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Thread: Off road navigation with Tomtom

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    Lightbulb Off road navigation with Tomtom

    I think a found a very interesting programm on the World Wide Web.
    Best of all it is free!



    Introduction

    The main usage of the TomTom autonomous GPS is road navigation. However, it may happen that one wishes to use maps such as "raster" or "bit map", ie scanned paper maps. The software allows ttMaps to extend the use of GPS TomTom to other activities such as hiking, paragliding or caving, aviation and shipping. It also allows their use in countries where the TomTom company still does not sell vector maps. As a drawing is better than a long speech, here are some .
    Disclaimer

    This software is not a professional software and its use is the sole responsibility of the user, who accepts any defects. The author of the software assumes no liability for loss or injury or loss of data that can result from a software bug, or an error made by the user during installation or use.
    Features

    The software is under development. So far, the features are as follows:

    * Display a map or an aerial photograph centered on the current position
    * Display north of the map, altitude, time and scale
    * Zoom maps or aerial photos
    * Management of several sets of maps or aerial photos
    * Browse maps
    * Display the map centered on a town or zip code
    * Display current track
    * Display a route
    * Record, display and replay tracks
    * Export tracks to GPX format
    * Points of interest
    * Show the bearing and distance to a point of interest
    * Display of the state of GPS (satellites in sight, reception level)
    * Switch off GPS static navigation mode, for use in hiking
    * Switch off the display after a certain time (configurable) of non-use, when the GPS is running on batteries. The autonomy rises to 6 or 7 hours, instead of 2 hours if the display is turned on permanently.
    * Support for the majority of existing projections (list)
    * User interface similar to that of TomTom, in order not to confuse users
    * Interface in several languages
    * Keyboard layout configuration (QWERTY, AZERTY)
    * Time zones
    * Fix altitude for GPS not doing so automatically

    Here are some features planned for future versions:

    * Select POI categories to be displayed
    * Display battery state and current battery charge
    * Statistics on the track (distance and altitude, and why not the profile)
    * Show the bearing and distance to the goal
    * Browse maps by dragging with your finger, for a more precise positioning
    * Voice assisted navigation
    I will install and test it in the next few days...

    To get this programm working properly we need maps.
    Therefore I would like you to provide some links for digital maps in the format .ECW like the
    Or as an alternative maps for - like

    I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one here who would love to go "bush" in his 4WD with the comfort of a Tomtom always showing exactly "how lost" I really am
    Last edited by Downunder35m; 03-06-09 at 01:37 AM.

  2. The Following 5 Users Say Thank You to Downunder35m For This Useful Post:

    Hugh (19-09-13),peter3535 (03-06-09),puca (03-06-09),Tecom Master (03-06-09)



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  • #2
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    After I've installed the program yesterday I tried it in my car today.
    You can record your own route ,use POI's and more - I will keep testing it.
    It is working fine so far. I only have a map of the whole world right know but I will try to get more detailed maps.
    On the weekend I will try to convert a Hema map (Great Desert Tracks) which I downloaded. I let you know if it is working.

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    Senior Member satboy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Downunder35m View Post
    After I've installed the program yesterday I tried it in my car today.
    You can record your own route ,use POI's and more - I will keep testing it.
    It is working fine so far. I only have a map of the whole world right know but I will try to get more detailed maps.
    On the weekend I will try to convert a Hema map (Great Desert Tracks) which I downloaded. I let you know if it is working.
    Sounds interesting, If you manage to get it working with an Aussie map i would love to give it a go myself.

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    m8 sounds really good if this works a lot of people will be very interested in it
    IF IT DONT WORK USE A BIGGER HAMMER

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    It is working fine ,the only problem left is finding maps to use.
    I found a small topo map of Victoria but is 1:500.000 therefore not really useful in regards to finding a track.
    I got a paper map of the Toolangi-Black Ranges area here in Vic and try to scan it now. Not so sure about how to convert and calibrate it for further use ,but I keep you postet.
    Would be easier with the right maps ,but even the Ozi explorer ones (which could be easier converted) are hard to find for free

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    puca,

    Did you receive my PM?

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    I got a problem with the calibration :
    I used a .tif containing a scanned map and tried to make a calibrated map out of it.
    So far so good...
    The only good and easy working software I found to do that is OZI Explorer.
    But how can I convert the files created by OZI into the .ECW format?
    All the Hema-maps are available in the OZI format the official NATMAP is in the .ECW format (Enhanced Compression Wavelet).
    So there must be way to convert from OZI to ECW !!??
    Or maybe a program to calibrate a scanned image and save as an ECW?
    OZI can only calibrate and save in the OZI format...

