Maps for Garmin based on OpenStreetMap
Using big size maps
Some maps, such as the one of whole Europe or United States of America, exceed the size admited by the installer (2 GB) or even memory cards (4 GB), so installation, and specially transfer to GPS device, requires several steps that are detailed below.
Installing maps on the computer:
Linux: process is quite similar to the one described at Using the maps. The only difference is that downloaded file is a zip file and after uncompressing it you get several files called MapData_Country-X.zip. If you have wine installed on your system, you can then run the installer (file OpenStreetMap_Country.exe). Otherwise, you'll need to also uncompress files MapData_Country-X.zip.
Windows: first step is uncompressing downloaded file. Any unzipping tool can be used, but some users have reported problems when using Windows built-in unzipping tool. In case of problems, it is recommended to use 7-zip to uncompress zip files.
After uncompressing you'll have something like this:
Next you just have to run the installer (file OpenStreetMap_Country.exe) and follow wizard steps.
Mac: the process is the same as described at Using the maps.
Sending maps to GPS:
Memory cards file system has a limit regarding maximum file size allowed. This limit is 4 GB, so it is not possible to install whole Europe map in a single file. So it is necessary to select which parts of the map you want to have in your device and send them to the GPS without exceeding that limit. In the following section the way to accomplish this is described, using free Garmin software MapSource or BaseCamp (MapInstall). If our device is able to read several maps at the same time (see FAQ), after transferring one part of the map we can rename the file created in our device and repeat process to send a new area.
MapSource: once the map is installed, start MapSource and activate the map:
Next you must select tiles you want to send to device, using MapSource Map tool. Check total size of all tiles doesn't exceed 4 GB:
Finally, mapset must be sent to device:
BaseCamp: along with BaseCamp another program called MapInstall is installed. That's the one we'll use to send maps to device. Open MapInstall and activate Europe map, as shown in the image below:
Next you must select the tiles you want to send to the device by left clicking on them (right click to deselect), having into account that total size is lower than 4 GB (or the free space in the memory card):
Once tiles are selected, click Continue button and finally click Install.
You can leave your comments on this page below:
Comments (15)
Topic: Big Maps
Sort
Hello, is it possible to directly divide the map(File for GPS / Android / QMapShack) of China into multiple parts like the United States? This solves the 4G file size limit.
Admin:
Yes, it is possible, but it requires a lot of work to prepare it. I'm currently preparing USA map in that way and I stimate it can take at least one more week to have it ready.
Reply
Permalink
Flag
0
012th June 2023 8:48am
wangxiaodongdong (China)
not showing contour line in Garmin GPS unit when the partial map installed but it is displayed in BaseCamp
Admin:
When you send map to device you must make sure to also select and send the tiles containing contour lines. They are in a different set of tiles.
8th May 2022 2:59pm
ottosykora (Basel, Switzerland)
no idea what is wrong, but when I attempt to install the openstreetmap.exe, all the map files in the folder are deleted.
The software itself can not be found on the pc after this either.
So I can start the download again.
what is wrong here?
The software itself can not be found on the pc after this either.
So I can start the download again.
what is wrong here?
28th April 2022 8:50am
Page 1 of 3
