I'm hoping that I will be able to leverage off of the technologies used by openstreetmap.org, and that it will mostly be a matter of figuring out what to leverage off of, and not so much how to implement it myself.
My theory is that openstreetmap.org, though very cool, is years away from being useful, and even farther away from being better than the data that people pay for. You may ask, "If you think it's so far out, why do the same thing for trails"? There are many compelling reasons:
- No Good Alternative. There is no good alternative for trail maps. Topo maps are from the 80's and trails are always shifting because of fires/floods/development/etc.
- Passion. Outdoor enthusiasts have passion. They care about the trails, and they are very into it.
- Hikers have GPS. Hikers are already equipped with the GPS necessary to collect and store the trail data need, and they are already accustom to using it, in case they get lost.
- Looser Requirements. Unlike street maps, there isn't going to be a turn by turn direction application that is trying to find you the best route based off this data. This allows the data to be more sparse, and less detailed (no one way steets, no HOV lane, etc)
In addition to the collection of data, the site would have to have a way to view and print the maps, and I would probably want to partner with a Topo map printer, and allow users to print the trails they want over a high quality topo map too.
As far as the data is concerned, I would not want to hoard this data. I'd be interested in providing it to anyone who wanted it, at least for their own use. I'm not sure yet how I would fund this concept, but one initial idea is to find funding through people like the city of phoenix parks. I know that they make maps, and I wonder how much work it is. Having online maps and having users keeping those maps up to date may be very appealing to them, or may not be :).
As I come up with more on this idea, I will continue to post under the label : opentrailmap.org. Comment if you have any ideas/input.
3 comments:
Bob,
opentrailmap.org is a great idea! Give it wings!
Write a strawdog business plan and post it on your blog.
Post the idea on craigslist. Maybe just sell or donate the domain name.
Send an email to me and I'll point you to some geogeeks who might know hikers with geospatial programming skills who might help build a Google Maps Mashup that makes it easy for hikers to enter data.
I've been exploring rail trails around Worcester, MA, and I'm surprised at how poorly even these funded trails are documented.
I'm on the wagon, entrepreneurially speaking, or I'd be very tempted to help you with this.
Lance McKee
lmckee (at) opengeospatial.org
Bob -
My name is Ben - while I realize this post is ~2yrs old I thought I'd drop a note...
I found this while searching for the domain opentrailmap.
i run a site called redtrails.com - I once tried to sell/partner with Trimble - I think I talked to a Ben Porter(?) in Phoenix?...but he wasn't all that interested.
I believe my site to be the most accurate rendition of an opentrailmap and would be interested in your thoughts.
Seems like Trimble Outdoors has done a pretty good job of collecting and sharing data but I think a lot of the geometry is compromised from it's UGC sourcing...
If you're still interested in this concept - find me at redtrails.com
I'll check out redtrails.com! I've been conflicted on this idea because it has been a bit of a conflict of interest for me. You probably noticed that I also work for Trimble.
I'll check your stuff out though and see if there is a good opportunity to work together. Ben doesn't work here anymore, but I can hook you up with the right people if they are interested.
Post a Comment