Creating a Adv Rides Thread

[cooneyr]

This thread is about how should we create a Adv Rides thread. What I want some input with is how are we best to map or show the locations of the routes. Seems there are a couple of obvious choices 260/262 topomaps with hand drawn lines or Google earth KMZ files. There may be a third that I'm not that familiar with being creating our own layer for Google maps. I know that the Geocaching people have done this but I don't know much about how to do it.

Couple of problems that I can foresee being
slow internet connection speeds limiting the practicality of KMZ and Google Earth
260/262 topomaps being clunky, not everybody has access to topomaps (to create maps), taking up unnecessary space on Spankme's server, and being harder to link rides into one longer ride
Google maps being a little difficult to follow when on the ground, not having all the roads (Rainbow) included on them so hard to create paths etc


The main benefits are
Topomaps are the most reliable in the field and if you know how the read them they are really good source of info
Google maps mean we can possibly create layers or colours for varying degrees of difficulty i.e. a grading system and can have a link or embedded zoom able live (i.e. constantly updated) map of all the routes


I'm not going to get into the crap regarding what is an adventure ride and what is not but generally speaking what I want to map will be non sealed routes.

I'm more than happy to manage this resource and I can see that if this actually works we could have a hugely valuable resource.

Any help/feedback that you can provide on how and the best way to do this would be much appreciated. Any opinion listened to.

Cheers
Ryan

[NordieBoy]

Hmmm...
Similar to the Geocaching one you would just download the original KMZ file and it would automatically update with new routes/tracks as they are added to the server...

Where's the thinking cap smiley...

[jim.cox]

Store the routes in .gpx format

Map 'em anyway ya want...

Just my $0.02

=mjc=
.

[cooneyr]

Just spoke with jim (office next to mine) and he made a really good suggestion. Keep all the data sets in GPX format (use whatever conversions are necessary) and make clickable links on the Google Maps routes so that the gpx files can be downloaded and used with a GPSr in the field.

This adds another extremely useful dimension to this project.

Cheers R

[Zukin]

I agree with the GPX files, that is all I use
Whether it is for the GPS or Topomap program

Regards Scott

[marks]

if you can't store this stuff on kiwibiker I can provide some freebie server space

[cooneyr]

This Google API example (http://code.google.com/apis/maps/documentation/examples/geoxml-kml.html) is pretty much what I want to do but have no idea how to achieve. Obviously it would need prettying up with title, map key, details, etc etc

Extras over this example that I'd like to include being that when you click on a line (which you can do in the example) you get the option of downloading the the GPX file and the pop up window gives you some details on the route (minor stuff like name, when access is allowed, and skill level requited etc).

I'm a complete retard (i.e. know nothing) when it comes to stuff like this so any help most gratefully appreciated. Once a page is up and running I'm more than happy to manage it and add the routes as more data becomes available.


if you can't store this stuff on kiwibiker I can provide some freebie server space

I have realized that this is going to need some server space. I don't know squat about web pages only what I want to be able to do (hence the tread). Will defiantly keep the offer in mind if we ever get to that stage.

Cheers R