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Where did you ski today ? -> GPS and Google Earth

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Hey All,
Its been a while since my last post (apologies), but working hard kinda does that for you. I just wanted to remind people now that the start of the season isn't THAT far away Wink about the GPS Google Earth tool that I wrote and shared with the GPS users on here. I've done a lot of work on the tool since I last posted about it, and it now encompasses all the feedback that was provided. I'm also now doing my UK SnowSport (or whatever their name is this week Wink ) Level 1 instructor course atm and joined our local skislope (Bassingbourn), which has re-lit my skiing fire Smile

For those that don't know what I'm talking about Smile the original thread is here

http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?p=915069&highlight=gps+google+earth#915069

but essentially the web tool takes the ouput from your GPS (in GPX format) and runs it through the processor. This works out all your ascents (lifts) and descents (runs) and totals up how long you spend on each, how far you went, how fast you went, how long each run was etc etc etc. It lets you download a KMZ file for google earth which contains all the altitude profile graphs for each runu, daily summary and total summary.

I've also added a little summary info when you download the KMZ file, it displays your routes in an embedded google maps page so you can have a quick summary prior to looking at it in google earth.

I fixed LOTS and LOTS of bugs and its working better than ever so hopefully people will find it fun and useful Smile

If you want to see an example of its outout, click this link http://www.chuffnuts.com/PisteMaps/KMZ/13175_saintefoy-combined.kmz

or upload your GPX file to http://www.chuffnuts.com/pistemaps

Sorry for the blatant advert, but its all free, I wrote it as my wife kept asking me "where did you ski today?" etc so I wanted something where I could show here, where I'd been, how fast I'd gone, and how far I'd skied that day and all week etc. I'd like to get it updated with allnew features etc for this season, so if you have any ideas, please just let me know Smile

Some pictures of the output for those without Google Earth (yes I have fixed all the speed bugs Smile )







Cheers
Si
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
fishslice, good work!
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
fishslice, did you really get up to 124mph in your test???
Shocked Shocked Shocked
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No Smile that was one of the speed bugs I was talking about in the old code Smile generally down to bad GPS locks etc. The code is now intelligent enough to work out these bad locks and ignore stupid speeds based on instantaneous acceleration between points and some statistical analysis of the speeds.

its all fixed Smile The pictures are there to show examples, unfotrunatley they are old examples and I didn't want to delay the post by having to do new screenshots Wink

Si
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
I just had a thought, it should be equally useful for people who go mountain biking in the summer, as there are ascents and descents etc. If anyone has any mountain biking GPS tracks and would like to give it a go, I'd love to see the results.

Cheers
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You'll need to Register first of course.
Cool..really need to get myself a gps for ski and mtb and give it a whirl.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Yes impressive, but why !! Puzzled .

Don't really want to know where i've been, I know (well most of the time). But the GPS which tells you where to go, just like the one in your car, now that would be the must have gadget.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Kel wrote:
Yes impressive, but why !! Puzzled . Don't really want to know where i've been, I know (well most of the time).


Its like all of my little "projects" Smile I wondered if I could do it, so I tried, and I did Smile Since I did it I thought other people might find it useful, thats all.
I used to be an IT technie, but now I'm in product management I don't get to exercise my techie side that much, so I have these little projects to keep the old grey matter ticking over Smile If some people find it useful and use it, thats awesome, if some don't, thats pretty fine as well.
Like I said in the first post, it was born out of my wife asking where I has skied and guided during our hols since during the mornings and some days we don't ski together.

Kel wrote:
But the GPS which tells you where to go, just like the one in your car, now that would be the must have gadget.


They do it, its called the satski.

Si
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
fishslice, that's looking nice!

I use my GPS track to tag my photos. I know it sounds a bit illogical but I don't like using GPS for navigation (I'd rather have a decent OS map).
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
fishslice,

Don't get me wrong I'm not knocking it and I wouldn't have a clue where to begin. So good for you.

Does this satski thing actually work.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
No idea tbh, looks pretty cool on their website though. They use the actual in-resort pistemaps on screen and tie your position to it using GPS. You can do standard satnav things like, "Get me to resort avoiding blacks" etc, which is pretty neat.
I don't think its on sale until November this year though and no pricing for it yet.

Si
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
fishslice Pretty nice work - I am certain that your little grey cells as you put it are working fine.
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
fishslice, Looks good - can I use it with a Suunto x9i ?
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
if you ski in austria have a look at skiline.cc, register your skipass and you can see a graph of your days skiing plus total distance covered (only some resorts unfortunately plus Courmayeur) snowHead
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Quote:

Kel wrote:
But the GPS which tells you where to go, just like the one in your car, now that would be the must have gadget.


They do it, its called the satski.

Si


I reckon what Kel, meant was a nice female voice saying ...."in 200 metres fork left; in 50 metres avoid the death plunge cliff on your left..." etc.

