The Gadget Link

There are many types of FREE GPS softwares on the Internet but it’s hard to find so here is a list of sources for those who want to have a GPS phone or device.

The programs listed here are at varying levels of professionality so you are advised to use them with caution. Many listings include disclaimers. Most of these free GPS software entries are actually free with the rest offering demo or trial downloads. Some developers accept donations.

If you’re looking for free GPS maps, Travel By GPS has many from around the world. Travel By GPS has a search feature where you can enter your preference, whether it be hiking, fishing, driving, or boating. Once you download the maps to your PC, the website has links to software (one program is available for free) to manage your maps and upload them to your GPS receiver.

Totally Free GPS Software

3D Tracking - Using your mobile phone or PDA, along with your GPS receiver, you can record and view your movements in detail on Google Earth or Google Maps. You can even use the free service for live tracking using Google Earth or Google Maps. Download of the required 3dtracking application, as well as use of the website, is completely free (and there are no future plans to charge for this either). The web server also retains all the data you’ve ever recorded and submitted, so you can always go back and view your older recorded data at any time.

amAze - is for the Java-enabled mobile phone, covering the US and 15 European countries. A sample of what it does: Visual and voice guidance to any destination; Search or define any location by its address; Search and navigate to businesses listed in yellow pages directories.

APRS - APRS is free GPS software for use with packet radio by ham radio operators and non-hams alike. You can monitor, in real time, such information as the location of vehicles, current weather, and much more.

Async & RINEX - Programs to log and use raw data from the following Garmin handheld receivers: GPS12, 12XL, II+, III+, Etrex, Emap

Cetus GPS- Cetus GPS for Palm OS is the Swiss Army Knife of GPS tracking and field data collection. It is intended for use by GIS surveyors, scientists, explorers and GPS enthusiasts who need to extend the features of their standard GPS equipment.

CotoGPS- for Palm OS. Displays position numerically and graphically, capture, calculate and draw distances, tracks and areas. Supports PalmOS 3.0 and up, PalmOS 5, including high resolution mode, HandEra 330 (high resolution, screen resizes), and all NMEA capable GPS devices.

DGPSIP - A system to send DGPS corrections over the Internet.

DNR Garmin - Provides users the ability to directly transfer data between Garmin GPS handheld receivers and various GIS software packages.

Earthcomber supports Palm, Windows Mobile Pocket PC and Smartphone and allows users to specify types of restaurants, shops, ATMs, hotels, landmarks and plot them on a map. It also has free maps for any city and county in the USA.

EasyGPS - EasyGPS is free GPS software that allows you to create, edit, and transfer waypoints and routes between your computer and your Garmin, Magellan, or Lowrance GPS. EasyGPS connects your GPS to the best mapping and information sites on the Internet, giving you one-click access to street and topo maps, aerial photos, weather forecasts, and nearby attractions. And because EasyGPS is part of the TopoGrafix family of outdoor products, you’ll be able to exchange GPS data with EasyGPS and ExpertGPS users all over the world!

flexGPS - FlexGPS enables the manipulation of maps used with a GPS Receiver.

G3 Project - provides tracking, archiving and geotagging features, with the help of Google Maps and Google Earth, of any Java-capable mobile phone connected to a GPS receiver.

G7ToWin - G7ToWin is free GPS software designed to exchange information between a PC and Garmin, Magellan, or Lowrance/Eagle GPS receivers.

Gar2rnx - Gar2rnx allows you to receive coordinates and much more from some Garmin GPS units using undocumented commands.

Garmap CE - Garmap CE runs on PCs or Pocket PCs running Windows CE 2.0 (and maybe later).

Garmap Win - Garmap Win is free GPS software that can be used with Garmin GPS receivers to manage waypoints, routes, and track logs. Some features are: download track logs, waypoints and routes from a Garmin GPS receiver; create and upload waypoints and routes to a Garmin GPS receiver; show current position on a map (BMP format); 124 map datums are supported.

GARNIX - GARNIX enables transfer of data between MS-DOS/Windows/Linux computers and a Garmin GPS receiver.

GEOsnapper geo-tags your photos to make them searchable by location. You can also categorize your images via keywords, albums or groups so that they can be found by people who are interested in the same things as you.

GPilotS - GPilotS allows your PalmPilot to transfer waypoints, routes, and tracks to and from selected Garmin receivers. It can communicate with map applications to exchange waypoints, routes, and tracks.

GPS3D - GPS3D is a suite of free GPS software utilities to control a handheld GPS receiver from your PC and see the result in 3D. If you don’t have a GPS receiver you can use GPS3D to see MapBlast maps in 3D and also interact with a 3D representation of Earth.

