GPS track proximity/geofence software?!?

[smerrrett]

Hi,

I am a bit of a novice when it comes to GIS software and I have a datalogging/analysis requirement. I was wondering if you would be kind enough to point me in the right direction towards the sort of product I should investigate. I would prefer free software, but I would be prepared to pay for a product which met my requirements exactly. my original requirement was this:

"I have several (upto 50 per day) vehicles which carry Garmin GPS. I would like to be able to download their tracks and superimpose them on a map background (doesn't have to be raster - could be JPEG or PDF?). For each waypoint on the track (which don't have to be high in number - I can accept a lower resolution track) I would like to record the date and time it was recorded as well as which track it belongs to. I need to be able to interrogate the track logs so that I can easily superimpose tracks on the map background between two specific times and dates. The next priority function I would like is to be able to is to count how many tracks converge (within a tolerance of 10-50 metres) and where they converge, between two specific times and dates."

Well, I had a bit of a dig around and thought I could simplify my requirement if it meant I was more likely to get a solution, so here goes:

1) The first need is the ability to superimpose tracks on (extremely basic) mapping. Garmin's Trip and Waypoint Manager already does this. It would be nice if I could group several separate tracks together and save them as one, but this is a nice-to-have rather than a need-to-have.

2) This is the tricky bit. Having collated the tracks, I want to be able to draw lines (such as a geofence line) or waypoints (with a proximity radius allocated to each one). I would need up to 2000 of these lines or waypoints but hopefully, as this is all done on a computer rather than a GPS receiver, the quantity of lines and waypoints would be easy to store in the memory. I then want the software to count how many times the tracks which I have overlaid onto the mapping have crossed each line or come within the proximity radius set to each waypoint. I do not necessarily need to be able to tell which tracks have done it or when they did it, a total number of hits/breaches for each line or waypoint would do nicely. Tabular text output would be fine."

What do you think - does anything spring to mind? Thanks for taking the time to consider this.

S

[robertn]

I don't know of any consumer based (free or otherwise) software that does this. This kind of functionality is extensively covered in the commercial vechile tracking market - have a look at Navman's Wireless divsion for an example of what can be done, and I am sure plenty of others can do it as well.

The only issue with these solutions is cost, as you already appear to have invested in Garmin devices and most of these companies install propritory devices. It could be worth talking to someone and seeing if they can take the data from you Garmins and apply it to their applications. It won't be free.

If you hunt around, one of the smaller commercial solution providers may have done this already, or be prepared to modify their sofwtare to do this for you. The task is not difficult, but as with any bespoke software developement, would not come cheap.

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