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Gmap4 - Google Maps+topographic. View KML,KMZ,GPX,TPO
#7073 09/03/10 01:40 PM
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I am the author of Gmap4 which is a 100% free no-ads full-screen enhanced Google Map viewer. It includes detailed topographic maps (courtesy of www.mytopo.com) for the USA and Canada. Gmap4 runs entirely online. There is nothing to buy, nothing to download, nothing to install.

In addition to surfing topographic maps, you can also view data from the following types of files: GPX, KML, KMZ, TPO & Google MyMap files.

You do need to place your GPX, KML, KMZ and TPO files online before they can be displayed by Gmap4. The easiest/fastest way to place files online is via Google Sites (free). Don't be shy. You will find hand-holding-step-by-step instructions in the Gmap4 Help file.

Here is the general recipe for building a URL to display a data file with Gmap4 (do not include the quotes, these are not real links):
For data files showing locations in the USA or Canada:
'http://www.mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.php?t=t2&q=http://url_to_your_file'
For data files showing other locations:
'http://www.mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.php?q=http://url_to_your_file'

Below is a link to the Gmap4 homepage. Check out the 'Examples' button and the Quick Start section of the 'Help' file.
http://www.mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.html

Finally, if you run a website where people file trip reports you could consider allowing Gmap4 to run in an iframe. Your users could include a 100% free interactive map with their GPS track and waypoints along with the rest of their trip report. Gmap4 has a liquid design and will look decent in an iframe down to 400px by 400px. For examples: Search the Trip Report forum at http://www.nwhikers.net for 'Gmap4'.

Enjoy,
Joseph

Re: Gmap4 - Google Maps+topographic. View KML,KMZ,GPX,TPO
Joseph #7074 09/03/10 02:34 PM
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Joseph,

Thanks! At first glance, your site appears to be exactly what I was asking for here: Quesitions about Mapping Tools I'll be trying it out soon!

Just a question: Those links in quotes... should the parameter be q=htpp or q=http

Looks like some good hints here.

At second glance, it appears to be a mapping freak's dream!!

Re: Gmap4 - Google Maps+topographic. View KML,KMZ,GPX,TPO
Steve C #7077 09/03/10 04:50 PM
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Last weekend in Yosemite my nephew (a GIS guy) and I met up with a backpack group consisting of cartographers/geographers/geologist types. They were a lot of fun, & I invited them to join the forum.

I think the collective noun for that group should be "spaciality".


Verum audaces non gerunt indusia alba. - Ipsi dixit MCMLXXII
Re: Gmap4 - Google Maps+topographic. View KML,KMZ,GPX,TPO
Steve C #7081 09/03/10 08:17 PM
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Originally Posted By: Steve C
Those links in quotes... should the parameter be q=htpp or q=http


Thanks for the kind words.

Oopsie. Thanks for catching that http typo. I fixed it.

I am Joey on nwhiker.net
Beta releases (with special links) are announced in their trail talk forum.

I am working on adding trip planning tools. You will be able to click the map to set a route and/or waypoints. Then you will be able to download a GPX file with that data.

Re: Gmap4 - Google Maps+topographic. View KML,KMZ,GPX,TPO
Joseph #7152 09/08/10 01:27 PM
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pretty cool - just doesn't work at all when you run "in private filtering" in IE8 - you should mention that on your site, because at first I thought the thing was just broken.

Re: Gmap4 - Google Maps+topographic. View KML,KMZ,GPX,TPO
Joseph #7181 09/09/10 01:53 PM
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That is an excellent solution for the majority of .kml files.

For large .kml files like the PCT, CDT or AT, google maps api cannot handle that much data.

Also, the url/file passed to your php script *needs* to be authenticated, as all sorts of XSS nasties can be passed to your php script.

Excellent site!

-postholer

Re: Gmap4 - Google Maps+topographic. View KML,KMZ,GPX,TPO
postholer.com #7193 09/10/10 12:24 PM
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What language are you guys talking? Is it dirty talk?

Re: Gmap4 - Google Maps+topographic. View KML,KMZ,GPX,TPO
Rod #7221 09/12/10 08:03 AM
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Joesph:

I am having a hard time making this work. I was able to save a couple of kml files from my Garmin 405 on Google Maps, but I can't seem to open them in Gmap4.

Any chance you can provide additional guidance to those of us who have very limited tech skills?

Thanks,
Kent Williams

Re: Gmap4 - Google Maps+topographic. View KML,KMZ,GPX,TPO
Fishmonger #7226 09/12/10 12:59 PM
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Originally Posted By: Fishmonger
pretty cool - just doesn't work at all when you run "in private filtering" in IE8 - you should mention that on your site, because at first I thought the thing was just broken.


Thanks for 'head's up. I made a note to add this to the 'Help; file

Re: Gmap4 - Google Maps+topographic. View KML,KMZ,GPX,TPO
postholer.com #7227 09/12/10 01:07 PM
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Originally Posted By: postholer.com
Also, the url/file passed to your php script *needs* to be authenticated, as all sorts of XSS nasties can be passed to your php script.


