Thread: GPS for LCDs

You need a few things to make GPS funtional, be it at home or in your car:
The receiver
This is what receives the signal from the satellites about your position. Most of these are a little smaller than a computer mouse. There are aftermarket GPS receivers that have a more OEM look, like the fintenna on BMWs for example.

Interpreter software/map data
You could have an interpreter wihtout map data, but that would only result in your ability to get latitude and longitude. Most people can't interpret their position from only lat & long, so the map data is crucial for plotting your position.
Standalone Garmin units (at least the lower-end ones) go strictly by latitude and longitude. You can set waypoints to find your way around. Say you're going hiking in the woods. You park your car and set a waypoint at your car, so no matter how deep into the woods you go, you can find your way back to your car (assuming you don't get eaten by a mountain lion). This isn't going to tell you if there's obstacles in your path, only the direction from your current position to your waypoint.

Navigation software
This is what you want in a vehicle. The map data for nav software includes streets, roads, highways, byways and nondescript goat paths. They follow basic driving rules such as driving on the streets only (so you don't drive through the lobby of an office building). The road map data also includes one-way streets and categorizes roads (Freeways, major streets, etc.) to optimize the routes.
Basically the navigation software plots addresses and determines the driving route between the two addresses. They will give you turn-by-turn directions from the starting waypoint to the ending waypoint. Many software for vehicles will also speak the directions to you, saving you from having to look at a map while driving. It knows when you're approaching your turn based on your current position from the GPS data.

Output
Usually a vide screen of some sort. directions can also be printed on a printer, for computer-based GPS software.

For those of you with a screen, you can't get a $39.99 GPS receiver. You'd only have the the first and the last of the elements necessary.

I hope this clears up some questions for other n00bs as well.

Originally Posted by Tx_Cat

Well, Im putting a pc in my car(PIII 600 512ram) and using my Pio LCD as monitor, I was referring to that!!! Darque, thanks for the well informed view man.. I really learned. I first need to make my stupid LCD to work with my PC (having setting issues with vide card) then I'll worry about putting GPS on my car

This should be an interesting project. I for one would love to see the results of adding this Pioneer LCD to a PIII motherboard....

Newbie Q.
Can I get pc sofware for Teleatlas/Navteq map discs for the Carputer?
Does the VDO software work in a PC?