GpsActionReplay (GpsAR) is software that enables replays and performance analysis from GPS data, incuding “real time” animation with several tracks, auto-focusing, a time-based controller, auto speed calculation and auto data send (it will send your speed results to whatever server that accepts them, such as (www.gps-speedsurfing.com). It is able to download tracks directly from the GPS without the need of a secondary program such as G7towin. It’s a Java application that can be run on any system (including Windows, Linux, Mac), and on any Web browser within an applet (the Java Plug-In must be installed).

GPSBabel manipulates and transfers waypoints, tracks, and routes between receivers and/or popular mapping programs. Currently, about 100 formats are supported. It runs on Windows, OS X, Linux and is used behind the scenes by programs like Google Earth, GPSVisualizer, GSAK, and several others.

GPSCommunicator visually represent NMEA GPS position data in realtime. It works with NMEA 0183 GPS receivers connected via a serial port.

GPS Cookie is companion software to A2B. A2B is a website where you can search for websites related to any place on Earth.

GPSDiag - GPSDiag is free GPS software for 32-bit Microsoft Windows platforms (Windows 95, 98, ME, NT & 2000) to monitor incoming NMEA GPS messages from a serial port.

GpsDrive - GpsDrive is navigation software for Linux. It shows your location obtained from your NMEA-output GPS device on a map, with zoom capability. Works with Garmin units that have a serial connection and other brands with NMEA output. GpsDrive is written in C with use of the GTK+ graphic toolkit and runs with Linux and FreeBSD.

GPSion5 - GPSion5 allows a Psion 5mx to communicate with a Magellan 315/320.

GPSMan - GPSMan (GPS Manager) makes for easy and flexible manipulation of GPS data. It allows data transfer and real-time logging for Garmin, Magellan, and Lowrance units.

GPSPhotoLinker - can be used to save location and GPS position data to a photo. The latitude and longitude recorded by your GPS unit while you were taking photos can be linked, and saved, to the photos. GPSPhotoLinker automatically enters the city, state, and country annotations into the metadata.

GPSS - Run GPSS on your PC and it will give impressive in-car navigation and remote tracking demonstrations. Run on a Laptop with a GPS, and this same GPS Software will work for real. Get free registration, mapping for 155 countries and voice guidance in 12 languages. This includes free street level mapping for all the USA.

GPS TrackMaker - Free GPS software for PC with Microsoft Windows 95 or higher. It creates, edits and deletes tracklogs, routes and waypoints. It has a database with more than 280 different datums and calculates length, instantaneous and average speeds in tracklogs. You can have total navigation on the map image. GPS TrackMaker makes possible the communication between PC and GPS and does much more.

GPS Trail Browser lets you view both the maps and web links contained in an internet map by providing both web browser and a map viewer tabs. In the map viewer, use the internet tool to open web pages and photographs linked to places in the web browser.

GPStrans - GPStrans enables waypoint, track, and route information to be exchanged with a Garmin receiver.

GPS Utility - GPS Utility is an easy-to-use application that provides management, manipulation and mapping of GPS information. You can use it to transfer data to/from a GPS receiver and many other software applications. It is particularly useful for dealing with data in different file formats, datums and grid coordinate systems.

GPS Visualizer is a free on-line utility that creates SVG & JPEG maps and profiles from GPS data (tracks and waypoints), street addresses, or simple coordinates. Use it to see where you’ve been, plan where you’re going, or visualize geographic data (business locations, events, customers, real estate, etc.).

GSAK (Geocaching Swiss Army Knife) - bills itself as an all-in-one geocaching and waypoint management tool. Major features include: multiple databases, sending/receiving waypoints to GPSr, conversion to many mapping formats, HTML output, extensive searching, macro support, backup and restore, distance/direction from other waypoints.

Kashmir 3D - Kashmir 3D is a program to allow 3D navigation with a GPS device. It also creates landscapes and 3D maps.

LaserMap - LaserMap is a mobile GPS/mapping solution for navigation for Windows CE.

LocEight - allows users to upload their GPS data, add photos, tracks and POIs, and publish it all on Google Internet maps or output it in GPX or KML format. All LocEight records are freely searchable from the Internet.

MAPEAR - Free Garmin maps for Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and South Brazil. En Español.

MapMan - A map generating tool designed primarily for owners of Garmin GPS devices with mapping capability. However owners of other brand devices, devices without mapping, or even those who don’t own a GPS at all, may be able to make use of some of the features.

MapItPronto - You can use this tool to Upload/View GPS Routes and plot as well as planning a future route. Uploading your GPS route allows you to see it on google maps with statistics such as average speed, ascent, descent, max speed. You can then enable graphs including elevation, speed, and heart rate.

Marengo GPS Route Planner - is based on Google maps and is designed specifically to allow users to crate GPX route files for upload to a GPS unit.

