Learn Your System
One of the first mistakes people make when using a GPS system is taking it out of the box as they begin their journey. If you do this, you may find that there is a learning curve to most GPS systems. They each work in slightly different ways. While new technology often excites us to the point that we just want to go, it is important to slow down and read the manual. At least give it a quick flip through so that you understand the functions of the system. After you understand the basic functions of the system, you will want to explore how it actually works. Take a road trip as a passenger. Set up a route that you travel routinely and pay attention to how the system actually functions in real life.

Experiment with setting benchmarks, orientating yourself and what happens if you need to re-route. If you plan on using the GPS for walking around cities or exploring nature areas, place yourself in those situations on a small scale. Walk around your home town with the device. Take a small hike. Actually using the GPS in a real situation will prevent stress when in an unfamiliar place. You will know exactly how to read and use your device when you need it the most.

Prepare your GPS
Download the maps for your travel with plenty of time to review them and ensure that they give you the necessary information for the area you are exploring. Compare the generated routes to physical maps to ensure that they are routing properly. Take a test run at finding specific addresses, locations and POI’s.

Remember the Power
Power can be a problem when traversing rural areas by GPS. Be prepared by making sure that you have more power than necessary – in case you become lost or change your travel plans. Make sure you have extra battery power, universal adapters, solar chargers or other power systems. If you are relying on a GPS, you don’t want to have it run out of power just when you need it most.

Considerations for GPS Travel
Be smart when traveling with a GPS. Avoid leaving the device exposed in your vehicle. It could easily be stolen, taking your route with you. Carry a physical map with you, just in case. While it may not be as detailed or updated as your GPS maps, it could help you navigate in an emergency. Keep in mind that wondering around a city while blatantly using a GPS can target you immediately as a tourist or lost. Many GPS devices allow you to use ear buds to listen to directions, allowing you to keep the device in your pocket. This can also free up your hands.
Taking the time to understand your GPS and prepare the device helps prevent the stress that often comes from travel situations, leaving you able to enjoy every minute of your adventure.
Source: MemNav.com

Indoor location is basically made of two components: map content in one hand and location engine in the other hand. These components are often provided by two different types of companies. Because GPS and Glonass are not working indoor, other types of technologies are offered by a number of companies to provide the positioning of mobile devices: Wi-Fi RF fingerprinting & triangulation (Cisco, Pole Star, Navizon), Bluetooth (NAVTEQ/Nokia), Cellular signal (GloPos), GPS Pseudolytes (Insiteo).

In addition, some companies like CSR/SiRF with its SiRFusion platform are willing to fuse several techniques/sensors to provide the best positioning depending on the sensors available. As it comes to indoor maps providers, there are several of them such as Micello, Point Inside, What A Map and of course NAVTEQ who came late to the game. There are also players which specialize in vertical markets. For example, aisle411 provides store maps and in-store navigation for retailers such as Home Depot or Lowe’s as well as grocery stores in a dozen of U.S. metropolitan markets. FastMall is, as the name implies, specializing in shopping malls maps and navigation.

Before talking about the impact of Google it is interesting to understand the business models and go to market strategies of the players in this market segment. There are basically two ways to monetize indoor location. One is to work directly with venue owners to provide them with tools to offer maps and navigation to their visitors and, sometimes, to track these visitors behaviours. In this category the business model is traightforward: the venue owner supports the cost of the system and offer it as a value added service.

The second type of business model is to provide a service directly to consumers with a mobile app. This type of model requires scale and the monetization is likely to come from advertising. this is where Google is obviously playing. It is therefore interesting to understand that many players are not really afraid of Google because they not directly compete against the web giant.
This is the case for WiFi positioning provider Pole Star. According to its CEO Christian Carle, “Google’s announcement creates great opportunities. It demonstrates to Pole Star’s prospects and customers that indoor positioning and mapping have great value. For Pole Star, it reinforces the value of our high accuracy positioning technology. Google educates on “Where Am I?”, Pole Star’s technology enables step-by-step guidance for users and advanced marketing services to our customers. Moreover, this creates a need for apps with maps whose specific look and feel are able to convey the image of the brand.“

According to Todd Sherman Chief Marketing Officer at indoor map vendor Point Inside, Google is silently building a system that is threatening retailers because it could easily allow in-store marketing from competitors.
“A customer inside a store is a high-value target for advertisers and a lucrative revenue opportunity for Google. It is likely that Google’s indoor maps will operate with Google’s very successful AdWords model where algorithms decide which ads to present and are biased toward the highest bidder – which can easily be a competitor.“

The key here is that indoor location is one of the technologies where brick & mortar players collides with the web giants. Everything indicates there will be a battle over who is going to own the smartphone experience in-store and in-mall. To some extend it is not very different of the battle launched by Amazon against brick and mortar stores with its price check app that is offering a 5 percent discount on any product scanned at a retail location. Small players in the indoor location market might therefore find a good business working with retailers to enable their own indoor maps and navigation applications that will compete with Google products.

