Comments on: Test Ride the City, new bike route mapping site http://austinontwowheels.org/2009/05/20/test-ride-the-city-new-bike-route-mapping-site/ The Online Magazine of Austin Cycling Culture Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:04:53 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Jordan http://austinontwowheels.org/2009/05/20/test-ride-the-city-new-bike-route-mapping-site/comment-page-1/#comment-3166 Jordan Thu, 21 May 2009 16:47:55 +0000 http://austinontwowheels.org/?p=5842#comment-3166 Hi all, We just got some very useful GIS data on the paved and unpaved trails around Austin. It'll take a week or so to get it integrated into the site, and a little longer to make it truly useful. This data also includes the bike/pedestrian bridges over the river -- a really key part of the bike network. One question about the paved and unpaved trails: Are there some that you find especially useful for transportation / quick-and-safe connections between on-street routes? Thanks, Jordan Hi all,

We just got some very useful GIS data on the paved and unpaved trails around Austin. It’ll take a week or so to get it integrated into the site, and a little longer to make it truly useful.

This data also includes the bike/pedestrian bridges over the river — a really key part of the bike network.

One question about the paved and unpaved trails: Are there some that you find especially useful for transportation / quick-and-safe connections between on-street routes?

Thanks,
Jordan

]]> By: Doug http://austinontwowheels.org/2009/05/20/test-ride-the-city-new-bike-route-mapping-site/comment-page-1/#comment-3157 Doug Thu, 21 May 2009 00:41:11 +0000 http://austinontwowheels.org/?p=5842#comment-3157 Wasn't there some project that was working on creating maps by using data downloaded from GPSs? Didn't they have some event recently where people were supposed to go around making maps? I could have sworn I read about it on one of the local cycling websites/web logs. Either way, assuming that they can use data from GPSs (and I don't see why not) at least part of the solution is simple -- have people make note of where the local paths are, and set their GPSs to log everything as they ride them. Then dump the data to the computers, and send them to these people. Ideally each path would be ridden by several people (so errors could be minimized by averaging), and they'd be careful to turn off the GPS when they ride over roads and such, but it doesn't sound terribly difficult -- there aren't that many such paths in Austin. Well, not paved paths ... if you could dirt paths like the greenbelt and such, it becomes bigger, but either way -- it's totally doable. Wasn’t there some project that was working on creating maps by using data downloaded from GPSs? Didn’t they have some event recently where people were supposed to go around making maps? I could have sworn I read about it on one of the local cycling websites/web logs.

Either way, assuming that they can use data from GPSs (and I don’t see why not) at least part of the solution is simple — have people make note of where the local paths are, and set their GPSs to log everything as they ride them. Then dump the data to the computers, and send them to these people.

Ideally each path would be ridden by several people (so errors could be minimized by averaging), and they’d be careful to turn off the GPS when they ride over roads and such, but it doesn’t sound terribly difficult — there aren’t that many such paths in Austin. Well, not paved paths … if you could dirt paths like the greenbelt and such, it becomes bigger, but either way — it’s totally doable.

]]> By: marcus http://austinontwowheels.org/2009/05/20/test-ride-the-city-new-bike-route-mapping-site/comment-page-1/#comment-3155 marcus Wed, 20 May 2009 18:34:28 +0000 http://austinontwowheels.org/?p=5842#comment-3155 Nope, we told them the same thing. I figure they don't have the most up to date GIS layer for the bike routes. Nope, we told them the same thing. I figure they don’t have the most up to date GIS layer for the bike routes.

]]> By: JasonATXBS http://austinontwowheels.org/2009/05/20/test-ride-the-city-new-bike-route-mapping-site/comment-page-1/#comment-3154 JasonATXBS Wed, 20 May 2009 18:32:54 +0000 http://austinontwowheels.org/?p=5842#comment-3154 I pointed them towards Nathan Wilkes with the CoA Bike Program. Can y'all think of any one else better qualified for their GIS questions? I pointed them towards Nathan Wilkes with the CoA Bike Program. Can y’all think of any one else better qualified for their GIS questions?

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