Free GPS software for the rugged handheld PDA
When you buy a Garmin or a Magellan, you are getting a computer + GPS receiver + software. Ready to go! However, if you choose to use a rugged PDA and attach a GPS receiver, you will need some sort of software to read the data and / or store the data and / or plot the data on a map. Today, I will mention two of the many freeware options out there that I actually use and recommend.
There are several add-on features to note when comparing GPS programs, whether freeware or purchased: 1) display position on a map, 2) store individual locations, 3) store tracks, and 4) display other information from the GPS receiver such as the accuracy or location of satellites. In addition, you should also be clear on how the data is stored. Unfortunately, most software stores the data in proprietary format. Fortunately, there are many programs available to convert these formats to a more usable format (such as GPS Babel). So, when you are comparing programs, keep in mind your needs.
The two programs I recommend are GPS Viewer and VisualGPSce (both available from the Walcott Scientific resources website). Neither can store waypoints or tracks or upload background maps. GPS Viewer is a good, simple program to check to see if your GPS receiver is working, and get a location and information on the quality of the signal [dilution of precision (DOP) and percent dilution of position (PDOP)]. In the opening screen, you can scan your device’s COM ports to find the GPS receiver.
Then, you can begin receiving data and follow the data as a stream. Toggling to the other screen shows a map of the satellites, the date and time, latitude, longitude, DOP, and PDOP. Again, I use this program to warm up my GPS receivers and test them. Remember to turn the program off if switching to another program or the COM port will remain in use!
VisualGPSce is a wonderful program that adds much more options, such as a navigation screen and a statistics screen that shows you the standard deviations of your data points. Also, you can save the NMEA codes as a text file if you want the raw format.
Unless I am mapping, these two programs suffice to allow me to use a GPS receiver and test the quality of the data. Neither program takes up much memory or requires a steep learning curve.
Tags: GPS, Mapping, software, waypoints
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