GPS vendor launches developer tools website
May 29, 2007

location based services

Garmin International has launched a website for software developers and content providers building applications and data content compatible with the company's navigation systems. The Garmin Developer website offers both free and licensed resources including a library of APIs (application programming interfaces), toolkits, and web services for navigation application development, according to the company.

Garmin says its developer website offers resources for six core products: the Communicator Plugin, MotionBased Web Services, Content Toolkit, PeerPoint Messaging System, LBS Toolkit, and Fleet Management Interface.

The Communicator Plugin API is a browser plugin and JavaScript support code that allows developers to transfer location data such as waypoints, track logs, maps and points of interest (POIs) between a website and navigation device. An example is MotionBased.com, a web application that translates GPS data into functional analysis and online mapping for endurance and outdoor athletes.

The PeerPoint Messaging System uses a Garmin-developed location message format to send precise latitude and longitude information to phones running the Garmin Mobile XT application. The company says this published SMS interface will be useful for location-based websites, fleet management systems, and other applications that need to integrate remote destination sending and navigation.

The Location-Based Services (LBS) Toolkit lets developers add LBS to any Java-based mobile phone application, according to Garmin. It incorporates the navigation API, local search, real-time content delivery services, and mobile advertising delivery services into a single platform.

Garmin also announced the MotionBased Web Services API, which is intended to enable third-party websites to store, manipulate, and display Garmin GPS data with little or no development. The API will be available for testing sometime this summer, according to the company, and will compliment the Communicator Plugin API.

Garmin also offers Mobile Smartphone SDKs, said to provide mobile applications running on Windows Mobile or Palm OS devices with access to GPS information, interactive maps, and intelligent routing including live traffic conditions. These SDKs enable the creation of various LBS applications for smartphones, Garmin said.

Charles Morse, Garmin's director of mobile and PND marketing, stated: "Until recently, third party websites have been unable to communicate easily with Garmin devices. By expanding our developer applications and allowing programmers to integrate Garmin's leading-edge technology into their sites, we are making it easier for third party content providers to leverage the huge community of Garmin devices."


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