[Talk-GB] Updated MapThePaths app - with tagged GPS traces

Nick Whitelegg nick.whitelegg at solent.ac.uk
Sat May 23 11:28:18 UTC 2020


Hello everyone,

To follow up an email of just over a week ago, I have now updated the MapThePaths Android app (https://mapthepaths.org.uk/app.html; https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.org.mapthepaths.android) so that tagged GPS traces can be created. You can record a GPS trace, and tag each segment (GPX <trkseg>) with the current path designation and path type (grass path, dirt track, paved service road, etc) by means of drop-down lists.

The GPS traces can be uploaded to OSM and to the MapThePaths server. The high-level designation and path types are converted to OSM highway, designation and surface tags, and each track segment tagged with these three tags.

It will shortly be possible to view the uploaded GPS traces on the MapThePaths website as a selectable layer.

As I said in my original email, one of my aims is to provide a way for OSM beginners to easily survey rights of way. The UI is still very rudimentary; I am not a UX expert so what would be really nice is for someone with good UX skills to come up with a better UI aimed at allowing beginners to easily use the app. My general idea is that users can select high-level, unambiguous designations (public footpath, etc) and path types (grass path, dirt track etc) via the UI. If I get some nice designs, which the community is happy with as a whole, plus some nice graphics, I'm quite happy to then use those designs and graphics in code.

The other component then needed is the JOSM plugin (either a new one or, probably bettter, a modification of an existing one -  I'm thinking of the KML plugin that was mentioned - as we discussed last week) to allow the tagged traces to be imported into JOSM for use by experienced mappers to actually create the OSM ways. An alert system would be nice also, to alert experienced users of any new traces in their area.

I have also added a new option to turn off the 'snap map to current GPS location' feature, allowing users to pan the map around.

Any further thoughts, please let me know.

Thanks,
Nick





Nick Whitelegg
Senior Lecturer in Computing (Internet)  | School of Media Arts and Technology
Southampton Solent University  | RM424 | East Park Terrace | Southampton SO14 0YN
T: 023 8201 3075 | E: nick.whitelegg at solent.ac.uk<mailto:nick.whitelegg at solent.ac.uk> | W: solent.ac.uk<http://www.solent.ac.uk/>

Disclaimer<http://www.solent.ac.uk/disclaimer/disclaimer.aspx>
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