Mapping App

Posted by: PerryMK

Mapping App - 05/17/15 04:56 PM

I've been using a freebie app on my iPhone to track local hikes. It tracks pace and shows the route already taken on screen. I would like to take it a step further. I would like an app to track and map a hike that can then produce a document to send to a PC. This can then be saved, overlaid onto a MapQuest or Google Map, and finally be saved and printed, shared, etc.

Does anyone know of such an app?
Posted by: Gershon

Re: Mapping App - 05/19/15 07:06 AM

Perry,

If you mark a waypoint every time there is a bend in the trail, you can export the waypoints to a map. You are better off using Google Earth for this as Google maps will attempt to connect the dots.

You can also plot points of interest and use them the same way.

If this is something you want to do often, I recommend using a Data-logger.
Posted by: PerryMK

Re: Mapping App - 05/23/15 05:11 PM

Thanks for the link. It's something I will keep in mind.

In the meantime someone on a different site suggested a phone app called Trimble Outdoors Navigator. I downloaded the free version and my initial impression is it will do what I need. It's actually pretty neat. I'm still learning but I did save a GPX file, opened it in GoogleEarth, and it showed a satellite map with my route plotted on it, as well as the waypoints I marked along the walk. If I get competent I may have to purchase the full version.

I actually thought of this as a fantasy job several years ago. Hike trails, or non-trails, and plot them on a map for towns and counties. Mainly focus on tourist areas wanting some walking trails. Now that I'm learning how to do it, I wonder if I could actually get anyone to pay me, at least expenses.

Posted by: dylansdad77

Re: Mapping App - 05/26/15 09:36 AM

I am not sure how accurate it is, but I like to use 1 of 2 apps whenever 'm biking or hiking. MapMyFitness and MapMyHike both work well for my needs, although I prefer MapMyHike more because it will allow me to track the overall progress and compare my current location to a printed trail map (to confirm location), it will give me total mileage, splits per mile, elevation gain/loss profile and total and will even calculate an approximate calories burned.

I will try to respond later with screenshots from the app...
Posted by: billstephenson

Re: Mapping App - 05/26/15 01:28 PM

You know, it's really easy to write an app for your smartphone to do this. Grabbing your current location with a smartphone is dead simple. My " Navigraphic " app does that, here's the code I use to get the lat/long and the accuracy from any smart phone running a web browser:

Quote:
function getLatLong (position) {
var lat = position.coords.latitude;
var long = position.coords.longitude;
var accu = position.coords.accuracy;
}


As you can see, there's really not much to it. You can save those lat/longs at fixed intervals in a database using a GPX file format. You can use a library of free code called " PouchDB " to store the lat/longs in a database. It also runs in a web browser on your phone.

You can store the entire app on your phone and make it run offline, which will save some battery life. I recently made a " Contacts " app that runs offline and stores data in a web browser's built-in database that you can look at to see how that part works too, and the PouchDB site linked above has great docs and example code, and a very good "Getting Started" tutorial.

I made both those apps to learn how to use those features and released them for free without any restrictions, so you can literally copy and paste most everything you need from those two apps.

To instantly share your data you can use PouchDB with IBM's " Cloudant Service ". It's pretty much free too, and it's very cool. Using this with an online connection you could broadcast your track in pretty much real time to the web, or whenever you wanted to send an update. (I have a version of the Contacts app that does this)

To map your hike I'm pretty sure you can use Google Maps for a free web based solution, and Garmin's BaseCamp is free for both Mac and Windows PCs. There's free mapping software for Linux too.

If you want to give it a crack I'll lend a hand. Perry, you're already professionally working with the real tasks involved, as are many others here, and you know what you want and how it should work. I'm sure you'll be impressed with how easy it is nowadays to make an app like this, and you'd probably find it's actually fun too.

I'm a geek, so I think it could be fun to build this out in the open here, as a forum project for our members to use, learn from, and contribute to as well.

Posted by: Gershon

Re: Mapping App - 05/26/15 06:28 PM

You can get even more if you like. On my website in the signature, I have animated Google street views for a virtual hike around the 48 states. The complete waypoint list is in my book "48 State Hike" which is a data book for a tiny audience. You can see the animated street view for each leg.

What I'd really like to have is a virtual GPS that would plot progress along a virtual route along with history mp3's to listen to as I walked.

What I've learned is for a long road walk, the best way to navigate is with a pedometer and a paper map. Everything else has limitations such as no cell phone signal, battery life, inability to load enough waypoints, etc.

(Eventually, maybe I'll get you hooked on road walking.)
Posted by: PerryMK

Re: Mapping App - 05/27/15 06:42 AM

dylansdad77: I have one of the fitness apps but its not quite what I have in mind.

billstephenson: I appreciate the offer, but that is way more effort than I want to invest at the present time (smile).

Gershon: I like the googlemaps idea. It sounds similar to the app I've already downloaded but may remove a step.


Thanks for all the suggestions. The app I downloaded is meeting my needs for the time being and is intuitive enough for me to use. The biggest issue is having too many projects going on and only wanting to try making a map for the moment.
Posted by: billstephenson

Re: Mapping App - 09/01/15 02:04 PM

I've been playing with most of the code libraries used in this "How To". If I get a chance I'll go through it and comment here on how well it works.

DYI IBM demo location tracker app