Mapping

Wesley Best said:

Folks
I'm looking for the best way to map ride routes. I manage a shop and would like
to post as many rides as possible on our website.
I'm planning on using a GPS unit but know little about them or how the software
works.I'll be googling some info on the general stuff, but I'm looking for
suggestions on particular units that may be most useful for this sort of thing.
TIA.
Wesley Best

Look into DeLorme digital maps - TopoZone 5.0 will provide most mapping
needs.

http://www.delorme.com

Almost any GPS that collects tacks and has an NMEA data stream (pretty
much any popular GPS made after 1998) will work. You will also need a
data cable, and either a USB or serial port depending on the model you
purchase. If you only have USB, you can buy a USB - serial adapter for
around $17.

I'm currently using a Garmin eTrex because it's low cost and lightweight
for backpacking. I'm partial to the eTrex series and I think I'd get an
eTrex Legend if I needed to purchase another one. It has lots of room
for maps. However, the Garmin GPSMap60c and GPS V are two lower-priced
models with cool mapping capabilities.

(Wesley Best) said:

Folks
I'm looking for the best way to map ride routes. I manage a shop and would like
to post as many rides as possible on our website.
I'm planning on using a GPS unit but know little about them or how the software
works.I'll be googling some info on the general stuff, but I'm looking for
suggestions on particular units that may be most useful for this sort of thing.
TIA.
Wesley Best

I use Gar min Vista. I am pretty new to this whole GPS thing, so my opinions
will probably change as I get more familiar with it all. For software I have
both Delorme Topo 5 and Garmin's Map Source.

DeLorme imports nicely from the GPS unit and it makes pretty pictures and
visually gives some good idea of the topography. But it is a pain to try and
manually enter a route, particularly if it is a mountainous route using minor
roads. It can be done, but the magnification has to be close in and the
following the road is more difficult, and road names are sometimes hard to
discern. Uploading your route from the GPS does eliminate the problem.

I think garmins mapsource is easier to use. I can draw a route, see a profile of
the route and spend a lot less time doing so. Garmin also will give you
locations of local businesses... maybe your own, as well as where food
establishments are.

What I sometimes do its to draw a route in Garmin, download it to the GPS, have
to do that anyhow, then upload the route into the DeLorme program and print the
pretty route map/picture.

However, if either program prints out a route guide, printed directions, I can'r
remember being successful at it, or if it was only marginally useful.

Ultimately, if I am going on a ride in unfamiliar country I want a set of
printed directions that list both the total milage from the starting point as
well as distance from the last turn. I really am not interested in maps or route
profiles because a good route sheet will include such detail as big climb here
or dangerous descent there...

Hi,
I'm writing an open-source software to map ride routes.
http://cycleatlas.sf.net

You can use it to create rides maps and profiles.
Moreover, if you want some custom works for your websites, you can contact me

Regards
Maner

[email hidden] (Wesley Best) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Folks
I'm looking for the best way to map ride routes. I manage a shop and would like
to post as many rides as possible on our website.
I'm planning on using a GPS unit but know little about them or how the software
works.I'll be googling some info on the general stuff, but I'm looking for
suggestions on particular units that may be most useful for this sort of thing.
TIA.
Wesley Best

I recently started doing something like this. All I use is a Garmin eTrex
Vista with the included MapSource software. After a ride (or hike, run,
etc) I download the track to MapSource, open up the track and perhaps make
a few tweaks (like killing non-moving track points). Then I take a
screenshot of the map & track properties and, if its the first time I'm
posting about the location, then perhaps I'll write a summary. Without the
summary it only takes about 5 minutes to download and post the data but, as
you can see, I don't do anything special other than posting the basics.

http://www.mindspring.com/~johnrahn/runwalkbike/index.htm

How about posting your site URL when you get it running?

[email hidden] (Wesley Best) wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Folks
I'm looking for the best way to map ride routes. I manage a shop and
would like to post as many rides as possible on our website.
I'm planning on using a GPS unit but know little about them or how the
software works.I'll be googling some info on the general stuff, but
I'm looking for suggestions on particular units that may be most
useful for this sort of thing. TIA.
Wesley Best