Quote:
Originally Posted by Bechorg
All,
Just putting out feelers to see if anyone has built or seen this kind of setup:
-Galaxy note sized tablet (<7") that can run a offline imagery software with GPS capability that can have points/routes plugged into it and actively navigate to them
I am looking to build molle compatible navigation boards. What tablet did you use? Software? What resource did you use for maps?
Thanks!  |
I don't think that I have the 100% solution you're looking for, but I recently bought an iPad and downloaded an app called GPS Toolbox. I used it to survey several new DZ's in the Baltics and was very impressed by its capabilities, especially since the app only cost a few bucks.
It does store imagery offline, although I'm not sure how much control you have over how much imagery. Based on my use, I would say enough to use for dismounted movements. Another drawback is that it uses Apple Maps or Bing imagery, not Google. However, I found the imagery to be generally good.
It can use lat/long (decimal or min~sec) and 10 digit MGRS. It allows you to plot a large number of points, assign metadata to them, and also easily convert between location formats. It also easily computes range and bearing between points, although it reads in true north, so you have to convert.
While using it, I was very surprised by the accuracy of the program and the internal iPad GPS. 99% of the time, it was within 1-3 meters of my Garmin 60csx, and this was while using it offline. Another great aspect of the app is that it allows you to export all your points in .CSV, .KML, or .GPX formats, so you can put them into Excel, Google Earth, or load them directly onto a Garmin GPS, which saves you from hand-jamming tons of waypoints.
It's probably more of a mission-planning tool than a real-time navigation tool, but it might work for what you're looking for with a little playing around, and it's cheap. It basically does everything I used to use Falconview for, but way easier and more user-friendly. It's definitely more of a professional tool than most of the "navigation" apps out there that I've seen.