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243 New Speed Camera Locations

  • 14-03-2013 7:23pm
    #1
    Registered Users Posts: 2,031 ✭✭✭


    http://www.garda.ie/gosafe.htm

    I see that the An Garda have announced 243 new speed camera locations today. Any of the tech savvy boardies working on a download for Tomtom ?


Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 5,009 ✭✭✭mikeecho


    heres the KMZ file for the locations

    http://www.garda.ie/documents/user/SafetyZones12032013.kmz

    if you save that file and then you can convert it to a format TomTom can understand, using one of the many online converters.

    (i'm more of a garmin man myself)


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,502 ✭✭✭zg3409


    Can someone upload/link to a GPX conversion of the kmz file for the Garmin sat nav. I have attempted to use all online converters to no avail.

    I first uncompressed the kmz file to a kml file larger in size that seemed fine.

    Using several converters I converted the KML to GPX but none of them would upload using Garmin POI uploader.

    I can upload other GPX files, so it just seems to be details on the format. I can also upload CSV files, but these do not seem to have as much detail, just individual undefined start/end points instead of zones.

    http://www.mypois.ie/download_vr2.php is looking for 20 Euro for the data, that site used to be free...


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,502 ✭✭✭zg3409


    I am making progress on this. I will update once tested etc. In the meantime if anyone else has already done this then let me know.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,502 ✭✭✭zg3409


    261717.jpg

    This is for Garmin only, but may be helpful for other models too.

    The good news
    The zones shown are more accurate than Garmin's own official system (until they update them)
    Fixed cameras are also added (13 in total)
    It works quite well in real world practice
    It may work better than most/all pay options (it does not have regular Garda locations)

    The bad news
    It does not have speed limits along with the zones (your sat nav will display the normal road limit and your speed)
    At least one fixed camera is not in the database (very close to Dundalk on old road)
    It will never have the 5 Garda mobile camera van zones, as they can go anywhere.
    It only has the mobile private van locations, and 13 fixed cameras.
    The tracks are not listed as a start and end marker, but individual points every 100m or so, meaning the sat nav will regularly bing, but not say the end of zone.
    It does not have user input, "the garda are usually hiding here", positions.
    It does not have any Northern Ireland info at all, which should be noted by those passing through the north regularly.

    Procedure
    Connect your Garmin Nuvi Sat Nav using a USB cable to the PC. You may need to install the usual Garmin drivers etc, as you would normally need to download map updates etc.

    Also install Garmin POI Loader (available from the Garmin Website)
    http://www.garmin.com/us/maps/poiloader

    Download my files attached (see below this post)

    Run the poi loader software
    Click next, garmin device, next, your device should be listed, install new custom POI, next,
    Browse for the files you downloaded earlier, both files should be put in the same folder.
    IMPORTANT - CHANGE FROM EXPRESS TO MANUAL, next,
    Tick "this file contains proximity alerts"
    Alert when speed is greater than (Select 1km/h, not another value)
    You need to do this for both files (one directly after another) and then finish.
    You should get a result of more than 7,000 waypoints uploaded.

    Disconnect your GPS unit then power it up. On the Nuvi go to settings, then down arrow, then proximity points, then change alerts.
    Untick Garmin Safety Cameras (if you do not want out of date info) and tick "Custom POIs"
    The unit will now "bing" every 100m or so during an camera van zone. It will bing once or twice for a fixed camera.
    Note the speed limit displayed is not correct (set to 1Km/h above). When it bings, check you speed compared to the speed limit displayed, assuming your sat nav displays speed limits.
    If the bings are annoying turn the volume down, under audio you can also set continous tone.


    If anyone has the fixed camera location just south of Dundalk town, on the old road then please let me know. It can be seen here:
    http://www.irishspeedtraps.com/index.aspx
    and Click on the STATIC TRAPS tab. Personally I feel this site has far too many points, for every day use, and even though they claim every point is checked, there are a few points right beside one another on say, the M50, where cameras have not yet been fitted, rather than just one point. I noticed that the new mobile zones do indeed have a fixed camera road sign at the start of each of them. Info for Northern Ireland would be welcomed too.

    If anyone has a better way of doing this or comments etc then please feel free. I asked Garmin to update their database, and I sent them a link to the files. I don't condone speeding, just use it as a way to check your speed regularly. I passed 2 mobile vans and two fixed Garda checks in the past month, but I was not speeding for any of them. If I had I could have a handful of points already. One of the checks was the mobile Garda vans which can go anywhere, which this database does nothing to help, and further checks on my speed were in Northern Ireland. Stay safe!

    No need to read this, except for those interested; just an explanation of how it was done:

    I had the help of another online assistant. Thanks for your time!
    He uncompressed the KMZ to KML (using z-zip or whatever), and converted it to GPX using GPSVisualizer.
    Then he opened it in Mapsource and re-saved it using mapsource as GPX, which will usually sort out any structural problems with the GPX.

    Then converted the tracks to waypoints (not sure exactly how)

    It is these waypoints, rather than tracks we are using. These are individual dots without starts or ends. (7,073 + 13 fixed points)

    I then manually added 13 fixed cameras using an online excel to KML converter! I imported it into Basecamp, then exported it as gpx, and uploaded it using the poi loader

    The points can be viewed using the Garmin software BASECAMP (formerly MAPSOURCE), downloadable from Garmin. I could not find anyway using Basecamp to mark the points as proximity alert points with a speed. The database on the Garda website does not include speed limits. To add these you would need the speed limits for each point on the road, and then add the correct limit for each location, or for hobbiests probably group all the zones by road type and possible speed limit, and then upload each "group" of waypoints seperately and apply the same limit in Garmin POI loader to each group. Then they would display in black or red depending on over/under the limit.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,502 ✭✭✭zg3409


    I see some older info and comments on paid versions are on this old thread:
    https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056092568


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  • Registered Users Posts: 6,502 ✭✭✭zg3409


    I thought I would show a couple of photos of it in action.

    This is my normal display, when not being guided to a destination

    261916.JPG

    The speed in the red circle is the speed limit of the road, and the speed to the left is actual vehicle speed.
    The vehicle speed changes to red if above road speed limit.





    261917.JPG

    This is the alert triggered. It does not give a speed camera symbol, but it does remind you to check your speed.


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