Comparison of different GPS maps - Page 2 - Horizons Unlimited

**apapadop** · #16 14 Jun 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by fernan_ci

I´m trying to install the worldmap from OSM Worldfile Mirror in mapsource, but I can´t, how could I make it?

What exactly is you doing and what's going wrong?

I use mapsettoolkit v1.62 and after loading the 18,236 OSM tiles the application has a hard time compiling one gmapsup.img - after a while it usually crashes.

If I try to send the maps "directly" to the GPS with sendmap20.exe it appears to do it, and creates a 2GB+ gmapsup.img file in the storage card of my Garmin GPSmap 60CSx, but then the device (the GPS unit) appears to be unable to render the maps, and simply ignores them.

So when it comes to the world map I'm stuck for the time being.

For a map that covers the EU (and some more...), it works fine for me by following the instructions in OSM Map On MapSource - OpenStreetMap

After you've downloaded the tiles from http://openstreetmap.teddynetz.de/latest/eu.tgz it's a matter of seconds to register them in Mapsource (using MapSetToolkit). So then it's just a matter of selecting the area you want in MapSource and clicking "send to device". Works like a charm on my Garmin, and the level of detail for relatively obscure places is excellent.

The resulting gmapsup.img to be found on the device is 600MB (see screenshots).

With this level of detail, I wonder if the GPS device will be able to cope with rendering the maps... if EU alone is 600MB, how big will the file be for a world map? Perhaps it may hit some file size limitation (the data card is formatted as FAT32, which means 4GiB is the max file size - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compari...systems#Limits

I will certainly post when I get the time to play around with this some more and create my own custom maps. (and I hope that if anyone in HUBB has figured this out they will share the method)

So for the time being only the pre-fab OpenStreetMap EU tiles work for me.

**Warthog** · #17 14 Jun 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by apapadop

After you've downloaded the tiles from http://openstreetmap.teddynetz.de/latest/eu.tgz it's a matter of seconds to register them in Mapsource (using MapSetToolkit). So then it's just a matter of selecting the area you want in MapSource and clicking "send to device". Works like a charm on my Garmin, and the level of detail for relatively obscure places is excellent.

I read your initial post with interest as I recently managed to loose my Garmin Quest, so I am now loking to replace it. However, some models do not have great pre-loaded maps to start with and I hope to travel to places outside their remit anyway!

So I followed your links and downloaded some comtent. I tried some African map material from one site and the teddynetz EU version too.

However, I have noticed that, in my version of mapsource, the detail of the OSM map is not great. Yes, street level detail is there, but for example there is no colour differentiation between land and sea and this makes interpreting the map on my monitor a little hard, so I can only imagine how hard it will be on the eTrex Legend HCx screen if I go for that model.

Is it my mapsource or is this one of the compromises of free mapware?

**fernan_ci** · #18 14 Jun 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by apapadop

What exactly is you doing and what's going wrong?

I use mapsettoolkit v1.62 and after loading the 18,236 OSM tiles the application has a hard time compiling one gmapsup.img - after a while it usually crashes.

If I try to send the maps "directly" to the GPS with sendmap20.exe it appears to do it, and creates a 2GB+ gmapsup.img file in the storage card of my Garmin GPSmap 60CSx, but then the device (the GPS unit) appears to be unable to render the maps, and simply ignores them.

So when it comes to the world map I'm stuck for the time being.

For a map that covers the EU (and some more...), it works fine for me by following the instructions in OSM Map On MapSource - OpenStreetMap

After you've downloaded the tiles from http://openstreetmap.teddynetz.de/latest/eu.tgz it's a matter of seconds to register them in Mapsource (using MapSetToolkit). So then it's just a matter of selecting the area you want in MapSource and clicking "send to device". Works like a charm on my Garmin, and the level of detail for relatively obscure places is excellent.

The resulting gmapsup.img to be found on the device is 600MB (see screenshots).

With this level of detail, I wonder if the GPS device will be able to cope with rendering the maps... if EU alone is 600MB, how big will the file be for a world map? Perhaps it may hit some file size limitation (the data card is formatted as FAT32, which means 4GiB is the max file size - Comparison of file systems - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I will certainly post when I get the time to play around with this some more and create my own custom maps. (and I hope that if anyone in HUBB has figured this out they will share the method)

So for the time being only the pre-fab OpenStreetMap EU tiles work for me.

With worldmap, I download it and I use mapsettoolkit v1.62 like the instructions, mapsettoolkit shows me that is installed, but I can´t see it when I open mapsource.
I don´t want to make a gmapsup.img of worldmap, but yes of same places.

**apapadop** · #19 15 Jun 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by Warthog

I read your initial post with interest as I recently managed to loose my Garmin Quest, so I am now loking to replace it. However, some models do not have great pre-loaded maps to start with and I hope to travel to places outside their remit anyway!

So I followed your links and downloaded some comtent. I tried some African map material from one site and the teddynetz EU version too.

However, I have noticed that, in my version of mapsource, the detail of the OSM map is not great. Yes, street level detail is there, but for example there is no colour differentiation between land and sea and this makes interpreting the map on my monitor a little hard, so I can only imagine how hard it will be on the eTrex Legend HCx screen if I go for that model.

Is it my mapsource or is this one of the compromises of free mapware?

Yes, I've seen this issue too - ocean tiles are not a different color which is confusing.

