Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with mapping

Mapping GPS Recommendations

jeffmac — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 07:06:03 -0800

Which trail mapping GPS receiver works the best to outline trails on Google Maps/Earth? Please consider: These data will be used for quasi research; I am not interested in recreational units; The unit will be used in heavily canopied forests. Similar post here. Not sure of a simple data logger, as mentioned in post avove, or more sophisticated hand held would, like a Garmin would be best?

Creating a Map Based on Distances Between Cities

Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:03:51 -0800

Mapping question: I have a list of (imaginary) cities. I also know each city's as-the-crow-flies distance from every other city on the list. Based on this data alone, I would like to create a (hypothetical) map that shows all of these cities in their proper locations. I recognize that that the map's "rotation" would be arbitrary based on where & how you start plotting, but it seems that you should be able to plot out the relationships between cities properly. Is there software that can help me do this? To be a little more concrete, imagine that you have a mileage chart similar to this one. (That chart contains driving distances, but let's assume we have as-the-crow-flies distances instead.) If you pick an arbitrary starting point for one city, you can then plot out where every other city belongs, because you know how far each city is supposed to be from all the other cities.

I can envision at least one simple way to do this manually if you have just a handful of cities. But if you have a lot of cities, it becomes harder and harder. So I'd love to know if there is software that can calculate and draw such a map automatically. (Note: Using latitude/longitude is not an option - the scenario only involves knowing as-the-crow-flies distances between imaginary cities.) Thanks!

How do I make a map from GPS data?

Kadin2048 — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:38:05 -0800

How do I turn my GPS track logs into a nice-looking trail map? Do I need a GIS package? I'd like to make some high-quality maps of the hiking trails near my house. I have a handheld GPS, and I already have the downloading and conversion to GPX of the track logs worked out. However, that's as far as I've gotten. Starting from this big pile of data, which needs to be cleaned up substantially, how do I get a nice vector map?

I can load the track files into Google Earth right now, but that's not really what I'm looking for. I need some way to edit the tracks, choose how they're represented (some are the actual trails, some represent the boundaries of the park, some are surface roads, etc.), add labels, and generally turn it into something that people can use.

It seems like this is getting into GIS territory, but I admit to knowing next to nothing about GIS packages or really what they do, beyond a vague idea that it has something to do with maps. Do I need a GIS package? If so, which one? I'm willing to spend some money on this (although not the $2500 that ArcGIS apparently costs). Windows, Mac and Linux are all options, although Linux/Mac are preferred.

Some things I've looked at include GRASS, which seems to be raster-based; GeoServer, which seems intriguing but seems like more of a middleware/server component than a desktop editing application; Mapyrus, which seems something like what I'm looking for; and QCAD, which isn't a GIS at all but a CAD program, but maybe that's more what I need?

I've seen surveyors working with GPS units, so I know there must be some way of transforming that data into useful maps — how do I bridge the gap?

In, Out, Shake-it-all about... I need a methodology and/or software application (for analyzing differing input, storage and output concepts) that I can hand on a silver-platter to my analysts...

blue_wardrobe — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 08:40:42 -0800

In, Out, Shake-it-all about... I need a methodology and/or software application (for analyzing differing input, storage and output concepts) that I can hand on a silver-platter to my analysts... I am looking for a scientific / semi-scientific approach to analysis of the following problem:

I have a database of information of incidents relating to medicinal products and their specifications. The inputs to the database come from multiple sources for each incident and for each specification, with different ideas about how to represent certain concepts. The outputs of the database get printed on various reports and forms, whose format is specified by various governments, that also use differing concepts. Let's assume for the sake of this discussion that there are no agreed published mappings between the different concepts. (For examples of clashing concepts, see end.)

Goals:
1) Minimize / simplify data entry from variable quality source data;
2) Minimize duplicative storage;
3) Ease ad hoc analysis;
4) Generate compliant reports and forms;

It seems obvious to me that you have to store a 'super-concept' that is more precise than all of the input and output concepts. But because the input and output concepts could be re-defined at any point in time, the stored super-concept also needs to be able to be re-defined more precisely at any point in time. And we need mappings from the input and output concepts to the super-concept that can be tracked over time. But is there a standardized or at least well-accepted approach to analysis of this problem, or to the problem itself? I would like to hand my analysts the right approach 'ready-baked', or show them systems that tackle this problem effectively. Today, their analysis is too simplistic (a field for every concept even if it is duplicative), or inconsistent (some concepts insufficiently represented). Result: upset users.

