Garmin custom maps to DeLorme

[GeoBobC]

I have several custom maps that I load to my Garmin GPS via Mapsource. A friend of mine just bought a DeLorme GPS, and wants to know if I can load my custom maps to his GPS.

 

How difficult a process would that be to convert the Mapsource custom maps into a format that could be loaded to a DeLorme GPS?

Edited January 21, 2011 by GeoBobC

[Moun10Bike]

If you are talking Northwest Trails, it's easy! TotemLake converts the data for me from files I generate for him and hosts it on his site: http://www.wix.com/totemlake/hotm

Edited January 21, 2011 by Moun10Bike

[+myotis]

Unless you have written permisison from the map author, what you are asking is how to violate the copyright of the map.

[yogazoo]

Unless you have written permisison from the map author, what you are asking is how to violate the copyright of the map.

 

I think by using the term "Custom Maps" the OP is implying custom made maps of which 99% are free in cost and from copyright protection. I'm assuming that's what he meant. If not, it's a very good point.

[+myotis]

yogazoo "Custom maps" in the context you use, cannot be loaded from mapsource. So the OP is refering to copyrighted maps. When we first started making these maps for Garmin GPSs, we called them custom maps. Then Garmin used "Custom Maps" to discribe the ability to load raster photos/maps as "Custom Maps." Thus there is confusion.

[snowfleurys]

Free in cost does NOT mean they are free of copyright protections.

[yogazoo]

"Custom Maps" in the exact context I used are vector maps created with versions of CGPSmapper. "Most" of these maps are created with free "personal" versions of the CGPSmapper program and cannot be sold implying no real legal copyright protection. I guess someone could place a notice in the installer file requesting that the data not be used or transferred to anything other than Garmin units but the maps were made to be used on a GPS and who cares if a map created for free to be used on a Garmin GPS is used on a different brand of GPS. I make alot of free maps for Montana and If you could use them on a Delorme than that would be awesome.

 

The free maps with installer files can all be loaded into MapSource and henceforth loaded into a Garmin GPS of your choosing.The OP is clearly talking about either the custom maps found in places like GPSfiledepot since he described loading them from MapSource or is confusing the term "custom" with something else. I would not consider Garmin made maps "Custom" would you? But it's entirely possible that I'm wrong and the OP should clarify. Please?

 

OP?

 

I'm very interested in Totemlakes conversion and if it's from garmin format to delorme format. Or maybe it's from raw vector data into delorme format. How would this be done? With or without Xmap? Third party software?

Edited January 21, 2011 by yogazoo

[+myotis]

As snowfleurys correctly points out free of cost does not mean free of copyright protection. Map authors are certianly free to give others permision to do something like this and I probably would too with proper protection of the data. Most of the data sources for these maps are not copyrighted and have no use restrictions. But some of the data in the maps is copyrighted and has use restrictions besides the copyright of the map itself. Take my map set My Trails which is compiled with the free version of cggpsmapper and is copyrighted. The vast majority of the 100s of thousands of trails are from government sources. But thousands of the trails are copyrighted by someone else and have been provided me on the condition they only be used for noncommerical use. I have also been provided some government data (mostly from Cities and Counties) free of change on the condition that it not be used for commerical use. So I cannot (and it would violate copyright) allow the data to be used for commerical use. Someone converting the maps to another format without maintaining copyright protection against commerical use, opens the door to the data being used commerically. Many people have GPSed stuff and gave it to me to add to My Trails with the understanding it was for My Trails not commerical use. I have spent countless hours GPSing stuff, obtaining data, dealing with conflciting data, etc. I would be quite upset if somneone used the data to make money. Many of these free maps take hundreds of hours to make and I am sure lots of authors would be upset if someone violated the copyright and converted them to another format without their permisson.

 

I do not think this list is a place to give people directions on how to violate copyrights

[+TotemLake]

"Custom Maps" in the exact context I used are vector maps created with versions of CGPSmapper. "Most" of these maps are created with free "personal" versions of the CGPSmapper program and cannot be sold implying no real legal copyright protection. I guess someone could place a notice in the installer file requesting that the data not be used or transferred to anything other than Garmin units but the maps were made to be used on a GPS and who cares if a map created for free to be used on a Garmin GPS is used on a different brand of GPS. I make alot of free maps for Montana and If you could use them on a Delorme than that would be awesome.