MGPS - is free GPS software designed to visualize and edit GPS data. Main features: displays track and waypoint data; displays scanned, calibrated raster maps as background; displays vector maps; 3D display of airspace data; analyze track data (speed, course in a given point etc.); based on the timestamps in digital photographs (from digital cameras) and the track timestamp, the software determines and displays where each individual picture was taken.

Mobile GMaps - displays Google Maps, Yahoo! Maps, Windows Live Local (MSN Virtual Earth) and Ask.com Maps and satellite imagery on Java J2ME-enabled mobile phones, PDAs and other devices. MGMaps can connect to a GPS receiver over bluetooth or use internal GPS features on some phones in order to automatically display the map for your current position.

Mologogo - Not only free software but also a free service that will track a friends GPS enabled cell phone from another phone or on the web. It currently works on pretty much any Nextel phone with Java, GPS and a data plan. It also supports Windows Mobile 5.0 and will shortly have clients for Windows and Windows Smartphone as well.

Nav4All - Navigation software for GPS and cell phone. According to their website, Nav4All is free until August 15, 2006. The anticipated monthly fee will vary between € 0.50 and € 2.00 and free subscriptions will also be available.

NMEASleuth - allows you to inspect NMEA data streams from devices connected via a serial port.

ODGPS - is a program for Pocket PCs that lets you navigate in any terrain using GPS. It is intended to be small and light and easy to use. Odgps now runs on all sorts of pocket pcs running pocket PC 2003 and higher and with all sorts of GPS devices.

OziToGoogleEarth - converts OziExplorer track or waypoint files to “kml” files which can be read by Google Earth. It will also download Garmin track files for display on GoogleEarth.

PerDiemCo Location & Tracking (PLT) - allows you to track your trip and lets others locate and follow you online. You set the passcodes so only those that you want can see your trip. PLT offers privacy and ‘a need to know’, so you can turn off anyone’s ability to locate you at anytime. PLT allows you to access and use your GPS on-the-fly from any location connected to the Internet. For Windows® Mobile PDA or Phone

PyGarmin - PyGarmin is a set of Python classes which implement the protocol used by Garmin GPS receivers to talk to each other and to other machines. It is based on the official protocol specification.

Reperion/PocketReperion - send your GPS location to the Reperion/Pocket Reperion server, which in turn will present your location, track, pictures and audio via a web interface. People can use this interface to track position, and send and receive text and audio messages as well.

RINEX & Async - Is free GPS software to log and use raw data from the following Garmin handheld receivers: GPS12, 12XL, II+, III+, Etrex, Emap.

RoadMap - is an open source (GPL) program that provides a car navigation for Linux, UNIX and now Windows CE (a.k.a. PocketPC). It displays a map of the streets, tracks the position provided by a NMEA-compliant GPS receiver, identifies the street matching this GPS position and announces the name of the crossing street at the next intersection.

RoadNav - is an in-car navigation system capable of running on a variety of operating systems, including Linux, Windows, and Mac OS X. Roadnav can obtain a car’s present location from a GPS unit, plot street maps of the area, and provide verbal turn by turn directions to any location in the USA.

SeaClear - SeaClear is a PC based chart plotter for Windows 2000/XP/NT/95/98/ME. With a GPS connected it displays the current position, speed, heading and other data on the screen. The chart is repositioned and new charts are loaded automatically as needed. You can save tracks to be viewed later and you can manually and automatically enter log book entries. The number of waypoints and routes that can be entered are unlimited. The screen area for charts is maximized with most functions accessed with the right mouse button. Zooming is provided with support for IntelliMouse wheel. SeaClear is created for nautical navigation but can probably be used for other navigation needs.

TopoShare - For use in North America - This site makes it possible to create, store and share routes and tracks using gpx. You can upload GPS tracks to a personal acount and share them with the rest of the world. You can trace routes on a map, extract a terrain profile and export it to your GPS device.

TrackerGE - takes location data from either a GPS, or APRS data from the internet or the AGWPE program and uses it to plot a (moving) location on Google Earth or OziExplorer. The user can elect to plot a track or just a placemark.

TrekBuddy - J2ME application for GPS navigation and tracking. Features Bluetooth GPS, internal (JSR-179), simulator location provider, offline maps, smart GPX / raw NMEA logs, location sharing, waypoints.

Trimble’s Planning software - Trimble’s Planning software is a powerful stand-alone software tool supporting any form of analysis to determine visibility for GPS, GLONASS, IGSO and geostationary satellites.

Trip Tracker Sportsmate - This application allows GPS users to view and analyse their recreational and sports activities (tracks). The track will be viewed in Gmaps, and users can analyse different metrics (speed, distance, heartbeat, and more). Photos can be added too.

