Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with gps

Does arm swing affect the accuracy of a GPS sports watch while running?

holdenjordahl — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 22:27:59 -0800

I'm training for a marathon and I use a Garmin GPS watch. I'm wondering: of course it transmits to the satellites as I move forward; but does the fact that my arm (with the watch attached) moves back and forth - as opposed to my entire body moving forward as a single unit - have anything to do with the accuracy? I apologize in advance if this sounds vague or else is even irrelevant.

Best Dog GPS tracker?

ZackTM — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 10:09:47 -0800

Recommendations for a Dog GPS collar? Hey guys, I want your opinion on this. It's almost 2010, and Dog tracking GPS collars have been around for a while now. So have keychain dongles for tracking your belongings. I want to know whats the best, reasonably priced device for my needs.

Long story short, I own a bar and my little dog (Rat Terrier, 17lbs) is my constant companion while I'm working. The customers lover her, and she's a sweetheart. I want a system in place that will (A) let me locate her if she ever sneaks outside.. or if someone tries to walk off with her and (B) sound an alarm if she ever wanders close to the door. The bar is pretty long, so most of the time she never goes near the door anyways, so I'd like an alarm on my end to go off should she end up over there. Extra points if it has an 'invisible fence' option that will both alarm me and make an annoying noise to her so she knows to stay away from the exit unless I'm carrying/walking her.

Several of the devices built specifically for dogs seem incredibly overpriced without bringing much to the table. Most I've seen involve a monthly fee and only let me locate my dog a couple times a month. This obviously seems silly since most GPS units don't require a service plan, and if they do then they don't limit me to how often I can use them.

I know its important to set your fears at ease-- she's got her own little safe place to hide when we're busy or she's tired. She's only out and about when we're slow. This is also a nice, relaxed and classy bar with a lot of focus on art and good music. Not a 'lets go out and get TRASHED and break stuff!!' kind of place. Most of our clientele is 25+. We don't serve food, so health code isn't an issue. Outside the bar is a very pedestrian friendly street with huge sidewalks, a patio area (Fayetteville Street in Raleigh)

I could probably get by with even a very rudimentary system but it'd be nice to be able to pull up a graphic showing my dogs location. The ideal solution would be a dongle that hangs from her collar and has the ability to do both (A) and (B) from above, so it doesn't necessarily have to be made specifically for a dog. Also, should she wander off, it wouldn't be hard to find her as long as I know right when she leaves-- there aren't a lot of woods for her to hide in.

Mapping GPS Recommendations

jeffmac — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 07:06:03 -0800

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?

GPS for Luddites

Leezie — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 14:15:40 -0800

You: owner of in-car GPS with points of interest. Me: trying to buy one but not knowing which one to get and what other things I might need. I'm looking to get an incar GPS for my parents who are moving to the area and will likely take frequent road trips throughout Texas and the South. I really like the Magellan Maestro because it interfaces with AAA. So, here's what I need to know: is there a subscription requirement for this? My parents are AAA members. Should I also be looking at other GPS systems that offer the same point of interest information?

Ideally, I want to get them something that gives them more than just directions - but also points out lots of things that they might not have otherwise known were there such as museums, hotels, restaurants, etc. I don't want to get them something, though, that requires a subscription fee for upkeep.

Fleet GPS Tracking

Tavern — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:52:14 -0800

I'm looking for a GPS system for the fleet at my business. We have 6 trucks and run a small service company. I'm having a hard time finding what I need. Admittedly, I don't know much about GPS systems.

There are so many options out there but I can't seem to find one that suits my requirements.

I want each truck to have a GPS like a TOM TOM or Garmin so that they can program their job location in and find directions to the next job. But I also want my service manager to be able to track each vehicle in real time.

So far all I can find are either the TOM TOMs of the GPS world, or a hidden GPS system in the trucks so that I can track them. There doesn't seem to be a blend of the two.

If you have any experience with this, I would love some help. Thanks.

Is there a GPS device for me?

btkuhn — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:42:32 -0800

Is there a GPS device for me? I have an old Garmin unit in my car that I love and is great for navigating unfamiliar cities and towns. I am in the market for a new unit and I'd love to get a device that I can use both in my car and to take with me walking around. I think it'd be really useful when walking around an unfamiliar city for the same reasons that it is useful in the car. However, the car units aren't really marketed as "pedestrian-friendly" so I'm not sure if any of them can be used for this purpose, and if so, which ones are good for this.

