Garmin have released the free Garmin Communicator browser plugin which simplifies the transfer location data – such as waypoints, track logs, maps and points of interest (POIs) – to and from a website and Garmin device.

The plugin works with IBM-compatible PCs running Windows® 2000 or XP operating systems with Internet Explorer 6+ or Firefox 1.5+. Mac support is coming soon.

The Plugin can be downloaded from the Garmin website.

SnowSports Interactive’s technology and software is providing the recreational snowsports industry with real-time personal performance analysis for those who need performance feedback. Concurrently, it’s systems are providing an important safety service. Surprisingly, SnowSport Interactive’s R&D is headquartered in the sub-tropical warmth of Brisbane, Australia but, it also has a branch office in Australian snowfields at Mt Buller and has branch offices opening in Vancouver, San Francisco and Torino.

SnowSports FLAIK performance monitoring hardware is a combination of GPS, RFID and CDMA technologies all packaged in a compact impact resistant casing. It provides the ability to locate friends and family and have personal performance data recorded to monitor speed, vertical footage, distance travelled, time, difficulty, runs and calories burned. Performance data can be viewed on or off the slopes in real time online or via SMS. Data can be sorted by various relevant criteria and statistics mailed or posted to the flaik web community. Skiers can maintain an online blog of their performance statistics and upload pictures, video, music and other content.

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Garmin has announced the launch of the Garmin Developer Website dedicated to providing software tools and information for website developers who wand to make their website, application and data content compatible with Garmin navigation devices and systems. The website provides both free and licensed Garmin resources and a library of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), toolkits and web services offering six core products: Garmin Communicator Plugin, MotionBasedâ„¢ Web Services, Content Toolkit, Garmin PeerPointâ„¢ Messaging System, Garmin LBS Toolkitâ„¢ and Fleet Management Interface.

Garmin has also announced the MotionBased Web Services API providing developers access to the same GPS content that MotionBased.com customers enjoy. It will enable third-party websites to store, manipulate and display Garmin GPS data with minimal or no development. The API will be available for testing in the summer of 2007 and will compliment the Communicator Plugin API.

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Copiks Software Ltd are offering their PhotoMapper software for free download under GPL open source. The software allows you to tag your photographs (geotagging) with geographical position information using GPS data or entering the coordinates manually. The software adds the geographic position to the photograph files EXIF data. Positions can be exported and viewed in Google Earth.

Accurate mapping of wireless networks is yet another example of the diversity of applications for GPS technologies. Palo Alto based Network Chemistry Inc. have announced a new GPS capable release of their Rfprotect Mobile an easy-to-use, walk around tool for automating site surveys of wireless networks.

Rfprotect can help design and maintain wireless networks but, it’s GPS capabilites are integral to its network survey functions. The latest version of RFprotect Mobile can coordinate with a laptop GPS receiver (USB GPS dongle) to produce a map of signal strength from all wireless access points in a given area. The software tracks movements of a laptop to create maps of an area’s 802.11a/b/g/pre-n wireless coverage. Detailed floor plans can be imported to provide a physical reference for a wireless network survey.

“Both wireless networks and GPS technology have become ubiquitous,” said Dr. Chris Waters, CTO at Network Chemistry. “Combining them together to bring GPS capabilities to RFprotect Mobile enables organizations to scan and monitor beyond their four walls—a critical aspect for enterprises wanting to secure their networks from rogue devices.”

Conventional Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers have specialized processing chips containing multiple “correlating” processors for analyzing multiple GPS satellite signals and determining the devices position. One way to dramatically reducing the cost (and size requirements) of GPS enabling mobile devices is to replace the specialized GPS chip with a software application solution using the mobile devices own general purpose processor chip. The processing power now available in mobile devices such as laptop PCs, PDAs and mobile phones makes this a viable solution.

Software to crunch a GPS position location has been developed over a three year period by numerous Philips research and applied technologies groups. The software, Spot, has been successfully applied to a variety of different mobile equipment platforms. As well a providing a software solution for GPS positioning, Spot also allows for easier upgrading and offers significant power savings as the software can be easily shut down and the RF front-end can be put into low-power standby between positional fixes. according to Philips Spot halves the cost of incorporating GPS, opening up large-volume market opportunities for location, tracking, and navigation applications.
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HP’s GPS Navigation Software and Maps for iPAQ provides purchasers with the capability to transform their integrated GPS (Global Positioning) receiver equipped HP Pocket PC into a mobile navigation assistant.

When active the GPS receiver will access the navigation signal from a number of GPS satellites and determine its position displaying a dynamically updated map display if required.

The HP software provides the voice guided navigation to a selected destination, turn-by-turn directions to a chosen address, and location based search for services such as tourist attractions, accommodation, gas stations, banks, ATMs, police stations, shopping centers, airports and hospitals. Routing is automated and updated if you make a wrong turn. Various different views of road maps are available.

HP’s GPS Navigation Software utilizes NAVTEQ’s digital map data which is incorporated into a multitude of location based applications for parcel services, emergency services, fleet management and field service management. NAVTEQ have some 139 offices in 25 countries. Digital map data includes the all important road geometry and over 200 road attributes including speed restrictions, turn restrictions, relative road decking heights and lane configurations. Map data is available for more than 40 countries.

Further Reading

GPS Mapping

Multimedia

Using GPS with Maps Video

GPS & Land Navigation

Microsoft Pocket Streets 2005 can transform a Microsoft Windows Mobile operating software based device into a personal map guide for manual navigation. Basic roadmaps can be overlaid with points of interest location references. Users have control over what information and what level of detail will be shown on your maps. Unlike a location based service, no information beyond a name is available for points of interest.

Included with Pocket Streets 2005 are:

• Pocket Streets 2005 for Windows Mobile powered Pocket PCs
• Pocket Streets 2005 for Windows Mobile powered Smartphones
• Pocket Streets 2005 Getting Started guide
• Over 300 maps of North America and more than 275 maps of Western Europe
• Microsoft ActiveSync 3.7

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