Interactive help
Your journey starts here
Hi. Welcome to Navit's interactive help. Follow the steps below. After each question, choose the answer that matches best your needs, and you will jump to the next step. This guide will cover from code downloading to the problems you might encounter when using Navit, and possible solutions.
Do you want to learn more about Navit?
Learn more
Navit is an open source car navigation software product with a routing engine.
Its modular design is capable of using vector maps of various formats for routing and rendering of the displayed map. It's even possible to use multiple maps at a time.
The GTK+ or SDL user interfaces are designed to work well with touch screen displays. Points of Interest in various formats can be displayed on the map.
The current vehicle position can be read from gpsd, gypsy or directly from NMEA GPS sensors.
The routing engine not only calculates an optimal route to your destination, but also generates directions and even speaks to you using speechd, or the speech synthesizer of your choice.
Navit currently speaks more than 30 languages. For more information about translations, take a look at launchpad.
Do you want to start using Navit now?
Let's start
Please, make sure you check the prerequisites. If you miss one of them, Navit may build, but you may have no GUI.
Before continuing, ensure that you have the following installed.
See the list detailed per distro:
If your distro is not listed, feel free to add a dedicated page like above. Otherwise, here is what you will need:
Compilation tools:
- gcc
- libtool
- automake
- autoconf
You will need the following libraries. If you're using Gentoo, install simply the package. If you use a rpm-based distro, also install the <package>-devel.
- gettext
- glib2
- libxt-dev
Now, about the GUIs:
If you want to use the GTK GUI (great on low-power devices):
- gtk2
- libgtk2-dev
If you want to use the SDL GUI (best looking, but eat more resources and not as complete as the GTK GUI):
- g++ (gcc-c++ on opensuse)
- quesoglc
- Debian: There is now an official package in sid (aka unstable). You will need libglc-dev and libfribidi-dev. If you are using etch, you can fail back to http://www.tsleg.com/upload/data/MFQR_quesoglc_0.6.0-1_i386.deb
- LinuxICE/Ubuntu7.04: http://nghost-project.com/nghost/downloads/pool/linuxice/main/libquesoglc-0.6.5-0.deb
- cegui (at least 0.5)
- Ubuntu 7.10 see Building with Ubuntu 7.10
GPS receiver:
If you want to be able to connect to a GPS receiver, you will need:
- gpsd (at least 2.34, previous version has a bug with gpsfake for log replaying)
Fonts:
Navit will use the first font found in this list to draw the road names:
- Liberation ( https://www.redhat.com/promo/fonts/ ), there's a packaged for a lot of distro
- Arial (Install under Ubuntu: "apt-get install msttcorefonts")
Ok, we're ready to start.
What code do you want to use?
- A pre-built package for my distribution
- A release
- A SVN snapshot (recommended)
- I'm using Windows
- I'm using MacOS
If you don't know what to choose, SVN is currently recommended.
Fetch a release
You can get the latest official release from here: http://sourceforge.net/project/platformdownload.php?group_id=153410
Download the file, and extract it.
- Now you can jump to Building Navit
Fetch from SVN
Obtaining the code via svn.
svn co https://navit.svn.sourceforge.net/svnroot/navit/trunk/navit
- You should be ready for Building Navit
Fetch a package
What is your distribution?
Fetch: Archlinux
http://aur.archlinux.org/packages/navit/navit/
Fetch: Gentoo
An ebuild is available for Gentoo in the overlay sunrise. This ebuild is based on the svn version of navit to have an up to date version.
Once you install navit using this ebuild, you can follow the rest of this help. The only difference is that you will find the default navit.xml file in /usr/share/navit.
You should copy it to the ~/.navit/ directory (create it if it doesn't exists) or to your home directory. NavIt will look in both these places.
Next:
Debian
- See also Download Navit#Debian.
Packages for Debian are available for the following versions (http://navit.latouche.info/debian/ may be more up to date than this list):
Those packages are based on the SVN and are regularly updated.
