Find the right destination with a GPS map update

by Scott Carmichael on

We’ve probably all been there once or twice – you get in your car, and try to enter your destination, only to find that your GPS unit does not know where you want to go.

In some cases, this could be as simple as a misspelled address, but in others, it means your GPS unit needs a new map database.

When you buy your unit, the maps are often at least a year old, but some units that have been on store shelves for a couple of years could try navigating you based on three or four year old maps.

In that period, new streets have been added, and map errors have been corrected. Thankfully, on most brand name GPS units, getting a new map is fairly easy, and quite affordable. The best place to start is your favorite electronics retailer or on the site of the GPS unit manufacturer.

For most units, the investment is quite modest – about $50 will get you the latest version (or one no more than 6 months old). Installing the map update varies from vendor to vendor. On Magellan GPS units, you order a physical SD card for the unit, on other brands you’ll usually need to download a large file and copy that from your PC to the device.

If you purchased your GPS unit within the last 30 days, contact the manufacturer to see whether you are eligible for a free map update, especially in those cases where your brand new GPS device comes with not so brand new maps.

Tracks4Africa puts a continent at your fingertips

by Jeremy Kressmann on

A trip to Africa requires some serious preparation. Guidebooks. Vaccinations. Maps. Tourist visas. Mosquito nets. Hiring guides. For many people, the very idea of the African continent conjures images of huge steamer trunks, pith helmets and mountains of travel gear. But for the technology-inclined, the mysterious continent author Paul Theroux once dubbed “the dark star” is becoming just a little bit more accessible, thanks to Tracks4Africa.

Essentially a giant community mapping project, Tracks4Africa is a non-profit organization that maintains user-generated GPS maps of some of the more remote and “eco-sensitive” areas of Africa. Although the project originally started as a way for outdoor enthusiasts to preserve some of Africa’s most unique plant and animal life, it has since blossomed into a full blown database of “off the beaten path” sights in Africa. More than 1,400 adventure travelers have contributed data on everything from recent elephant attacks to ghost towns and covered countries ranging from Ethiopia to Mozambique. And because it’s entirely user-created, there’s a good chance users will also have access to the most current information on the ground. Take this in contrast to an Africa guidebook from Lonely Planet, which might not get updated for several years (if at all).

All you need to get started with Tracks4Africa is a compatible GPS unit and a sense of adventure. Armchair adventurers take heart – the Tracks4Africa database is also viewable through Google Earth. Now get out there and find me a nice date plantation to check out in Namibia.