GPS topo mapping (GPS TopoPLUS Australia) puts a completely different perspective on the screen of your in-car navigator or hand held GPS. GPS Topo PLUS is supplied on DVD, ready to load to computer and many Garmin GPS. Contour lines are at 5 metre intervals. This mapping incorporates technology provided by Garmin. While it works well in urban areas, the advantages are particularly noticeable in rural areas, where changes in the landscape form become clear, without the clutter of city roads and intersections. GPS TopoPLUS AU 5m DVD - $139.00 (inc. GST) Contains contours at 5m vertical intervals, that can be loaded to most Garmin mapping GPS. The mapping displays simultaneously and overlaid on the GPS, with other Garmin mapping products. This package includes licensed software that incorporates technology provided by Garmin, so other Mapsource products are not required. This software allows for the viewing of the contours on your computer, and allows transfer of waypoints, routes, and tracks between your Garmin GPS and computer. The contourlines are displayed on the computer with an Australian base map, showing major roads, cities, train lines, and water bodies. GPSTopoPLUS Australia 5M can be unlocked to one Garmin GPS unit. GPS TopoPLUS AU 5m micro-SD and SD - $129.00 (inc. GST) Contains contours at 5m vertical intervals, that are compatible with any Garmin GPS that take either MicroSD or SD cards. The mapping will display simultaneously, and overlay other Garmin mapping products. The data card is a MicroSD card (suitable for many handheld Garmin), and is supplied with an SD sleeve, for use in Garmin GPS such as the Nuvi series.

After some practice, you can envisage the steepness of the country ahead, you can learn how to look out for ridges, sudden drops, creek beds, and other land-forms. If you have City Navigator or Metroguide already loaded on your GPS, the topo mapping becomes an even better tool, where you can see man-made features such as roads, and points of interest, and other natural features, such as parks and natural areas, with the contours wrapping neatly according to the terrain.

This product has been developed by us to enhance your pleasure at using GPS in the field. It is by no means to be regarded as a primary navigation resource. It should be used sensibly, and with care. The contour lines cover all of Australia's mainland and offshore islands, and the first contour is 5 metres above sea level. The contour interval is 5 metres (vertical difference), which is twice the resolution of other available products. Contour lines represent differences in height from one point to another. This product shows contour lines only, with height labels. For roads and other feature data you may use the existing data on your GPS, or you may need an additional map product. Both sets of mapping will show simultaneously on the screen of your GPS.

Professional and GIS users can obtain these contours for any part of Australia as .shp files. Please ask at one of our offices.

This is a screen shot in real size, of GPS TopoPLUS on a Garmin Nuvi 255W portable in-car navigator. The background detail is Garmin City Navigator. The performance of the Nuvi is not compromised by the additional map data. 100 metre contour lines (100, 200, 300 etc show as a dark blue or black line), and individual contour lines show in brown. Each individual GPS may differ in how the lines are shown. On this model, all contour lines show at 300m scale on screen. On some models, all lines may continue to show at scales beyond 300m. The contour mapping has the same resolution and feel on the Garmin hand-held range, such as the Oregon, Coloradao, GPSMAP series, or eTrex colour series. Again different models may show more or less contour lines at various screen scales. There are some more images on the next page.

GPS Topo PLUS is designed to work only with Garmin GPS. This incudes most mapping type hand-held GPS, aviation protables, portable in-car navigators, Garmin PDA's such as the iQue, Nuvis, StreetPilots and the newer GNV series for in-car installation. We have tested the mapping (either pre-loaded micro- or SD card, or DVD) on all these products, and have found it satisfactory. If you purchase the DVD, you can load to a suitable computer, and there is no necessity to have other Mapsource programs or data. From computer, you can load the map to the GPS.

Some in-car navigators that come with maps pre-loaded, are not supplied with computer mapping, so GPSTopoPLUS on DVD supplies the computer tools for loading to a memory card. Proper use of the contour maps is the purchaser's responsibility, and of course we cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracy, or any incident arising from the use of the map data.