Combine .img OpenStreetMap files to use in a Garmin GPS

Problem

You would like to create your own map that includes different tiles and upload it into your Garmin’s SD card.

Solution

  • Make sure that your SD card is formatted with the FAT32 file system and not with the default exFAT that comes as standard in some > 32GB SD cards. There is no limit in the size that your Garmin can read provided is FAT32.
  • In your SD card create a directory called Garmin if it does not exist.
  • Download the latest version of the program mkgmap from here
  • Put all your .img tile files in a directory called my_tiles for example.
  • Go to the directory that you downloaded the mkgmap zip file and extract the files
  • Run the following to combine them all toghether:
    ./mkgmap.jar --gmapsupp  $( ls my_tiles/*.img )
  • Rename the resulting image file and upload it to your Garmin SD card inside the Garmin folder