Mapping GPS Recommendations

November 29, 2009 7:06 AM

Which trail mapping GPS receiver works the best to outline trails on Google Maps/Earth?

Please consider: These data will be used for quasi research; I am not interested in recreational units; The unit will be used in heavily canopied forests. Similar post here. Not sure of a simple data logger, as mentioned in post avove, or more sophisticated hand held would, like a Garmin would be best?

posted by jeffmac to Technology (4 answers total)

My 60CSX craps out under heavy canopy cover sometimes, and also - for reasons I don't fully follow - sometimes decides that it has tired of keeping track logs, and gives up.

If it's for vital, hard to repeat research, take a couple and operate them in parallel. The tracks will disagree by a couple of metres.
posted by scruss at 8:16 AM on November 29, 2009

Response by poster: I should also add that I am Mac user.
posted by jeffmac at 8:24 AM on November 29, 2009

Take a look at Open Street Map's website. They do this kind of thing a lot, and have advice on GPS hardware.
posted by nangar at 9:36 AM on November 29, 2009

DeLorme's (Windows-only) software, Topo, does good mapping, and I think it exports the relevant file format. I run it under Windows atop VirtualBox on my MacBook Pro, along with a PN-20 handheld GPSr (but I would buy a PN-40 if I was shopping again).
posted by wenestvedt at 9:46 AM on November 30, 2009