Mark Roach is the founder and owner of the Gismap GPS Shop, an online business in South Africa specializing in Garmin GPS systems. The business is operated from a simple, efficient home office by a small but dedicated staff who take great pride in providing great products and a superior service.

Mark picked up the nickname of “MadMapper” (often shortened to “Mad” for some strange reason) in the late 1990’s, whilst roaming the vast expanses of Southern Africa, capturing GIS data with a Differential GPS (backpack) system almost grafted to his back. His preferred mode of travel during those years was a Yamaha XT600 Tenere and an old but reliable III series Landrover and, although it was fun while it lasted, he eventually ran out of duct tape and cable ties and was forced to settle down and get married.

The GPS Times is a uniquely South African GPS News Blog, created with two goals in mind:

  • to help South Africans keep up to date with the fast changing GPS marketplace and
  • to give the MadMapper a place to air his views and thoughts…

Hmmm… Hopefully more of the former and very little of the latter ;-)

Anyhow, we hope you find this blog as informative and as entertaining as we do and we look forward to your comments and suggestions.

MadMapper - my friends, however, just call me Mad… ;-)