There are a multitude of Mapping Resources available. These vary from $100 Garmin GPS units that you can pick up at almost any Wal-Mart or outdoors store, to $100,000 full-blown high-end Geographic Information Systems (GIS) with many more affordable choices in-between. We will run through a few things that you should consider when shopping for a GPS unit or other mapping resource such as desktop or laptop mapping software.

Selection Questions to Ask Yourself and Other Things to Consider

Purpose - Do you just want to see where you are on a basic street map or be able to view features off-road such as trails and aerial photos? Will you be on road only or on and off road? Do you want to be able to download your waypoints and tracks into mapping software? Garmin and Magellan make many good models for 'recreation grade' GPS units. Trimble and several other manufacturers make 'professional grade' units but for the most part you will want to stick with recreational grade units. Many of these recreational grade units also come with the software you need to view maps on the unit and sometimes on your computer too. Be careful though that you read as much as you can about the software. Some of the topo maps only have 50 foot contours, and unless you are in a fairly mountainous area those high interval contour lines won't do you much good.

Accuracy - The accuracy of GPS units has improved greatly over the last 10 years. Professional grade units can readily provide sub-four inch accuracy but most recreational grade units provide 10 to 20 foot accuracy with a much higher variation of accuracy within a dataset (larger standard deviation). For just about every recreational use though this level of accuracy is totally sufficient. If you are shopping for a GPS unit I would not worry too much about accuracy, just make sure that if you need professional grade accuracy (sub-meter or less distance) that you go with a professional grade unit.

Ease of Use - Oh man, this is key. If you can't figure out how to use your equipment then it will probably either sit on a shelf or be resold. The best way  to check ease of use of any type of equipment is to either play with it in a store, borrow a friend's, or read up online on the various message boards.

Available Data - Some GPS units come preloaded with data and some allow you to purchase specific data sets afterward to fine tune your equipment. Many of the recreational grade units allow you to add basic base data such as topographic maps. USGS topographic maps are nice to have as a back drop as they include a good bit of information. Higher-end units allow customization of your background data.

Cost - As mentioned earlier cost can vary from $100 to near six figures for hardware and software. Most recreational grade GPS units range from $100 to $500 with many good options below $300. Professional grade GPS units will cost a few thousand or more for sub-meter accuracy or better. Recreational software sometimes comes with the unit but there are many options for $200 or less, with several starting below $100 before you add background data.

Please contact us through the 'Contact Us' link to the left if you have any questions. We also own and operate Two Springs Consulting LLC which provides professional GIS, GPS, mapping and cartography services. You can visit Two Springs at www.TwoSpringsLLC.com.