User:Bjalf

I live in Tromsø, Norway. Very nice in the summer, not so nice in the winter.

Mapping equipment

Car mapping

This is my preferred way of gathering initial data. I find that it gives me a lot of data with a high degree of accuracy, and in a short time.

• Laptop: Asus Eee PC, model 701, 4G.
• GPS: GlobalSat BU-353. SiRF Star III chipset, quick to get a lock, and very accurate.
• Software: VisualGPS running in Record NMEA mode. This just dumps everything from the GPS to a text file.

Mapping on foot

• Garmin eTrex Legend (the old blue version with a B&W screen). Not as accurate as the GlobalSat BU-353, but much easier to carry around on foot, which is how I gather all the small details that I missed when I whooshed past in the car.
• Digital camera to snap pictures of street signs and other things of interest.
• For every picture I take I mark a waypoint on the GPS.

Post-mapping data processing

Garmin eTrex Legend

I use EasyGPS to read tracks and waypoints from the eTrex.

NMEA text file

The recorded NMEA track file from the GlobalSat BU-353 is sent through GPSBabel before use. The text file is converted to GPX format, and all data with a HDOP worse than 1.3 is discarded.