“Still at a nascent stage“
Nevertheless, this market is still at its very early days; even Google does not have much to offer yet with only a few location mapped. As noticed by Patrick Connelly, analyst with ABI Research, “A tranche of new technologies from CSR, Nokia, Google, Ericsson, Mexens Technology, NextNav, and Boeing have all been launched over the last three months to help unlock the potential of indoor location and marketing. However, it will take a few years for these technologies to proliferate; indoor mapping has yet to reach anywhere near a critical mass and the ability to build relevant indoor information, marketing, and advertising is still at a nascent stage.“
Source: gpsbusinessnews.com

December issue has links to GPS maps for Garmin, Navitel and CityGuide, Maps to all countries in the Middle East and ….More information

Kish Island GPS Map

There are different types of maps; the traditional paper map, an internet generated map and a GPS map. Amongst all these, a GPS map is perhaps the most versatile and updated one. A GPS device is as good as the mapping information it holds. Thus GPS navigators come with basemaps and several points of interests that indicate the locations of gas stations or hotels. A GPS receiver comes preloaded with the detailed and most updated map information of a specific region or country. In case you need any additional data, you can always download it to your device. A few advantages a GPS map has over the others is stated below :

Advantage I: Most Up-to-Date

Unlike the traditional paper maps or an internet generated one, the GPS map is the most up-to-date one. This is because although, the device comes with preloaded maps of certain region, you can definitely download the latest version of the maps directly into your unit from the mapping website. Also the sat nav manufacturers ensure to have the most recent versions of maps on their site, wherein you get the detailed mapping data absolutely free of cost.

Advantage II: It provides the facility to personalise the map
Paper map and internet generated maps can also be customized to suit your needs. However you will need a marker to mark the locations of gas stations or trace your best hiking route. Once you use a marker or highlighter on the map, it is permanent and next time you want to mark something, you either need a new map or a different colour marker. Eventually you might have either spent a great deal on buying a new map everytime you visit a new place or there would be so many markings on your map that it would appear shabby and unreadable.

This is where GPS maps are useful. All you need to do is create a separate folder and save the data in the specific folder after every trip. You can later even make alterations or changes to it, as per your convenience and choice. The maps are in no way rendered unreadable. Saves you loads or time and money as well.

Advantage III: Easy to Trace Back
With a GPS map you can easily trace back your steps. This is because the device has the capability to track your progress, thus by just selecting the right buttons, you can easily get a complete history of the route taken, makes it simple to re-trace your steps. Although, this can also be done by using the paper maps, it is a little tedious and cumbersome procedure.

The above stated points are some of the reasons why users might prefer a GPS map from a traditional paper map. If you too need to reap the benefits of GPS maps, then just go and grab a satellite navigational unit that has the latest and updated GPS maps and plan your travel to unknown and unfamiliar cities.

The Iran GPS Map in Farsi includes:
* Complete detailed maps of Ahvaz, Arak, Ardabil, Bam, Babol, Babolsar, Bandar-Abbas, Chalos, Dizin ski resort, Esfahan (Isfahan), Fereydoon kenar, Ghom (Qom), Hamedan, Kashan, Karaj, Kerman, Kish Island, Nour, Noshahr, Mashhad, Qeshm Island, Rasht, Sabzevar, Sari, Semnan, Shiraz, Tabriz, Tehran, Uromiyeh (Urima), Yazd, Zanjan and …..

* Iran roads complete map
* Turn-by-turn voice directions in Farsi (Persian),
* Mapping/route guide in Farsi (Persian),
* Monthly & Yearly update and
* With more than 83.000 POI

It can be purchased at following web sites:
- MapShop.me Online Shop
- Iran GPS map for Mobiles

More information

1. TV satellite dishes

These really are the “get out of jail free” cards in an urban area. This is because the dishes point at a geostationary satellite, one that stays over the same point on the Earth’s surface. In the UK there is a dominant satellite broadcaster, hence nearly all the dishes tend to point in the same direction – close to southeast.

