[LINK] gps on kids...

[Anthony Hornby]

Hi All,
There are already applications like "Sports Tracker" for current Nokia
smart phones that allow capture of the route and speed etc and then
allow export of the whole trip as a Google Maps file you can send to a
friend to overlay on the Google Maps interface. It isn't perfect,
routes can be a bit "jaggy" as the GPS precision wanders, but it is a
good start.

There are emerging lots of nice travel related social reasons for
location based tagging of photos, routes etc. I have seen demos of
applications that allow you to use your current location via GPS to
return all the tagged items in your immediate region in google maps.
You can then visit each tagged item, look at the photos, read the info
left by other travelers and if you like it zoom back out and have the
device attempt to plot a route for you.

Even if you don't trust the planning the route part at least you know
of the existence of the item of interest and have an idea of the
direction and distance it is in relation to you.

I don't blindly follow new tech trends, but I think location based
services have a lot to offer and are absolutely open to abuse as well.
Like any other technology we need to balance the advantages with the
trade offs.

Regards Anthony


On Fri, Jan 16, 2009 at 1:48 PM, Richard Chirgwin
<rchirgwin at ozemail.com.au> wrote:
> However, in a properly FOSS attitude, those who have the devices could
> always capture and publish where they've been ... I'd bet with not much
> effort a good cycleway map would emerge pretty quickly. Just as long as
> you don't let it near the Openstreetmap guys, who (sorry for dumping a
> bucket on a popular project) don't much care about data quality ...
>
> (I often wonder why more people don't put their GPS tracks on the
> Internet. For example, bushwalkers. Once you've been to Mount Sol with a
> GPS, there's no reason not to share the file ...)
>
> BTW, Michael, if you want a bit of a laugh, go to Google Maps - US not
> Australia - and run the search:
>
> from: ballarat to: sydney australia
>
> Take particular note of Step 19 ...
>
> RC
>
> Michael Skeggs mike at bystander.net wrote:
>> What chance the GPS map would show the cycle route? More likely it
>> would direct you to the nearest freeway for the 'quickest' route.
>> Regards,
>> Michael Skeggs
>>
>> 2009/1/16 Antony Barry <tony at tony-barry.emu.id.au>:
>>
>>> On 14/01/2009, at 6:22 PM, Birch Jim wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>> FTR I don't have a GPS and I don't want one.  One thing I do know
>>>> is people are very often stupid.  I love figuring out the route myself
>>>> and like knowing that I can adapt.
>>>>
>>> Ditto BUT I cycle in Canberra which has an extensive network of off-
>>> road cyclepaths and footpaths which mainly run through parkland and
>>> very, very little signage. When riding in a new area I sometime find
>>> myself say "where the f**k am I?" and have to diverge from the path
>>> to find a road sign so I can consult a map. A GPS would be nice which
>>> showed me a "you are here" marker . Having to backtrack a few km
>>> because you chose the wrong fork in the path is annoying. Yes there
>>> IS a cyclepath/footpath map but it seems not every little path is
>>> shown clearly.
>>>
>>> Tony
>>>
>>> phone : 02 6241 7659  | mailto:tony at Tony-Barry.emu.id.au
>>> mobile: 04 3365 2400  | mailto:tony.barry at alianet.alia.org.au
>>> http://tony-barry.emu.id.au
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Link mailing list
>>> Link at mailman.anu.edu.au
>>> http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
>>>
>>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Link mailing list
>> Link at mailman.anu.edu.au
>> http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
>>
>>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Link mailing list
> Link at mailman.anu.edu.au
> http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
>