tom while in Europe. When I have time I may compare and contrast Tom Tom with PrymeNav V2.0. The more I am involved with routing software the more I realize it is essential to have more than 1 type of routing software. In the US I keep 3 on my Toshiba 805 (glad it has a lot of ram  ) My last trip in Europe used both Tom Tom and PrymeNav. At times I would have welcomed even a 3rd program. Actually in a way I did as I had the BMW Nav system as well.
I took 2 CF GPS's with me (in case I lost one) and one was a SIRF2 model and the other had WAAS capability. I wanted to be sure I had all options covered. I also took my BT slipper in case I couldn't plug in my PDA.
-TIM |
|
|
|
igurevich38
USA
764 Posts |
Posted - 17 oct. 2004 : 05:47:17
|
In the World Map Database I posted a bunch of software for Russia and Ukraine for GPS navigation. MOst of the m can be obtained while in the US. And as far as raster maps, you can download them for all of Ukraine and most of Russia.
Can you please post about the legal aspect of GPS in Russia. I wasn't aware of the fact that it's not legal for non residents.
By the way, I am supposed to go to Shanghai, China in early 2005. I am not planning on driving (I can'r read or speak Chinese), but I still want to try the GPS at least for walking and sitting in the back of a cab. So far I have a raster calibrated map of Shanghai, but nothing with navigation that's in English. If anyone has any experiences from there I would like to hear about it. |
|
|
|
lamar@mapopolis.com
USA
2508 Posts |
Posted - 17 oct. 2004 : 15:27:37
|
Hi, igurevich38,
We sometimes get inquires from Chinese customers about the US and European maps, and many of them say they are using MapKing from MapAsia.com. According to this page, you can download a trial map of select cities.
http://www.mapasia.com/mapking/download.asp
And this page says that their software is triligual:
http://www2.mapking.com/en/
Lamar
If water really were the universal solvent, we would all fall apart. |
|
|
|
wavshrdr
USA
152 Posts |
Posted - 17 oct. 2004 : 18:41:59
|
With respect to Russian GPS use you have to jump through a lot of documents to legally bring a GPS into Russia. An American was arrested a few years ago for using a GPS near a Russian governmental facility.
It is very easy to be in violation of the Russian law and therefore use your GPS illegally. Almost no one does it properly as the Russian system is so complicated that I gave up on trying to do it legally. They make is seem like a straightforward process but trying to get answers from them is very difficult and time consuming. I wasted almost an entire day while in Moscow trying to get all the forms I needed to use my GPS legally.
Here is the link from the US State Dept. website:
http://travel.state.gov/travel/gps.html
In the end I decided to use my PDA with a GPS card stuffed in it. From time to time I was stopped by the Russian militsiya (police) when they tried to shake me down for a few rubles for some sort of alleged violation (normally visa) and they never said anything about my PDA/GPS combo. On one occassion they did confiscate my friend's Garmin as it was easily recognizable as a GPS. They offered my friend a choice he couldn't refuse, go to jail or give up his GPS.
You are free to decide if you want to use your GPS illegally without all the documentation. You do so at your own risk. This has been the way that I've elected to do it. I've dealt with enough Russian governmental agencies to know that it takes 5 times longer to get something done there and normally costs twice as much as in the US when you get it all done.
Igurevich38- I tried some of the sites you have listed in the spreadsheet (before they were listed) and when I contacted some of the vendors I was told they couldn't sell me the Russian maps outside of Russia. I haven't tried lately so maybe that has changed.
One thing I did notice is that I could buy the software at a market like Gorbushka (in Moscow) for much cheaper than I could buy it on the websites even while in Russia. I keep a Russia apartment since I am there so frequently.
-TIM |
|
|
|
admin_0
1 Posts |
Posted - 09 janv. 2005 : 12:58:22
|
Dear igurevich38:
Could you share your Shanghai map in mapopolis format with me? thanks. if you want, please send it to truebaizhao@126.com
thanks.
Or, you can tell me how to get it.
thank you again. |
|
|
|
AlphaMale
48 Posts |
Posted - 16 janv. 2005 : 20:35:13
|
I am from Saudi Arabia, I was amazed by the high level activities of camping and hunting that are going on in the kingdom, and how the GPS technology added a joy to the already joyfull activities. There is an active geocaching group, and there are thousands of POI in the desert of waters, beaches, archiological sites, and so forth. If I find the time I will provide a POI data base that I am collecting from Arabic GPS sites, and from my navigation activities.
GPS use is not illegel and will not get you in any troble, but these days Americans have to be carfull because of the security situation. But it is not as bad, there are active westeners geocachers who are carfull and alert. |
|
|
|
gpspassion
93394 Posts |
|
|
AlphaMale
48 Posts |
Posted - 16 janv. 2005 : 22:01:11
|
I think vector maps exists for some cities (not sure), but I live in a small twon where everyone knows every one so I only have a use for memory map type of programs. I am not really very high on a synthesizer to tell me go left or right on a city of squares.I could have used one in Houston,tx but such technology did not exist in the late 70s when I was living there.
I will check on this vector maps and come back with more accurate reply. |
|
|
|
mmalcomson
Japan
2 Posts |
Posted - 28 janv. 2005 : 04:52:33
|
I live in Japan, and have used my eTex Legend C in quite a few countries. In Japan I use the Kashmir3D package on my pc; it has very good maps for all of Japan. The software is free, but you pay a $30 a year subscription to access the detailed maps, which you ned an internet connection to view.
Some of my trips have been uploade to the Austrain GPS site http://www.gps-tour.info.
This is an excellent site for outdoor enthusiasts, until recently only in German, but now with an English version as well.
I have uploaded some hikes and snowshoe trips, both in Japan and Armenia.
It has been difficult to get Mapsource maps for use in Japan as the ones available have Japanese chcracters, and won't load onto a non-Japanese garmin GPS. When hiking in Armenia, I downloaded old Soviet topographical maps from the Berkeley University website, and calibrated those. They work well but are in Russian.
In the coming year I will be travelling through Europe (France, Iceland, Norway), and also Armenia and into Iran. I have travelled to Iran several times, though without my own GPS. I have headr that the GPS signal is blocked there (by the US), so I will test this once I cross the border between Armenia and Iran.
Matt |
|
|
|
Pankaj
USA
2 Posts |
Posted - 19 mars 2005 : 22:43:06
|
| Ok am I new to the whole GPS game. So please easy with all the code words.... Ok here is the story I am heading to Nepal and Tibet in Jun and need a GPS software for that location. I have a laptop and perfer a unit that could hook up to the lapotp and it be great if it worked standalone as well. If I could run it alone and then hook it up with laptop and download travled route and live info ...via Bluetooth or 2nd choice USB. What software would work with Tibet? I am confused can I use a map and somehow incoroprate it with GPS ? Help! Is there a World GPS Software? Is xmap 4.5 worldwide? |
|
|
|
eridan99
2 Posts |
Posted - 09 mai 2005 : 15:10:30
|
Beginner with GPS, I would like to know if it is possible to find a map of Moscow and region that could be used with a Tomtom navigator on PDA (PPC)
Thank you |
|
|
|
gpspassion
93394 Posts |
|
|
admin_0
1 Posts |
|
|
Topic |
|
|
|
| This page was generated in 1,11 seconds. |
 |
|
- 
- 
GPS Around the World - Part ... (you decide) !