What other details have you found missing? (post screenshots if possible so I can double-check on my machine)

At some point I saw a thread that discussed how to make ocean tiles blue, but I didn't bookmark it... I suggest you have a go at http://forum.openstreetmap.org/viewforum.php?id=26 (the Garmin-specific OpenStreetMap forum) for any issues, since I'm also just learning about all this stuff and slightly overwhelmed!

**apapadop** · #20 15 Jun 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by fernan_ci

With worldmap, I download it and I use mapsettoolkit v1.62 like the instructions, mapsettoolkit shows me that is installed, but I can´t see it when I open mapsource.
I don´t want to make a gmapsup.img of worldmap, but yes of same places.

Right, that's exactly what I want to do as well. Create a custom map with full coverage of the countries I will travel in, in full street level detail (or as much as is available, anyway).

Will let you know once I get the time to play around with this and figure out the steps.

**fernan_ci** · #21 15 Jun 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by apapadop

Right, that's exactly what I want to do as well. Create a custom map with full coverage of the countries I will travel in, in full street level detail (or as much as is available, anyway).

Will let you know once I get the time to play around with this and figure out the steps.

Thanks in advance.

**Warthog** · #22 15 Jun 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by apapadop

What other details have you found missing? (post screenshots if possible so I can double-check on my machine)

So far this is the only issue I have noticed. It's not such a big deal: it's more of a niggle.

After all I may not be able to tell where the land stops and sea starts on a GPS screen but if I have the same difficulty working it out when riding down the road, then I need more than GPS, I need new spectacles!!

**dave ett** · #23 15 Jun 2009

Great find this, thankyou for posting. I followed the instructions and now have Europe on my 60CSx. Brilliant.

**apapadop** · #24 15 Jun 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by Warthog

So far this is the only issue I have noticed. It's not such a big deal: it's more of a niggle.

After all I may not be able to tell where the land stops and sea starts on a GPS screen but if I have the same difficulty working it out when riding down the road, then I need more than GPS, I need new spectacles!!

It appears that there are ready-made colorful maps of Europe from the same user ( http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/User:Computerteddy ), but apparently the poor chap has ran out of bandwidth as I can't get to any of the pre-fab maps he links to. You might want to try downloading them through the BitTorrent network - links to torrents here: http://osm.ammit.de/osm/latest/torrents/

I read some warnings that loading "pretty" maps makes rendering significantly slower on the GPS device, but haven't tried them myself (yet!)

**apapadop** · #25 5 Jan 2010

Hi everyone

An update on the maps as I've now been using them for 3+ months now and can attest to their value. Especially these last few days in India, I've been *seriously* impressed with the level of detail - even back streets in Amritsar & the Delhi bazaar chaotic passages are mapped!

I have used the free openstreetmap.org Garmin packages provided from http://garmin.na1400.info/routable.php and time after time, in Turkey, in Iran, in Pakistan and now in India they are proving excellent and easy to update with your own traces via their website.

Highly recommended!

Alexandros

**liberec** · #26 27 Jan 2010

I am preparing for Tr, Sy, Jo, Lb trip in 2 months and I find these maps wonderful!! For this area the total of openstreet.exe is only 27 MB and install it easy in mapsource. The details in towns and POI there is very helpfull. I will try these days to send the mapset to my garmin, I hope it will work fine.

And routable? WoW

**seizetheday** · #27 7 Feb 2010

Perhaps this is worth making a sticky? - it certainly set me in the right direction for mapping (Thanks to Alexandros). I found this:

Worldwide routable Garmin maps from OpenStreetMap

This service gives you the following for any part of the world (from website):

Installer for Garmin MapSource (Windows).
Installer for Garmin RoadTrip (Mac OSX)
Combined image for direct manual placement on the GPS device (gmapsupp.img)
A zip file just containing all the Garmin map tiles as selected on this website. This is useful for Linux users (e.g. Qlandkarte)

Everything's free, though you are encoraged to contribute tp the mapping project.

**liberec** · #28 7 Feb 2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by liberec

I am preparing for Tr, Sy, Jo, Lb trip in 2 months and I find these maps wonderful!! For this area the total of openstreet.exe is only 27 MB and install it easy in mapsource. The details in towns and POI there is very helpfull. I will try these days to send the mapset to my garmin, I hope it will work fine.

And routable? WoW

transfer to the device without probs, the calculating in simulating mode in my garmin 278 is very fast

nice work

@seizetheday - yes from here is taken the selected part of the world

***Touring Ted*** · #29 30 Nov 2010

Great post and good work...

I have to agree, osm maps are great. I hadn't even heard of them before I got to Africa which was a fail on my part... They don't seem to be well advertised !! ?

Smelly biker maps are a waste of money IMHO !! There are far superior, cheaper or free maps out there.

For Africa, T4A are great but OSM are almost or just as good...

If you head to South America, go to Dakar Motos, buy a sticker and get the mapear maps from Javier..

**Bill Shockley** · #30 25 Jan 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by apapadop

Yes, I've seen this issue too - ocean tiles are not a different color which is confusing.

What other details have you found missing? (post screenshots if possible so I can double-check on my machine)

At some point I saw a thread that discussed how to make ocean tiles blue, but I didn't bookmark it... I suggest you have a go at Garmin maps (Page 1) / OpenStreetMap Forum (the Garmin-specific OpenStreetMap forum) for any issues, since I'm also just learning about all this stuff and slightly overwhelmed!

Has anyone cracked the ocean color problem??
I have it too and have no idea what to do to change it.
Thanks
bill

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