Garmin is obviously putting a lot of effort into BaseCamp.  Only three weeks after releasing version 3.0.4, Garmin has released version 3.0.5, which includes fixes for 15 different issues and localization for 18 languages.  The added features and fixes increased the size of this download from 70 Mbytes in v3.0.4 to 125 Mbytes in v3.0.5.

BaseCamp is software to view and organize your maps, waypoints, routes, and tracks and send them to your Garmin device.  It works very similar to MapSource.  BaseCamp displays topographic map data in 2-D or 3-D on your computer screen, including elevation profiles. Then you can view and rotate the maps from any angle.

Features:

• View 24K or 100K topographic maps and other topographic data.
• Displays maps in 2-D or 3-D, including elevation profiles.
• View and rotate maps at any angle.
• Create waypoints and routes on your computer and transfer maps, waypoints, routes, tracks and geotagged photos between your computer and device.
• Transfers satellite images to your device (with the purchase of BirdsEye Satellite Imagery subscription).
• Shows animated playback of routes and tracks over time.
• Supports geotagged photos.
• Easily organize data into folders.
• Prints full-page, color maps.
• Exports user data for viewing in Google Earth.
• Includes advanced geocaching support; can import data from geocaching.com.

Changes made from version 3.0.3 to 3.0.4:

• Added localization for the following languages: Chinese (Traditional), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian (Bokmal), Polish, Russian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish
• Added the ability to unlock BirdsEye Imagery for a specific device
• Added support to recognize European Topographic cards as retail products
• Improved map projection when printing BirdsEye Imagery
• Change to preserve subfolders when writing Garmin Custom Maps
• Change to correctly resolve relative paths in links on waypoints received from devices
• Change to use a more reasonable zoom level when selecting ‘Show on map’ for a single find result or waypoint
• Change to update the database to reflect missing images when doing a ‘Restore’ when the images were excluded from the backed up
• Change to preserve selection of device when starting BirdsEye wizard, if a device was previously selected
• Change to read maps on SD cards written to the \Map subfolder
• Fixed auto-routing issues on certain maps
• Fixed copy/paste of geotagged photos from a device not copying the photo
• Fixed possible issues when launching an external file or URL link
• Fixed issues when reading geotagged photos with invalid timestamps
• Fixed displaying postal code twice in POI property balloons in some European maps
• Fixed issues geotagging photos with Asian language paths

System Requirements

• BaseCamp requires an IBM-compatible PC running Windows XP Service Pack 2 or later operating system or any Intel-based or PowerPC G4 or later Mac OS.
• Microsoft.NET framework 2.0 SP1 is required. A current version of .NET will be installed if needed.
• A video card that supports OpenGL version 1.3 or later is needed to view 3-D terrain.
• If you experience problems when interacting with the map views, please make sure that you have installed current video card drivers.

Only two weeks after releasing version 3.0.2 of BaseCamp, Garmin has updated the software to version 3.0.3.  BaseCamp is software to view and organize your maps, waypoints, routes, and tracks and send them to your Garmin device.  It works very similar to MapSource.  BaseCamp displays topographic map data in 2-D or 3-D on your computer screen, including elevation profiles. Then you can view and rotate the maps from any angle.

Features:

• View 24K or 100K topographic maps and other topographic data.
• Displays maps in 2-D or 3-D, including elevation profiles.
• View and rotate maps at any angle.
• Create waypoints and routes on your computer and transfer maps, waypoints, routes, tracks and geotagged photos between your computer and device.
• Transfers satellite images to your device (with the purchase of BirdsEye Satellite Imagery subscription).
• Shows animated playback of routes and tracks over time.
• Supports geotagged photos.
• Easily organize data into folders.
• Prints full-page, color maps.
• Exports user data for viewing in Google Earth.
• Includes advanced geocaching support; can import data from geocaching.com.

Changes made from version 3.0.2 to 3.0.3:

• Added display of which devices a BirdsEye Imagery is unlocked for.
• Added the ability to control which map feature lines are shown.
• Improved memory usage for Garmin BirdsEye Imagery and Garmin Custom Maps.
• Improved user feedback while transferring to folders and devices.
• Improved reported information when Garmin Custom Maps cannot be imported.
• Changed to allow transfer of partially downloaded BirdsEye Imagery.
• Added ability for BaseCamp to attempt reading all Garmin map images (.img files), regardless of name, from removable media.
• Fixed issue when using Find with a map that does not have a city table.

System Requirements

• BaseCamp requires an IBM-compatible PC running Windows XP Service Pack 2 or later operating system or any Intel-based or PowerPC G4 or later Mac OS.
• Microsoft.NET framework 2.0 SP1 is required. A current version of .NET will be installed if needed.
• A video card that supports OpenGL version 1.3 or later is needed to view 3-D terrain.
• If you experience problems when interacting with the map views, please make sure that you have installed current video card drivers.

