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TopoActive Maps on GPSMAP Handhelds
TopoActive mapping is optimized for outdoor activities and comes preloaded on a number of GPSMAP® outdoor handhelds.
What Are the Features Included in TopoActive Maps?
Routable roads, trails, and walking paths; international boundaries, waterways, natural features, land use areas, historical sites, airport structures, buildings, and more. TopoActive maps will not supply turn-by-turn routing in automotive routing profiles.
Loaded with thousands of points of interest, including shops, restaurants and bars, car parks, schools and universities, and accommodations.
Contour line information varies based on location and the detailed information that OpenStreetMap has for that area. For example, contour or elevation lines are at roughly 100ft intervals for the North America TopoActive map. Other regions may use a shaded relief map and contain no contour lines.
TopoActive mapping will include any fire trails that are present in OpenStreetMap (https://www.openstreetmap.org). Many fire trails are included, but we cannot speak to their completeness. They will appear as unpaved roads on the map.
While there are many points of interest searchable with the installed TopoActive mapping, there is no address search function.
The quality of the coverage will depend on the region. Urban areas will typically be more developed while coverage in rural areas may not be very good. TopoActive Maps are a Garmin OpenStreetMap Product.
To use turn-by-turn navigation with courses the device must have a map that supports it and must be set to an activity type that supports this feature. If TopoActive mapping is enabled the activity type must be set to cycling, tour cycling, mountain biking, pedestrian walking, hiking, or mountaineering. The automobile, motorcycle, and ATV/off road driving activity types require using City Navigator® or TOPO 24K mapping.
Coverage of preloaded TopoActive Maps is based on where the Garmin device was purchased. For example, if purchased in the United States it will come preinstalled with TopoActive North America.
Coverage for North America is comprised of three different files on the handheld:
Canada/Alaska
United States (all U.S states except Alaska)
Middle America (South of the U.S. border)
The following examples show what the map can look like at different zoom levels.
NOTE: Images are taken from a GPSMAP 66i handheld. Detail and coverage may vary depending on the specific device you are using and the region you are using it in.
The following examples show a comparison of what the new US TopoActive mapping can look like compared to the US Topo 100k.
NOTE: Example images are taken from BaseCamp™ software and may have a slightly different appearance on your device.
US Topo 100k
US TopoActive
Routing With the TopoActive Map
TopoActive mapping is routable and can give calculated, lock-on trail or street, turn by turn guidance to a destination.
This map has several different routing options available.
While TopoActive mapping will provide road and trail navigation for Hiking and Cycling, it will only give straight-line navigation when routing is set for Automobile or Motorcycle Driving. The TopoActive mapping is based on OSM (OpenStreetMaps) that have not been verified safe for automotive driving. Also, the option for navigating to an address is not available with this map.
Changing Routing Settings on a GPSMAP Handheld
Press MENU twice to access the main menu.
Select Setup.
Select Routing.
Select Activity to change the activity used for route calculations.
NOTE: If this option is not available, toggle off Direct Routing.
OpenStreetMap Details
OpenStreetMap (OSM) is developed and added to by community mappers around the world. OSM is a highly detailed dataset. In many rural areas of the world, OSM has medium-to low-detailed data. Features are added and edited by community members with local knowledge. Coverage of features may vary and includes geographic locations, place names, landmarks, points of interest, hydrographic features, and land-use/land cover. OSM is an open data source. OSM also includes an open data source elevation dataset. The scale is not consistent because the OSM data is Volunteered Geographic Information. Scale detail can vary from 1:24K or better in major urban areas to much higher scales in more rural areas.
You can contribute to this database for future releases by adding, updating, editing and commenting:
Go to OpenStreetMap.org.
Create a free account.
Follow the outlined steps for becoming a contributor.
If you prefer not to map the updates, you can add a comment at the location that needs reviewing and other contributors will review, investigate and apply the update when appropriate.
OpenStreetMap Terms and Conditions ~ Certain Garmin products include OpenStreetMap data. Garmin OpenStreetMap products are not subject to the End User License Agreement (EULA) terms, but rather are subject to the Terms and Conditions set forth below. OpenStreetMap data is copyright OpenStreetMap contributors and is subject to the Open Database license. Any rights in individual contents of the OpenStreetMap data are licensed under the Database Contents License.
No Warranty ~ Garmin OpenStreetMap products are provided to you “as is,” and you agree to use it at your own risk. Garmin and its licensors, including the licensors, service providers, channel partners and suppliers, and affiliated companies of Garmin and its licensors, make no guarantees, representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, arising by law or otherwise, including but not limited to, content, quality, accuracy, completeness, effectiveness, reliability, merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, usefulness, use or results to be obtained from the Garmin OpenStreetMap products, or that the content or server will be uninterrupted or error-free. The Garmin OpenStreetMap products are intended to be used only as a supplementary travel aid and must not be used for any purpose requiring precise measurement of direction, distance, location or topography. Garmin makes no warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of the map data in the OpenStreetMap products.