GPS For Dummies

www.gpsinformation.net
Since 1997, Joe Mehaffey, Jack Yeazel, and Dale DePriest have compiled information about GPS, including receivers, software, and antennas. Their comprehensive and frequently updated Web site is packed with technical information, reviews, and common sense advice for novice to experienced GPS users. This site is a must for anyone who owns or is considering owning a GPS receiver. You'll discover something here, however much experience you have.

vancouver-webpages.com/peter/index.html
Peter Bennett's GPS site was one of the first Internet sites devoted to the topic of GPS. The site contains links and information resources for different brands of GPS receivers. If you're writing your own program to interface with a GPS receiver, this is the place to find out about National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) and other manufacturer communication protocols.

sci.geo.satellite-nav
This newsgroup is one of the best Internet resources for current GPS-related news. The newsgroup also features a cadre of frequent contributors who provide answers to all types of questions about GPS.

If you don't have USENET newsgroup reading software or your ISP doesn't carry the sci.geo.satellite-nav news feed, you can view and post group messages with a Web browser at Google's cache of this newsgroup.

groups.yahoo.com/group/Magellan_Meridian
One of the best sources of information on the Magellan Meridian GPS receiver.

www.edu-observatory.org/gps/gps.html
If you're interested in technical, nitty-gritty details of GPS, check Sam Wormley's GPS Resources Web site. It's a collection of links to sites that get into the science of GPS and other resources that are more suited to the average consumer GPS user.

www.doylesdartden.com/gis
David Doyle is an environmental geologist (and dart frog aficionado) who maintains an extensive list of U.S. digital map resources. His list at this site is organized by state. You'll find hundreds of links for aerial photographs, topographic maps, geological maps, and many other different types of digital maps.

www.macgpspro.com/html/newhtml/maplibrary.html
James Associates makes MacGPS Pro, a product for interfacing GPS receivers. The company hosts a list of United States and international free map sources.

www.lib.berkeley.edu/EART
Unlike the United States (where digital maps are readily available), in other parts of the world, accurate maps are considered essential to national security and can be difficult to obtain. One of my favorite sources for international maps is the University of California Berkeley's online Earth Sciences & Map Library, where you can download topographic maps for many countries.

www.lib.utexas.edu/maps
The University of Texas at Austin's Perry-Castaņeda Library Map Collection has an extensive collection of online maps (as well as links to sites that host maps) for countries and places all over the world.

oddens.geog.uu.nl/index.html
The most comprehensive collection of map links on the Internet is Odden's Bookmarks. This European Web site has over 20,000 links to maps and map sites all over the world. You can spend hours browsing through links to international map sources.

www.digitalgrove.net
Paul Pingrey is a longtime forester who recognized the importance of digital mapping for land management purposes and decided to spread the word. His Digital Grove Web site is a collection of mapping programs, map data sources, and information on how to create 2-D and 3-D maps. Pingrey focuses on free and low-cost programs, proving that you don't need to spend thousands of dollars on Geographic Information System (GIS) software or be a GIS professional to produce high-quality maps. Pingrey frequently updates his easy-to-navigate and well-designed site with new tools and information. If you're interested in desktop mapping (and you don't need to be land manager or forester), check it out at

www.terrainmap.com
The most definitive Internet resource on 3-D mapping is John Childs' Digital Terrain Modeling Journal. Childs' Web site presents practical how-to tutorials, data sources, and news for creating 3-D maps. Even if you aren't interested in making your own 3-D maps, you should visit this site just to see some of the stunning images that are possible to create by using free and low-cost software.