# Can I build my own vehicular GPS device? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 3, 2009, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-build-my-own-vehicular-gps-device/484257 "2009-02-03T15:05:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2009, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-build-my-own-vehicular-gps-device/484257/21 "2009-02-05T18:57:03Z")
> [@Turble](#): > > Yeah, one or two guys tinkering in the garage couldn’t possibly hope to compete with the likes of Apple or Yahoo or Google. This may be true but… you could say that any time after the industrial revolution and yet, think about it. Who would’ve thunk in 1970 you could comepete with IBM and yet Bill Gates and a bunch of other people made it big. The answer is that you do not compete directly but you do something else which is new but might compete indirectly. Look at Yahoo, Google, ebay, Amazon, etc. They all started out small and already at a time when it was hopeless trying to compete with MS. And yet, look at them now… but, yes, trying to compete with the same product is hopeless. Even a large company which wanted to compete would rather buy an existing company than try to develop something from scratch. OTOH, if all you are doing is messing about for fun, you can learn a lot and enjoy it. But you are just killing time, not investing it. That’s what I am doing. ---
**Author:** ![gumpy3885](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d9b06d/32.png) [@gumpy3885](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gumpy3885)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2009, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-build-my-own-vehicular-gps-device/484257/22 "2009-02-05T19:00:04Z")
So let me ask a semi-related question. I have an older copy of Microsoft Streets & Trips. The package contains a GPS receiver that connects to the laptop via USB & software that uses the receiver data to do the mapping. You can’t update the maps without buying new copies of the software. So does anyone know of an alternative software that would allow me to read my GPS receiver data? ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2009, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-build-my-own-vehicular-gps-device/484257/23 "2009-02-05T19:18:48Z")
> [@gumpy3885](#): > > So let me ask a semi-related question. I have an older copy of Microsoft Streets & Trips. The package contains a GPS receiver that connects to the laptop via USB & software that uses the receiver data to do the mapping. You can’t update the maps without buying new copies of the software. > > So does anyone know of an alternative software that would allow me to read my GPS receiver data? I have no idea and the best way to find out is to search for people who have faced the same question but you might want to mess around a bit and see if the data is in NMEA-0183 or what other format. You can try setting a virtual COM port and then using Hyperterminal or similar console program. Or try to find what format / protocol it uses. If it uses a common format then you can find a program like Trackmaker which will work but the cartography available for free might not be too good. I believe you can also interface with the pay version of Google Earth. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-build-my-own-vehicular-gps-device/484257/24 "2009-02-13T13:44:30Z")
Update: I just found out about this open-source mapping project. There’s even routing software: [http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/index.php/Planet.osm](http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/index.php/Planet.osm) [http://cloudmade.com/](http://cloudmade.com/) [http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/index.php/Gosmore](http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/index.php/Gosmore) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-build-my-own-vehicular-gps-device/484257.md?page=1)