USAPhotoMaps downloads USGS aerial photo and topo map data from Microsoft’s free TerraServer Web site, saves it on your hard drive, and creates maps with GPS accuracy.

VisualGPS - With VisualGPS, the azimuth and elevation graph displays all satellites that are in view. Each satellite identifies its pseudo random number (PRN). The survey window displays both position and xDOP (HDOP and VDOP) parameters. The ability for user selectable HDOP/VDOP color thresholds for position averaging make a great utility. You can monitor standard deviation and the effects of selective availability and print the results graphically. It monitors latitude, longitude, altitude, and satellite signal to noise ratios and displays them graphically on the screen. It also allows you to view NMEA sentences as they are received.

Wayp2shp - Wayp2shp allows you to map the tracklines, waypoints, and routes from a Garmin GPS receiver in ESRI’s ArcView and ArcExplorer.

Waypoint+ - Waypoint+ is free GPS software that enables one to exchange waypoint, route, and track data between a PC and selected Garmin receivers.

WMSBrowser is a WMS client map browser with Bluetooth GPS support and tracking/waypoint features for your mobile phone or PDA. It has built-in maps (can be changed by the user) to save on network costs. It calculates distances, headings and shows height profiles. Tracks/waypoints can be saved to memory card. Two world map WMS definitions (raster and vector) are provided and a small built-in world map.

Windmill LabIML - Windmill LabIML is used to collect live data from your GPS receiver on your laptop.

Wissenbach Map3D - allows you to: plan hiking, skiing, and mountain bike trips; download and upload trails, routes, and waypoints to and from Garmin GPS receivers; plot your GPS track logs on topographic maps or aerial photos; embed links to photographs or web pages in you GPS data; print custom topographic maps or aerial photos on one or many sheets of paper; simulate flying over your trails and view 3 dimensional terrain models of your favorite area; make your own maps; share trail data in GPS Exchange (.gpx) format.

Free Trial or Demo GPS Software

BackCountry Navigator - navigation software for outdoor recreation that runs on your Pocket PC. It displays topographic maps and aerial photography for the United States. When used with a GPS connected to your Pocket PC, it shows your location on a moving, mulitresolution map and guides you to waypoints you import, download or define.

Bungee - is a Windows application that will drive any version of Google Earth to: transfer, convert and display Tracks and Waypoints from Garmin GPS receivers; convert, display and record live NMEA positions from any GPS receiver; convert and display Tracks and Waypoints provided in OziExplorer, GPX, NMEA or CSV formats; playback recorded tracks at actual or compressed speed.

CompeGPS has a wide variety of map viewing and GPS data managing software.

eMapZone - is software for preparing a trip on any map picture. The free version of eMapZone is limited to the input of 50 points, and has not the menu Map list. It is however entirely operational and shows all the features of the software, including GPS features.

GPS2CAD - GPS2CAD enables design professionals to easily and inexpensively use recreational-grade GPS units to collect field information and plot it in their CAD program.

GPS Gate - 14 day free trial - Share one GPS among several applications, use Garmin USB GPS receivers with standard GPS applications. Share a GPS over a network, over ActiveSync, or over Bluetooth. Multiplex and split NMEA streams. Track yourself and your friends on GpsGate.com

Grazer - Grazer writes GPS-GeoData into the Exif-Information of digital pictures. The tagging is done automatically. Only the time on the digital camera needs to be set correctly.

IBIS - IBIS is a collection of navigation and mapping utilities that takes information from a GPS receiver and with maps, road displays, and other types of displays, gives you a complete set of tools for navigation.

NMEAlog - A simple logger with sentence selection. Has client/server capabilities for distribution of raw NMEA sentences over a network.

OziExplorer - OziExplorer is mapping software that allows for transfer of routes, waypoints, and tracks for real-time tracking of GPS position. It works with Garmin, Magellan, Eagle, Lowrance, and Brunton/Silva receivers.

pcoGarmin - ActiveX component with an extensive Visual Basic example of waypoint, route and track upload/download as well as NMEA sentence processing and GPS screen dumps.

pcoMagellan - ActiveX component with Visual Basic example of waypoint, route and track upload/download as well as NMEA sentence processing. Tested on various models including the GPS315/320, Map410, Tracker, ColorTrak and Meridians.

TopoFusion - TopoFusion is GPS mapping software for Windows. It downloads maps (topo and aerial photo) automatically from Microsoft’s TerraServer and stores them on the hard drive.

Tracky - is a navigation utility for many outdoor activities, like hiking, (mountain)biking, skiing, driving, sailing, and even golf, city trips, and geo-caching. Tracky runs on any handheld device, running Microsoft® PocketPC (PocketPC 2003 or higher e.g. Windows Mobile 5.0). Phone enabled PocketPCs are supported, not Windows Mobile Smartphones.