Bottom line... What methodology can I point them to? Preferably something that exists and is presented in a straightforward manner. Is there existing software to manage the analysis?

Bonus points... Since this field cannot be unique to this industry, are there good examples of systems that already effectively use input to storage to output mappings and make them obvious to the user and auditor alike?

===============

Examples of concept clashes:
DRUG COLOR: the US government might have a list of ten named colors; the UK government might have a list of thirty colors; another government might use RGB values; any of these lists may change at any time;

PATIENT AGE: classically you use number/unit combinations, such as 43 years, 2 months or 3 weeks, etc. But you might receive or have to output a category (defined differently by different governments), such as 'Adult', 'Neonate', 'Pubescent', etc. There are overlapping concepts such as 'Senior Citizen' which might differ in age range by jurisdiction and sex.

PRODUCT CATEGORY: In the US, ‘vaccines’ are in a regulatory category all their own, whereas in the EU, ‘vaccines’ are a sub-category of ‘drug’ products. There are known products which are classified as a 'drug' in one jurisdiction, and as a 'device' in others - sometimes arbitrarily. The product category tends to drive which version of a concept one needs for all the other variables.

HOSPITALIZATION NEEDED / EXTENDED: This is one checkbox on some reports and forms which we receive or send, and two on others. It depends on the form or report. No other real logic applies. Just governments being arbitrary.

LABELED USE / OFF-LABEL USE: If a drug product is used as stated on the label, then it's 'Labeled Use'. If not, then it's 'Off-Label Use'. But for vaccines, an additional, overlapping concept is whether the vaccination was given as part of the recommended ‘primary’ course (in other words in the appropriate number, separated appropriately by time, and within the appropriate patient age range for each administration). This is called 'Primary Use'. But there is no accepted term for non-'Primary Use' - the box 'Primary Use' is simply left unchecked. non-'Primary Use' equates to 'Off-Label Use' in the US, but elsewhere they are separate but analogous concepts.

DEVICE TYPE: has a list which is specified in the US by the regulatory guidance as ‘any term you like that is not too generic’ (I love regulatory guidance). Elsewhere the list is defined as a few broad names that today is a subset of the US list, but might not stay that way.

Many, many others.

I need GPS or surveying help in finding property markers

Kickstart70 — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 17:52:06 -0800

Any map/orienteering/surveying experts in the MetaHouse today? I need help finding my property markers. I'm trying to find the property markers for my rural land without success. The only one I've found is on the neighbours property. If you take a glance at that link, you'll know why I can't/won't go ask the neighbours for help and that I don't want to go onto their land to find intermediary posts.

I have this map: landmap-small2 (change the URL to landmap-small.png without my notations, or to just landmap.png for a 440k monster). Can I go from the one GPS coordinate I've listed to get GPS coordinates for all of the dots that I've marked with a blue & red bullseye? Simple to do? Can you help me do it?

Thanks in advance!

Public domain topographic maps?

ConstantineXVI — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 08:01:50 -0800

Is there somewhere that has the USGS (public-domain?) topographic maps available for free download? I'm trying to set a friend up with a off-road GPS app (ViewRanger), and trying to get the topographic maps of the USA for it. I know that the USGS produces these maps, and (IIRC) since they're government-produced, the maps are public domain and therefore one can get them free. Is there anyone that offers these maps for free download? Even better, in a format that ViewRanger supports?

PS: I'm a total newbie to this, feel free to correct me on anything I got wrong

Get thee gone, my polygon

soma lkzx — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 07:40:42 -0800

I've got a polygon of n points. How can I simplify out noisy edges? I have a bunch of ordered (x,y) pairs that make nice little polygons, but there're just too much data to be manageable. It'd be nice to average out some of the rougher bits into less points.

Most of the edges look like the heaviside step function, a.k.a. someone walking city blocks. Checking (x_i+1,y_i+1) vs. (x_i-1,y_i-1) and the rest of the diagonals could work out, but I'd really be into a more elegant/general algorithmic solution.

