GPS Unit + Laptop Computer: Fact or Fiction?

Greetings.

In my many years making natural history films for National Geographic, I have on several occasions seen the following: A scientist is traveling, by land rover or helicopter; he has a commercial GPS unit (often a Garmin) in one hand and a laptop computer on his lap. The GPS is plugged into the laptop, and what we see on the relatively large computer screen is pretty much what is being shown on the relatively small Garmin GPS screen. As the scientist and his trusty associate travel, the little icon representing their position moves along the map on the laptop screen, with the map screen resetting periodically as they make progress. Everything is controlled through the laptop -- the GPS unit is simply the computer's connection (or "tether") to the GPS network.

So I know this is possible. But how? Is there software that specializes in this? And is the Garmin Oregon 600 capable of it?

Thanks,
Paul

 

Thanks, Nuvi-Nebie. Very helpful. I will check into whether the Oregon 600 can output this data via its USB connector. So, just to be clear: With a laptop mapping program such as you described, I can plug my Oregon into the laptop's USB port, and the program will recognize the data stream coming from the GPS? And so if, for example, I am sitting in the passenger seat of a car with laptop and GPS, I will be able to track my position on the computer as we drive? Does the mapping program supply its own map or does it use the map I have loaded on the Oregon?

Thanks again.

Paul

 

Thanks a lot. Unfortunately, nRoute is Windows-only, so I'm on the trail of a Mac-compatible alternative.