any handheld road/driving GPS units that you can edit the maps?

[justin-branam]

ill try to ask this is a new way. im looking for a handheld gps unit, to navigate the roads around my fire station. i need something that i can edit the maps. i need to be able to draw in new roads as they are built, draw in new apartment complex road layouts, and preferably add addresses along the new road. i would also like to add markers for fire hydrants. i then need to be able to write in the address and/or street, and have the unit guide me there (including the new streets i add). Are there any units out there right now that have this ability? thanks!

[+fratermus]

It is not a function of the unit, in the sense that there is no special GPSr that will enable this map-editing feature.

 

* You can make your own maps for Garmin mapping GPSr

* you cannot legally alter Garmin's commercial maps.

* you may or may not be able to make your own maps for other brands. I don't think so.

* You may or may not be able to find open source maps (see below) to alter.

* Making maps, particularly routable ones, is not a trivial task

 

If you are serious about it, cgpsmapper is the place to start. Remember to share your work so no one else has to duplicate it.

 

Do not overlook the possibility something a good deal simpler, like a gpx/poi overlay with waypoints named after address and fireplug locations. That would be easy, free, and consume far less of your life. Still routable using the GPSr's built-in autorouting.

[+embra]

Delorme Topo 6 allows the addition of roads or trails that can then become available for autorouting, and can be transferred for use to the PN-20 handheld. These additions can be drawn lines if they only need be approximate, although transferring tracks from the GPS would be more accurate.

 

Edit: I don't think you can add address data. However, if you submit the data to Delorme they seem to be pretty good about incorporating it in revisions. You can add fire hydrants as unroutable POIs (if I understand how it works...you may want to bring these questions up in the Delorme forum if you want to pursue it). If you add hydrants as waypoints, they would be routable. But it sounds like having them visible on the map would be sufficient for you.

Edited June 28, 2007 by embra

[+fratermus]

{oops, nevermind. Just did the reading on the PN-20. Thanks for that clarification}

Edited June 28, 2007 by fratermus

[+embra]

It's a new model; there are a lot of things on the market to try to keep track of (e.g., I'd never heard of cGPSmapper).

[+roveron]

This might be the sort of thing you're looking for.

http://shop.delorme.com/OA_HTML/DELibeCCtp...&item=25482

[justin-branam]

This might be the sort of thing you're looking for.

http://shop.delorme.com/OA_HTML/DELibeCCtp...&item=25482

 

so it appears that i can add new roads to these maps, but how would i go about typing in the address when i am ready to go? thats why i was looking at a pda, so i could just write it with a stylus rather than having to scroll through an alphabet to enter the address.

[GeoidPS]

Commercial quality maps can be made for Garmin units.

Here are the problems:

1) To collect data for an area the size of a 1:24k USGS map, it will take about 200-300 manhours.

2) To make topo maps will require DEMtoTopo and IDL machine to produce the contours once the GEOtif file is downloaded from the USGS website.

3) GPSmapedit is used to add the data collected.

4) GPSmapper is used to make the finished map. GPSmapper routable version is very expensive. Even if purchased, it is necessary to maticulously make routable nodes in GPSmapedit, very time consuming.

5) To get the map to this stage will require possibly 500 manhours between data collection and making the final product.

6) This is one map, there are possibly 2000 1:24K maps for the entire USA. That's about 1 million manhours to make all the maps in the USA. That would take 1 person about 55 years to make all the maps working 8 hour days with no vacation.

7) Few people have the capability to make maps of this level quality.

8) Those people who have the capability do not have the time to collect the data for more than a few maps the area of 1:24K USGS topo maps.

9) Individual map makers do not have the collective strength to make a large quantity of commercial quality type maps.

10) Commercial map makers greatest obstical is data collection, keeping maps up to date, very resource intensive and expensive.

11) Don't look for Garmin Topo 2008 to be any more than more of the same.

[justin-branam]

Commercial quality maps can be made for Garmin units.

Here are the problems:

1) To collect data for an area the size of a 1:24k USGS map, it will take about 200-300 manhours.

2) To make topo maps will require DEMtoTopo and IDL machine to produce the contours once the GEOtif file is downloaded from the USGS website.

3) GPSmapedit is used to add the data collected.

