<html><head><style type="text/css"><!-- DIV {margin:0px;} --></style></head><body><div style="font-family:verdana, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:12pt"><div>Hi,</div><div><br></div><div>I just finished mapping Valley View, Cainta - a smal sub division with some 34 roads.</div><div><br></div><div>The tracking went very smoothly using the following modus operandi:</div><div><br></div><div> - Prepare equipment:</div><div> - Garmin Nuvi 800 set to Off Road and Trip Log Show</div><div> - Camera with GPS tagging</div><div><br></div><div> - Drive around all 34 roads</div><div><br></div><div> - Stop at all intersections and take photo of street signs</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>It was amazing to see the track being drawn on the Garmin screen as I drove the streets. Just like using a pen on a piece of paper, except in this case the car was the
pen!!</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>When I got home I used Merkaartor to edit the tracks and name the streets:</div><div><br></div><div> - Import current.gpx track log from the Garmin and drawn up the streets</div><div><br></div><div> - Transfer the geotagged photos to a folder and used HoudahGeo to read the location and display it on a map (Merkaartor Mac does not yet support import of photos/Potlatch photo import is experimental)</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Merkaartor uploaded most of my changes but ignored a few so I had review the result in the browser and repeat some of the work so the editing took longer than the actual tracking.</div><div><br></div><div>All in all a very rewarding experience using my car as a pen and recording all facts without need for pen or paper. That was definitely the fun part.</div><div><br></div><div>Editing the maps takes a lot of work and require attention to detail and the
lack of information regarding naming standards, recommended tags and undocumented software makes it a challenge to do good mapping.</div><div><br></div><div>I believe we could really benefit from a clear and concise description of basic tagging.</div><div><br></div><div>What's done here is a good start <a href="http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/WikiProject_Philippines/Mapping_conventions">http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/WikiProject_Philippines/Mapping_conventions</a></div><div><br></div><div>If only we could update that so all information needed for basic mapping on the Philippines was in one place.</div><div><br></div><div>Then we could refer to:</div><div><br></div><div> The PH POI info is also needed <a href="http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/PH:Map_Features">http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/PH:Map_Features</a></div><div><br></div><div> And finally the bible <a
href="http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Map_Features">http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Map_Features</a></div><div><br></div><div>However the learning curve is quite steep if you have to read the bible before beginning mapping.</div><div><br></div><div>A one page info intended for people using Potlatch would allow a lot of people to get down to mapping without further ado and ensure they all use the same guidelines for tagging.</div><div><br></div><div>Happy mapping</div><div>Sehested</div><div><br></div><div style="position:fixed"></div>
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