NaviGadget

cross platform open source GPS navigation software

Mar 7, 2007 gps navigation, software

There are very few options when it comes to installing a GPS navigation software on a Linux or Mac laptop. RoadNav is one of those few options. Just like any other GPS navigation software it obtains the location data from a GPS receiver, renders maps of the area, and provide visual and verbal guidance to any location (in the U.S.). What makes RoadNav truly open source is that it doesn’t rely on commercial mapping companies such as Navteq or TeleAtlas but uses TIGER/Line files from the US Census Bureau to build maps.

Here is a full list of the features:

• Generates street level maps for the US
• Interfaces with GPS units to display your position in real time
• Verbal turn by turn directions to any place in the US. Automatically recomputes directions if you miss a turn.
• On screen keyboard
• 3D (driver’s perspective) view mode
• Daytime and nighttime color schemes
• Automatic day/night mode switching
• Plots nearby landmarks and points of interest
• Can operate offline (without an Internet connection)
• Antialiased output
• Supports multiple operating systems including Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X
• Uses freely available data from the US Census Bureau and the USGS
• Appearance can be customized with skins
• Can output status information to LCD devices through LCDproc

However this free solution isn’t perfect: A major issue is that Tiger/Line treats all one way roads as two way roads – which can cause serious accidents if you follow RoadNav’s directions blindly. Also there is no support for Smarhphones or PDAs. But it’s totally free!