Zumo User Forums

Why would you choose Google Maps instead of Basecamp or Mapsource?

Yes, in many ways I’m sure you’re right.

But my point about Basecamp is that for an average joe with only a hazy grasp of IT and maths, BaseCamp is too complex and obscure, not to say lacking in explanations of what it’s doing. It’s probably like trying to start and drive a pre 1914 motor instead of a Quashqai. Maybe that’s unfair: pre 1930? But of course, with such tool, the exposed complexity might bring real benefits to power users?

I disagree fundamentally (but not in GPX practice) about scientific notation. It has no precision limit per se, it’s just defaults that typical decimal output formats have a wider field than typical scientific formats use for their mantissa. To use your 15 digit example, in extremis:

0.0000000000005 is much less precise, despite using more characters than:
4.666666e-12

(Hopefully I typed in the right number of zeroes)

Which, in binary domain, is why almost all non integer number formats in software and hardware are “floating point” rather than “fixed point”. I’m ancient enough to have worked with fixed point arithmetic, and really, it’s a monstrous PITA. But efficient on CPU resources.

But I’m not suggesting that’s a benefit to most users. Wish Google adhered to the GPX decimal std.

Pompous, moi?

Anyway, it’s great to find so much useful help.

SilverCycle wrote: ↑Mon Mar 06, 2023 8:30 pm BaseCamp is too complex and obscure,

Have you tried Mapsource? it's much more 'stripped down' than Basecamp, without all the unnecessary (for me) 'extras'... but works very well.

Les wrote: ↑Mon Mar 06, 2023 6:05 pm Why would you choose Google Maps instead of Basecamp or Mapsource?

I can think of a good reason to use Google Maps. It has by far the best info on traffic info that I know of. Especially 'road blocks', which are not uncommon when you plan trips in Germany, can be found easily in Google Maps.
Now ideally I would like to have Basecamp and Google Maps combined. (Keep on dreaming it will not happen) So in the past I have looked for ways to load routes created in Basecamp in Google Maps. See also: viewtopic.php?t=1965
What @SilverCycle has done is the other way. Loading routes in Basecamp that were created in Google Maps. An interesting Idea!

Ofcourse everybody should do what they like best, but it can never hurt to have a look at an idea.

Google to BaseCamp Method video, I forgot to post before:


It's also possible to convert the KML in KML2GPX (Google it), then copy directly onto the USB-connected Garmin.