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    I got a problem with the calibration :
    I used a .tif containing a scanned map and tried to make a calibrated map out of it.
    So far so good...
    The only good and easy working software I found to do that is OZI Explorer.
    But how can I convert the files created by OZI into the .ECW format?
    All the Hema-maps are available in the OZI format the official NATMAP is in the .ECW format (Enhanced Compression Wavelet).
    So there must be way to convert from OZI to ECW !!??
    Or maybe a program to calibrate a scanned image and save as an ECW?
    OZI can only calibrate and save in the OZI format...

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    I found a website with good maps that most likely will work with TTMaps :

    Any chance that someone already has these maps and is willing to share??

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    Now that would be cool...I would love that so much...

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    i have the hema 250k topographic maps in ecw format, but they are not very detailed.......

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    Quote Originally Posted by hoe View Post
    i have the hema 250k topographic maps in ecw format, but they are not very detailed.......
    If they are in ECW format you could try it out with the map - just to see if the map is moving smooth and correct.
    The installation is easy and the instructions on their website work ,just do it on a memory card with a proper backup.
    The maps can be copied into the map folder with a name like "Australia" and then be choosen to be used in the menu.
    Even if they are not so good in detail they could be useful on long trips (especially into the desert) because you see a bigger area and therefore you can estimate the distance better.
    And you would only need detailed areas of your destination - like on a trip to the Kimberley's or Alice Springs.
    1:25.000 maps are good to find most of the 4WD tracks in the bush and the national parks. These would be the best choice for most of us.
    Hema digital maps in that format are widely for money available.
    To cover most of the 4WD destinations and national parks (like Otways and Toolangi here in VIC) you would pay far over $1000! So people come forward and offer your maps - even old ones are better than nothing!
    We need to test this nice piece of software.

    I will test a new mapping software over the next week ,if I could manage to convert a scanned map into something useful we could use cheap local maps on paper and safe some money
    If anyone knows how to convert a scanned map into a calibrated ECW file let me know!!

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    i am very interested in this as well

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    I was able to do some more test and can confirm : it really works!
    You get all the things that you need for the bush like tracking and detailed informations about your direction ,height and speed.
    It is also possible to save it as track data to be viewed on Google and so .

    But I don't know if I'm too stupid or just blind : I can not convert a scanned map into a useable calibrated ECW map file.
    Finding detailed Australian maps in that format for free is almost impossible too - and I don't have the money to spend hundreds of dollars for the digital Hema maps!

    Anyone with good ideas??
    Tomtom GO730 ,Navcore 9.004 ,Bootloader 5.5256 ,Map :Australia 845.2661
    ttmaps and Tomplayer on 16GB SDHC class6
    Password for all my files: downunder

  • #15
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    This isn't a whole lot of help.

    It is easy to convert almost any image to ecw via the very small and very powerful free Irfanview. Irfanview cannot read Ozi OZF's.

    However Ozi can save any maps to the lossless png/ bmp format.

    You'll still need to calibrate the .ecw, however the ozi .map file has the calibration info as detailed on the ttMaps calibration page. This is where it gets more difficult ..... and how to convert hundreds of maps efficiently?

    Edit: The GeoScience Natmap 250k is already available in ecw and the Ozi map file is straightforward (2 ref points see attached) , so it shouldn't be difficult to make a working 250k. This IS a good map for remote regions.

