TMCnet News
Magellan MapSend Topo 3D USASANTA CLARA, Calif., Dec. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Thales, global provider of Magellan(R) consumer GPS products, announced today the introduction of Magellan MapSend(R) Topo 3D USA software; a powerful, seamless map database with topography, street detail and thousands of searchable points of interest (POIs) for the 48 contiguous United States and Hawaii. Today's announcement represents three "firsts" for the consumer GPS market. MapSend Topo 3D USA is the: information on 30,000 outdoor recreation destinations from Trails.com. * First to combine essential data from Trails.com, NavTeq and the U.S. Geological Survey 30-meter National Elevation Dataset, the most detailed topographic data available in the U.S. * First 3D topographic software for the PC that also allows customers to download 2D topographic detail to a handheld GPS receiver for visualizing, planning and navigating outdoor adventures such as hiking, biking, hunting, cross-country skiing, and more. "MapSend Topo 3D USA joins a wide range of Magellan software solutions that uniquely tailor the functionality of a Magellan GPS receiver to meet people's specific needs for their favorite outdoor activities," said John Parrott, manager of cartography for Magellan content and mapping products. "It delivers an extensive array of tools and information, both at the desktop and in the field, for explorers who want to take the guesswork out of navigating unknown terrains." On a PC, MapSend Topo 3D USA provides a simple, one-click switch from a detailed, searchable, two-dimensional map view to an interactive, three-dimensional view. The 3D view on a PC allows customers to rotate, tilt, customize and explore a geographical area to gain a thorough understanding of the terrain. Outdoor enthusiasts can save and transfer waypoints and routes to and from a PC and GPS receiver. Navigators can find trails, natural landmarks, street addresses and more from a searchable database containing thousands of urban and outdoor destinations. When downloading MapSend Topo 3D USA to a compatible Magellan GPS receiver, customers can select the exact map areas they want and change the map region as often as needed. When using an optional industry standard Secure Digital (SD) memory card to store data for the GPS, users can load a detailed map area as large as the state of Washington on a 64MB SD card, for example, or fill a 240MB SD card for access to areas roughly the size of California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington combined. Viewed on the GPS receiver, the software provides a clear, crisp two-dimensional rendering of the surrounding terrain with topographical contours that redraw quickly as the customer moves to a new position or changes the map view zoom level. It also provides elevation profiles of routes, tracks, roads, streams, and more. In addition, users can create and edit waypoints, routes and tracks on a Magellan handheld GPS then download them to a PC when they return from an adventure. Likewise, customers can transfer customized data from a PC to a GPS receiver. By default, uploaded maps include topographic contours, waterways, POIs and detailed street maps. However, users can also customize this detail to suit their needs from three complete, integrated sets of must-have, searchable POIs: Trails.com: This exclusive data contains detailed trail and route information from 1,000 popular guidebooks for approximately 30 recreational activities, including hiking, camping, fly-fishing, paddling, mountain biking, cross-country skiing and more. Navigators can download applicable information to their GPS receiver or access it on their PC. On the PC, each Trails.com POI can link to the website pages that relate to that destination. There, users will find helpful information about each destination, including the mileage of each specific hike, the degree of difficulty, the approximate amount of time to complete the hike and interesting things to look for along the way. Those who subscribe to Trails.com will gain additional information, including key route statistics, driving directions, skill-level ratings, real-time weather, user reviews and more. They can also preview, download and print guidebook chapters and USGS quad maps, and upload waypoints to a Magellan receiver. To provide these additional benefits, Trails.com will offer a free, introductory, three-month trial subscription to Magellan customers who purchase Magellan MapSend Topo 3D USA. "This partnership between Trails.com and Thales will provide an unprecedented solution for customers," said Rob Holmes, Trails.com co-owner and director of marketing. "The pairing of these interactive navigation and recreation resources gives customers the trip-planning tools they need to maximize their outdoor adventures and take full advantage of everything nature has to offer." NavTeq: MapSend Topo 3D USA delivers NavTeq street-level road maps and points of interest so users can locate addresses and phone numbers for restaurants, hotels, gas stations, ski areas, and more. Users can search by street name or address on a GPS receiver to see the street location of an address on the map, and can also save the location as a waypoint and use it as a destination for point-to-point routing. U.S. Geological Survey: The Magellan software includes thousands of landmarks, including mountain summits, valleys and springs from the U.S. Geological Survey, which can be searched by name or proximity to locate natural wonders like Mount Shasta, Old Faithful, Cumberland Gap and more. Customers can preview these features and experience the software's benefits with the MapSend map viewer available at http://www.magellangps.com/webviewer. MapSend Topo 3D USA is licensed for use with one Magellan GPS receiver, and is compatible with Magellan Meridian(R) Color, Platinum, Gold, and Marine as well as the SporTrak(R) Color, SporTrak Pro, SporTrak Pro Marine and SporTrak Map. Other MapSend solutions include the all-new MapSend Lakes USA, MapSend Topo Canada MapSend DirectRoute(TM) North America, Magellan MapSend BlueNav(TM), and international titles. For information on these and other Magellan products, visit http://www.magellangps.com/. About Thales' navigation business Thales' navigation business unit develops and manufactures world leading positioning, navigation and guidance equipment. It markets its Magellan brand GPS solutions in the consumer electronics, recreation, and automotive markets, and its GPS and GNSS professional products in the survey, GIS/Mapping, and OEM markets. Key innovations include the first U.S. commercial hand-held GPS receiver for positioning and navigation, and the first handheld GPS with industry standard Secure Digital Memory Card capabilities. Thales' navigation business unit is headquartered in Santa Clara, CA and has worldwide operations. For more information, visit http://www.thalesgroup.com/navigation (C) 2004 Thales SA. All rights reserved. Magellan, MapSend, BlueNav, Meridian, SporTrak and DirectRoute are trademarks of Thales. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Thales' Navigation; Magellan CONTACT: Angela Linsey-Jackson of Thales Public Relations,+1-909-394-5062, [email protected] Web site: http://www.trails.com/ Web site: http://www.thalesgroup.com/navigation Web site: http://www.magellangps.com/ Web site: http://www.magellangps.com/webviewer |