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EQUIPMENT:

GPS we use the Garmin E-map. See stockists in our Business Search Engine
Laptop we use an NEC Versa Note VX Pentium III 500 with 196MB RAM. This is well in excess of the the basic requirements to run OziExplorer - which only requires 32MB of RAM.
Maps Hema Great Desert Tracks Map Pack on CD; Auslig Geodata Raster 250K CD set. Both products are available from the ExplorOz Adventure Shop. 
Mapping Software OziExplorer (version ). Available from the ExplorOz Shop. 

Putting it all together - read our Hot Topics feature page from April. 

For ease of trip planning, we create a series of "Route" files in OziExplorer. This takes some time as the route is the actual path you wish to follow for your trip so it includes your complete waypoint list. 

Firstly, you need to have some map files on your computer. The Auslig files are designed to use on CD so you would use your CD rom bay to load these maps. For Hema's GDT maps, there is a function for storing the files on your hard drive or you could just change the disk in the CD rom bay as required.

To begin interacting with your map files, simply open the OziExplorer program on your computer. From the Load menu select the option "Load Map File". A window appears for you to browse and select a map file from your directory list, so you select the appropriate map from either Auslig or Hema's GDT series. 

If you're not sure which map to select but know the area you want to view, use the View menu and select Index Map (or use icon on menu). The Index Map is just a map of Australia broken up into segments. There is hover-over information to help you select the maps or you can simply click on an area to automatically load the map into OziExplorer. 

With the map now loaded you can begin to select waypoints and build your route file. When you build a route, the waypoints have to be selected in the order you wish to travel because the GPS will auto-navigate you to each next waypoint according to how you have entered them. (Note - there is a facility for changing the order, but for a long list of waypoints this isn't very easy). 

Building a Route File in OziExplorer

To open the route editor, use the View menu and select "Route Editor". Using the Route Editor is actually quite self-explanatory. However here are some tips:

Unfortunately, the one thing the technology can't yet do is send the actual map to your GPS, so your route file needs to be as close as possible. By building your route file using a map template you have the opportunity to put in points of interests, turnoffs, camp stops and other useful waypoints. 

Some GPS units, such as the Garmin E-map also have some pre-loaded track, river and landmark information that will will also be seen with your route file on the GPS display in moving map mode. 

Once your route files are created, you are ready to upload the data to your GPS. The route file actually consists of 2 parts - the route file and the waypoint list. Using a data interface cable, simply connect your GPS to your computer. Use the OziExplorer program to initiate the upload - use the options under the Garmin menu. OziExplorer is compatible with most models - see technical specs in product overview.

You can now elect to leave your computer at home because all the data has been sent to your GPS. However, taking a laptop gives you the extra flexibility for trip planning and also for recording captured track data. More about this later.

Navigating along your Route File with your GPS

You can now use your GPS to navigate along a route that will provide data on your trip such as time and distance to next waypoint. Using moving map mode will also mean you can visually see on the GPS display where you are headed from your current position. A route file is really handy as you simply set it at the beginning of the day and do not need to reset it to go to each waypoint.

At the end of the day, we manually record the summary information from the Trip Computer in a book with our diary notes and then reset it. The Trip Computer records trip odometer, stopped time, moving average, moving time, overall average, total time, max speed and total odometer.

Recording/Downloading your Track File from your GPS to OziExplorer

We run our GPS with our laptop to enable continuous data download and storage as we travel. The GPS can store this data, which can be downloaded to a computer at the end of the day, or as in our case, we run the GPS in moving map mode with OziExplorer so that the data is sent direct to OziExplorer and is not stored on the GPS. The GPS has a limited track file storage of about 6hrs after which time it will begin to overwrite itself.

The track file can be useful if you wish to check the actual path you travelled against a known map. Because the track file was recorded using the GPS, it contains a georeferenced plot of your path including altitude and time. Hema now make their maps using the actual track file from their field mapping vehicle.

Having your entire trip recorded in electronic format makes analysis of your trip data extremely handy. In fact, track files are portable and can be uploaded to another persons GPS, making track files the most accurate form of Trek Notes available.

ExplorOz will soon be releasing their full range of Trek Files for GPS users via the Adventure Shop.