    OziExplorer Map Data File Version 2.2
    Natmap 250K Mosaic
    C:Program FilesNATMAPNATMAP RASTER VIEWER1.6Maps250K-MosaicNATMAP-DVD1250k.ecw
    1 ,Map Code,
    Australian Geocentric 1994 (GDA94),, 0.0000, 0.0000,WGS 84
    Reserved 1
    Reserved 2
    Magnetic Variation,,,E
    Map Projection,Latitude/Longitude,PolyCal,No,AutoCalOnly,No,BSBUseWPX,No
    Point01,xy, 0, 0,in, deg, 8, 59.9952,S, 112, 53.0016,E, grid, , , ,N
    Point02,xy, 1000, 1000,in, deg, 9, 19.1952,S, 113, 12.2016,E, grid, , , ,N
    Point03,xy, , ,in, deg, , ,N, , ,W, grid, , , ,N
    Point04,xy, , ,in, deg, , ,N, , ,W, grid, , , ,N
    Point05,xy, , ,in, deg, , ,N, , ,W, grid, , , ,N
    Point06,xy, , ,in, deg, , ,N, , ,W, grid, , , ,N
    Point07,xy, , ,in, deg, , ,N, , ,W, grid, , , ,N
    Point08,xy, , ,in, deg, , ,N, , ,W, grid, , , ,N
    Point09,xy, , ,in, deg, , ,N, , ,W, grid, , , ,N
    Point10,xy, , ,in, deg, , ,N, , ,W, grid, , , ,N
    Point11,xy, , ,in, deg, , ,N, , ,W, grid, , , ,N
    Point12,xy, , ,in, deg, , ,N, , ,W, grid, , , ,N
    Point13,xy, , ,in, deg, , ,N, , ,W, grid, , , ,N
    Point14,xy, , ,in, deg, , ,N, , ,W, grid, , , ,N
    Point15,xy, , ,in, deg, , ,N, , ,W, grid, , , ,N
    Point16,xy, , ,in, deg, , ,N, , ,W, grid, , , ,N
    Point17,xy, , ,in, deg, , ,N, , ,W, grid, , , ,N
    Point18,xy, , ,in, deg, , ,N, , ,W, grid, , , ,N
    Point19,xy, , ,in, deg, , ,N, , ,W, grid, , , ,N
    Point20,xy, , ,in, deg, , ,N, , ,W, grid, , , ,N
    Point21,xy, , ,in, deg, , ,N, , ,W, grid, , , ,N
    Point22,xy, , ,in, deg, , ,N, , ,W, grid, , , ,N
    Point23,xy, , ,in, deg, , ,N, , ,W, grid, , , ,N
    Point24,xy, , ,in, deg, , ,N, , ,W, grid, , , ,N
    Point25,xy, , ,in, deg, , ,N, , ,W, grid, , , ,N
    Point26,xy, , ,in, deg, , ,N, , ,W, grid, , , ,N
    Point27,xy, , ,in, deg, , ,N, , ,W, grid, , , ,N
    Point28,xy, , ,in, deg, , ,N, , ,W, grid, , , ,N
    Point29,xy, , ,in, deg, , ,N, , ,W, grid, , , ,N
    Point30,xy, , ,in, deg, , ,N, , ,W, grid, , , ,N
    Projection Setup,,,,,,,,,,
    Map Feature = MF ; Map Comment = MC These follow if they exist
    Track File = TF These follow if they exist
    Moving Map Parameters = MM? These follow if they exist
    MM0,Yes
    MMPNUM,4
    MMPXY,1,0,0
    MMPXY,2,128490,0
    MMPXY,3,128490,109375
    MMPXY,4,0,109375
    MMPLL,1, 112.883360, -8.999920
    MMPLL,2, 154.000160, -8.999920
    MMPLL,3, 154.000160, -43.999920
    MMPLL,4, 112.883360, -43.999920
    MM1B,31.864855
    MOP,Map Open Position,0,0
    IWH,Map Image Width/Height,128490,109375
    Last edited by Farmsky; 29-06-09 at 08:41 PM.

  • #16
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    If it is really that simple ,than I must be doing something wrong...
    And by the way converting a scanned image to ECW is simple I agree -but what we need for the program to work is a properly calibrated ECW file ,not an ECW image plus a .map file.
    The calibration data has to be included in the ECW file and beleive me I've tried quite a few programs but in the end the resulting file was useless.
    Since you got the map files and the software available , how a about converting a few map files and test them with ttmaps.
    Then you write a proper tutorial and we are all happy...
    Tomtom GO730 ,Navcore 9.004 ,Bootloader 5.5256 ,Map :Australia 845.2661
    ttmaps and Tomplayer on 16GB SDHC class6
    Password for all my files: downunder

  • #17
    Senior Member Farmsky's Avatar
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    Like I said "this isn't a whole lot of help".

    I just thought that in conjunction with:

    ttMaps -

    ..... there may be a way ... given the simple two point calibration.

  • #18
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    Ok ,fair enough.
    The main problem is ,as I said , the restriction to the use of calibrated ECW maps.
    The only commercial source I could find so far (for maps in a scale larger than 1:250k) is Hema ,but they are really expensive : just to cover the National parks and deserts of Victoria you have to pay over $500!
    Ozi Explorer is a perfect solution for everyone who like to go on a trip for several days or mybe weeks and calibrations is fairly simple.
    But I wanted to use my trusted Tomtom for everything...
    It is the lack of detail in the Telstra maps (sensis) for Tomtom -my N95 has almost all good driveable 4WD track in it (as far as I could test) where I could test it anyway.
    I got detailed tracks with the right names on my phone where the Tomtom is lost for hours....
    I haven't given up yet - and I'm confident to find a way to calibrate a scanned map or get the whole Hema collection for a reasonable price....
    Tomtom GO730 ,Navcore 9.004 ,Bootloader 5.5256 ,Map :Australia 845.2661
    ttmaps and Tomplayer on 16GB SDHC class6
    Password for all my files: downunder

  • #19
    Senior Member Farmsky's Avatar
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    It seems a shame that ttMaps didn't adopt the Ozi philosophy of image plus text based calibration file.

    Embedding the calibration file seems to be a rather complex solution?

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    Senior Member Farmsky's Avatar
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    Hi Downunder,

    Do you know that the Hema ecw maps include embedded calibration data?

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