| | What REALLY sets the Nuvi 500 apart from most of the other models, is the fact that it can display the DEM maps properly. DEM is Digitsl Elevation Maps. These are better thsan the TOPO maps, which are too cluttered, having a contour line ever 20m altitude. On a Topo map, it is often not easy to see if a concentrationof countours represents a mountain or a valley, a ridge or a kloof. The DEM maps are less cluttered with a contour line every 200m (one-tenth of the TOPO maps), however they make up for this by offering terrain-shading data at VERY high resolution. This gives a true 3D view of the terrain, with light and shadows, making it very easy to visualise the actual terrain topography. Very few GPS units are able to display these and the Nuvi 500 does this very well. Furthermore, the multimode offers two distinctly different ways of navigating to waypoints or collections of wapoints. The standard "follow the roads" navigating as viewed on the map, but also direct routing, i.e. straight lines between waypoints, which can be viewed either on the map, or on a compass screen which guides you alonf a direct path, along with groundspeed, elevation, time-of-day and, ETA. (Note: The time-of-day should have been replaced with ETE to be more useful.) This second mode is useful when travelling off-road, such as when walking, flying, 4x4, etc. | |