Don't think they've invented that yet - tho I wouldn't be surprised if fishslice is working on it now Little Angel . I think it's amazing - and in fact (being a MTBer as well) reason enough for me to think of getting a GPS.

fishslice I am a complete Puzzled when it comes to IT/techie stuff (but willing to give it a go where mountain sports are concerned) - Can you retain all your records etc etc once you've viewed 'em?
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Patch wrote:
fishslice, Looks good - can I use it with a Suunto x9i ?


Patch,
I've just done a quick google, and this page :
http://astore.amazon.com/gp/detail.html?tag=amz07b-21&linkCode=sb1&camp=212353&creative=380565&asin=B000EOMVZ4

states that unfortunately it cannot export its log files to GPX. If you can get me a copy of its output, I'll have a look and see if I can do anything with it though, it all depends what format its in and what data is stored.

Si
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
mountainaddict wrote:
fishslice I am a complete Puzzled when it comes to IT/techie stuff (but willing to give it a go where mountain sports are concerned) - Can you retain all your records etc etc once you've viewed 'em?


It depends which GPS and software combo you get, but yes pretty much. I use a Garmin GPS 60 because its waterproof, and that comes with the Garmin software to do waypoint and track management etc. I can download all my tracks to my computer and save them, then I upload to my website to convert them to the KMZ format for google earth with graphs etc so I have them in both formats for as long as I want to keep them.

I also don't delete the files from my website once converted, so you have a backup of both the GPX and KMZ files should you convert them, download and then lose the KMZ file (I do regular backups of the site anyway as well).

In the gps software you can save as individual tracks, days runs or whole weeks like I do, which then enables my converter to summarise daily and weekly details inside the KMZ file so you only have one, rather than having one per day Smile but its entirely up to you how you do it. More than happy to lend a hand explaining this should you get a GPS (go on, do it Smile ).
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
fishslice, I'll see format what I can export to and try to send you something if you're interested, but please don't go to any trouble just for me !
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Patch , don't worry, I love a challenge Smile thats why I have these little projects Smile

Si.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
So, with the new season rapidly coming to the fore, this is my regular pre-season push to get peoples GPS tracks to try my converter with Happy Its totally free, no ads, no buy-ins, no nothing, just written by a geek who loves skiing too much Happy

If you've got GPS devices you want to use to convert into the Google Earth tracks but they don't work, please drop me a line as there will be others out there who want to use it with the same device. If people don't tell me their tracks don't work then I can't fix it Happy

If you want to see an example of its output, click this link http://www.chuffnuts.com/PisteMaps/KMZ/13175_saintefoy-combined.kmz

or upload your GPX file to http://www.chuffnuts.com/pistemaps

I'm also obviously open to new feature ideas :
Can you make it show X,
How about adding X feature...
etc ..

Si
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How do you capture image on Google earth with spatial refference? I need to add google earth satellite image to ARCGIS 9.2. I tried to capture the area, but when i open it in ARCGIS, it has no coordinates what so ever...
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
I've got an android operating mobile and i downloaded an app last week called Satski. This gives you live GPS together with piste maps whilst in resorts together with loads of extra bits such as being able to plot your route to your favourite mountain restaurant.

I'm yet to use it as i wont be skiing until the end of January. Anyone else used it?

The following link tells you its £1500!!! I downloaded a free version for my phone, but the full phone version is £5.99
http://www.0-21.co.uk/index.php/200710311244/News/Resort/The-Satski-brings-satellite-navigation-to-skiers.html
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
fishslice, Just used your GE tool on my Baqueira GPS tracks from last week.

It works much better than the one on Everytrail because it easily shows the lifts from runs...

Compare using your tool
http://www.chuffnuts.com/pistemaps/HTML/69166_baqueira_ski_21_thur.html
with
http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=480251

Excellent work.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
Wayne,
Thanks for your kind words Smile The logic that splits the gps tracks into lifts and runs is the core of my project and took some doing for a non programmer Happy Did you download the KMZ file that was linked to see your altitude profile for the runs as well as per run summaries etc etc ?

Si
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
fishslice, hi, did Patch ever send the X9i output. If he didn't can I? I'ld love to get this for my watch. Cheers snowHead
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
No he didn't, but you are more than welcome to send it and I'll see what I can do with it Smile

mail me at simon@chuffnuts.com

Si
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
fishslice, my watch is in Chamonix, I'll be there by next weekend and will try and figure out how to output a file and then I'll send it over to you. Many thanks, Carl.
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
fishslice wrote:
Wayne,
Did you download the KMZ file that was linked to see your altitude profile for the runs as well as per run summaries etc etc ?
Si


Yes, great stuff, although the Holux software does that too but with all the points. You have to ignore the spurious readings and its a bit cluttered, but I can widen the view etc. It's not bad but just not as clear as yours with the red and green.






Does yours depend on the version of GE? It works fine at home with GE 5.1 but not at work with an earlier version?
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
fishslice, I've installed and practiced by walking to the pub and back. Looks nifty from what I've seen and will test it next week and give you some feedback. Can you advise about the data transfer rate and possible download charges when used in France?
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Hi Fishslice.