Or...would it be better to buy a "trail" GPS (like this). It looks like there are accessories that can adapt this for auto usage, but again, it's hard to tell how good it would be for this purpose.

Ideally, I'd get a smartphone with GPS and then I'd have it for both driving and walking, but I don't want to have to buy a data plan, which it looks like is a necessity to activate GPS capability on smartphones. Another option would be to buy an iTouch, which, from googling, looks like it has some apps for GPS, but I can't figure out how this would work since I don't think that the iTouch has a GPS chip that tracks location.

Are there any solutions for my needs? I'd like to spend $200 or less, although I could go above that with the iTouch if it is an option.

Thanks.

Where's Waldo?

randomstriker — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:54:43 -0800

How does A-GPS work? It's not working for me and I'm wondering if it's my phone or my provider (Rogers in Vancouver) I have a Nokia E71. With A-GPS turned on, I can't get a fix. With A-GPS off and just regular GPS enabled I can get a fix, but of course it takes much longer.

Would appreciate troubleshooting tips because the call centre drones at Rogers, of course, are no help.

How do I make a map from GPS data?

Kadin2048 — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:38:05 -0800

How do I turn my GPS track logs into a nice-looking trail map? Do I need a GIS package? I'd like to make some high-quality maps of the hiking trails near my house. I have a handheld GPS, and I already have the downloading and conversion to GPX of the track logs worked out. However, that's as far as I've gotten. Starting from this big pile of data, which needs to be cleaned up substantially, how do I get a nice vector map?

I can load the track files into Google Earth right now, but that's not really what I'm looking for. I need some way to edit the tracks, choose how they're represented (some are the actual trails, some represent the boundaries of the park, some are surface roads, etc.), add labels, and generally turn it into something that people can use.

It seems like this is getting into GIS territory, but I admit to knowing next to nothing about GIS packages or really what they do, beyond a vague idea that it has something to do with maps. Do I need a GIS package? If so, which one? I'm willing to spend some money on this (although not the $2500 that ArcGIS apparently costs). Windows, Mac and Linux are all options, although Linux/Mac are preferred.

Some things I've looked at include GRASS, which seems to be raster-based; GeoServer, which seems intriguing but seems like more of a middleware/server component than a desktop editing application; Mapyrus, which seems something like what I'm looking for; and QCAD, which isn't a GIS at all but a CAD program, but maybe that's more what I need?

I've seen surveyors working with GPS units, so I know there must be some way of transforming that data into useful maps — how do I bridge the gap?

NO BISCOTTIS ALLOWED

ROU_Xenophobe — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:28:50 -0800

Help a complete GPS newbie help Santa. [spoilers for biscotti] biscotti could use a gps navigation dingus to help her find her way around WNY and southern Ontario for agility trials and dog shows and the like, and has mentioned to me that I might mention this desire to Santa should our paths cross.

The problem is that [schultz] I know NUSSING [/schultz] about gps.

It would be primarily for the car, though I guess being convenient to walk around with would also be good for giggles.

biscotti has said that she values a really good map set over very simple usage.

I gather they run like $150--500. Price matters insofar as a cheaper GPS means Santa can bring more other things.

Other than that, I don't even know what to look for, so hivemind, please hope me.

Buy an English GPS for France?

schwa — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 06:59:45 -0800

What's the best way to buy a GPS in the US for someone who lives in France but speaks English? I recently visited my mother, who lives in France and it was clear that a GPS with voice navigation would make her life easier. I want to buy her such a GPS. However I live in the US so I'd probably want to buy one in the US and send it to her. She speaks good enough French but I think it would be a lot easier if the GPS could give directions in English.

Garmin GPSes that have European map databases seem to cost a small fortune. Is it possible to buy a GPS without the US map database to save money?

Craigslist rentals near my current location on the iPhone?

waxpancake — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 08:02:27 -0800

Is there an iPhone app (or location-aware website) that will show me Craigslist rentals near my current location? Amazingly, every app I've looked at is either:
1. City-wide Craigslist listings that doesn't show stuff near me, or
2. Apartment listings near me, but not sourced from Craigslist.

I can't believe a need this obvious hasn't been addressed yet. Am I wrong?

Help me find a great handheld GPS for Geocaching!