4) GPSmapper is used to make the finished map. GPSmapper routable version is very expensive. Even if purchased, it is necessary to maticulously make routable nodes in GPSmapedit, very time consuming.

5) To get the map to this stage will require possibly 500 manhours between data collection and making the final product.

6) This is one map, there are possibly 2000 1:24K maps for the entire USA. That's about 1 million manhours to make all the maps in the USA. That would take 1 person about 55 years to make all the maps working 8 hour days with no vacation.

7) Few people have the capability to make maps of this level quality.

8) Those people who have the capability do not have the time to collect the data for more than a few maps the area of 1:24K USGS topo maps.

9) Individual map makers do not have the collective strength to make a large quantity of commercial quality type maps.

10) Commercial map makers greatest obstical is data collection, keeping maps up to date, very resource intensive and expensive.

11) Don't look for Garmin Topo 2008 to be any more than more of the same.

 

the good news is i only need detailed maps for about 10 square miles.

[+NightPilot]

DeLorme Street Atlas will let you edit the maps, and add roads as necessary. I'm not sure about just entering the new address for routing, but I don't think any program will let you do that. Of course, that runs on a PDA, not a handheld GPS. I don't believe it's possible, at least in practicality, to edit the maps on a handheld GPS. You can buy new maps as they become available, but it's not cheap.

Edited June 29, 2007 by NightPilot

[+embra]

Yeah, the address data is another layer of information that I don't know of any mapping program will let a user edit or otherwise add to it.

 

I can certainly understand why you want to do what you described. But I don't think there's anything that will give it all to you in that way. The PN-20 will allow for you to add roads, but not addresses...and I would have to add that its address search and autorouting may be too slow for satisfactory emergency responder use (somehow I can't imagine you telling everybody at the station to wait a minute or two while you get the GPS set up). The PN-20 is a great offroad unit, but there are better street navigation units around.

 

From the limited amount of what I know to be available, I think you would be best off getting something like a Garmin Nuvi--something that's a polished autorouting unit. Then I would try to provide Navteq with all the updates of missing street data that I could identify, and get the annual updates. Unfortunately, there will likely be lags getting the new data in, but at least you could work well with what's available.

[+roveron]

I don't know anything about the new Delorme GPS other than what I get in their mailings, and from the web site. Yes, I don't think you can edit them right on the GPS, but it comes with the mapping software that could be loaded on a laptop.

I'm not sure exactly what the problem is you want to solve. I understand wanting to add streets as they are built in your area. Not sure exactly why you want to be able to add an address, unless you get a call with nothing but a name and need to find the address?

One kludge (if you can't find exactly what you want), if you just want to have the quickest route from the firehouse to the location, is a simple database crossing addresses to GPS coords. Then you can do a go to to the coord, since the mapping software/gps doesn't care if there's a road or not.

Or, once you have the roads, you could add a "Mapnote" with blocks of addresses. This might be useful particularly with apt complexes where it can be harder to find a particular apt. A Mapnote indicating a block of apt numbers for each building.

Edited June 29, 2007 by roveron

[+benjamin921]

ill try to ask this is a new way. im looking for a handheld gps unit, to navigate the roads around my fire station. i need something that i can edit the maps. i need to be able to draw in new roads as they are built, draw in new apartment complex road layouts, and preferably add addresses along the new road. i would also like to add markers for fire hydrants. i then need to be able to write in the address and/or street, and have the unit guide me there (including the new streets i add). Are there any units out there right now that have this ability? thanks!

With the DeLorme PN-20 and Topo USA you can draw in new roads and then exchange them with the PN-20.

 

Using the Address Book, you can have address appear on the PN-20 (after cutting a map with them on it) as a little red marker for use in routing but as of now they are not searchable (you would have to scroll around on the map screen).

 

Using Waypoints, you could use the Fire Hydrant icon and label it how you wanted to (make it short as to not clutter the screen too bad). Waypoints are searchable and routable.

 

Using the Draw tools and polygon tools are a huge advantage. Draw whatever you want in Topo USA and then exchange it to the PN-20. I have used mine to color code my entire county into seperate fire and EMS districts (I'll post up some screen shots later). It is truely amazing what this thing can do in regards to the draw tools, simply amazing!

 

 

Edited June 29, 2007 by benjamin921