Introduction
TomTom is a great voice-guided road navigation solution. But, there is far more to GPS than simply finding out which exit to take on a motorway. I enjoy hiking and orienteering, and decided that it would be interesting to look at an application enabling me to use a GPS system in this context. Enter GPSTuner…
Before I look at the application for real, a word of caution. I would advise you spend some time with the application before you first need to use it, so that you can be sure of what you are doing. I say this not because it is particularly complicated to work (it is not!), but, simply because I first decided to give it a go when I was reasonably lost in a large forest near my home, and ended up sat on a woody bank searching for the correct COM port. This was less than ideal, and I’d heartily recommend against it. GPSTuner is not complicated to set up (indeed, the automatic setup option worked perfectly, selecting COM 6 as the correct port), but it does make sense to sort it in the comfort of your own home.
GPSTuner
In order to use GPSTuner, you need to make sure that you GPS unit has acquired enough satellites, and is ready for use. Then, connect to it via Bluetooth Manager before opening GPSTuner; once opened, select the big green “Start” button, and communication will begin – I found this to be the quickest way to ensure that I got a fix.
Digital Compass
Once you’ve got your satellite fix recognised by the application, then you have several options as to how you want to make use of it. Perhaps the most simple is a “digital compass”, which allows you either to navigate directly to a point of your choosing, or else to reflect which way you are walking. If you are able to find the long / lat of where you are going (perhaps through using MultiMap, or similar), then you can simply set this as your “target” in the Digital Compass, which will then display the destination with a huge arrow. Inside the compass, you can see how far away the destination is from your current position, and your current speed. By aligning the big red arrow with the top centre of the screen, you know that, by walking in that direction, you will be heading in the most direct manner to your target. In this manner, the digital version makes life far easier than a manual compass; whilst walking in a straight line is the ideal, it is, of course, not always possible in practice. When it comes to crossing a river or a gorge, straight across is often impossible, and you have to make a detour to find a bridge etc. I was taught to either place a vertical stick where I should have crossed the river, and, once safely across the bridge, to go back to the position directly opposite the stick and carry on, or else, recalculate the position from the bridge, and walk on the new route. With this digital set up, none of this is necessary, as it automatically makes allowances for your position, moving the red dot accordingly. As such, once you’ve crossed the bridge, you just need to ensure that you have realigned the arrow and dot, and you know you are back heading in the right direction. Easy!
Of course, you might not always know the long / lat of your target, especially if you are just out for a walk, or are using an orienteering map to find checkpoints. In this case, the ability to use maps in a variety of image formats comes into its own. You can either use a scanned map (if you are allowed to do so), or a download, for example, and load this into GPSTuner “on the fly”. Once opened in the application, you need to calibrate it, which is easily done by going to two substantially different positions, and adding the GPS position, either automatically via your GPS unit (this is the easiest way to do it, in my opinion!) or else by manually entering the long / lat. By “substantially different”, I mean that you should avoid using co-ordinates sharing either the same longitude or latitude- not in a horizontal or vertical line, really.
Once the map is calibrated, you can tap on the position where the checkpoint should be (either marked on the map, or from your calculations based on co-ordinates and description) and set is as your target- the digital compass will do the rest, with the auto-recalculation facility allowing you to stick to the paths, if that is your preference.
Geocaching
If you are a fan of the sport of geocaching, you’ll be pleased to note that GPSTuner is able to read both LOC and GPX files, allowing you to import your favourite routes, or else downloading them from the Internet directly to your machine. Once a file is opened, you can add waypoints, either via your current position, or by tapping a location on a map, or modify existing positions. Coupled with the export facility, this means that you can create your own geocaching trail with ease, or, if you are following a pre-existing trail, can correct any location errors and upload the “corrected” file, for others to follow. If you have never tried geocaching before, then I really suggest that you give http://www.geocaching.com/ a look; I love spending time outside, so, being able to play with a gadget whilst doing so, well, it suits me down to a “t”!