2. Religious buildings

From earliest times, religious buildings and sacred sites have been laid out to give clues as to direction. Christian churches are normally aligned west-east, with the main altar at the eastern end to face the sunrise. Gravestones, too, are aligned west-east.
To find direction from a mosque, you need to go inside and look for the niche in one wall, which indicates the direction for prayer. This niche, known as al-Qibla, will be the direction of Mecca, wherever you are in the world. And synagogues normally place the Torah Ark at the eastern end, positioned so worshippers face towards Jerusalem. (Synagogues in countries east of Israel will face west.) The same applies in rural areas – especially those blessed with pubs screening sport.

3. Weathering

The prevailing winds carry rain and pollution. These then hit the buildings, leaving patterns. The wind comes from the southwest in the UK more often than from any other direction. This results in asymmetrical weathering patterns on buildings – similar to the erosion seen in nature. Look up, above the cleaned glass and metals of the lower floors, to the natural stone or weathered bricks higher up. Notice how the building’s corners all show subtly different weathering patterns. The contrast between southwest and northeast corners is the greatest. But the shifts in colours, where the rain and pollutants have left their mark, can be read on all sides with a little practice. Trees, too, indicate direction, with the very tops combed over by the prevailing wind.

4. Flow of people

Pacific navigators learned to follow the birds in their search of land. They quickly realised that while an individual bird can behave eccentrically, a pair – or even better a flock – will follow a pattern. The same is true of human beings. There is no point following an individual, you could end up anywhere. But following a crowd in the late afternoon will take you towards a station or other transport hub. In the mornings, walk against the flow to find these stations. At lunchtime in sunny weather, crowds move from office blocks towards the open spaces of parks and rivers.

5. Road alignment

Roads do not spring up randomly, they grow to carry traffic – and the bulk of traffic is either heading into or out of a town. So the biggest roads tend to be aligned in a certain way, depending on whether you are in the centre or on the outskirts. In the north or south of town, the major roads will tend to be aligned north/south. In the northwest or southeast, they will have a bias towards northwest/southeast. This is why road maps of big towns show a radial pattern. It is common sense, but very few people realise this when they feel lost in a big city.

6. Clouds

One of the best ways not to lose your sense of direction is to hold onto it. My favourite way of doing this in a city is to orientate myself – using some of the clues above – and then note the direction the clouds are moving. The wind pushing the clouds will remain fairly constant, providing there’s no dramatic change in the weather. This technique really earns its keep on underground journeys, especially to a new part of town. Simply look up before you head underground, and remember the direction of the clouds. When you emerge in a strange part of the city, look up again and you’ll be able to work out which way is which from the clouds overhead.
Source: MemNav

The Garmin Montana fulfills promise as a true, rugged and durable, multi-purpose GPS. It is nice to have one unit all set up for a big trip, with one set of charging cables and mounts to serve all nav functions, plus assurance that you’ll have the battery power (with spare AAs) to go the full distance. Its construction truly is rugged and waterproof.
The Montana 650t, keeps working flawlessly even when immersed in gritty water.

The Montanas seem ideal also for off-road-vehicle trips, and any trip with any combination of road, back/dirt road, trail, river, lake or ocean travel. You just need to invest in the right set of maps and mounts (several mounts are available) to lock the Montana in to suit your needs. Backpackers need to consider the Montana’s weight (10.2oz), compared with a lightweight color-mapping handheld, such as the Garmin Dakota (5.3 oz)

Pros:
True multi-purpose GPS, car, backcountry, water sports with built-in waterproof camera and Dual-battery capability – Rechargeable li-ion and plus AAs.

Cons:
Heavy (10.2 oz) and somewhat bulky (2.9″ x 5.7″ x 1.4″) compared to single-purpose devices.

The “LT” stands for lifetime traffic, which means that nuvi provides subscription-free traffic alerts for the life of the unit. This option is standard on most of Garmin units and it’s a great sanity-saver for commuters or anyone who doesn’t care to sit idle in traffic jams.
“LM” stands for lifetime maps, which means if your nuvi comes with this, you can download the latest maps for your unit up to four times a year. And, the “LMT”, means lifetime maps and traffic.