Less importantly but possibly related, let's say I wanted to give these polygons smooth sides. Do I drop bezier curve after bezier curve? I also just met splines on wikipedia - should I just apply this natural cubic spline curve algorithm with (x₁,y₁) = (x_n,y_n)?

I'm currently working on this in Ruby, if that matters, but am open to pretty much anything.

Mapping Smartphone Appointments with GMM

chengjih — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 08:19:40 -0800

Is there a way to get calendar locations into Google Maps Mobile on a Windows Mobile 6 Standard smartphone? Suppose I have a number of appointments in my calendar, with location/address information. Is there a way for me to map these in the Google Maps Mobile I have on my smartphone?

To note, the calendar is synced to Google Calendar using OggSync, if that helps.

The phone is a T-Mobile Dash running Windows Mobile 6 Standard.

If there's no direct way to do this, is there an end-around where I can put custom mapping info into GMM? I don't see an obvious way to configure GMM to point at my Google account (which would then be associated with My Maps).

Thanks.

Grid Mapping in the USA

Xurando — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 14:11:22 -0800

Help me find or create a grid with GPS coordinates of every square mile of the USA. Can I use Expert GPS or Google Earth to do this? Has this been done before by government or other entities (Google Maps, etc.) What are some problems in creating such a grid? Can I use Expert GPS to do this?

Mapping geoareas

grrarrgh00 — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 14:41:06 -0800

What's the best (quickest, most functional, most maintainable) way to put a collection of geoareas into an interactive map without the assistance of a programmer? Come January, I'm leading the construction of a website covering growth and development issues in a small-ish city (pop. 100k). I need a way to display proposed/pending/completed development projects on interactive maps (Google maps, ideally).

I'm a programming dilettante, but I don't think I have enough time or skill to get up to speed on the Google Maps API (especially for rendering polygons). I'd love to do this properly, with code and a database, but given the time frame and the fact that the maps are only one component of the site, I don't think I can.

My hunch at the moment is to draw the maps by hand with Google's My Maps or Google Earth. There are a few drawbacks with this approach; for example, infobubbles on maps embedded from My Maps can be wider than the iframe, which is annoying. Mostly, I want to make sure I'm not overlooking better solutions as I embark on this.

Thanks in advance for any recommendations.

Best Mac GPS mapping software and hardware?

wavejumper — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 00:26:36 -0800

What's the best GPS mapping system for making trail maps (software/hardware)? I'm an Apple person. More explanation: I want to map out and publicize a route I've been exploring that links my town to the regional trail system (which is about 50 trail-miles away, probably taking three or four detail maps). I'd like not to spend that much. And I REALLY like the "Terrain" view from Google Maps, any way to use that for my topography graphics?
Who can recommend the best (Mac) software? And cheapest hardware? Don't really need a good display, as I really just need the GPS to record the trail route and the elevation gains, I guarantee I'll never use it for actual Navigation, I think they pretty much suck for that purpose ;-].
Any way to use an iPhone's GPS with mapping software by the way?
Thanks!

Is there a free (cheap) KML editor for the Mac?

brokekid — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 10:45:53 -0800

Is there a free (cheap) KML editor, like NorthGates' KML Editor or KaMeLwriter, for the Mac? I haven't had much luck finding one, extMate doesn't do the job and running either of these in Parallels would kill my machine. Thanks for your help.

Ride Captain Ride Upon Your Under-Powered Ship

nomisxid — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 10:08:53 -0800

An electric scooter friendly trip planner? I bought an electric, vespa-like scooter. It's fun and green and freaky silent. But living in Seattle, it's got some issues specific to our geography,

1. To maintain its legal classification as a moped, it's limited in power to the equivalent of a 49cc gas engine, which in turn limits the hills it can take.

2. While I forked out the extra cash for lithium batteries over lead-acid, it still only has a stated range of about 35 miles (I have not tested that yet. I don't think AAA is gonna bring me a generator and sit around for 4-6 hours while I re-charge =p).

