oziexplorer

Here in the UK the 3 top moving map street level mapping software packages are TomTom3, Destinator3 and Nav-SmartST.
I've used the first 2 and prefer TomTom3 but only Destinator and SmartST are available in Oz. From what I've found on the web so far Destinator 3 is the only decent choice for street level mapping and has coverage for the whole of Oz.

I don't think tracking map packages like Ozi Explorer offer address searching, postcode searching, or path finding. As far as I can tell they allow you to see where you are on the map, but can't offer any directions (and as you've found out, the resolution isn't that great on the maps).

I can let you know in a few weeks how Destinator performs in Perth (landing in another 12 hours :-)

Its a pity TomTom doesn't do Oz because that really is the dogs danglies. I wouldn't have stood a chance in London without it.

Thanks Tome,
Although I refered to using the perth map, it wasnt for address's etc but I was rather more looking to use it in the bush, however I didnt think to zoom was all that flash for even that purpose.
Thanks,
Jeff

Hi,

Generally 1:250000 maps are only usefull for general detail. Even if scanned at 300 or 600 dpi they are not actually all that detailed. Think about it...The resolution of the Natmap 1:250k maps is about 32 m per pixel. Any feature smaller than that may not show...

When we compete off road we prefer at least a 1:50,000 map and if the 1:25000 maps were more up to date we'd use them.

As far as Destinator etc showing more detail than Ozi, What rubbish. The detail available in OziExplorer (As inthe others) is wholly dependant on the maps which are not supplied by Ozi. I use the Melways maps and Vicroads maps with Ozi on a PDA and Laptop and they have EXACTLY the same detail as the printed Melway and Vicroads directories.

It is true that Ozi doesn't do turn by turn routing but I prefer to use my own brain to achieve this as I have yet to find a system that works well. They are getting better but still have a way to go. And you can preprogram a route in to Ozi if you want to.

There are name search lists of all the streets/facilities etc in the state available for most states for free, or you can extract the info from the Natmap series maps and use it in Ozi.

You can use ANY digitised map with Ozi if it is in an image format it supports. Once you get out of the main areas/off the beaten track the maps provided by co-pilot and destinator sre completely useless. They simply don't show most 4WD tracks etc, They also don't show contours so there is no way to judge how steep an area is befor entering.

Peter

Just my 2c worth

The problem is that all these maps used with OziExplorer are raster images. Ie they have a set resolution and if you start to zoom beyond that set resolution, the image will start to pixelate or appear fuzzy. To avoid this, vector maps/images are required, as they automatically scale the resolution to match the zoom level. There aren't many products around that do this and a lot more processing power is required to calculate the graphics. And I don't think OziExplorer can handle this at the moment anyway. Most digital maps are Raster images.

Sam.

Jeff,
The advice given to use the DOLA products is spot on. The AUSLIG 1:250,000 are too generalised to be of any value for city navigation. There are several versions of the NATMAP Raster products with each new version being an improvement on the one before. The earlier versions contained a mix of scanned maps and digitally derived ones. By digitally derived I mean they were generated from postscript files used in the production of the paper maps as opposed to scanning the paper maps. The Raster Mosaic Premium put out by Geoscience Australia under the NATMAP banner contains fully digital information with a much better compression algorithm used (ECW).

Woobla,as the other have said you get best resolution at 100%. Going beyond that just magnifies so you won't get more information. I found it relatively easy to buy the 1:25,000 maps and scan them for use by Ozi. Calibration was also fairly easy.

You will always have that limitation with Raster maps. However, smaller scale maps will contain more detail.

I had a look at the 2005 release of Perth StreetExpress recently. With a pixel scale of 1.7 metres, who cares if it's pixelated at 200%. I doubt you'll get any better detail of metropolitan Perth anywhere, including vector maps.

I haven't seen any calibration files for download, but Streetsmart have chosen to use the ECW format for this release, so you can import it into OziExplorer and automatically create the calibration file.

As for 3D, it has been available for years. GA have relesed at least three versions of their DEM data, which can be interpreted by OziExplorer3D.