Open Source GPS Import/Conversion/Viewing
Wyatt Baldwin
looking for a way to easily import and/or convert and/or view GPS
data:
GPSBabel Command Line Utility
====================
Daniel (from Seattle) introduced me to a (very cool) utility for
importing data from GPS units and converting between many different
GPS formats. It's called GPSBabel and it's available for download at
<http://www.gpsbabel.org/> for Linux, Mac, and Windows.
My main use for it is getting tracks off a Garmin unit connected to a
serial port. Here's an example for reading from the unit and saving to
a GPX file:
gpsbabel -t -i garmin -f /dev/ttyS0 -o gpx -F tracks.gpx
Translation: Read the tracks (-t) in Garmin format (-i garmin) from
the device connected to the first serial port (-f /dev/ttyS0). Convert
the input data to GPX (-o gpx) and save it to a file named tracks.gpx
(-F tracks.gpx).
Google Maps GPX Viewer
====================
One way to view the GPX file is to load it up at
<http://www.tom-carden.co.uk/googlegpx/>.
This is great if you've only got a couple tracks or if your tracks
don't overlap.
QGIS Desktop GIS
====================
Another option is to use QGIS <http://qgis.org/>, which is also
available for Linux, Mac, and Windows. It can load GPX files and show
each track (routes and waypoints too) in a different color.
QGIS even has a GPS plugin that uses GPSBabel behind the scenes so you
don't have to mess around with the command-line to import and convert
data.
~wyatt