Selecting a GPS for Bridge Hunting

A GPS having the following features is recommended:

• Destination Entry: the entry of destinations in decimal latitude and longitude should be supported as this is the format provided here. (Very few bridges have street addresses!) Luckily this form of entry is common to many GPS units so this feature should not be hard to find. If the GPS unit only accepts coordinates in DMS you can use the conversion provided by the google map of the bridge, although this may be less convenient.

• Multiple Destinations: Look for a GPS that allows trip planning to multiple destinations with automatic optimization of stops. Most basic GPS units allow only one destination but it is more convenient when exploring bridges to enter the locations of all nearby bridges at once and have the GPS optimize the route. It should be possible to assign unique names to each destination for easy identification and possible to cancel individual destinations.

• Text to Speech: provides synthetic voice announcements of upcoming turns and street names. Speech is less distracting at an intersection than is a visual indicator on the GPS. 

• Automatic alternate routing: This is a key ease-of-use feature for when you miss a turn, experience a map error, come to a closed road or just want a different route than the GPS.

• Other Considerations: the trend today in GPS design is to add “bells and whistles” that contribute nothing to navigation  (such as the ability to view text or videos or play MP3 or games). Don't judge the GPS based on these features.

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