gps recommendations?

[Joshua Judson Rosen]

David Rysdam <david at rysdam.org> writes:
>
> On Sat, 18 May 2013 08:08:39 -0400, Jeffry Smith <jsmith at alum.mit.edu> wrote:
> > Have you done an open source search for "route planning software?" (to
> > bring it into the Linux/FLOSS theme of the list)?
>
> Didn't even occur to me. I'll try that. Could work for longer, planned
> trips.
>
> But there are also times I'm already in the car or away from home and
> want to plan a shorter trip with constraints other than the very
> simplistic ones provided (binary decisions on toll roads, etc).
>
> I wonder if there are any firmware replacements that could convert a
> typical GPS into a power GPS, a la CHDK for Canon cameras or rockbox for
> mp3 players.

I was somewhat surprised, when my wife got a TomTom unit, and I went
searching for a way to update its maps using Debian (or any other
Linux system), that all I was able to find was (lots of) advice on
how to *install Debian onto the TomTom unit*. That was a couple of
years ago....

As a general principle, though: if you can just use something running
a normal GNU/Linux distribution (possibly with a real, dedicated
*GPS receiver*--as opposed to a GPS navigator--attached via USB
or bluetooth), then there are a bunch of different options that
open up, e.g.: these days, I carry a WBT-202 `GPS data-logger' with me
and run FoxtrotGPS on my laptop. If I get lost, I turn the laptop
on, the track from the WBT-202 to see where I've been, look at
the `you are here' marker to see where I *am*, possibly draw out
a route that I want to follow, and then resume travel with my 14-inch
`map with a route and a live you-are-here dot' riding passenger.

I seem to recall you having a Nokia tablet that ran Maemo or something;
though it's inbuilt GPS receiver was terrible, you might be able
to add an external receiver like my WBT-202 (which is *fantastic*).

FoxtrotGPS doesn't do the offline, semi-automatic navigation
(route-finding or turn-by-turn directions) that you want, but there are
other packages that *do*. One of the ones we've talked about hooking
into FoxtrotGPS is MoNav; another is Navit. Actually, uh, there are
a whole bunch.

You probably want to take a look at the OpenStreetMap wiki
<http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Category:Software> and possibly
at OSGeo.org.

-- 
"Don't be afraid to ask (λf.((λx.xx) (λr.f(rr))))."