looking for a GPS with a good API

Question

I'm looking for a GPS with a good API. I would like to be able to send an address to it, and tell it to navigate to that address. I also need to pull the current location from the GPS. I'd like to be able to do this with the GPS hooked up to a laptop by bluetooth or even just a USB cable.

I've looked at the Dash a little, but the monthly subscription is a downside. Also, I would like to keep the location and addresses on our private network.

I'm a .NET programmer, so a .NET friendly API is best for me.

Bonus points if you can show me some examples of using an API to push and pull data to and from the GPS.

Answer 1

If you want to talk to a Garmin GPS, you can check out their developer website. They've got resources ranging from talking to Web Services all the way to doing low-level Serial & USB I/O to interface directly with the devices.

Answer 2

I presume that by GPS you mean Satellite Navigation? Most GPS units don't offer the turn-by-turn capability required to navigate effectively on roads, or the underlying road map data for that matter.

updated: OK, since Garmin are by far the biggest dog in the yard, I'd recommend taking a look at Garmin's Location Based Services Toolkit, Fleet Management Toolkit and their Communicator API (specifically the DeviceControl module).

Answer 3

@ninesided,

Yes GPS = Global Positioning System. I'm looking for a dash-top GPS Navigator like a Garmin Nuvi, Dash Express, or TomTom One.

Answer 4

What about using a GPS enabled phone running WM? I have the Motorola Q9c. I'm working on a GPS Data Logger so I can map my flights. The windows mobile SDK has a great C# sample to work with.

Answer 5

Have a peek at routes.tomtom.com, they can send addresses to a TomTom.

(Warning: patent pending !)

Answer 6

GPS Devices normally don't normally provide turn-by-turn information.

Almost all GPS devices (internal, linked via bluetooth or whatever) conform to the NMEA standard, which simply provides a latitude, longitude and elevation encapsulated in a simple text-based protocol. Almost all of these communicate over a simple serial port, which you can get access to in about 4 lines of code using .NET.

Turn-By-Turn directions are computed by the device which the GPS is attached to - your PDA, Phone or computer. If there's an internet connection available, the Google Maps or Windows Live Local APIs are really easy to use (especially from .NET using a WebRequest or Sockets) and would probably be the best solution to your problem!