Is there any trip planner that will let me specify a maximum grade for the trip and/or optimize for minimum elevation changes over the course of a route? I'm figuring the closer to flat ground I travel on, the longer the range, barring some sort of Portal device to make the whole world downhill.

Alternately, I do still have a car, and a GPS unit...suggestions on how I could test-run routes in the car and somehow get a grade-grade out of it are welcome too.

I have a GIS question.

BoldStepDesign — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 16:37:10 -0800

Basically, I want to build mapping system, similar to google maps, using something like Map server & open layers. Take in my own image, such as a building map, define roads or “hallways”, and import points via a XML or RSS feed. I want an interface that I can take the xml feed and run it under the map in a box, displaying it under the map, allowing users to click on the event, and being able to see where they need to go, and using a current fixed position, being able to see how to get there.

Interesting GPS applications?

vizsla — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:16:37 -0800

What are useful/fun/collaborative things that can be done with a PDA, computer and a small GPS device these days?

Google Earth KMZ File Merging?

Phineas Rhyne — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 11:19:32 -0800

GoogleEarthFilter: How can I merge the contents of multiple point-data KMZ/KML files? Long-winded explanation inside. The engineering company for which I work is shifting from paper-based maps to Google Earth for site location records. There are a lot of old records to enter. I've been tasked with creating the procedure for multiple persons, during their non-project-scheduled time, to enter site locations and job names. These will all be point data, with a name and no description. The problem: 90% of my office is functionally computer illiterate.

If Joe Employee is tasked to enter data directly into the kmz file which contains all previously entered points, and then save it again, he will manage to save one single point over the entire file. This happened during our first trial run. The solution I've come up with is to have each person save their edits to a seperate kmz file, which I or the other computer-savvy individual can later merge into the main database.

I know you can drag and drop kmz files to create multiple nested sub-folders of points within Google Earth, but I don't -want- multiple nested sub-folders. I want all the points in one file. Google Earth will let you drag points from one folder to another, but only one at a time. How do I just rip all the points out of one file and stuff them into another?

Cycle GPS logger

primer_dimer — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 02:18:35 -0800

Best GPS data logger for (1) monitoring cycle commute and (2) local mapping So I've started commuting by bike to work again, but this time it's a bit further than I've done before - ~12 miles each way - so I want to start logging my speed etc. Rather than getting a speedometer, I'm thinking of getting a GPS logger which can record my position and then I can look at my stats. I'd also love to be able to play around with local mapping using GPS - the sort of thing they do on openstreetmap.org. I'm wondering what sort of hardware would be best for this. One limitation; whatever I get has to be linux-friendly, I guess ideally it would act as a USB mass-storage device, or write the data to an SD card in an easy-to-read format.

There seem to be plenty of cheap GPS loggers around (e.g. here ), but there are also units designed specifically for cycling (e.g. here). The cycle-specific units would obviously be nicer to use on the bike, since they'd show my speed in real time, but would they also be suitable for GPS mapping? Any suggestions for specific makes/models?

Best GPS units for the job in the field?

xholisa13 — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 10:20:49 -0800

What is the best GPS unit to buy for my fieldwork, that would ideally display a list of homes to be mapped in a spreadsheet format and allow touchscreen entry of information into the spreadsheet (coordinates, consent obtained [yes/no], why home was unable to be mapped [drop-down menu])? Does this type of interface exist for GPS units? I am headed to Thailand for some fieldwork for my research, and will need to hire village health workers in a rural area to GPS map the homes of approximately 3000 individuals (geocoding in Thailand is not possible, I don't think).

I need to buy 2 GPS units but don't know much about the technology and what units and features will help me get the job done most efficiently and simply. I'm hoping that if I describe what I would like to be able to do, you guys may have some suggestions for good units to buy.

The village health workers will have a list of addresses and names. They will then physically locate the homes, talk to the residents of the house, and get consent to GPS map the house. Ideally, the list of addresses and names could show up on the GPS unit as a spreadsheet and they would be able to tap a screen to document that consent was obtained and again to record the X- and Y- coordinates. If the house was not able to be mapped, they would be able to select from a drop-down menu to explain why they couldn't map it (no consent, couldn't find house, etc.). After they were done mapping, the list could be downloaded and linked to existing excel files with clinical information.

