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Work with the GPS task pane

The GPS task pane displays current information from your GPS device, including the speed at which you are traveling, your latitude and longitude coordinates, the last time your position was updated, your compass heading, and a bar graph indicating the strength of the signals from the GPS satellites (four bars indicate the strongest signal, no bars indicate that no satellite information is being received). You can also use the GPS task pane to set GPS options, to provide input to the Driving Guidance feature, and to calculate routes from your current position.

GPS Task Pane

Set GPS options

Use the check boxes and option buttons in the GPS task pane to set the following GPS options:

Start GPS tracking—Select this check box to start receiving a location from your GPS and to track your current position on the map. As your location is updated, the map is refreshed to show your most recent position. MapPoint marks your location on the map with the GPS icon GPS icon. When you begin moving, the center of the icon changes to an arrow that points in the direction in which you are traveling (GPS arrow icon).

Provide Driving Guidance —Select this check box to start Driving Guidance. The Driving Guidance pane opens at the bottom of the MapPoint window. If you have not yet created a route, the Driving Guidance pane contains a message indicating that you need to create a route before using Driving Guidance. To use this option, Start GPS tracking must be selected.

Arrange map view—Select this check box to choose the way the map is updated as you change location.

Keep position centered—Select this check box if you want your location to be used as the center point of the map. To use this option, Start GPS tracking and Arrange map view must be selected.

Use Dynamic Turn View—Select this option button if you want MapPoint to change the map view as you travel to best show both your current location and the next instruction point on your route. To use this option, Start GPS tracking, Provide Driving Guidance, and Arrange map view must be selected.

Rotate map to follow travel direction—Select this check box if you want the map to rotate as you travel, so that you always appear to be heading toward the top of the map regardless of your actual direction. To use this option, Start GPS tracking must be selected.

Create GPS trail—Select this check box if you want MapPoint to mark your route on the map as you travel. If you use this option, you can save the map with the GPS trail that shows the route you took. The trail remains visible on the map until you delete it by selecting the trail and pressing Delete. To use this option, Start GPS tracking must be selected.

Routing Options

When you have started GPS tracking, you can create a route from your current location by entering an address for the end point of your route in the Recalculate route from current location to text box and clicking Go.

You can easily switch to the Route Planner pane to work with more complicated routes by clicking Route Planner.

Change task panes

To change from one task pane to any of the others (GPS task pane, Find Nearby Places, Route Planner, Territory Manager, and Legend and Overview), click the name of the pane that is currently open, and then, from the drop-down menu list, click the task pane that you want to switch to.

Note  If you are using a GPS device and you select Show GPS sensor when pane is closed in the Options dialog box, the GPS Sensor appears in the lower right corner of the map when a task pane other than the GPS task pane is open.

About GPS receivers

Configure a GPS receiver

Troubleshoot a GPS receiver