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Well I'm considering it as an alternative/addition to a straight-up GPS. . .
What are our opinions of ON vs Mapsource with Topo?
Advantages/disadvantages?
Let me start by presenting what I see as the main advantage of Overland Navigator: Simplicity.
It is important to understand this, because this is what makes the program unique when compared to many other mapping software programs. An analogy, although maybe not the best one, would be to consider knives. On one hand, you have the multi-tool with every kind of implement imaginable for every conceivable task you may encounter. On the opposite end of the spectrum, you have something like the Bushcraft knife. With a single blade, they are renowned the world over for their timeless simplicity and strength, able to perform a multitude of tasks in the hand of a skilled owner. Both have advantages and disadvantages over the other, so it's simply a matter of choosing what suits you best. In the case of the knives, the multi-tool can be heavy and cumbersome. Unless you memorize exactly where each tool is and how to open and close it with speed and accuracy, you'll likely waste time fumbling with it looking for what you want, and then fiddling with the stiff hinge mechanism to open and close it unless it's used frequently and is well broken-in. If under pressure for one reason or another, this exercise in patience can be trying.
Overland Navigator is very much "plug and play". There is no steep learning curve and no deep collection of toolbars, menus, and input prompts to deal with. You just plug your GPS in (or connect via BT), turn on the program, and go. The maps are all there, seamlessly. And they are smooth and fast. Unless you are actively using the few toolbar buttons, they disappear from the screen, maximizing the map display. There isn't much file info to keep track of. You either turn tracking on or off, and it automatically saves a running track file from each day using the date as the file designator. There's really no input from you necessary. (Like "Save as: choose a filename, choose where to save, Do you wish to overwrite?" etc etc). So when you get home from your trip, you can transfer the files or archive them and they're all there; one for each day of the trip.
So, comparing Overland Navigator to Mapsource Topo:
The ON uses seamless USGS topo maps of varying scales depending on the zoom level. These are image files (raster graphics) so they are just like a jpeg in a way; they don't contain any embedded information like POI's and names of land features that appear when you hover over with a mouse or pointer. It's like having a digital copy of a full library of USGS paper maps in your vehicle with you. There is also color satellite imagery, but it is high-level and used more for location reference (it doesn't have names, boundaries, etc on it). Don't confuse this with DOQQ aerial imagery (like when you zoom in Google and see someone's car parked in the driveway). I have put in a feature request for DOQQ imagery, but it is a very involved process to implement this in the seamless map format (and memory intensive) so may take some time. My guess is that ON will have that eventually. It is something that is definitely not available with Mapsource Topo. Mapsource is one of the aforementioned programs with a host of command menus and buttons so it has more data manipulation capabilities, but requires more interaction (that comes with a significant learning curve for a new user).
Mapsource Topo uses vector graphics that while they mimic the USGS topos, they are basically Garmin's own digital copy version built entirely of vector data. Unlike an image file, vector files contain information associated with the display. This is what allows Mapsource to present POI data and other custom functions that allow the user to interact with the map (routing, POI information, names of land features when hovered over, etc).
In summary, the Overland Navigator was designed by a guy who is just like you and me, he has a 4WD and uses it to explore and live out of. So it is coming from someone who saw a need for a product that "just works" and lets you focus more on driving the vehicle and enjoying the experiences of the adventure than continually messing with menu inputs and having to type things on a keyboard. It has specifically been designed as very UMPC/tablet friendly.
Here are photos of ON setup and running in my truck, in both laptop configuration and tablet configuration (it's a convertible notebook):
what is the black antenna on the left side of the computer?
Disclaimer: I'm not being paid by Spatial Minds for this, I'm just a beta tester. I did receive the product free of charge in return for my time testing and providing feedback during beta phase testing. I just think it's a cool product that nicely fills a niche specifically for the overlander and explorer that wants to spend less time with complex GPS software but enjoy the benefits of a beautiful on-screen map showing your position, tracks, and waypoints.
While it will never be officially supported, I'm going to do some testing sometime in the next couple of weeks with Parallels, Fusion, and WINE.
Looking forward to it... D710 support would be great.
Thanks,