This is a short comment on MapSource cartography, specifically
the Spain MetroGuide, the only available so far for my country.

This comments correspond to my very first impressions on the
product, based on a short and intensive testing session, together
with a very helpful and nice GPS distributor in Madrid.

Disappointment is the word!

1. Only Madrid area and the eastern coast of the country are
   included in the CD (See adjoining MAP).

2. Street maps are limited to:

   - Madrid (very good)
   - Barcelona (very good)
   - Valencia (very good)
   - Seville (quite poor)

3. The full detailed areas occupy a little bit more than 8MB.

4. For the rest of the country, the maps are simple lines of
   major roads, with very poor or null detail. Even the
   base map on the old G-III was much better, not to mention
   MapSource WorldMap (which is known by its lack of detail).

Yes I know; Garmin states that:

Coverage for Spain includes: the Mediterranean coastal cities, Seville,
Madrid and Barcelona.

And I also know that digital cartography is expensive outside
the USA.

But...

Is it correct to pay the same price for the U.K. MetroGuide,
which everyone judges as excellent and very complete, than for
the extremely limited Spain MetroGuide? (8150 KB of maps...)

And the worse is: I take with me my G-III+. We downloaded my
waypoints to MapSource and we were really disappointed as there
were more than 150 m of error in the positions on the
Madrid street map!!! Note that those waypoints had been taken
recently (no SA), using Rasant DGPS correction (1 m, proven
on Madrid 1:10,000 map with OziExplorer)... No matter the
datum that we chose on both the GPS and MapSource.

Bad news... Frankly speaking, not only the cartography is very
incomplete; the street maps may be inaccurate...

Garmin, why didn't you check for good digital maps (they are,
for sure!) see: http://www.geoplaneta.es/home.asp

I think that Garmin is asking a lot of money for a
beta product which must be still improved.

I am waiting for the Roads and Recreation CD for my G-III+,
and only then, when I could make serious testing on the maps
and the software, I will be posting some articles on the News Group.

Cheers,

Carlos Puch