Mapping
Digital Compass is by no means the only feature of the application, however; I mentioned the concept of importing maps, allowing you to navigate easily in a car, where you are (usually!) restricted to following roads. You can either add a map and calibrate it on the device, or else you can use the Map Calibrator desktop tool, which I found incredibly simple to use. Providing you have the details of at least two substantially different long / lats (I’ve found MultiMap great for finding these out- just click on the position you need details for, and it brings up more than enough information to calibrate a road map etc), then you can “build” maps on your desktop, ready to drop onto your PDA and use immediately.
Obviously, this does not work if the map is not to scale, or is generally inaccurate- you would be trying to add fixed locations (the GPS position) in the wrong place. Whilst the map will say that it has been calibrated (which technically it has), it does mean that where you expect to find something and where your GPS unit actually takes you are two separate places. If you are planning on using a home-made map, I would suggest navigating the route “by hand” first, and plotting it as you go on a blank map screen in GPSTuner- when you reach a significant feature, add it as a waypoint. That way, you can easily create routes across unmapped terrain which are navigable by anyone with a GPS unit. If you plan on creating a route / map in this manner, be sure to experiment with some of the different options, which include a long / lat “grid” system, or locating the centre of map.
If you are in the US, there is an option to use something called “TerraServer”. My understanding is that this takes your current GPS location and, via an Internet connection, searches online for the relevant map, and downloads a pre-calibrated version to your device. As it is US-only, I haven’t been able to test this, which is a shame, as it sounds like a wonderful tool; imagine being able to get mapping data of wherever you happen to be.
Once you have successfully created a map in one way or other, you are able to add waypoints, and thus follow your route on screen. It works particularly well when driving or walking along fixed routes, as you can clearly follow the road on your screen- I wouldn’t suggest this to be a total replacement for a purpose-built road navigation system, as there is no sense of telling you where to turn, but, if you are happy using what is essentially an electronic copy of an OS map which can accurately reflect your position, then, it certainly is a useful navigation aid. Adding waypoints is done very simply through the context menu, allowing you to easily edit or add waypoints “on the fly”- ideal if you discover that you need to change your route in a hurry.
When I am out orienteering, I tend to use the map rather than the digital compass, as I like a greater sense of what is around me- whilst the compass is great for walking towards a particular point, using the map lets you see which paths are the best to take, as opposed to which appear to go in the general direction initially, but actually veer considerably off course.
Tracklog
If you wish to create a route, as opposed to an entire map, either for your own records, or else to pass to someone else, then you might be interested in exploring the “Tracklog” feature. Essentially, this is a manner of recording exactly where you have gone, with measurements being taken after a user-preset interval. I found the “Auto” interval to be more than satisfactory for producing an accurate route of the terrain I walked, although, if you were looking for the highest degree of accuracy, at the expense of a larger file and lot of recorded information, you can set the system to log your position, altitude, speed and direction-of-heading information every second. If you do set this and decide later that it is too much information, there is a “Simply” setting, which looks to remove some of the less essential points; this worked well in practice over the short circular route around some local roads, leaving me with more than enough information to duplicate the route- for example, in this situation, it was not of paramount importance that someone following the route crossed each road at exactly the same point as I did.
Once you have recorded your route, you are able to extract trackpoints from it, adding them as both waypoints and routepoints. This is ideal if you are, say, walking a route around a nature reserve, and wish to return to a location along the way, but do not necessarily want to walk exactly the same route. Providing you can pick out which trackpoint is the correct one (easy if you using the map underlay), you just need to extract this point, and you can easily navigate to it on another occasion. By working in this way, you do not need to make a conscious decision to stop and add a waypoint whilst underway –you can get on and enjoy your walk, and just extract the information after the event.
A tracklog is, therefore, a reflection of where you have travelled on a particular occasion. If you want to walk the whole or part of the journey again, you can convert the track into a route. If you do this, then the trackpoints become routepoints, allowing you to “hop” from point to point, retracing your steps. There is the option to add voice-based guidance to a route, so, if you have a basic library of “turn left”, “turn right” “cross the road” etc, then you can drop these in when creating the route- this is a feature I was certainly not expecting, and is a very nice touch indeed! Once you have created a route, you are able to modify it as you need, adding, editing or deleting route points, or, if you wish, extract routepoints to become waypoints again.
