GPS Logger Software

[V. Gensini]

Does anyone know of a good free GPS logger for NMEA format GPS data? I have downloaded nearly every free version I can find online and everything seems to be very limited in nature.

Specifically, I am looking for a logger that will log based on user specs for post analysis in Google Earth. Any input would be appreciated...

EDIT: Output does not have to be to KML markup language...I am okay with having a large textfile of log positions.

 

[David Wolfson]

What machinery and OS are you wanting to log to? Bottom line for MS-Windows IMO is get yourself an older version of Delorme StreetAtlas and just use it for its GPS logging facility. I have quite a collection of older versions and might just be able to send you one for the price of sending it, but the current version isn't expensive and quite a package. SA keeps logs in its own .gpl format, but it is very straightforward to convert these within the program into CSV formatted text files or GPX interchange format files. You can, of course, use SA for routing while it's logging.

If you use Linux, there are several free loggers, or you can use something like gpspipe from the shell to write to a file. Linux is a bit geeky, though.

This year I'm testing around town a setup which uses an iPad with auxiliary gps mounted as a HUD on the visor. A virtually free app, GPXMaster+, logs away in the background to a GPX format file. When you stop logging it sends the file to Dropbox automatically. Another iPad app, Navfree, provides basic turn-by-turn routing on pre-loaded Open Streetmap with spoken directions. A third app, ScenicMap, from GrangerFX provides a quite detailed tracking map display. I'm anticipating only firing up the laptop as needed for the additional functionality of SpotterNetwork client, Delorme SA, WeatherTAP HD, SevereStreaming perhaps, and such. FWIW.

 

[V. Gensini]

David,

I am using the latest SP of WinXP. Although, I do have linux as another partition but do not use it for chasing. Yes, geeky indeed. I'm assuming my GPS (microsoft which was bought in a package with streets and trips) would still work with Delorme since it logs GPS in NMEA format? I'll have to check online for old copies, but I wouldn't mind hearing what you have. PM me with details if you would...

 

[David Wolfson]

Re. the public discussion... AFAIK the MS gps should work fine. Suggest the (now free?) Franson GPSGate basic client to sort out any issues of COM port translation.

Here's the head of an old, random sample SA 2009 gps log file I exported to CSV text (the lines don't wrap in the original):

BEGIN TRACK trk001
Latitude,Longitude,Time,GPS Status,Heading (°T),Track Elevation (feet),Speed (MPH)
35.497020,-94.163618,05/02/2008 10:28:45,3-D DGPS,0.00,480.21652222,0.00000000
35.497043,-94.163226,05/02/2008 10:28:46,3-D DGPS,85.40,478.51052856,79.05854797
35.497067,-94.162833,05/02/2008 10:28:47,3-D DGPS,85.60,476.70605469,79.51885986
35.497091,-94.162438,05/02/2008 10:28:48,3-D DGPS,85.80,475.00000000,79.97917175
35.497114,-94.162040,05/02/2008 10:28:49,3-D DGPS,85.80,473.19552612,80.43948364

[attention speed police , I was a passenger when I started up this track]

In the weeds, each gps chipset has its own version of what it outputs, whether the proprietary format or what it considers NMEA output. In Linux, for example, gpsd is the Swiss Army Knife of gps handling. It's quite a complicated program internally developed over many years due to the need to handle multiple formats, hotplugging, device quirks and such. Mess around with what a native gps puts out, and you'll appreciate that the Franson and Delorme folks handle most of it for you.