Different map formats?

What sort of file types do satnavs use for map data? Are they all different
or is it one specific type? Is there any software that could convert one
type to another e.g. I wish to load memory map maps onto my satnav - if
possible.

Thanks

All different and all proprietary.

--
Darren Griffin
PocketGPSWorld - www.PocketGPSWorld.com
The Premier GPS Resource for News, Reviews and Forums

They're all different formats. Plus a satnav system uses vector-based
maps where roads and terrain are defined by data describing the road
and terrain, while memory map uses photographs of maps and just
scrolls the pictures around the screen, two very very different types
of data and totally incompatible.

What you can do though (and I might do the same) is to get a smart
mobile phone that can run tomtom or similar software, and also run the
PDA version of memory map. One with built-in GPS is best. I have
friends who use these and they're quite good.

Anyone know the best one currently on the market, in terms of GPS
sensitivity and satisfactory performance?

--
Blast off and strike the evil Bydo empire!

Ian Rawlings wrote, On 21/09/2007 10:26:

Performance wise, there is probably little to worry about. I use an
Orange SPV C600 (HTC rebranded) running Windows Mobile 5. It has a
modest 195 MHz Risc processor and 64 megs of RAM. No GPS though, I use
Bluetooth.

Both TT 5.2 and MM Pocket Navigator run very well on there. TT is pretty
much faultless, it handles maps perfectly and switches scales quickly.
Route calculation is probably a little slower than a TT One V2, but only
by a few seconds. MM only ever struggles when zooming way out on high
detail maps, but as the res is too low to see the detail it's a
pointless thing to do anyway.

One thing to bare in mind is the version of Windows mobile that you
want. The Smartphone version wont run programs written only for the
PocketPC version because it has no stylus. Also, Windows Mobile requires
plenty of navigation and the small joysticks on Smartphones wear out
quickly. For that reason my next upgrade will be to something like an
SPV M500 (no GPS) or an HTC P3300 (GPS,WiFi,BT,etc) with stylus, larger
screens and PocketPC windows.

--
DavidM newsNO@_SPAMdjmorgan.org.uk
www.djmorgan.org.uk

Cheers, I'd probably go for one with built-in GPS though, might change
my mind once I look into it further though ;-)

Never been a Windows Mobile user so hopefully won't find it too much
of a culture shock, might keep the Palm T3 for PDA stuff and just use
the new device for phone and GPS.

--
Blast off and strike the evil Bydo empire!