Extending land navigation applications to support off road based on elevation and land characteristics

Most used software tools for land navigation don´t have the ability to calculate optimal path outside road network. They show direct Euclidian path from start and goal to nearest road facility. In this paper, we propose an extension for software tools of land navigation to calculate optimal Least Cost Path (LCP) outside road networks using land characteristics and/or digital elevation data (DEM). This extension can be used in off-road navigation by specifying a goal location over map and getting start location from Global Positioning Systems (GPS). Then display the path over a map, current location, and navigation aids. The experimental results of our emulated land navigation system shows that it can be used in real off- road navigation.