Topo Software

[Reth]

Where can I find examples and comparisons of the topo software provided by Garmin, Magellan, and Lowrance? I would love to see side-by-side comparisons of the same map region. Which provides the most detail and is the most accurate?

[Neo_Geo]

This is an area west of northern Virginia called Front Royal. Coordinates are:

N38° 57.043" W78° 11.530"

While Magellan's has the edge on topo lines, Garmin wins with manmade features like roads and railroad tracks.

...Just my 2¢

 

Sorry, but I can't seem to find any comparable sample from Lowrance's Web site. Maybe a Lowrance owner can post an image from their maps.

 

Edited December 17, 2005 by Neo_Geo

[Hunter7227]

I own the Magellan Topo software, and just bought a Lowrance iFinder Pro and the LEI Map Creat 6 software. The Magellan topo maps show mush more topo detail and the images are more realistic. The Map Create 6 images are linear - they apparently haven't figured out how to draw curves.

 

More importantly I have found a significant difference in the actual lat/long readings between the units. The Magellan software is very close to the readings given in Delorme Topo Software, but the LEI MapCreate numbers are different by a couple hundred feet. So far I've only done this on the computer by putting the cursor on the same place in each piece of software. I don't know myself what these numbers mean, but here's the result

Delorme Topo W93.48.417

Magellan Topo W93.48.42

MapCreate 6 W93.48.249

 

In the area I was looking at I'd have to know how to tread water if I used the MapCreate reading but my Magellan GPS.

 

Anyone know why this is?