GPS-based bike computer goes global and Google

By Steve Medcroft

The online bike-computer data management service MotionBased has expanded its database of maps to cover as much of the entire world as current map coverage provides. Which means subscribers to the service, who use Garmin GPS units to record data while riding, can map their treks anywhere from the Amazon to the Alps to Africa.

In another product enhancement, the company has leveraged the growth of the popular Google Maps function and now allows their subscribers to upload recorded GPS treks and view locations from their and the MotionBased TrailNetwork (with more than 100,000 public entries) database in Google Maps format. "There's not doubt that the introduction of Google Maps and Google Earth in last 6 months has not only revolutionized the way we view maps on the Internet but how we use maps in general," says MotionBased in their product release. By exporting a stored trek (a GPS rendition of a ride), subscribers can view trek data on a 3D map or overlaid on a satellite image.