This thread is work in progress so bear with me. Its presence is primarily to remind me how to use the system as its complicated but I think I may have sussed it out but will forget how to do it as I have a memory span of a goldfish.

First and formost you may have come across OSM mapping systems , basically it stands for open street map which is available at http://www.openstreetmap.org/ the much acclaimed free mapping source at wiki.

Don't be misled by the name as its a worldwide map which is basically created by joe public worldwide and by registering you can help configure and update the map, this can be done with GPS logs or by using a Bing aerial image ( and other methods) which can be underlayed under the osm map to help you identify the roads tracks and paths.

If you want to contribute then best do all stuff with the save option rather than live data, be aware when you save and online the info is uploaded to the server so make sure whatever you do is as correct as you can make it and not giving away any details that you shouldn't be giving away, ie lane info. It uses a system called potlatch mostly as the editing source I will not waste time explaining it I am sure you can work it out for yourself. I am sure some are already doing their bit.

The downside with this is tampering and incorrect information could be entered but since even OS maps sometimes have errors its not all bad news. The vast majority of contributors though are legit and what it basically means is that the maps are ungraded and improved steadily with regular new releases and are done by those with eyes on the ground drawing mostly from local knowledge so if navigating abroad it should in theory be reasonably accurate.

Unfortunately this does mean if the nimby's get wind of it they could be busy deleting lanes and tracks or altering routes to foil the end user but I can foresee that as the mapping system becomes more complete and accurate in time this will likely be prevented with users being banned from altering a map to suit their own ends. Alterations take time to filter through to the end user, those using OSM directly will get updated ares done more quickly however using OSM directly is not an ideal solution. More on that later.

Did mention it is free? Yep it is!! no fees no royalties and user tweakable which is brilliant. Even better are that people upload track logs, I haven't quite worked out how to sort these yet as I have been preoccupied with trying to amend my local area maps and getting it to work with a navigation system but in time will work out how to best utilise this. It is in effect owned and run by the public which has limitations but a big kick in the teeth for google and world domination.

There does exist other systems of mapping and navigating but importantly these are not always properly downloadable or if they are usually cost loads, they are mostly designed be used whilst online or with a phone connection which is all designed to dip in our pockets and rob us of our hard earned cash and this can be limiting in rural areas that don't have connection available and would certainly be awkward in farther flung locations.

At this point you have probably gathered that OSM is downloadable, which it is. The achilles heel with this is that few apps can use it as because its free how can anyone make any money from it? This said there are some inroads into this and a few mapping and navigation apps are starting to embrace the OSM, some do not allow upload to a mobile device which is useless really as you really want to be able to map and navigate with a mobile device. Those that do cost quite a bit which negates the free aspect of the map to a point. The big downer though is with OSM loading directly is the server will limit your download to a tiny amount, a matter of a few tiles in fact which is okay for editing and local map routes but no good for navigating to Outer Mongolia.

Enter Navigator11 free!! It CAN use OSM and alledgedly can be used on a gps mobile system. Even if it cannot it definately can be used with a notebook or similiar compact device running a full system with a gps dongle as it is working on my laptop, but the feedback is by and large it works fine on a mobile device, so watch this space!!

I should also add at this point, it apparently can be run on Windows mobile, and android, meaning your smartphone can handle it as well and opens the door to a whole bunch of possibilities as well. No mac support I believe but who wants a mac anyway

Like I said this is work in progress and so far I have been playing around with the PC version and haven't strayed yet into the mobile technology aspect of it yet, its been hard enough to get it to function as I want it too, the main thing being I have wanted to import some tracklogs and also kml files to locate lanes from old information I have had from years ago.

This I have managed to do, not perfectly but usable because Nav11 doesn't actually directly support these files and they have to be converted by several way and systems, a workaround but it can be done!!

Previously I have used Quo mapping, its great being similar to memory map and a whole bunch cheaper but like MM it doesn't track up (ie rotate map to direction), it also doesn't calculate routes for you  have to manaully enter waypoints or traces which is a chore further more its only 2D and uses OS maps which are not readily available elsewhere.

