Filed under: Software, Odds and ends, Open Source
Roadnav - Open Source GPS Navigation
Digging around a little bit in the world of carputers following our recent post on the Subaru carputer, I came across Roadnav, a cross platform, open source GPS mapping program from Richard Lynch. One thing that makes this project different from many commercial solutions is that it uses free US mapping data from "the US Census Bureau and the USGS." It then renders the maps from that government data. I believe most commercial mapping data is supplied by Navteq, whose trademark you are probably used to seeing at the bottom of Google Maps. Roadnav is a bit rough around the edges, but given the limited number of GPS navigation solutions for the Mac it's certainly worth checking out.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
xylone said 9:02AM on 1-03-2007
And what about Europe?
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bibi-pov said 9:29AM on 1-03-2007
For Europe, it can also use the maps from the (still not ready for prime time) Open street map project.
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Daveed V. said 9:36AM on 1-03-2007
(Besides NavTeq, the other big commercial digital map provider is Tele Atlas.)
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Wojtek said 9:54AM on 1-03-2007
And what about Europe, goddammit?!
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bibi-pov said 10:20AM on 1-03-2007
Err, link was stripped... The Open street map can be found at http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/index.php/Main_Page
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EmmEff said 9:40AM on 1-03-2007
It's a start, but even with regular updates, it will most likely be years before this application can come close in functionality to iGuidance or even Microsoft Streets & Trips.
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mewyn said 11:22AM on 1-03-2007
I like the idea of a free mapping program, but the routing totally sucks in this one. To check it out, I use a route between Chicago and Champaign IL, and has me only taking the expressways half the way, and puts me way out of the way.
I think it's a good idea, but will take quite a while before it's close to prime time.
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Stephen Waits said 12:06PM on 1-03-2007
Speaking of which... is there a Mac (Universal) version of MS S&T out?
--Steve
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Tim3308 said 12:10PM on 1-03-2007
Glad to see this subject: Anyone know of open source navigation GPS CD that I can drop in our Nissan Quest. To update the disc that plays inside the navigator is very expensive (I can't recall the company?) in the area of $600,
Thanks. BTW love this site.
T
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Alex said 1:35PM on 1-03-2007
Is there a mac version of M&S Streets and Trips, period? Seriously, I don't know.
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Mike said 2:05PM on 1-03-2007
There is also RouteBuddy http://www.routebuddy.com
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AInvar said 5:19PM on 1-03-2007
routebuddy is not free nor is it opensource. With routebuddy you still have to buy the maps you want to use so it is not a nice solution.
I have not seen an osx version of MS S&T of any version.
Also for the person who tried to map between one city to another city that used expressways. If you would have looked under prefs you would have seen a way to give weight to how you wanted to give you directions. You have three choices to do that.
This software is very rough around the edges but I think it is doing a good job so far. I am waiting for my bluetooth gps device to charge up to give it a good testing with that but hey a universal client for win, nix, and osx you cant complain to much. So me a cost effective program that can do this...
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