Garmin Embraces Third-Party Development

Garmin Embraces Third-Party Development
http://cp.gpsworld.com/gpscp/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=429931

May 29, 2007
GPS World

GPS technology giant Garmin is opening its technology to third-party
developers.

Today the company took the wraps off the Garmin Developer Web site
for software developers and content providers who want to make their
Web sites, applications and data content compatible with Garmin
navigation systems. The Garmin Developer site provides both free and
licensed Garmin resources and a library of application programming
interfaces (APIs), toolkits and Web services offering six core
products: Garmin Communicator Plugin, MotionBasedWeb Services,
Content Toolkit, Garmin PeerPoint Messaging System, Garmin LBS
Toolkit and Fleet Management Interface.

"Until recently, third-party Web sites have been unable to
communicate easily with Garmin devices," stated Charles Morse,
Garmin's director of mobile and PND marketing. "We are making it
easier for third-party content providers to leverage the huge
community of Garmin devices by providing tools that will allow them
to communicate directly with Garmin systems. This will create new
markets for the programmers' content and services, while generating a
grassroots movement that will spread Garmin's name and technology to
consumers through third-party Web sites and content distribution
channels."

The Garmin Communicator Plugin API is a browser plugin and JavaScript
support code that allows developers to transfer location data such as
waypoints, track logs, maps and points of interest (POI) to and from
a Web site and Garmin device. This will simplify loading location
data to a Garmin GPS unit, according to the company.

For example, on MotionBased.com, customers can quickly upload their
activities in the form of track logs from their GPS devices. The
cross-browser, and soon the cross-platform plugin, provide a
consistent experience for MotionBased customers. Geocaching.com also
integrates the plugin so that users can easily transfer selected
geocache coordinates to their Garmin devices by clicking a new Garmin
icon on the Geocaching.com site.

Also available in Garmin Developer is the Content Toolkit, which lets
developers compile secure POIs for Garmin GPS devices. Developers can
then market this content to customers of Garmin products, creating an
entirely new system of content, devices and customers, Garmin says.
It expects future versions of the Content Toolkit to include routes
and travel guide information.

With the PeerPoint Messaging System, developers can utilize Garmin's
location message format and send precise latitude and longitude
information to phones running the Garmin Mobile XT application.
Garmin anticipates that this published SMS interface will be sought
after by location-based Web sites, fleet management systems, sales
management applications and other applications that need to integrate
remote destination sending and navigation. The individual who
receives the location message will be able to save, view or route
directly to the specified location with Garmin's turn-by-turn
directions.

Developers can also use the Garmin Location-Based Services (LBS)
Toolkit to add location-based services to any Java-based mobile phone
application. The LBS Toolkit incorporates Garmin navigation API,
local search, real-time content delivery services and mobile
advertising delivery services into one platform. This service was
originally launched in late-2006 and several third parties have
already taken advantage of the capability.

Also available for smartphones, Garmin Mobile Smartphone provides
mobile applications running on Windows Mobile or Palm OS devices with
access to GPS information, interactive maps and intelligent routing
including live traffic conditions. With these tools, developers can
easily create LBS solutions for a wide range of Palm OS and Windows
Mobile devices that are often already in use by enterprise customers,
according to Garmin.

The Garmin Fleet Management Interface enables fleet tracking,
messaging, dispatch and navigation directly on Garmin's portable
navigation devices, such as the StreetPilot, Nuvi and Zumo series.
Utilizing third-party sensor and communication devices, companies can
track GPS-based information like vehicle location, speed and
direction of travel, distance traveled, and elapsed time, as well as
fuel status, idle times, number of stops, cargo door access, cargo
temperature, and battery and thermostat levels. The Fleet Management
Interface also enables direct-to-driver communication via text
messaging, as well as instant re-routing with new-destination message
prompts, the company says.

Garmin is also announcing the MotionBased Web Services API, which
gives developers access to the same GPS content that MotionBased.com
customers enjoy. This new service will enable third-party Web sites
to store, manipulate and display Garmin GPS data with little or no
development. The API will be available for testing in the summer of
2007 and will complement the Communicator Plugin API.

See: http://cp.gpsworld.com/gpscp/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=429931

Sam Wormley wrote:

So what kinds of things do you predict we can expect from this development?

I dunno, but if you are adding just one line to a 100 line message, how
about trimming it a bit first?

--
GSV Three Minds in a Can
8,630 Km walked. 1,677Km PROWs surveyed. 30.5% complete.

Hi.
Actually, not to trim away is the correct way of doing it on newsgroups.
Then we don't have to go to other places to follow the discussion.

Karl-Olav Nyberg

Karl-Olav Nyberg wrote:

What nonsense! (And you have the nerve to post exactly the same words
again!) Would you like to cite an authority, so we can rubbish that
too? But by all means don't trim everything; just leave just enough so that
ripostes like "what nonsense" have a context...

Mike.
--
If reply address = connectfee, add an r because it is free not fee.