Speaking of GPS Tracks...

In the previous post, I talked about AnalyzeMyTracks, a nice little web application that can evaluate and display various GPS track statistics.

Well, now I've just discovered WikiLoc, another free GPS web application, but this one lets you upload and share GPS tracks. Or, as it states on the WikiLoc home page, "Show your favorite trails", "Discover new trails". That pretty much sums it up.

You can search for other peoples' GPS tracks by activity type, including hikes, bike rides, kayak rides and many others. There's even a "geocaching" category! Or, you can use the world map feature to zoom in to your local area and see all the track data that has been posted there.

It's really simple to use, and it gives you the option to view any trail in Google Earth. You can upload your track and waypoint data in just about any format, including, GPX, GDP, KML, and of course, LOC. It also lets you upload pictures to go with your track data. Here's a sample of what you see when you select the "view details" option for any given trail:

And I'm not the only one who's impressed. Apparently, Google is as well, as they just added a WikiLoc layer in Google Earth (under the Gallery folder)! Now you can see all the track data that's been uploaded to WikiLoc right in Google Earth.

Give it a try. I think you'll like it.

Analyzing GPS Track Data

In a previous post, I talked about one of my favorite web sites for converting and viewing your GPS track data, called GPS Visualizer. Now I want to introduce you to another web tool that can analyze your track data, called, conveniently enough, Analyze My Track. As stated on the home page, this nifty little tool evaluates gpx logs from your GPS device and provides the following information back:

• reverse geocoding: track points labeled with names of nearby features;
  
• maps: view your track on Google Maps;
• stats: distance, elevation, speed and time;
• graphs: interactive elevation/speed/distance;

In the words of my kids, "it's way cool". Here's an example of what some of the results look like, using GPS track data from a geocaching / bike ride I did just this morning:

This is the first page you see after the web application calculates various statistics from your track data.





The tool also provides you with different interactive graphs as well as some Google Maps showing certain aspects of your tracks.

Here's part of the Google Maps map it created showing my route, color-coded by elevation (using a green to red color gradient):


And here's the elevation profile it provided:

The tool also gives you a speed vs. distance graph as well. Give it a try when you get a chance.

Cache On!

Geocaching Resources

Whether you are new to geocaching or you just logged your 5,000th find, you will find that questions about geocaching may still arise from time to time. While you probably spend most of your time looking at the individual cache pages on geocaching.com, don't forget about all the tools and information resources that Groundspeak provides and continually updates:

Resource Page
Includes detailed information on "Learning the Basics", "Contributing to Our Community", "Tools and Downloads", and "Third Party Resources".

Groundspeak Knowledgebase
A great geocaching support center with a searchable knowledgebase, troubleshooter, and download tool.

Groundspeak Forums
A fantastic way to get information on a specific geocaching issue or topic from those that have "been there, done that".

The content on all of these sites is continually updated, so if you haven't checked out these resources in a while, it's time for another perusing.

Cache On!

Adding Topo Maps To Your Garmin GPS

If you're a geography data nut and a cheapskate like me, then you owe it to yourself to bookmark the Free Geography Tools blog. In an especially relevant, recent post, Leszek Pawlowicz explains how to make your own Topo maps for a Garmin GPS. Rather than copy and paste the entire post here, I suggest you click on this link to read it for yourself.

Leszek notes that Garmin is beginning to make the 1:24,000 scale US topo maps available on microSD cards, for those units that can utilize them. Unfortunately, the Garmin microSD cards sell for around $100 a pop. Luckily, Leszek goes on to describe other, cheaper options for getting the topo maps you need, with plenty of links to other GPS Topo data resources. There's also a link to a tutorial site that explains how you can make your own Garmin Topo maps.

Thanks for the great information, Leszek!

Potpouri Post

For today's post, I thought I'd share a variety of "how to" information along with some recent news articles related to the geocaching and mapping world.

For Beginners Only
One of the best write-ups I've seen for people thinking about taking up this great hobby of ours, from our friends at Geocaching Online. And here's an abridged version from an earlier post of mine.

You Can Get There From Here
New on Geocaching.com, driving directions from your home location to the cache site. Just go to any cache page and click on the new “Driving Directions” link:

A Google Maps map window will open with turn by turn directions from your home coordinates to the cache site (or as close to the site as you can drive to). Pretty nifty.

Geocaching with an iPhone
If you are lucky enough to own one of the new iPhone 3G's , this article describes how to use it for geocaching. And the first geocaching application for the iPhone, Geopher Lite, is available to download for $3.99. If you're just interested in learning more about how the iPhone and the iPodTouch use WiFi signals to identify your location, here's a nice explanation. And here's how Steve Jobs explains it.

Street Cities

This site let's you embed a Google Street View and Map into your web page, and switch between map view and street view; like this:


I think there's a cache near here...

Google Maps is adding a "Walking Directions" feature. This could come in handy for tackling those urban caches in unfamiliar territory. Now, if Google would just create "Biking Directions"...

Ever wanted to create your own Google Maps map using their API, but didn't want to bother learning the API codes or javascript? Well then, let Click2Map do it for you. Just provide the location information of the features you want to map, and this site will create a map for you to post on your web site - no programming required.

BikeRouteToaster is a course creation application primarily aimed at Garmin Edge/Forerunner owners although other users without a GPS may also find it useful for planning rides. Courses are created using Google maps and then downloaded from the server.

Happy Caching!

Google Earth Image Overlays

One feature of Google Earth I like to use is the image overlay function. This works great for overlaying trail maps on top of the Google Earth background. And it's easy to do, too.

First, zoom in to the approximate area where you plan to overlay your trail map. Then click on "Add", "Image Overlay", then select the trail map you want to layer on Google Earth. Finally, drag the edges around so the map lines up correctly with the background. It helps sometimes to reduce the transparency of the image to about 50% so the background shows through. Once the image is lined up, give it a name, then click "OK", and your done.

Let's take a quick run through an example. I know there are lots of caches hidden along the numerous canal trails in Contra Costa County, but when I look at the caches on Google Earth, I can't tell which caches are on the trails, and which are not.

But I just happen to have a copy of the Contra Costa Canal Regional Trail map in .jpg format that I downloaded from the regional trails web site. So I add the file to Google Earth as an image overlay (Google accepts most image types) and line up the edges so it fits where it belongs.

I just name it and save it, and I'm all set. Now I've got a handy little trail map built right into Google Earth:


Now I can add my caches to Google Earth, and easily tell which ones I'll be hunting as I head out along the canal trails:


Cache On!

Few And Far Between

Well, it's embarrassing to admit, but until today, I hadn't found a cache in over two weeks. And it wasn't due to a string of DNF's, but rather because I just haven't been able to get out and go geocaching lately. I don't think I've had this long of a dry spell since I first started caching.

If there's a bright side to all this, it's that it sure makes you appreciate every geocaching opportunity all the more. Like today, for example. I had about a two-hour window and made the most of it by picking up some caches in Kennedy Grove Regional Recreation Area in El Sobrante, California. It's a large, beautiful park, which had long been neglected by cachers until recently, when a couple of local legends hid a series of caches, all named after members of the Kennedy clan (including Jack, Robert, Rose, Caroline, Jacqueline, Ted, etc.). The single track trails throughout the park, while a little steep, were nice and shaded by mature oak, eucalyptus and bay trees. And the views from the ridge lines of the nearby reservoir were fabulous (I just wish I had my real camera instead of my cell phone camera):


I was able to nab four caches during my all-too-brief visit to the park today, but more importantly, it just felt great to get out there again! Now, time to go log my finds.

Cache On.