For the geek who has everything ...

Jim Ley wrote:

On Fri, 29 Feb 2008 07:38:59 -0800 (PST), POHB
wrote:

On 29 Feb, 15:24, elyob wrote:
I've not really figured out how to contribute. However, am off to
Morrocco soon, and will be taking another GPS gizmo I have and will
record some tracks.

Is just walking them and uploading them without naming them considered
bad practice?

I'm pretty new to the scene so not best placed to judge. But IMHO
just uploading the tracks would be better than nothing.

Definately, been some time since I was involved (last time was really
the IoW workshop in 2006
http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/index...._workshop_2006 )
but tracks are definately good it helps prove the map if nothing else.

Uploading
them and then tracing and simply tagging them as roads or paths would
be splendid, names would be icing the cake. Have a go near home
before you go away, try out the Potlach online editor, it's really
easy to use and only takes a few minutes to trace over a route. I bet
there's a few minor streets or paths near you that you could
contribute.

I believe Elyob is probably not got that much to do in the part of the
world he's in, the really quite amazing
http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/index.php/User:80n has been slowly
working his way out of weybridge in quite stunning detail, and all the
area down here is pretty amazing - see
http://www.openstreetmap.org/?lat=51...13&layers=B0FT

(Not just 80n of course, many other people contribute, but he really
set the standard of what a good OSM map was.)

Jim.

that is one problem with it, in that it's quite hit and miss, the area i
come from is while not quite blank isn't far off.

roger
--
www.rogermerriman.com

Ekul Namsob wrote:

Simon Brooke wrote:

elyob wrote:

So, what's a Garmin Edge 705 I hear you ask, sell it to me. It's just
a GPS, but it has a colour screen and you can load up maps onto it. In
fact, Open Street Map are able to be uploaded too, which is quite
cool. The things this thing does is pretty cool, including your
cadence, heart rate etc. Also, a proper barometric height rather than
a GPS guess. You can race yourself on regular rides too ...

http://www.google.com/gmm/index.html

* free

That's rather dependent on one's mobile phone deal. It would cost me a
fortune on mine.

i use my phone as bluetooth modem so it's zero cost. or rather i've paid
for it before now.

* you don't have to carry an extra gadget, it works on your phone
* it works even if your phone doesn't have a built in GPS
* it works even better if your phone does have built in GPS
* more complete, more up-to-date mapping than any other

Is it genuinely more complete than OS mapping? It looks useful to me as
a means of getting around town but I'm not sure I would trust it in
wilder areas.

as some one who grew up and folks still live in a realitly wild area i
wouldn't trust google maps/openstreet etc, plenty of paths are roads
etc.

* satellite imagery

Unfortunately it doesn't optimise routes for the gradient of climbs, but
apart from that, it's the business.

I think the Garmin Edge and Google Maps are aimed at very different
users. I use my Edge as a cycle computer with built-in navigation and
workouts. If I had a suitable mobile, I would probably use Google Maps
for urban navigation. That's a big 'if': mobiles are one aspect of
modern technology that have never really attracted me. All the good ones
seem ridiculously expensive.

older smart phones can normally be had for lowish cost. but maps is
impresive that it can be done, but is really cramped in the small
screens and the google maps java program is bit of a pig it has to be
said.

Cheers,
Luke

roger
--
www.rogermerriman.com

On Feb 29, 11:33 pm, elyob wrote:
So, just pretend its your birthday or something ... stock arrives on
6th March ...

No need to pretend. Do you reckon you could get it to me for my
birthday the day after? ;-)

Graeme

Peter Clinch said the following on 03/03/2008 10:25:

Sustrans own maps are pretty good

Bah! I've gone off Sustrans because they're not doing the route between
Weston-super-Mare and Clevedon. Well, not in the foreseeable future
anyway. As I live in Weston and will shortly be working in Clevedon,
with no direct route between the two except the M5, I ain't happy!

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

In article , Paul Boyd
usenet.is.worse@plusnet says...
Peter Clinch said the following on 03/03/2008 10:25:

Sustrans own maps are pretty good

Bah! I've gone off Sustrans because they're not doing the route between
Weston-super-Mare and Clevedon. Well, not in the foreseeable future
anyway. As I live in Weston and will shortly be working in Clevedon,
with no direct route between the two except the M5, I ain't happy!


Going into Congresbury only adds about 4 miles to the trip according to
RAC Routeplanner. From the satellite imagery it looks like you can get
through west of the motorway anyway, if you don't mind farm tracks.

On 03/03/2008 20:11, Rob Morley said,

Going into Congresbury only adds about 4 miles to the trip according to
RAC Routeplanner. From the satellite imagery it looks like you can get
through west of the motorway anyway, if you don't mind farm tracks.

Actually, I wouldn't need to go to Congresbury as there's a corner cut
by the "Strawberry line" heading into Yatton. There's no route west of
the motorway at all, and the River Yeo neatly divides the area between
the two towns. There is some sort of weir that might be able to be
physically crossed, but there's a chunk of footpath leading to it and
some very convoluted lanes adding quite a bit of distance. On the
satellite images you can see the route of the old railway line that
would have become a cycle path, but the lack of a bridge is the biggest
obstacle. As far as I know this route is still on the cards, but it's a
long way down the list which is a real shame because this is one route
that could open a good connection between the two towns in the absence
of a good alternative. I do have it in mind to take my MTB and explore
though one day, footpath or no footpath!

Besides, it's all very well saying "only adds about 4 miles", but my
current commute is only 2.5 miles. It's a big enough jump as it is!

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

Paul Boyd wrote:
On 03/03/2008 20:11, Rob Morley said,
Going into Congresbury only adds about 4 miles to the trip according to
RAC Routeplanner. From the satellite imagery it looks like you can get
through west of the motorway anyway, if you don't mind farm tracks.

Unhappily, the farmers seem to mind us using some of the farm tracks.

[...] On the
satellite images you can see the route of the old railway line that
would have become a cycle path, but the lack of a bridge is the biggest
obstacle. As far as I know this route is still on the cards, but it's a
long way down the list which is a real shame because this is one route
that could open a good connection between the two towns in the absence
of a good alternative.

AIUI, the Congresbury Yeo crossing between Wick St Lawrence and
Kingston Seymour is being reassigned from the 'tidal trail' officer to
the cycling officer at North Somerset Council for 2008/9. Given Jon
Gall's recent track record, I think we'll finally see some progress on
this very long-running saga, but it's probably still 2 or 3 years away
from reopening that lost link. Badger the councillors for your home
and work and try to get its importance recognised more widely, please.

I do have it in mind to take my MTB and explore
though one day, footpath or no footpath!

If you find it, please publish it. I've not found it in 18 months.

Regards,
--
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Webmaster-developer, statistician, sysadmin, online shop builder,
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