GPS and Mapping

I’ve recently been playing with GPS and mapping with a view to using it on my bikes.

I really like Google Maps, especially since the level of detail for my home and surrounding areas has improved recently. The satellite imagery is impressive where it is available in high resolution, but unfortunately, this doesn’t include my home and main cycling routes. They’ve also got versions for mobile devices, as described below.

What’s really impressive, though, is the proliferation of enhanced 3rd party applications built upon Google Maps.

One of my favourites is http://www.marengo-ltd.com/map/development.html. This allows you to create a route using Google Maps and then export it to GPX format for use on your GPS device. So you can plan your routes in advance, download to your GPS and follow the route. Alternatively, if you upload a track from a GPX device, you can view it on the map.

A really impressive application is HeyWhatsThat. This merges the map data with elevation data, so you can view basic contour lines overlayed on the Google Maps. You can also view a profile for a route, so you can see where the big hills are, and plan your bike rides to hit them (or miss them, if your into that sort of thing). It would be the perfect application if it featured the ability to upload and download routes.

Bikely is a route sharing site. You can search for routes in your area, and download the GPX file for use on your GPS. It has a route profile feature, which I really like. You can of course share your own routes, by uploading a GPX or you can draw it manually. If your route does not contain elevation data, Bikely will automatically populate it from the USGS GISDATA servers, but it can take 24 hours to happen.

GPSBabel is useful for converting between file formats.

Mobile Applications

When you’re out on the road, there are a few applications for mobile devices.

Google have a mobile version of Google Maps which works quite well. It requires a data connection which is fine for urban cycling, but there are lots of places that I ride where there is little or no mobile coverage. And unless you’re on an unlimited / un-metered data plan, it can get expensive if used heavily. A caching feature or an offline mode would be really useful. There’s also no way to get it to talk to your GPS device.

MGMaps is a free 3rd party mobile application which uses Google Maps, as well as some other mapping providers, like Yahoo! and Ask.com. You can define the size of the cache, making you less reliant on the mobile data network. However, I haven’t been able to get it to use my 2 Gb data card as a cache.

AFTrack is quite a nice mobile application for Symbian OS / S60 (Nokia Smartphone among others). You have to pay for it after the free trial (it's about €30 as far as I can remember). It has lots of very useful GPS features like routing and tracking, and you can overlay your own maps.

Maps can be calibrated in the application or can use an external calibration file, and the application can be configured to automatically load the appropriate map for your location. It has a few quirks, and there’s no way to download maps if you’re in a new area, but it really is a superb application, and in my view it’s a keeper.

The Low Down

I’m using a Nokia E61 and a GlobalSat BT338 Bluetooth GPS receiver. I chose the E61 for work reasons (Blackberry email, QWERTY keyboard, etc), so it’s perhaps not the most appropriate choice for leisure activities, especially as it lacks a camera, but it has a nice large screen, and features wifi.

My most used application is AFTrack, and I have created maps for an approx 80 mile radius around my house. So it covers everywhere I’m likely to ride on a regular basis.

As a backup, for example if I find my self in the city, I use MGMaps as it can download maps for areas I don’t have already, or at a new detail level.

But to be honest, I find that using GPS on the road takes from the experience of cycling. It’s a bit too clinical. Most days I leave the GPS receiver at home and just ride where my mood takes me. This can yield some surprising results. One early morning recently, I took a series of random turns, just to see where it took me. I happened to find a really nice deserted road, some of it with grass growing on the centre of the road so it was really a 2 foot wide paved track. After a mile or two the gradient reached 10% (as I verified later by drawing part of the route on http://www.heywhatsthat.com/profiler.html). Soon afterwards the climb eased and the road turned into an exhilarating 60kph descent. When I arrived home I still had a huge grin on my face.

For touring, I think my solution would be the E61, BT338 with AFTrack, backed up by MGMaps for extra downloads. The BT338 can be charged by a Nokia Charger, and has decent battery life, meaning one less item to carry.