The desktop Quo version now uses OSM maps but it does not currently support this on a mobile gps so by doing so making you purchase maps or using complicated workarounds which is pointless when it doesn't actually do everything as you would want in a generic sat nav.

Nav11 however is a whole different ball game, It works like  a conventional sat nav, giving  2d and 3d views, and turn by turn directions visually and also spoken directions all be it a little mechanical in its voice but rather brilliantly also says the road name if its written on the map, how cool is that!! Well it works on the PC anyhow when you simulate the route, whether or not it works with a mobile device remains to be seen. Nothing new in this mind, but it uses that all important OSM for free, I dare say that other systems exist that can do similar but this is the one I am currently pursuing.

It might seem a little nuts having spoken direction on a bike but given the fact that most can use ear pieces or better still blue tooth enabled wireless comms then imagine the possibilites, no more  squinting at a tiny screen and taking your eye of the road!! Right turn Clyde!!

This brings me back to another point, I am not sure how the spoken road direction works and presume somehow reads it from the map, I have seen that it may not work on the mobile gps but we shall see. If that is true then maybe later versions might have it enabled.

Now at this point you are thinking hey, this sounds quite good and free and might be for me, there has to be some catch and what is it?

Well so far I have found no real major problem other than the issue of some maps not being complete , but.... because the OSM servers are hard pressed to keep up demand what with people wanting maps and also with those amending and adding to current and future maps world wide, the servers have to limit downloads and basically limit OSM map downloads to a very tiny amount, in fact so small it would take an age to stitch the tiles together and make a map that covers a reasonable area.

Ah! Poop, no good then!! Well not quite. Nav11 uses its own servers but it alters the OSM file (.osm) to a .mca file, I presume this is because they have some control over their maps and so their system can navigate it like a Sat Nav does rather than a memory map or mapping type gps system.

So the upside is that you can download entire countries for free and navigate (most of it) for free as well and plot and plan your route before hand on a PC, but the downside is that corrected OSM maps will take longer to filter through especially with foreign and more backward countries like France for instance.

Uk maps do however appear to autoupdate fairly regular and load into your PC but as yet the missing roads I put onto OCM are yet to appear

I will add later how I get on with the GPS mobile but will go back to the Nav 11 on the pc for now as that is as far as I have got. It works fine with OSM and the workaround to load data does work sort of, not perfect but the information appears to be there.

So how to?

Navigator 11 free http://navigatorfree.mapfactor.com/en/

download and install as per instructions two options windows and android versions available, as I haven't got an android or even a teddy bear or a talking monkey either, I used the windows.

When properly installed to the PC you should end up with the navigator 11 setup utility icon, setup Nav11 as per instructions, DO NOT delete the setup utility icon once you have setup you need it to install maps to HDD or portable devices or install the app to the mobile gps.

Once you have it setup you need to download some maps as it will not function, open the setup utility by clicking on the icon goto >install mapdata>manage map downloads (or install to card or mobile at this stage option) check the free region tab top left and find what you want to download and let it do its bit, be aware some files are big so make sure you download at non peak times, but as its their servers its quite quick even with my rural broadband which is pants.

You should have two icons to run nav11 either paid or free, run free version if you run it without maps installed then you will get an error no maps installed, if maps are okay then all will work as per instruction

Initially when you open Nav11 you have a world map and you can zoom to the region you want using the - and + icons top left and right, there is the menu to centre, if you installed the map correctly you will see lines representing roads for the region you installed, in this case we assume the UK, zoom into the map and then you are ready to plot a route.

Now this is important and is where you come in updating OSM, some of the lanes and even roads will be missing!!! it not because anything is wrong with the dowload just that the OSM map is currently not showing the data and needs your input to add this, local knowledge is important.

Most likely the OSM maps can be amended offline with a osm map editor but as Nav 11 alters this from .osm to .mca then this may not be possible to alter them directly which is a shame but there maybe a gimmer of hope there.