BaseCamp is software to view and organize your maps, waypoints, routes, and tracks and send them to your Garmin device.  It works very similar to MapSource.  BaseCamp displays topographic map data in 2-D or 3-D on your computer screen, including elevation profiles. Then you can view and rotate the maps from any angle.

Features:

• View 24K or 100K topographic maps and other topographic data.
• Displays maps in 2-D or 3-D, including elevation profiles.
• View and rotate maps at any angle.
• Create waypoints and routes on your computer and transfer maps, waypoints, routes, tracks and geotagged photos between your computer and device.
• Transfers satellite images to your device (with the purchase of BirdsEye Satellite Imagery subscription).
• Shows animated playback of routes and tracks over time.
• Supports geotagged photos.
• Easily organize data into folders.
• Prints full-page, color maps.
• Exports user data for viewing in Google Earth.
• Includes advanced geocaching support; can import data from geocaching.com.

Changes made from version 3.0.1 to 3.0.2:

• Eliminated error messages at startup with blank SD cards.
• Fixed several printing related issues.
• Fixed issue when hovering over the 3D view after turning off lines or areas.
• Fixed issue when importing a KML file that didn’t contain any visible ground overlays.
• Fixed issue with track and route join.
• Fixed issue with track and route insert.
• Fixed issue with geotagged photos on devices not being read.

System Requirements

• BaseCamp requires an IBM-compatible PC running Windows XP Service Pack 2 or later operating system or any Intel-based or PowerPC G4 or later Mac OS.
• Microsoft.NET framework 2.0 SP1 is required. A current version of .NET will be installed if needed.
• A video card that supports OpenGL version 1.3 or later is needed to view 3-D terrain.
• If you experience problems when interacting with the map views, please make sure that you have installed current video card drivers.

NOAA includes a Product Description Document (PDD) titled “Experimental Use of Really Simple Syndication (RSS) for Distribution of Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service (AHPS) Information” that includes this description:

The National Weather Service is responsible for making its weather, water and climate information widely available to taxpayers using commonly accepted standards and techniques. One of the most widely accepted, available, and cost effective means of accomplishing this objective is the use of web services via the internet. The NWS has implemented Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service (AHPS) as a corporate-wide HTTP-based web service for disseminating hydrologic information. This service has allowed users instant access to current NWS hydrologic information via Internet connections to personal computers equipped with industry standard browsers.

A rapidly evolving technology across the United States is the ability to access internet content via portable wireless devices. The Really Simple Syndication (RSS) format of AHPS information, will allow for a means of a user-driven public notification of AHPS products to cellular telephones or personal digital assistant (PDA). The RSS format will be provided for: 1) AHPS observations, 2) AHPS routine forecasts and 3) AHPS observations and forecasts that reach “alert” thresholds. The “alert” threshold is determined by the Weather Forecast Offices and is based on locally appropriate action stage that is always a stage below flood stage. This “alert” capability can be used to trigger further review of hydrological and meteorological conditions.

The AHPS RSS products will include the most recent observations, and when appropriate the greatest forecast value and the last forecast value from an individual AHPS time series file (in xml format). The AHPS RSS product will also include the internet address to the AHPS hydrograph page. A null AHPS RSS ”alert” product will be available to indicate non-alert conditions – if/when non-alert conditions exist.

Garmin Communicator Plugin v2.6.4.0 - v.2.6.4.0 - 4.15 MB

Garmin released version 2.6.4 of the Communicator plugin on March 5, 2009.  Communicator is a plugin that allows a user to upload and download Garmin GPS data using their browser.

Compatible computers and Internet browsers:

• IBM-compatible PCs running Windows® XP or Vista operating systems with Internet Explorer 6+ or Firefox 1.5+
• Intel-based or PowerPC G3 or later Mac OS 10.4 or later with Firefox 2.0+ or Safari 2.0+

You can get Communicator at http://www8.garmin.com/products/communicator/.

• Roads – Interstates, highways, arterial roads, residential roads, limited unpaved roads
• Railroads
• High resolution water data – lakes, rivers, streams, and washes
• Federal Land Usage – Wilderness area, national parks, and military bases/ranges, native American reservations
• Borders – County and state boundary lines
• Elevation contours – 20ft intervals
• GNIS Points of Interest – summits, mines, falls, dams, cemeteries, towers, populated places, etc.

The map collection (616 MB), with installer, can be downloaded at http://www.gpsfiledepot.com/maps/view/102/.

In all it was a 17-mile ride, and I needed to get back to do a little GIS work.