Maps
There are a few sources for maps
•Conventional Paper maps
•Directories
•Online
•GPS
Conventional Paper maps
Individual Maps come in many types, from general tourist info through to Typographical mapping. Whilst the tourist type maps are good for general planning they are limited in detailed information. Typo maps have greater detail and are great to ascertain the topography but cover smaller areas due to the detail. Either type of map is large and difficult to refer to when riding. I take as many along on a ride but they only come out in the evening to review the next day’s route.
Directories
Directories such as road atlases and Street directories have been developed with cars in mind and are generally too bulky to carry on the bike. Again these are useful at home when planning a trip but will remain there. An exception to this is the Hema Motorcycle atlas which covers all of Australia in a conveniently sized ring bound book. In addition there are 100 suggested rides all around the country. Very useful on a ride and fits into must clear sleeves in the top of tank bags for easy reference.
On line maps
On line maps are becoming more and more useful when planning a trip. Obviously they are a little difficult to take with you. Some sites you can order a Conventional map.
Here are a couple of links to maps.
http://www.cartoscope.com.au/
http://www.street-directory.com.au/sd_new/home.cgi
http://www.mapshop.net.au/hema.htm
http://www.discovertasmania.com.au/home/index.cfm?SiteID=174
In addition to these there are sites where you can not only view a map you can have an over laid aerial photo such as http://maps.google.com/maps
And then there are the sites which not only provide you with a map but allow you to input a start address and destination and they work out the shortest or quickest route.
http://www.whereis.com/whereis/home.jsp
http://maps.racv.com.au/index.jsp
http://www.mapblast.com/(vo1owrnj0cq5qrzo4nn0myra)/home.aspx
http://www.mynrma.com.au/cps/rde/xchg/mynrma/hs.xsl/travel.htm
GPS How it Works
For those who are unfamiliar with the term, GPS stands for Global Positioning System, and is a way of locating a receiver in three dimensional space anywhere on the Earth, and even in orbit about it.
Signals
In order for GPS to work, a network of satellites was placed into orbit around planet Earth, each broadcasting a specific signal, much like a normal radio signal. This signal can be received by a low cost, low technology aerial, even though the signal is very weak.
Rather than carrying an actual radio or television program, the signals that are broadcast by the satellites carry data that is passed from the aerial, decoded and used by the GPS software.
The information is specific enough that the GPS software can identify the satellite, it’s location in space, and calculates the time that the signal took to travel from the satellite to the GPS receiver.
Using different signals from different satellites, the GPS software is able to calculate the position of the receiver. The principle is very similar to that which is used in orienteering - if you can identify three places on your map, take a bearing to where they are, and draw three lines on the map, then you will find out where you are on the map.
The lines will intersect, and, depending on the accuracy of the bearings, the triangle that they form where they intersect will approximate your position, within a margin of error.
GPS software performs a similar kind of exercise, using the known positions of the satellites in space, and measuring the time that the signal has taken to travel from the satellite to Earth.
Mapping
Knowing where the device is in space is one thing, but it is fairly useless information without something to compare it with. Thus, the mapping part of any GPS software is very important; it is how GPS works our possible routes, and allows the user to plan trips in advance.
In fact, it is often the mapping data which elevates the price of the GPS solution; it must be accurate and updated reasonably frequently. Road users, for example, require that their mapping data contains accurate information about the road network in the region that they will be traveling in. They might also like to adorn their map with specific icons of things that they find along the way and that they wish to keep a record of - not to mention waypoints; locations to make for on their general route.
Getting Started
There are a few solutions available to consumers, ranging from sophisticated in-car and bike GPS systems, which feature voice guiding, powerful dynamic route calculation, and the possibility to update the map from a CD.
Then there are handheld GPS devices, such as those from Magellan and Garmin, which store a map inside, and are usually designed for outdoor use. They cannot generally perform dynamic route calculation since they do not have any road information, and leave the user to find their own way from A to B.
Some recent systems can make use of a wireless Bluetooth connection so that they can be used both as a personal navigation aid and also inside a vehicle, by having several receives with Bluetooth capabilities.
