Linux GPS software recommendations

[casm]

Anyone have any recommendations on GPS software for Linux? I'm currently using GPSDrive and GPSMan with my eTrex Legend, but neither one does exactly what I want.

Basically, GPSMan is OK as a data manager - it can store waypoints, tracks, routes, etc. and map them out, but there's no good (read: not fiddly as all hell) way that I've found to overlay that data on topo maps. GPSDrive is great for mobile use, but sucks as a data manager. Essentially, I'd like something that combines GPSDrive's ability to download maps with GPSMan's plotting capabilities.

Ideas? The hoops I'm having to jump through to do this are getting really old.

 

[DrMoab]

Anyone have any recommendations on GPS software for Linux? I'm currently using GPSDrive and GPSMan with my eTrex Legend, but neither one does exactly what I want.

Basically, GPSMan is OK as a data manager - it can store waypoints, tracks, routes, etc. and map them out, but there's no good (read: not fiddly as all hell) way that I've found to overlay that data on topo maps. GPSDrive is great for mobile use, but sucks as a data manager. Essentially, I'd like something that combines GPSDrive's ability to download maps with GPSMan's plotting capabilities.

Ideas? The hoops I'm having to jump through to do this are getting really old.

Have you asked this question on the Geocaching forums? There is a ton of info on this kind of stuff there.

 

[casm]

Have you asked this question on the Geocaching forums? There is a ton of info on this kind of stuff there.

Yep. Or, rather, I searched them. There was very little on geocaching.com's download page, and not a lot else that I hadn't already tried in the forums from what I was able to turn up. Grmph.

 

[Root Moose]

Have you been using mysql with gpsdrive? I suspect that you should be able to manage your waypoints a bit easier once it is in a db.

Also, I think this kind of functionality is a priority for the new releases of gpsdrive. If you check the mailing list archives there is a listing of new/enhanced features in the works.

I haven't gotten my gpsdrive installation into real use yet - still prototyping the nav computer environment on and off between real work - so I have not real world experience with the data management at this point.

r@m

 

[casm]

Have you been using mysql with gpsdrive? I suspect that you should be able to manage your waypoints a bit easier once it is in a db.

Not presently. Most of what I've been doing so far has been one-off stuff, so never set up a DB here to hold waypoints, etc. It's going to become a necessity fairly soon, though.

Also, I think this kind of functionality is a priority for the new releases of gpsdrive. If you check the mailing list archives there is a listing of new/enhanced features in the works.

Yep, I've been keeping a pretty close eye on that. Once they get it integrated as a full-on manager it'll be pretty much the perfect GPS package for my needs.

I haven't gotten my gpsdrive installation into real use yet - still prototyping the nav computer environment on and off between real work - so I have not real world experience with the data management at this point.

Really, I just want to end the hodgepodge of scripts I've currently got doing all of this and go to one package that does it all. If they can get the data management functionality of GPSMan into GPSDrive and couple it with GPSDrive's visualisation, I'll be a very happy camper.

 

[Root Moose]

In my opinion, I think it may be worth sticking with gpsdrive now that it is really quite actively being developed again. Others have picked it up where Fritz left off so it is good. That being said, I have zero experience with gpsman.

I'm looking forward to having the mapd tool integrated into the base gpsdrive install so that I can seamlessly use all my 50k topos for Canada from the ON/MB border and all points east.

r@m

 

[casm]

In my opinion, I think it may be worth sticking with gpsdrive now that it is really quite actively being developed again. Others have picked it up where Fritz left off so it is good.

Agreed. It really was the best package out there, just not quite as integrated as it could've been. I am looking forward to seeing how it progresses, though.

That being said, I have zero experience with gpsman.

GPSMan is OK as a data manager (despite requiring TCL to run), but really blows on the mapping portion. It'll calculate and display tracks, waypoints, etc. just fine, but getting to overlay that info onto, say, a topo map is annoying as hell. For something like this - where I'm trying to record visited trails and overlay them on topo maps for future reference - it's more than I want to deal with anymore.

I'm looking forward to having the mapd tool integrated into the base gpsdrive install so that I can seamlessly use all my 50k topos for Canada from the ON/MB border and all points east.

Same here, just not so much for Canada at the moment