GPS mapping program 4 offroading

[multihull]

Has anyone used the Open Street Maps (OSM) mapping system? I have been trying to find some decent mapping software packages that have detailed off road trails. I believe i have found the best system so far and it works great with Garmin systems that can be a bit tricky to down load to.
OSM are maps made by any one that has a GPS and a computer. You simply drive the track, log your tracks on your GPS and when you get home you can up load and add the new trails, roads, terrain, power lines, creeks etc.
The OSM are run by the same group that does Wikipedia. The Aussie maps are very detailed in the cities showing bike paths, bus stops, the latest road changes but as you go out into the bush there not as good because no Tech heads have been out there to log and upload the details.
For outer Brisbane are such as Mt Mee Forest is getting very good detail of the minor tracks now.
Check it out and join in, the more people involved the better the maps.
http://www.openstreetmap.org/

Cost to date – 1 x memory card, , my research time. All programs and maps have been free including contours.

I have stumbled my way through many related sites to find the simplest way to view and set maps, it can be a mine field of high tech, geek programs but I’ve now cracked it so if you need some help send me a reply or PM

[mhillman]

The maps aren't, and probably never can be, suitable for off road use. You need topographic information, POI, track notes and place names when off road. I checked out Cobaw (Victoria) and there's no detail at all. Even if I was to drive the whole forest, it still wouldn't be a useful map. You need something like a 1:25K topo or "Forest Activities" type map with lots of additional information.

It looks like a very good option for on road use though.

[multihull]

These OSM are only as good as the info you put in there. They can show all the detail you mentioned down to footnotes. The reason Cobaw doesn't have any info is no one has put it in there. The way it works is go for a 4wd on the weekend, come back and upload any tracks and fill in the details and notes. The OSmapping will also work great for 4wd Parks and club drives.
The reason the on road detail is so good is so many Geeks are driving around the cities and then updating OSM hourly.

[timglobal]

Nice one multihull. I see your drift. Maybe suggest to Jimmy B to have a tracks forum which gives a focus for Jeep contributions?

[multihull]

Check out the maps of the Ormeau 4x4 tracks just south of the quarries. These track don't exist on any maps i've been able to find. These tracks where compiled from GPS track data and from Yahoo satellite images. Also check out Mt Mee state forest (60 km due north of Brisbane) tracks that also don't appear on any other commercially available maps. These tracks have been drafted from GPS tracks and images, then drawn by Open Street Mappers like myself.

http://www.openstreetmap.org/

With OSM you add your own tracks, details, foot notes on tracks such as 4wd only, the surface etc and once they've gone live I can down load them to my GPS. They look just like my standard Gamin maps and i also over lay the contours and I have the perfect off road mapping info. If more 4WDers do this we'll soon have some excellent off road maps to follow.

[Jeddo]

i love open street maps. been testing them for a while now on this program called bsgps. its great. i mainly use a topographic map which includes all streets and stuff, but has maps marked out by cyclists (aka which roads to avoid because there are most likely cyclists.)
the maps are very detailed.
once i get my jeePC mounted, i'll be sure to upload all the victorian tracks i do.

[Evil Dolf]

My setup includes a Garmin handheld running Oztoppo maps.

I did a tonne of research before I spent the coin and the simple fact is there just isn't a reliable enough set of detailed, free, topographic maps out there.

As has been said the open source maps are only as good as the data that goes into them, and unless you wheel in really popular places, chances are the tracks aren't there.

I've found the OZtopo maps are extremely detailed, and I havn't been able to fault them yet. But, they aren't cheap. They have both streets and tracks and 10m contours.

I combine that with a complete set of digital topos from the lands office that I run through MapSource on my 10" netbook. Mapsource can talk to the GPS so I can plan my route on the puter on the detailed topos, transfer the waypoints to GPS and run off that.

I would love a better set up, but the space in the cabin of a 2dr JK doesn't really permit a decent sized screen to be mounted anywhere.