 

The free maps with installer files can all be loaded into MapSource and henceforth loaded into a Garmin GPS of your choosing.The OP is clearly talking about either the custom maps found in places like GPSfiledepot since he described loading them from MapSource or is confusing the term "custom" with something else. I would not consider Garmin made maps "Custom" would you? But it's entirely possible that I'm wrong and the OP should clarify. Please?

 

OP?

 

I'm very interested in Totemlakes conversion and if it's from garmin format to delorme format. Or maybe it's from raw vector data into delorme format. How would this be done? With or without Xmap? Third party software?

The files Moun10Bike are referring to are part of the Switchbacks.com Northwest Trails Project. They are in text format and when imported into DeLorme's topo software, overlay onto the map as a Draw Layer with line customization dependent upon the user's preferences. This then gets cut to the format the PN can handle and acts as part of the layered data on the GPS.

[yogazoo]

For Totemlake: The text file you convert, is it a small amount of data at a time (a single trail?) or can entire states be processed in this fashion? Thanks.

EDITED TO ADD: Nevermind, I went to the site above and I'm seeing the answer to my question. Nice work.

 

I totally agree with everyone here that using freely available data provided by others, that is copyrighted or agreed to be made under restriction, to make money commercially or to violate the copyright in any way is unethical at best. Respecting the rights and requests of the data provider is paramount.

 

That said, the OP made no mention or implication, that I could see, of any commercial profiting or use of "copyrighted" data. Blaming a simple conversion method for copyright violation is like blaming our spoons for overeating.

Edited January 22, 2011 by yogazoo

[+TotemLake]

Moun10Bike actually does all the work, I can't and won't take any of the credit for it. I don't do any of the conversion. However, the text files are created by state by line type. A couple of years back we worked together to determine the best format Topo7 was able to take in large chunks. Although it was able to handle GPX files, large files over s specific size choked it. Fwiw, the current version can handle larger GPX files better, but the text files proved the most efficient with less overhead involved.

 

Handling these files is pretty basic. Topo has an import function that works in conjunction with line styles and colors, allowing the user to customize the trails and trail types to their preference.

[GeoBobC]

Since I started the post, I should answer the question. My "custom maps" are maps created by me, with my data. Therefore there is no issue with my distribution of them to another user.

 

I use GPSMapEdit and CGPSMApper to create custom maps that Mapsource can read. From Mapsource I can load them to my Garmin GPS. I want to take that same information and create something similar for a DeLorme GPS unit.

Edited January 24, 2011 by GeoBobC

[snowfleurys]

Since I started the post, I should answer the question. My "custom maps" are maps created by me, with my data. Therefore there is no issue with my distribution of them to another user.

 

I use GPSMapEdit and CGPSMApper to create custom maps that Mapsource can read. From Mapsource I can load them to my Garmin GPS. I want to take that same information and create something similar for a DeLorme GPS unit.

Each GPSr company has their own propriatary format for their data. I have not heard of any program which can convert the data of another. DeLorme sells a program to build the files their GPSrs can use. Since you have built your own files for Garmin GPSrs you could purchase their conversion program (was $300 4 years ago, but I think they lowered it to around $100) and also process the source data to their format.

[+myotis]

Moun10Bike actually does all the work, I can't and won't take any of the credit for it. I don't do any of the conversion. However, the text files are created by state by line type. A couple of years back we worked together to determine the best format Topo7 was able to take in large chunks. Although it was able to handle GPX files, large files over s specific size choked it. Fwiw, the current version can handle larger GPX files better, but the text files proved the most efficient with less overhead involved.

 

Handling these files is pretty basic. Topo has an import function that works in conjunction with line styles and colors, allowing the user to customize the trails and trail types to their preference.

 

Will it accept shapefiles-If so, any restrictions on projections?

[GeoBobC]

The files Moun10Bike are referring to are part of the Switchbacks.com Northwest Trails Project. They are in text format and when imported into DeLorme's topo software, overlay onto the map as a Draw Layer with line customization dependent upon the user's preferences. This then gets cut to the format the PN can handle and acts as part of the layered data on the GPS.

TotemLake, pardon my lack of understanding. I'm still confused.