PetiePal — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 06:21:20 -0800

I'm looking to buy a personal handheld GPS unit mainly for hiking and geocaching. Recommend an awesome model for me! So this fall I intend to do a lot of camping, hiking, trekking and geocaching. I'd like to buy a handheld GPS unit for the geocaching bit.

What's the best around? Garmin? Other brands? Don't want to break the bank (not looking to spend $200+) but I want something that's good quality, good battery life and will hold up well. Something preferably in color would be nice too. Thanks!

Watch for a runner?

monkeymadness — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 07:22:16 -0800

Can you recommend a watch for a jogger? My wife has taken up jogging, likes to go new places on her runs, and doesn't own a watch. I've told her about the Garmin Forerunners and how they can download routes to be viewed on Google Earth, and she got excited. While our birthday gift budget is usually around $25 I'm willing to spend up to $125 if I find something awesome for her, (I've secretly saved up some of my allowance). I've also read a little about the Garmin Forerunner 50, which has no GPS but comes with a foot pod to record distance.

I know there are quite a few runners on MeFi and I'd like to hear from those with personal experience. I'm also open to other brands. If a foot pod is just as good as GPS then I'm happy to save money. Also, she has a 5G harddrive-based ipod, so no Nike+iPod, but if I can get a refurbed Nano and Nike footpod for a good price that might be an option.

GPS device for DIY maps

mateuslee — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 07:31:53 -0800

A good GPS for DIY cartography -- what do you think? I asked a question a couple weeks ago about DIY cartography resources, but most of the options weren't really what I was looking for. I work as a language documentarian in some pretty remote regions in the Andes, often only accessible by foot, and would like to take note of where certain villages, plants, and resources are for work on toponyms and for future reference in my research.

I had an idea that a good approach may be to simply use a very simple GPS device to mark longitude and latitude of certain places and input it to Google Earth later when I get back. Does this seem like a good idea? It will ensure that my maps are easy to make and are to scale.

So, I'm looking for the right device to help me do this. I'd like to keep it around $100 or so (my budget is dwindling fast!)....
What do you think about this Garmin eTrex® H GPS and the Bushnell® Backtrack GPS? Is there any better product or approach to take?

Ideas much appreciated! Thanks a lot!

Resources for novice cartographer

mateuslee — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 05:35:09 -0800

What are some good resources for making my own maps? I do fieldwork in some remote (and mountainous) parts of the world, and although government issue maps are available, their usefulness and reliability are often questionable.

It occurred to me that it'd be an interesting exercise to make my own maps of the regions where I work and on those maps mark only those things which are relevant to my specific domain of research.

Does anyone have any suggestions about cartography resources and tools? Tips are much appreciated! Thanks a lot!

I once was found, but now am lost - iPhone location-based fail!

onshi — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 16:45:45 -0800

When in my basement apartment, iPhone OS 2.0 could locate me within 10m of my actual coordinates; OS 3.0, on the other hand, thinks I'm 700m down the road. What gives? Presumably it was -- and is -- using wifi to locate me, as no GPS signal should be available in underground. Any and all ideas appreciated.

Help me help my boss not get lost.

chiababe — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 17:50:48 -0800

My boss wants me to research GPS units for him to use since he'll be traveling a lot more in the near future. Any recommendations? I really don't know what I should be looking for in a good GPS unit. He wants to spend less than $200. It also needs to be fairly simple to use and update. He's an awesome boss, but not so good with tricky technology. Most of his travel will be within North and South Carolina. We're looking to purchase this within the week, so I won't be able to wait for new models that might be around the corner. I've read a few of the previous questions on this, but I'm wondering if there's anything new and exciting I should be looking at.

Where is this view taken from?

parttimeninja — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 09:05:26 -0800

Chicagoans: where is this view taken from?

Drive without a GPS? Is such a thing possible?!?

Admira — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 23:04:00 -0800

My TomTom One 3rd Edition stopped getting a GPS Signal Yesterday! Please hope me! So I was driving home yesterday when I reliased it stopped getting a signal. No big deal I thought, and kept driving. But I left it on in the car on my normal route where it gets signal, and no luck. Same on the way home. I think its dead.

I tried a cold boot of the device, and also connecting it to the web to get the "quick GPS update" fix things, but no loving. Any other tips?

Assuming its dead, and assuming (correctly) that I don't have the reciepts or remember exactly WHEN I bought it, what should I buy? I'm in Sydney, Australia, use it for car travel and the only thing that annoyed me about the device was that if it couldn't get a GPS signal it was difficult to use, and you couldn't look ahead for turns coming up easily that I could see.

