Creating Maps From Tracks

[+mtnmunch]

I'm hoping I can phrase what I'm looking for and not sound confusing.

 

I am very lucky to have a nature right across the road from where I live. They have a decent map but it can be very confusing and does not include all the trails.

 

Today I went out hiking with my iQue and used the Track feature and made waypoints where trails interesected and such.

 

Tomorrow I am going to go back and hike a trail I had done once before that is no where on their map.

 

Is there anything out there for software on the Palm platform and works with either Windows or Mac, that would allow me to use my GPS to create the track and then transfer it back to the computer to make a map from?

 

Also, I really don't want to spend alot of money on this. It's more of a courtey to the owners of the preserve to have accurate maps.

 

Thank you very much for any suggestions!

[+JeremyA]

Hi,

 

There are probably boundless ways to do this on a PC.

 

On the Mac, I have found a couple of solutions:

 

FlightTrack is an early beta, but it shows a lot of promise. It will download your track from your GPSr and project it onto a 3D terrain map. Version 0.0.9 of this program worked great for me, but since they updated to version 0.0.10 I haven't been able to get it to work.

 

GPSBabel is a good way to get tracks off of your GPSr and save them as GPX files on either PC or Mac. Once you have the GPX file you can go to http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/index.html which is a great site that you can upload a GPX file to (either tracks or waypoints) and have is plot them on a map or show them in profile.

 

JeremyA

[gpsvisualizer]

For Palm OS track logging, I highly recommend Cetus GPS: http://www.cetusgps.dk/, which I'm pretty sure works with the iQue now -- and actually, it looks from your signature like you've already discovered it.

 

The one thing Cetus does not do is display a map while you're hiking... but as Jeremy so kindly pointed out, that's where GPS Visualizer comes in. I originally wrote it because I needed a simple way to draw maps that I recorded on my Palm. GPSV can read raw Cetus track/position logs (among other data formats) without you having to convert them, and it can show your track on a blank background or over a variety of background maps, including USGS aerials and topos.

 

Both of these utilities, by the way, are free -- and Mac-friendly.

Edited January 4, 2004 by adamschneider

[capt caper]

If you want just a good Topo map, National Geographic will let you import tracts from GPS. They will show on the map and then you can print them.

 

Maptech out of Portsmith N.H. Has a Topo CD that can draw tracks and I believe they can transfer it also.

 

I know Garmin's mapsource will allow the upload to Pc and put back track to gps at later date but won't let you draw it.

 

Nationial Geographic will draw but won't transfer either saved or drawn tracks.

 

I'd like to do the same.

 

125 waypoints along a trail is good but take time to make a route and not the same as 1000 points or more.

Edited January 5, 2004 by capt caper

[+GeckoGeek]

Take a look at USAPhotoMap. It's free (well, donationware) and runs on Windows. It has topo and photo maps and I see an option to send/receive routes and tracks.

[+Hard Oiler]

I've done several nature trail maps using a GPS. I've found using a scanned in (or downloaded) topo map as the base using Fugawi to calibrate and superimpose the GPS tracks works well. I find that to get a good map you need to import into a graphics program (Photoshop Elements 2 for example) and tidy up the tracks, add points of interest, text etc. Quite easy to do and the end result is certainly good enough for posting at trail heads and including in trail brochures.

[+mtnmunch]

Is there a cheaper version of Fugawi, everything i was finding via their website was in the hundreds? Was I looking at the wrong thing?

[EcoTrekUSA]

Nationial Geographic will draw but won't transfer either saved or drawn tracks.

 

I've been using National Geographic's TOPO! Sync USA ($40) & recently released TOPO! Mac State (MN) version I'd helped Beta-Test ...

 

See sample results from Bloomington Parks & Rec Buckthorn Bust

@ http://buckthorn-bust.futurethought.org

 

[1] Did pre-trip planning to create key waypoints

 

[2] Uploaded Garmn eTrex Venture GPS unit track-points (L4R25-Series)

 

[3] Added notes :: digital photos plus

both new / revised waypoints from field

@ http://www.acctts.com/Eco-Futures/kmol-thi...lyer-3n15pm.htm

[+GeckoGeek]

Is there a cheaper version of Fugawi

Try the USAPhotoMap. I just tried it and was able to effortlessly download my tracks (dang, my GPS keeps more then I realized) and placed it on a screen. If you retrieve it, you can overlay on a topo or photo map. Then you can dump the screen or some other area as a JPG. I'd probably edit it a bit, but it's sounds like it's a great starting point at an even better price - whatever you want to donate.