I used to have a GPS unit connected to a laptop in the old Superzuki, and with some greenlaning looming I thought I'd replicate the system in the latest Vitara -

So, we start with a large sheet of MDF, an old laptop bought for £40, a second-hand copy of "Fugawi" OS-Mapping software, some hardware from B&Q, a load of wires, and a Inverter...

I started by making a cardboard template that fitted snugly in the bottom of the dashboard well...

Then another cardboard template that replicated the footprint of the laptop, with some "ears" on the side to take the mounting bolts... and a bit of extra space at the back for all the wires...

Cut the piece to go in the well of the dash', and then stacked two triangles of MDF on top to raise the laptop platform up and over the "handle" front of the dash' well...

Then glued and screwed the unit together, stuck the bolts through the "ears" and fitted two bolts to slip into the back of the dashboard to hold the unit in place...

See? Countersunk the screws, and drilled the dash to take the little toilet door bolts.

Then the laptop can be bolted down using a couple of big washers and wing nuts...

The StreetPilot III GPS unit goes in, with a serial data cable to feed constant positional data into the laptop...

An external GPS aerial is tie-wrapped to the top of the Safari Snorkel... giving a nice line-of-sight up to the GPS Satellites. ;)

And that supplies the position to the GPS unit - which also does Sat Nav to get me too offroad / greenlaning locations in the first place... and the GPS unit supplies constant positional data to the laptop, and the "Fugawi" OS Mapping software... so called apparently, as in "where the FUGAWI" !!! LOL - it's got to be true when you think about it?!

The Fugawu software runs seamless OS Landranger Maps and constantly plots my position on and off road... see that little cross-hair in the middle of the screen? That shows where I am all the time, and as you drive it plots a red line showing the direction you are travelling in, and where you'll go if you follow the same course... so offroad it would show where you are on the greenlane, so it's easier to stick to the intended right of way...

Good 'eh?

More on this as I go offroading, I'll save some screenshots along the way! :D