You are able to see a basic summary of the most important information whilst travelling by tapping the “Route analysis” button on the screen (or else accessing through a menu)- the button reminds me of an old-style multimeter! This summary will give you your speed, the total length of your trip, the distance remaining and, based on these and the system clock, the estimated time of arrival. Essential for quickly checking how much further you’ve got to go before lunchtime ;)
"Geo" version
In addition to these features, the “Geo” version, which is the most expensive offering, includes an option to calculate the area of any track. By selecting the “Area” function, you can walk / drive around the zone to be measured, starting and finishing at the same point. Alternatively, you can add way-points manually. Once the shape is calculated, you are able to export it and use it in other applications; you can save the boundary points as a .csv file, or the area as shp or .dxf. Personally, I do not have much use for this facility, and so upgrading to the Geo version would no be a priority for me; however, if you require this sort of functionality, then it is available, which can only be a good thing.
GPSShare
As if all this were not enough, there is an online sharing system called GPSShare. Registration was simply entering a username password, real name and email address, and the product registration details; once registered, you can upload up to 500kb of maps, and download maps already there. The most advanced (and useful) function, however, is the ability to share your current GPS position with other GPSShare users – providing you have an active connection to the Internet (I used wifi, but, if you are out and about, chances are you will be on GPRS / 3G instead), the software will automatically update GPSShare with your position, which can be viewed only by people whom you have previously approved as “Partners”. If you are out on a GAP year, travelling on holiday, or simply want to play a *huge* game of hide-and-seek with your friends, this could be an ideal way of sharing where you are with your friends.
It does rely on other people being a “Partner”, being able to see your position and you theirs. If you are a member of a walking club, for example, you might be able to find others users; as it is, I didn’t know anyone else using this software, so wasn’t really able to test it much. If you do know someone, adding a Partner is as easy as selecting their name from a drop-down box on the website.
You can modify how often you wish for your position to be transmitted to GPSShare- 5 seconds is the most regular (perhaps most useful if you are in close proximity to someone, or in a crowded area), moving upwards to 5 minutes. If you use the default “Internal” option, your position is relayed at the set interval, and your Partners’ positions are downloaded at the same time. If, however, you opt to use the “Internet Explorer” option (if your device will not connect to the Internet without going through it, for example), then, you can upload your position, but not automatically download your Partners’. I am not sure how much data is transmitted at each operation, so I cannot say how expensive it would be if you were uploading and downloading every 5 seconds over GPRS… perhaps worth trying to work this out first, rather than face being hit by a potentially hefty mobile phone bill unexpectedly!
Conclusion
GPSTuner really has more features than you can shake a stick at – and, in a stroke of genius by the developer, they are all easy to access. There is reliance on context menus, and, as this is just a case of “tap and hold” before selecting the relevant tool / function, it means you are never stuck for a method of adding a waypoint or editing your route. I found it easiest to calibrate maps on the device, but, the freeware Map Calibrator, also downloadable from the GPSTuner site, is excellent, and incredibly simple to use; provided you have the necessary lat / long to hand, you can configure your first map literally within seconds of setting up the application. The auto-setup feature in GPSTuner itself removes the guesswork from acquiring NMEA data from your device into the application, and makes this software suitable for less confident GPS / WindowsMobile users. There is a rather irritating constant beeping sound by default, which I presume it confirming continual GPS signal, but, this is easily switched off, and, in fact, can hardly count as a negative point at all.
The “Geo” version is probably not suited for everyone, as the area / perimeter measuring feature is rather specialist, thus, if you are happy to leave a year’s upgrades to one side, you can get the application for the very attractive price of $24. Considering that some games are coming close to this price ($20 does not appear to be unusual), I think, quite frankly, that you are getting a bargain. If you are looking for more than voice-guided road navigation, and want to use your GPS unit “in the wild”, this might be just the piece of software for you; it works fine in “true” VGA and normal VGA (I didn’t test it in QVGA, but, can see no reason why it would not work), and really does the business, so to speak. There is a two-week trial period, with some feature limitations, so you can try out the software before parting with your cash, and I think it’s most definitely worth a look.
If you think you will be relying on this software (or, indeed, any other software) to get you out of trouble, or to help navigate when you are truly lost, ensure that you’ve spent time getting to know it first- as good and easy to operate as it is, I honestly think that a bit of prior preparation will pay dividends.
