Bicycle Travel > GPS Discussion
How do you use the Adventure Cycling GPS waypoints?
JMilyko:
In a recent blog post (http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2012/08/how-do-you-use-our-gps-waypoints.html), we asked the question: How do you use our GPS waypoints?
As a department we are in the midst of designing a database for map creation and maintenance. Part of this includes our GPS waypoints. As we go along, we realize we really don't know enough about how you are using the waypoints. We want to make sure that what comes out of this process is at least as helpful as what is currently available and hopefully more so.
A few things we'd like to know about your use of the waypoints specifically include:
What would make them easier to use?
What about the waypoint names? Do you rename them? What if we rename them over time?
Do you like/use the sample routes provided?
Anything else we should know?
Routes & Mapping staff will be chiming in now and again throughout the conversation, perhaps asking more questions along the way. Your feedback will have an impact on what we do next so please help us help you.
.Jennifer.
tsteven4:
I use the gps data, including the waypoints and routepoints, to create online maps and google earth files showing the ACA routes. These are available at http://tsteven4.qwestoffice.net. Personally I use these in the winter to get ideas about next summers ride. Its nice to have the waypoint data so you can scan for campgrounds and imagine how the days might break up. Once I have the ride selected then its off the the ACA store for good old paper. No newfangled navigation for me on the bike!
My process for generating these files is up and running, so to make it easiest on me don't change too much! Actually, if the waypoint + routepoint data is available I can probably adapt.
I don't care about the waypoint/routepoint names, rename them as you wish. I don't rename them myself.
I certainly display the ACA routes using the routepoints supplied, but I am not sure if you mean something different by "sample routes".
Jennifer, enjoy your ride in Colorado.
Pat:
Jennifer,
The team at ACA does a great job pulling everything together. For us, the routes have been reasonable and safe. And the information provided for campgrounds, motels, etc, is a lifesaver - often considerably cheaper than the first place you come to down the road. I really appreciate your efforts.
During the Spring we used the material from Pacific Coast Map 4 as field tests. This summer, we did two, two week tours, one in Washington State, and the other in Oregon, using Maps 1 and 2. We also used a combination of the maps and waypoint data. We used the data in a combination of ways:
(1) In the preps phase, I use GPSIES.COM to build routes to load into my Edge 705. The routing waypoints are valuable in making sure I haven't misunderstood the maps (some of the Washington map segments were a little confusing). Since I have trouble loading the non-route Waypoint into my Garmin, I make an Excel spreadsheet of the remaining data, and put it on our iphone and Kindle. If the waypoints have contact information embedded in them, I have not found a way to unlock that. The Waypoint segments don't line up with the Map segments, which makes a little extra work. (For our in-route replanning, we work from the map segments to get the "next day" down).
(2) During actual touring, we use the Garmin to figure out where we are and how much further we have to go (are we there yet?). And the information on the back of the maps is very useful for locating phone numbers and which campgrounds and motels, etc. The spreadsheet is handy to figure out end of day and other mid-day replanning.
If I were king for a day, I would hope to see the following:
(a) Waypoint and Map segments aligned, with the same distances and same names
(b) Contact information for Waypoints that are actual locations.
But, from a business model, I'm not sure how you make this data fusion work. You charge, understandably, for the maps. And you provide downloads of the waypoint data. If you put all the requested data into the downloads, this would probably cannibalize the hard copy revenue source.
Happy Trails,
Pat
Fred Hiltz:
--- Quote from: Pat on August 10, 2012, 09:40:22 am ---... If I were king for a day, I would hope to see the following:
(a) Waypoint and Map segments aligned, with the same distances and same names
(b) Contact information for Waypoints that are actual locations.
But, from a business model, I'm not sure how you make this data fusion work.
--- End quote ---
Pat, this is excellent; exactly the kind of story we have been looking for. Thank you!
Could you clarify "segment" for me, please? We divide each cycling route into sections and print a paper map for each. The Pacific Coast route contains five sections. Section 1 contains 13 maps, along with the narratives, service directories, road conditions, etc. You will see the number printed in each map: Map 1, Map 8, Map 13.
I suspect "map segment" means either a section or a map.
The GPS data include waypoints and GPS routes--not to be confused with the cycling routes. Some of the waypoints mark the GPS routes, while others mark points of interest along the way. Most of the latter come from the service directory on the printed map.
I suspect "route segment" means a GPS route.
The GPS routes are indeed named for the section and map that they cover. We encoded the names to fit within the six-character limit on route names of low-end GPS devices. http://www.adventurecycling.org/forums/index.php?topic=10775.msg54521#msg54521 describes the coding.
Some receiver limitations affect how we set up the GPS routes. Many of them limit the route to 30 waypoints and can store no more than 50 routes at once. Therefore, many short routes or a few really long ones are not practical. A few maps in urban areas need more than 30 waypoints, so we use two or more GPS routes.
That said, we could probably adjust the starting and ending waypoints of most GPS routes to coincide with map boundaries. This would reduce the average number of waypoints per route somewhat, meaning you would need to reload the receiver a bit more often. If this idea gains some traction, it would not be hard to do when we make a new edition of the maps.
On the matter of contact information, beyond the business model there are some limits in the GPX file format. Garmin has made some extensions to the standard for such data, but I do not know if other vendors support them.
Thanks for the suggestions!
Fred
Pat:
Jennifer,
Yes - segment = section = map panel
Yes - route markers (waypoints?) and points of interest which may / may not be on the route
I wish you the best,
Pat
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