Maximum Nerdage - GPS track + Google Earth

**bio-smear** · 02-01-2006, 11:25 AM

El Chupacabra and I did a morning sesh yesterday at Mt. Rose, and I turned my GPS on in my pack before we started. I was able to record a track of everywhere we went, in addition to our total vertical footage with the baro altimeter (which was only about 11K in 2.5 hrs...we're slow...)

In a fit of boredom, I decided to map our track against the 3D map in Google Earth. What's the point? I dunno, but anyone with a sense of geekdom can appreciate. Now if I could only get a trail map overlay.

I decree that all future TR's include this data.

BLOODSWEATSTEEL · 02-01-2006, 11:31 AM

What? Is Wild Card closed down or something?

**bio-smear** · 02-01-2006, 11:34 AM

There was 8-10" of fresh everywhere. Plus, the W side was kinda blown thin, so the best depth was in the Chutes. I do love Wildcard though.

**Hutch** · 02-01-2006, 11:35 AM

looks like your skis never left the ground, brah.

Sorta confused about that lift ride with no ins or outs... did you turn it on at the bottom of the lift?

**Orange Julius** · 02-01-2006, 11:37 AM

Were you able to overlay GPS data in standard Google Earth or do you have the Plus edition? I've been wanting to do this for some time, but Google Earth for Mac OS X does not seem to support GPS data input yet (or do I have to make my own kml file?)

Thanks,
-Geek Fan

**bio-smear** · 02-01-2006, 11:38 AM

Originally Posted by Pope Benedict XVI

Sorta confused about that lift ride with no ins or outs... did you turn it on at the bottom of the lift?

That is a mystery. It's possible the receiver lost signal for a short time between the bottom of the NW run and the return to the lift base(the error is pretty apparent from the fact that it shows I skiied across the highway.)

Were you able to overlay GPS data in standard Google Earth or do you have the Plus edition?

I downloaded an app for Windows called GPS Trackmaker (I tried to use CompeGPS, but the download map feature wigged out, and the sat maps for Mt. Rose that I could get were summer.) GPS Trackmaker imported my track directly from the GPS, then I just clicked "Display in Google Earth" and it overlayed the track data. I set the elevation exaggeration to "2." I think the free version of Google earth can import and display XML track data(kml), but GPS Trackmaker generated the file for me. You might look for something on OSX that can do the same.

**El Chupacabra** · 02-01-2006, 11:38 AM

Check it out! it shows where you hit the main side switch and rode it through the trees, all the way into the road, brah!

(What happened there anyway? Your GPS show you traveling waaaay the hell out over Mt Rose Hwy.)

**skitoolong** · 02-01-2006, 11:41 AM

This is cool. What sort of GPS unit. I've been avoiding the market, but it's time.
Suggestions

**bio-smear** · 02-01-2006, 11:44 AM

Originally Posted by El Chupacabra

Check it out! it shows where you hit the main side switch and rode it through the trees, all the way into the road, brah!

(What happened there anyway? Your GPS show you traveling waaaay the hell out over Mt Rose Hwy.)

You don't remember that? Sorry about the asphalt gouges in your Bros.

I dunno, sometimes if the receiver loses a satellite, the resolution goes to shit and it gets confused for a few minutes. It was in my pack. Maybe I should mount in on my helmet for best reception?

What sort of GPS unit. I've been avoiding the market, but it's time.

Garmin eTrex Vista C...I've been very happy with it. I chose it for the magnetic compass(at low speeds) and the barometric altimeter, since I had planned to use it mostly for paragliding.

**andrewjesaitis** · 02-01-2006, 12:04 PM

Wow, thats pretty sweet. One more reason why Google Earth is so awesome...

**jump** · 02-01-2006, 12:11 PM

Originally Posted by bio-smear

Maybe I should mount in on my helmet for best reception?

Well remember, with this setup you should be pretty set!

**A-wreck** · 02-01-2006, 12:18 PM

That actually is pretty sweet.

**hop** · 02-01-2006, 12:21 PM

as a geographer and a skier and a nerd I think this is the coolest thing eh-ver!