Can this be done? I know that Palm Pilots, for example, have some flexibility for use in field work (administering questionaires, etc.) but don't know about these types of interfaces with GPS units. Any guidance you may provide would be very helpful, I appreciate you helping a newbie out!

Dead-simple software for visualizing geographic data.

willie11 — Tue, 20 May 2008 08:24:44 -0800

Dead simple mapping software for visualizing data? Any idea how to make something similar to these pretty maps without expensive and complicated GIS software? I know I can trace a map in photoshop and adjust the colors myself, but is there a way to synch the variable color with my data?

Additionally, I'm open to a discussion on neat geographic data visualization tips/tricks/software/etc...

Thanks!

Making my maps move?

kristi — Sat, 17 May 2008 18:12:04 -0800

How do I build animated maps - say, of a city getting built up, or immigration patterns? Looking for specific software recommendations for building animated maps.

I have a few different specific map types in mind:

1) a city getting built up over the course of time
2) migration patterns (say, in history, the Visigoths moving from spot to spot)
3) an individual moving from spot to spot - say, Doc Ricketts moving from address A to address B to address C

I have access to a Windows machine but prefer working on my Mac. Freeware highly preferred.

Thanks!

Wrong GPS location for my house

retiree — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 13:29:42 -0800

My house is incorrectly located by MapQuest, Google Maps, Google Earth and GPS systems. I assume this means that there is an error in some common database they all rely on. Is there a way to request that the error be fixed so that future versions of the database are correct?

Generating shaded maps of India with state-level data series.

matthewr — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 16:31:29 -0800

What's the easiest way of generating a map similar to this? I have several state-level data series I want to display on maps of India. I assume this blank map of India in SVG format is a good starting-point. Now, what program(s) do I use to link areas on the map to my data series and hence automatically shade states by a variable x?

My data looks like:
[state code] state x [jm] jam 1.93386 [hp] him 1.74945 [pj] pun 1.90247 [uc] utt 2.13038 ... 33 more states ...

I have Windows, Stata, Excel and zero budget.

Turn-by-Turn routing software?

The Confessor — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 07:56:46 -0800

I'm looking for PC/Laptop map routing software with turn-by-turn control, where you can define the origin, destination, and stops along the way and then traverse the suggested route junction by junction, making changes (such as specifying a turn at a specific location) along the way, with the remainder of the route automatically recalculated following each change. My previous mapping software was Microsoft Streets and Trips (2004 edition, I believe), and I simulated this functionality using extra "stops" and the "avoid this area" tool with only limited success.

What about London should I map?

viewofdelft — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 13:23:05 -0800

What about London should I map? I'm in an Advanced GIS class for which I need to produce a final cartographic project. The project must begin in ArcGIS but from there I'm free to use anything else (Illustrator, Flash, Google Earth, etc). In the spirit of John Snow, I'd like to make my upcoming trip to London a force for academic good.

I have a GPS unit, a DSLR camera, a student's budget, and a winning personality. What should I map? I'm open to all suggestions as long as they meet the following criteria:

1) The map should present complex and interesting information. I'm not too worried about this one because questions soliciting suggestions on this site often generate very interesting answers.

2) The project/map should be focused. I'll be in London for only a week and I'd like to make the data collection effort into a sort of overarching theme for my visit. That means I should probably confine my map to one neighborhood or area (I'm staying in Soho, but don't let that restrict you).

3) The data can come from any (accessible) source. I'd like to have a little fun gathering the data, but if your suggestions for a map can just as easily be constructed with data from other sources, I'd be happy to hear them. I live in the United States, so any return trips are out of the question this semester.

Thanks in advance. If I choose to go with one of the suggestions, I'll keep you updated.

A question on using Google's "My Maps" feature

patricio — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 09:59:33 -0800

If someone has set up a public custom map in Google Maps, is it possible to grab the set of points from that map and incorporate them in a new one? TimeOut recently published its top 50 London restaurants and I wanted to map them all using Google's "My Maps" feature. I quickly realised that someone has done the job already - the map is here. However, I want to be able to take the marked locations on this map and use them in my own "My Map" with various tweaks (change the description/add extra links etc). Is this possible?