Next:
Ubuntu
- See also Download Navit#Ubuntu.
Packages for Ubuntu are available for the following versions (http://navit.latouche.info/ubuntu/ may be more up to date than this list):
- gutsy (i386 only - builds stoped at svn rev 2301, please upgrade your OS)
- hardy (i386 and amd64)
- intrepid (i386 and amd64)
- jaunty (i386 and amd64)
- karmic (i386)
Those packages are based on the SVN and are regularly updated.
Next:
Ubuntu 7.10 Glues
Testing with Ubuntu 7.10 showed up the following (may vary depending on what is installed or what not)
- the X-libraries are not complete for navit, install libxmu-dev additionally from repository
- prebuild package quesoglc did not work because it has a dependency to /usr/lib/libGL.la which is not present (also after installing libmesa*)
- so build package quesoglc from tarball with --prefix=/usr
- repository package libcegui* did not work because using XERCES as xml-parser
REMARK the XERCES problem should be fixed in svn as of April 2008. Please give feedback so building from tarball with disabling nearly all but TGA and TinyXML and --prefix=/usr
- therefore additional libraries like libpcre3-dev are needed
- installed libgarmin from subversion because not found in repository
- installed libspeechd-dev from repository
- installed libtiff-dev from repository
- installed libdevil-dev from repository (unresolved external libILU..)
- installed gpsd (should provide libgps-dev)
Next:
Windows
Get the stable download, or the bleeding edge compiled daily from SVN.
More information at Navit on Windows.
Next:
Windows Mobile
Get the stable download (CAB) or the bleeding edge compiled daily from SVN.
Next:
MacOS
We are sorry, we don't have pre-built binaries for MacOS at this time. Please see Navit on MacOS.
If you need help about this, please contact us.
This should be pretty easy.
Go in to the Navit directory:
cd navit
Now, launch the compilation:
./autogen.sh && ./configure
Now, you sould have a summary like this:
Summary of your installation: GTK gui : ENABLED SDL gui : ENABLED GPS support : ENABLED SPEECHD : ENABLED Garmin IMG : ENABLED Samplemap : ENABLED
In some cases (for example ubuntu 7.10) there are some problems with python. Then type:
./autogen.sh && ./configure --disable-binding-python
If you're not happy, try to change the settings. If you're happy, you can run
make
This build Navit, and will also download the demo map of München (20Mo)
If you want a feature which is disabled, please go back and check the dependencies.
If you are eager to try navit now, run
navit/navit
Next:
NavIt needs to know some little things before it can be useful for you. First, you need maps.
- I have Reiseplanner, or another similar map
- I want to use garmin img maps
- I want to use OpenStreetMap
If you don't know, the best choice is probably OpenStreetMap.
If you just want to use the default demo map of München, you can continue:
For more information about configuring Navit, see:
Configure your receiver
Using a GPS receiver isn't mandatory, but... without it, you won't go far :)
Please see the following link: http://wiki.navit-project.org/index.php/Configuring_Navit#The_vehicles_definitions
When done, you can go back here to continue your journey.
If you have a recent Garmin GPS you could use it for testing Navit with gpsd in the following way (works for me on a E-Trex Vista)
- power on Garmin - connect it via USB or Serial cable to your PC - disable GPS at the Garmin - Select Find a Waypoint, Select demonstration mode and follow road (even on a basemap) - start gpsd at the PC (e.g. gpsd -N -D 3 /dev/ttyUSB0 for USB-cable - check tty device for garmin)
Your Garmin should now simulate a vehicle and give the simulated data to the usb or serial interface.
Probably you want to check your GPS manual if the device has a Simulation mode.
Hints are welcome for other devices.
Maps: Garmin
Warning: this driver is still experimental.
The following link should tell you everything you need to know about Garmin maps: Garmin_maps
- I've changed my mind, i want to use another map source
- I need help to get Garmin maps to work
- OK, I want to set up my GPS
IRC
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