Feature request: Autonomic data configuration

Former Member over 14 years ago

I'd like to see BaseCamp become the "negotiator" between my data in BaseCamp and the Garmin device's that I connect to BaseCamp. As the negotiator, BaseCamp would interrogate the device for information that describes the level of support that device has for Waypoints, Routes, Tracks, POI's, Geocaches, BirdsEye Imagery, etc. - in effect all data types that Garmin supports in their consumer based devices.

There are obviously two aspects to this autonomic behavior:

The Garmin device's must "publish" their capabilities (a simple xml file based on a Garmin standard descriptor xsl schema).
BaseCamp would need to read that file and alerted the user to the data that was incompatible. At that time BaseCamp would either not transfer the data or at the users request, adjusted the data to meet the devices capabilities: e.g, reduce the number of Track Points to a compatible number, not send/hide the ggpx:Extended data types,, convert Geocaches to Waypoints compatible with the device, etc.

Okay, so this is a goal I think Garmin should embrace to completely differentiate their consumer products and Software from all others. It would also make it so customers didn't have to discover their devices technical capabilities through long frustrating trials.

Garmin product manuals are about the worst I've seen from a leading product manufacturer in my 40 years in industry :(

But, maybe that's a good thing :confused: and Garmin will not try to fix those manuals and just fund this concept. :)

Your thoughts are appreciated.

0 danham_ over 14 years ago

Just to help define these target segments, I'm going to disagree slightly that it's primarily motorcyclists who want to be able to manage pre-planned routes the way killtimer describes.

As a moderator of a very busy nuvi forum (gpspassion.com) I see lots of discussion of these same features, along with strong desire for more choices of custom data display, from our members, not that many of whom are two-wheelers.

And while I personally would use these features more on my bike, I would really find them useful in my "cage" as well.

This all points to the long-standing debate about whether Garmin will ever create two tiers of GPS: one that is "dumbed down" for the soccer moms (sorry), and one for power users.

-dan

0 Former Member over 14 years ago

DANHAM,

When you say ". . .two tiers of GPS", do you mean specific to the nüvi brand? I ask only because there are obviously a few "power user" GPS's in the Garmin On Trail and On Road (zumo 66x) brands.

0 Former Member over 14 years ago

KILLTIMER: . . .These two uses are quite alien to the majority of motorcyclists who are quite happy with the auto-routing automotive feature set that currently exists...... But I'm also of the mind that the last road going GPS that Garmin produced that was worth buying is the gpsMap 478 Chartplotter, so I also realize that I'm a very small blip on Garmin's radar.

Here, here!!!

Having spent the past four years working with the zumo brand to try and get a worthy successor to the GPSMAP 478 line of Chartplotters, you are not alone KILLTIMER. I've all but given up on this effort until the Montana broke light of day. I don't expect even that unit will have all of the features of the past but it appears to be a very promising platform. Who knows, maybe even the zumo brand will get it one of these days.

To bad we don't have those brand's Dev Team's represented in the Garmin Forum.

Cheers,

0 azdrmn over 14 years ago

First, let me say that I didn't mean to imply that we see segments as large masses of users that all have the same, unique needs. There are many nuvi users that want the GPS to go the way they planned the route in BaseCamp, or they probably wouldn't have planned it.

As for a two-tiered approach to automotive GPS's, I think it's a great idea that you should probably share on the ideas portal. I loved the StreetPilot 2700 series.