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Hello,

I've been asked to create a couple of GPS routes for a local biking club. I did some research, found out ways to upload GPS tracks, or create them using google maps or similar software, but I can't find -anything- about just.. manually clicking and dragging lines, perhaps?

The largest problem is that my local biking club really loves little side paths from farms not available on any map (I've got the maps drawn out on paper and digitally), and they're mostly elderly people whom I can't ask to send me a GPS trace of the routes they biked.

As far as computers are concerned I'm professional, but regarding GPS and mapping I'm a complete newbie, so I'm looking for advice. If this is the wrong site for it, could you redirect me to some place more proper? Please help me out!

asked 09 Aug '13, 23:02

Taelia's gravatar image

Taelia
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accept rate: 0%

edited 10 Aug '13, 14:56

aseerel4c26's gravatar image

aseerel4c26 ♦
32.6k18248554


Well, that question is not really related to OSM, so taken strictly you are wrong here and should ask "somewhere else". However, lets try to draw you into the OpenStreetMap universe....

Try a track drawing website. I recommend gpsies for your task - you need to register and login for some features (e.g. to upload a half-done / premade track to the editor which you just want to edit), you can choose between several maps there - of course OpenStreetMap maps are the best! ;-)

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answered 10 Aug '13, 03:26

aseerel4c26's gravatar image

aseerel4c26 ♦
32.6k18248554
accept rate: 18%

edited 10 Aug '13, 14:52

3

Wonderful, I -think- this exactly is what I'm looking for. Let me make a few tracks and see if they really work. In the meanwhile, I'm very impressed by OSM. I'm really not quite sure what I'd have to offer, but I'll hang around some more and see what I can do for this community. Thanks

(10 Aug '13, 13:39) Taelia
2

@Taelia: Okay, great. If you find missing features in OpenStreetMap-based maps please help to add them (but don't use other maps for this). Sometimes it also happens that a track in a forest on our maps is not existing (anymore); for example because someone traced aerial imagery which shows a cutline / aisle there without knowing the place in reality (that is not a good idea to do). That happened to me a few times when planning outdoor routes (however, google maps usually performs worse and the OSM map was corrected after I noticed and corrected it). You can help then to change the object from a track to just a cutline. Simplified guideline: just your knowledge of the reality supported by the aerial imagery inside our editors and your gps traces (collected outside in the real world).

(10 Aug '13, 14:53) aseerel4c26 ♦

If you are creating tracks or routes for your group, they must have GPSes? to use them on, if they record their GPX traces someone in the group could collate these and if some are unmapped on OSM maybe one may find it interesting to get involved with OSM. Garmins are popular devices with cyclists, did you know that there are OSM maps for garmin and garmin's free basecamp software is good for creating rides and reviewing them.

(10 Aug '13, 15:28) andy mackey

See this list of Track drawing websites.

They will all let you draw a track on top of an OSM based map. Some also has the option of other maps or aerial imagery to draw on, eg Google or Bing. Some support routing, so the track will automatically follow roads or paths. Or you can just manually click to draw lines.

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answered 10 Aug '13, 03:22

Vclaw's gravatar image

Vclaw
9.2k895141
accept rate: 22%

1

Same as the person below, exactly what I was looking for, but I just couldn't find it. Thanks.

(10 Aug '13, 13:40) Taelia
-1

hi take a look at this site with several faq. http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/w/index.php?search=gps+tracks&title=Special%3ASearch I advice you to make the tracks yourself recording them by the way. More fun and reliable.

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answered 10 Aug '13, 00:38

Hendrikklaas's gravatar image

Hendrikklaas
9.3k207238387
accept rate: 5%

2

With the biking routes being spread all over the province, and me being more of a martial artist than a biker, I was kind of hoping to avoid spending hours and hours doing the routes myself. It's a valid option, though, true enough. I'm hoping to find something that doesn't involve GPS tracing.

(10 Aug '13, 01:13) Taelia

hi Taelia, I wouldnt advise you to send people onto a track or route without checking its excistance or maintenance. As a revieuwer of hiking and bikingbooks Ill go outdoors just to compare description, map and reality. Time consuming yes, but thats how OSM has been build too.

(10 Aug '13, 08:47) Hendrikklaas

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question asked: 09 Aug '13, 23:02

question was seen: 41,568 times

last updated: 25 Aug '18, 21:09

NOTICE: help.openstreetmap.org is no longer in use from 1st March 2024. Please use the OpenStreetMap Community Forum