Thanks!

Public domain topographic maps?

ConstantineXVI — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 08:01:50 -0800

Is there somewhere that has the USGS (public-domain?) topographic maps available for free download? I'm trying to set a friend up with a off-road GPS app (ViewRanger), and trying to get the topographic maps of the USA for it. I know that the USGS produces these maps, and (IIRC) since they're government-produced, the maps are public domain and therefore one can get them free. Is there anyone that offers these maps for free download? Even better, in a format that ViewRanger supports?

PS: I'm a total newbie to this, feel free to correct me on anything I got wrong

Love Polar HRM with footpod..envy Garmin Forerunner...help.

teg4rvn — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 12:05:15 -0800

Without going ahead and junking my existing Polar system for a Garmin 305 or 405, is there any relatively small GPS unit I could clip onto my mp3 player armband to add the functionality I'd like (uploading routes to a Sportracks, motionbased, trainingpeaks like service...with the added benefit that I'd have something to take on a hike or go geocaching? I already have a great heart rate monitor (HRM) with foot pod, the Polar RS400. I'd love to add some sort of GPS tracking capabilities to my more free-form runs (random runs when travelling or even in my own area). I don't want to dump my Polar system because #1) it works great #2) the foot pod is superaccurate outdoors and on the treadmill, and #3) it was expensive.

Any Polar lovers who have Garmin-GPSing envy like I do? Any homebrew solution I'm not thinking of?

App for Blackjack II GPS?

Deflagro — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 11:51:28 -0800

Asking for my brother: What's a good free GPS program for the Blackjack II? The GPS has been unlocked so any other apps can access it (i.e. Google Maps). However he doesn't have a data plan. The GPS normally uses the data plan to download maps for it, so that is out of the option. He wants a program that has basic functionality (where it just shows coordinates/direction to coordinates). He also has a 4gb SD card so if he can download maps at home that would be a plus. Preferably free or cheap.

iPhone or dedicated portable GPS?

thread_makimaki — Mon, 18 May 2009 04:03:14 -0800

I've resisted getting in iPhone so far. However, now I need a good, portable GPS and am wondering whether I should go for an iPhone, or a dedicated GPS. If the latter, which one? I've resisted getting in iPhone so far. However, now I need a good, portable GPS and am wondering whether I should go for an iPhone, or a dedicated GPS. If the latter, which one?

I am travelling a lot these days, so I want a small, compact and portable GPS that I can carry with me when I go for walks in an unfamiliar area. It should also help me navigate when I'm driving, but the portability is more important. In terms of portability the iPhone is a winner, but I have read conflicting things about how good the iPhone is as a GPS device. So, what should I go with - a dedicated device (which one?) or an iPhone? Big bonus points for something with good local maps for Europe, especially France and Switzerland.

How can I get a google map to display my current position automatically?

krautland — Sun, 10 May 2009 12:56:10 -0800

How can I get a google map to display my current position automatically? I have a google map on my webpage that displays the city I currently live in. I would like for this map to be automatically updated with my current position. How can I achieve this?

I was thinking about a cell phone updating my server with my most current coordinates. It's fine if this only happens every eight hours, it's great if it's always up to date (like flightaware.com trackings), it has to be automatic. I do not have an iphone, so a specific iphone app won't do it for me.

It doesn't have to be free - I'm willing to spend a few bucks to make this happen. What I don't know is just how much of a budget I need and what to ask my programmer for. I'm looking for a this is how I would solve this brief* kind of answer from you.

additional specifications:
- no flash
- must work in germany (I would love for it to work worldwide as I travel frequently)
- bonus if it could automatically archive my positions (so that you could click on a link and see a google map with all the places I've been to in the last 1,6,12 months)
- must work in all relevant browsers, even IE.

*I have someone in mind who I want to hire to code this for me but while I'm willing to pay him a nominal fee he's way busy with "really paying gigs." if you happen to feel that this is something you'd like to take on, feel free to let me know. (this is not the point of my post but just an addendum. I would have made a jobs post otherwise.)

Local Wikipedia search??

Misciel — Tue, 05 May 2009 15:19:22 -0800

I'm looking for a way to search for Wikipedia entries by locality or by gps coordinates, like the iPhone WikiMe application does except on the web. Any suggestions? Thanks!!