Good work. I used ot write PDA software and know how difficult this type of thing is. Excellent job.

I was wondering how fast I was going yesterday so this would answer the question. Happy

I'll need to get a garmin GPS and give it a go or try nmy Nokia phone.

I have to go Garmin...... Min (the other chap is Gary, hence GarMin) is my friends uncle. Happy

Cheers
Bob
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Is it just windows or is it cross platform? I normally use Linux but have a 4 processor Mac for imaging. If just windows I'll boot up my winxp partition or test on WINE.

Cheers
Bob
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Wayne - I don't think I've done anything version specific !, certainly not on purpose if I have. Can you let me know thes two versions you have and I'll take a look. If you have any ideas for further improvements etc etc,I'd love to hear them Smile

DrJohn - Great stuff Smile To be honest I have no idea about data charges when in France, sorry. I am working on figuring out how to allow people to download the program standalone so they can use it in resort etc without needing to upload via the net. Not figured it out yet, sorry. My recommendation would be to upload the GPX files on your return to the UK, or find an open wifi network (like bars etc) you can use.

Si
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
fishslice, I'll have wireless at the chalet I'm staying, but I'm not worried about the GPX files because I can email them to myself via the blackberry using a free GPS tracker app I downloaded (http://www.emacberry.com/gpslogger.html). It has a native a KML conversion utility, but yours adds the extra info so is more useful.

I was more concerned about the data usage during the day when it's tracking (work phone, they've not questioned me yet on usage even when abroad so not too worried unless the data usage goes through the roof).

It's the free GPS tracker application that is more on trial than your KML conversion to be honest, I'm not sure how accurate it will be compared to a dedicated GPS device.
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Dr John, I have used the GPS logger utility and it doesn't use any data during the tracking process. It stores the data locally so you are OK to upload on return to the chalet.

It does eat battery though and this weekend I couldn't use it as I left the charger at home! Did use it in Hemsedal before Christmas and set it to log a position once a second. Do remember to set the autosave function in case the battery dies. The log seems accurate enough to determine which side of the piste I was and where I stopped for a breather!

Will try to find time to upload and process them. Perhaps a 'most bizzare path down' competition is in order?
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
AndrewBailey, good info, cheers, will check the auto save and change log to one second from 5. Assumed it would eat the battery so will be prepared with charger and spare battery. When I get back from La Clusaz next week we can compare notes.
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Dr John, my tracks above were made with the logging interval set to 5 seconds and I think it's more than adequate to make detailed tracks.

The Holux has 4Mb of storage and I didn't quite use 20% in a week at about 6hours per day, so it would have just about made it at 1 sec but I didn't want to risk overwriting or not capturing any of the data.

fishslice, Ver 5.1 at home, 4.2 at work, but it could equally be the firewall, lack of Javascript, or a dozen other things, and also why we are stuck with an old version at work. It's not a problem because we get used to using outdated stuff at work....we still have IE6 wink
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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
WayneC, my Bberry has a half empty 1 gig data card so storage isn't really an issue. Mind you processing the track did take quite a while so perhaps 5 secs is a bit more sensible wink
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
fishslice, this sounds like the application that I always wanted to write but was too lazy (or incompetent) to get around to doing. Well done! I'm not sure that I want to lug the old Garmin I have used when sailing around with me when I'm skiing but maybe I'll give it a try (if I can find it after my flitting). In recent weeks I've been using the SkiLine service (www.skiline.cc) in areas where it is available (e.g. SkiWelt) and that is interesting but it doesn't show the route with the same detail your system does.

P.S. The link in the original post "http://www.chuffnuts.com/PisteMaps/KMZ/13175_saintefoy-combined.kmz" doesn't seem to work for me (it links to some non-available Snowheads page). http://www.chuffnuts.com/pistemaps/ does work fine.
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 You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
WayneC wrote:
Dr John, my tracks above were made with the logging interval set to 5 seconds and I think it's more than adequate to make detailed tracks.

The Holux has 4Mb of storage and I didn't quite use 20% in a week at about 6hours per day, so it would have just about made it at 1 sec but I didn't want to risk overwriting or not capturing any of the data.

fishslice, Ver 5.1 at home, 4.2 at work, but it could equally be the firewall, lack of Javascript, or a dozen other things, and also why we are stuck with an old version at work. It's not a problem because we get used to using outdated stuff at work....we still have IE6 wink


Hi Wayne, Can you tell me where is this, because i found some skiing also
http://sportypal.com/Workouts/Details/150632
that looks like is on the same mountain. I did some research and realized that with sportypal you don;t need to convert anything to have the map in 3d, after uploading that is done automatically.
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
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Mine was Baqueira Spain. That looks like Valloise France.

My tracks are also posted on Everytrail have a look at
http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=480251
Smile
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