.mca files are used by some game engines to create maps like first person shooters and several editors exist. When you think about it a Sat Nav is a bit like a FPS as you move through a system of map tiles to reach your goal so in theory it maybe possible to edit the file and map and customise it, there again it might not, I drifted off there, just typing out loud......

Anyway most roads are there and 'some' tracks. As far as I can see tracks get shown as grey routes on the map (mostly) time will tell how this gets incorporated in the pubic available osm maps.

Anyway back to using Nav 11..

There is a menu in the top centre of the map screen and this opens various options, clicking on the top right corner planet icon will return you to the map. Clicking on the map will open a sub menu that disappears after a short time, just reclick on map and it reappears, this has the options for setting start and finish with waypoints inbetween.

Now this is where it gets a little tricky, you can manually set a route or use calculate the route function, either works fine but as Nav 11 is quite smart it has an option to set vehicle type under the menu, so if you are in a bus or truck it will avoid certain roads, downside is the selecting car will also avoid the grey routes on the maps, ie most of the lanes as well if they are displayed as such.

Selecting cycle is a workaround, not ideal as following a calculated route might mean you end up down the wrong path or in your local branch of Halfords and any route simulations will be deadly slow. You can however edit or add to the vehicle type, so add motorcycle and tick the relevant boxes to allow it to use all the routes you want, I just ticked all of them and alter the speeds to suit as well.

Manual routes entered will only follow the route planned but having car selected will still reroute you around the wrong way unless you have altered the routes in the edit box for that vehicle type, so set it to either cycle or your new motorcycle addition go menu >vehicle type to change. To calculate or simulate route go to menu> route ( top left from menu), to delete and amend go menu>routing points

You can simulate the route and it will take you through the spoken directions as well but having cycle selected means it goes rather slow and so far I have not found out how to speed it up, having car selected goes faster but will avoid the chosen route!!

Sorry to harp on about OSM, but it needs support and your input, it needs the routes on there as well and the tracks shown as such, I came across loads that were lanes and marked as roads and many not shown at all.

Its important to recognise that If a road or track is not shown on the map Navigator11 like most Sat navs will still show your position but if there is no road or track displayed on the map then it will not turn up it on your route even if you put waypoints either end of where the road should be!! It will simply divert you around it which is the failing of most sat navs when used for "off the beaten track". It will only allow you to place waypoints on the marked routes!

MM and quo and similar others will follow your route regardless of the mapped terrain but the fact that you the end user can effectively change this all for the better on OSM then the implications for the future is that if you fix the map then in your local area then all will be well in the future.

Option of course is to continue on with purchased maps and systems like the outdated MM sytems using OS maps and similar but this is limiting and the future points towards the user  orientated mapping systems that does what the user wants it to do and at low cost.

There is a paid for version of Nav 11 aimed moreso at transport companies so they don't venture down lanes like the dutch driver did outside my house in his 18 wheeler last week, oh how we laughed (not) as he tried to negotite the crossroads.

Free version does however give you an option to download paid for topographical maps which I assume are more detailed. I haven't ventured into this territory as yet and have no idea whether all the missing info would be there or not, at the moment I am just making sure the osm bit works okay first and would not purchase a map unless of course I venture out of Devon into to the uncivilised world as we know it.

Its not particularly cheap but not really that expensive either but I think updates to map are not free either. Other packages from other vendors will I guess come about eventually and also will cost for commercial maps but give it a year or so and OSM will gradually take over in european area's and should by its nature remain free, only time will tell.

So these missing roads/lanes then? How in the mentime to fix them?

Well in the short term I am thinking a workaround might be to place two way point markers close together at the entrance to a lane where you know it to be, that way it will show and say the two waypoints close together like waypoint 21 then 22 straight after alerting you to the lane entrance, once on the lane the system should in theory (lol) reroute you and replot the route from the exit of the lane, this is all totally theoritical mind but it should work.

Eventually it should be less of a problem as the OSM data gets amended and converted but I guess being a free application then I cannot see them being in any major hurry to promote it, that said technology doesn't stagnate and there will be others entering into the fray no doubt.