 

My process starts with shapefiles that are imported into ExpertGPS. I create .gpx files from ExpertGPS. GPSMapEdit takes the.gpx files (or .trk files from Mapsource) to create files that CGPSMapper uses to create the custom map products in Mapsource. From Mapsource I can select the various map products (City Navigator, Topo, my custom maps, NW Trails, etc.) and then upload them to a Garmin GPS.

 

Is there a method for taking the custom map data I currently have at any point along the way, and transforming it into something that the DeLorme software (Topo7?) could import or read so that it could then be uploaded to a DeLorme GPS?

[Moun10Bike]

The files Moun10Bike are referring to are part of the Switchbacks.com Northwest Trails Project. They are in text format and when imported into DeLorme's topo software, overlay onto the map as a Draw Layer with line customization dependent upon the user's preferences. This then gets cut to the format the PN can handle and acts as part of the layered data on the GPS.

TotemLake, pardon my lack of understanding. I'm still confused.

 

My process starts with shapefiles that are imported into ExpertGPS. I create .gpx files from ExpertGPS. GPSMapEdit takes the.gpx files (or .trk files from Mapsource) to create files that CGPSMapper uses to create the custom map products in Mapsource. From Mapsource I can select the various map products (City Navigator, Topo, my custom maps, NW Trails, etc.) and then upload them to a Garmin GPS.

 

Is there a method for taking the custom map data I currently have at any point along the way, and transforming it into something that the DeLorme software (Topo7?) could import or read so that it could then be uploaded to a DeLorme GPS?

 

I run scripts in Global Mapper that export the source data in my Northwest Trails project as DeLorme-format text files. Those can then be imported into DeLorme's Topo software and uploaded to DeLorme GPS devices.

[+myotis]

The files Moun10Bike are referring to are part of the Switchbacks.com Northwest Trails Project. They are in text format and when imported into DeLorme's topo software, overlay onto the map as a Draw Layer with line customization dependent upon the user's preferences. This then gets cut to the format the PN can handle and acts as part of the layered data on the GPS.

TotemLake, pardon my lack of understanding. I'm still confused.

 

My process starts with shapefiles that are imported into ExpertGPS. I create .gpx files from ExpertGPS. GPSMapEdit takes the.gpx files (or .trk files from Mapsource) to create files that CGPSMapper uses to create the custom map products in Mapsource. From Mapsource I can select the various map products (City Navigator, Topo, my custom maps, NW Trails, etc.) and then upload them to a Garmin GPS.

 

Is there a method for taking the custom map data I currently have at any point along the way, and transforming it into something that the DeLorme software (Topo7?) could import or read so that it could then be uploaded to a DeLorme GPS?

 

As long as the shapefiles projection is not a state plane projection, you can skip ExpertGPS. You can drag and drop the shapefiles directly into GPSMapEdit (just make sure to set the map back to transprent as shapefiles change it to not transparent). It also sounds like Delorme could import your files as a gpx.

Edited January 24, 2011 by myotis

[+TotemLake]

The files Moun10Bike are referring to are part of the Switchbacks.com Northwest Trails Project. They are in text format and when imported into DeLorme's topo software, overlay onto the map as a Draw Layer with line customization dependent upon the user's preferences. This then gets cut to the format the PN can handle and acts as part of the layered data on the GPS.

TotemLake, pardon my lack of understanding. I'm still confused.

 

My process starts with shapefiles that are imported into ExpertGPS. I create .gpx files from ExpertGPS. GPSMapEdit takes the.gpx files (or .trk files from Mapsource) to create files that CGPSMapper uses to create the custom map products in Mapsource. From Mapsource I can select the various map products (City Navigator, Topo, my custom maps, NW Trails, etc.) and then upload them to a Garmin GPS.

 

Is there a method for taking the custom map data I currently have at any point along the way, and transforming it into something that the DeLorme software (Topo7?) could import or read so that it could then be uploaded to a DeLorme GPS?

 

As long as the shapefiles projection is not a state plane projection, you can skip ExpertGPS. You can drag and drop the shapefiles directly into GPSMapEdit (just make sure to set the map back to transprent as shapefiles change it to not transparent). It also sounds like Delorme could import your files as a gpx.

There are size limitations for the GPX which is why the TXT works so well. I'll try to run through a series of tests to see where the latest version TopoNA chokes at. I think I have some existing numbers for versions 7 and 8 and I'll try to locate those over the next few days.

Edited January 28, 2011 by TotemLake