**road trip** · 02-01-2006, 12:21 PM

Originally Posted by A-wreck

That actually is pretty sweet.

I concur.

...and being that we all belong to an internet community, I think theres's a good deal of nerd/geek in all of us...

**Tin Woodsman** · 02-01-2006, 01:33 PM

Originally Posted by bio-smear

Garmin eTrex Vista C...I've been very happy with it. I chose it for the magnetic compass(at low speeds) and the barometric altimeter, since I had planned to use it mostly for paragliding.

This is VERY cool shit. Is it possible to overlay your track onto a topo map with that Garmin? If it's painfully easy to do so, please forgive - I am a techno-idiot.

**bio-smear** · 02-01-2006, 01:50 PM

Originally Posted by Tin Woodsman

Is it possible to overlay your track onto a topo map with that Garmin?

Garmin Mapsource + Mapsource US Topo West CD-ROM: Pretty standard stuff. It gets tougher when you use 3rd party apps to overlay tracks, like above, although that wasn't very hard either.

**upallnight** · 02-01-2006, 06:52 PM

That's pretty cool. You should upload your data to motionbased.com. It's very easy to use, and they have an algorithm to correct your elevation data. (Skiing 4,000' runs here through varying temps screws up the barometric altimeter in my eTrex Vista.)

Highly recommended!

**spanky** · 02-01-2006, 08:27 PM

Originally Posted by bio-smear

I dunno, sometimes if the receiver loses a satellite, the resolution goes to shit and it gets confused for a few minutes. It was in my pack. Maybe I should mount in on my helmet for best reception?

Yeah, I've found that the GPS receiver loses a signal in my pack combined with the mountains, trees, etc blocking the satellites.

**hev** · 02-01-2006, 08:39 PM

very very cool. would rock for BC route finding.

**upallnight** · 02-01-2006, 10:24 PM

Originally Posted by spanky

Yeah, I've found that the GPS receiver loses a signal in my pack combined with the mountains, trees, etc blocking the satellites.

GPS antennas can be finicky. Usually, they will pick up a signal through clothing, or through the top of a pack -- but if the eTrex flips upside down it might stop receiving.

Canyons are pretty tough for tracking, and heavy tree cover is an issue.

I've been using the eTrex Vista for, hm....at least 5 years now, and I've had every result imaginable with it (from horrendous/i-want-to-throw-it-out-the-window to you-saved-me-by-helping-me-ski-right-back-to-my-car-on-a-tour). The best mount would actually be atop your helmet, but it's not so practical for viewing the device.

Body parts (even holding it upright in your hand) seems to attenuate the device's ability to receive a signal pretty bad.

Weird, I know.

When it works, it's awesome.

**Snow Dog** · 02-01-2006, 11:00 PM

Very cool nerdage. I put My Garmin Legend in the top pocket of my pack (when hiking) and it almost always gets a good signal.

**Tin Woodsman** · 02-01-2006, 11:13 PM

Originally Posted by bio-smear

Garmin Mapsource + Mapsource US Topo West CD-ROM: Pretty standard stuff. It gets tougher when you use 3rd party apps to overlay tracks, like above, although that wasn't very hard either.

Awesome. But that topo is pretty broad brush. AAre there any software packages that approach/approximate a standard USGS 1:24,000 series?

**PaSucks** · 02-02-2006, 12:00 AM

I've been using this 6,000 dollar piece of shit for work. http://www.trimble.com/geoxt.shtml The thing only gets a signal if the sky is completly devoid of clouds, and recently ArcPad has been shutting down whenever it damn well pleases, meaning I spend the majority of my time sitting in my car rebooting.

**cj001f** · 02-02-2006, 12:03 AM

Originally Posted by upallnight

That's pretty cool. You should upload your data to motionbased.com. It's very easy to use, and they have an algorithm to correct your elevation data. (Skiing 4,000' runs here through varying temps screws up the barometric altimeter in my eTrex Vista.)

Highly recommended!

2nded! Motionbased is pretty durn cool - doesn't play so well with my eXplorist 500, but c'est la vie