The php script does a bunch of data validation on the url parameters. This is the main defense I'm using against the nere-do-wells of the world.

If all those checks pass then the code looks at the kml (or other file) header. That header has to look OK before the code tries to read the file.

Do you think there is more I should be doing?

Re: Gmap4 - Google Maps+topographic. View KML,KMZ,GPX,TPO
trail runner #7228 09/12/10 01:10 PM
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Originally Posted By: trail runner
Joesph:

I am having a hard time making this work. I was able to save a couple of kml files from my Garmin 405 on Google Maps, but I can't seem to open them in Gmap4.

Any chance you can provide additional guidance to those of us who have very limited tech skills?

Thanks,
Kent Williams


Please post the Gmap4 command you used to try and display your map in this thread. Maybe it just needs a simple syntax tweak.

Re: Gmap4 - Google Maps+topographic. View KML,KMZ,GPX,TPO
Joseph #7462 09/16/10 06:51 AM
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Originally Posted By: Joseph

Please post the Gmap4 command you used to try and display your map in this thread. Maybe it just needs a simple syntax tweak.


let's try it with an iframe - this is as simple as I can do it, using html mode in markup pulldown box in the posting form, you can insert an iframe, in which the remote mappingsupport server fills in your map. Here's the code I use to show a single GPX file hosted on my web server, 800x800 pixels not to get too wide in the forum layout:

(all this should be one line no line break)




<iframe style='width: 800px; height: 800px; margin: 0'
frameborder='0' scrolling='no' src=http://www.mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.php?q=
http://didnt.doit.wisc.edu/outdoor/muir2009/gps/2010/20100722.gpx></iframe>





and this is what it looks like:




Re: Gmap4 - Google Maps+topographic. View KML,KMZ,GPX,TPO
Fishmonger #7463 09/16/10 07:01 AM
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by the way, I noticed there's some caching going on at the mappingsupport.com server with my GPX files and even when I update them, I keep getting the same track that was first displayed under that URL. I now have to rename all these GPX files to new URLs to get my changes to display, since apparently there's no second download ever, even if file dates have changed.

See the very same track renamed to a new file here - this now shows the edits I made several days ago - focus on those "fuzzy" areas where the GPS was scattering around during breaks. They are not part of the GPX file any longer that the above iframe pulls in - the track should look smooth like in this link:

same file, different name

Re: Gmap4 - Google Maps+topographic. View KML,KMZ,GPX,TPO
Fishmonger #7464 09/16/10 07:40 AM
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Fishmonger,

That's a nice iframe map.

As Fishmonger demonstrated, Gmap4 can run in an iframe. Thus you can include an interactive Gmap4 map in your trip reports. Fishmonger's iframe map opens with the Google Map Terrain view. You can switch the map to topographic by clicking (upper right) Terrain ==> MyTopo.

Gmap4 is not limited to running just in an iframe. This link will display Fishmonger's map in a new window and it will show the topographic view (since I added &t=t2):
http://www.mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.ph...22.gpx&t=t2

If anyone is having trouble using Gmap4 then please post the URL command you are using just like I did above.

Re: Gmap4 - Google Maps+topographic. View KML,KMZ,GPX,TPO
Fishmonger #7465 09/16/10 07:47 AM
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Originally Posted By: Fishmonger
by the way, I noticed there's some caching going on at the mappingsupport.com server with my GPX files and even when I update them, I keep getting the same track that was first displayed under that URL. I now have to rename all these GPX files to new URLs to get my changes to display, since apparently there's no second download ever, even if file dates have changed.


When in doubt, read the instructions. blush
If you add &refresh=1 to the URL, then Gmap4 will display your edited GPX file. There is no need to change the file name.

See p.20 of the Help file.
http://www.mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4_help.pdf

Re: Gmap4 - Google Maps+topographic. View KML,KMZ,GPX,TPO
Joseph #7467 09/16/10 09:19 AM
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> See p.20 of the Help file.

Page 20??? No wonder! smile

I am curious.... Why does a gps unit "wander" like that while you are stopped?

I saw the same thing when DUG left his Spot Messenger on all night at a camp location, and next day his Spot track looked like he was sleep-walking!

Re: Gmap4 - Google Maps+topographic. View KML,KMZ,GPX,TPO
Steve C #7473 09/16/10 09:55 AM
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Originally Posted By: Steve C
> See p.20 of the Help file.

Page 20??? No wonder! smile

I am curious.... Why does a gps unit "wander" like that while you are stopped?

I saw the same thing when DUG left his Spot Messenger on all night at a camp location, and next day his Spot track looked like he was sleep-walking!


One could always look at the Table of Contents.

The 'wander' is due to the fact that the satellites keep moving.

Re: Gmap4 - Google Maps+topographic. View KML,KMZ,GPX,TPO
Steve C #7485 09/16/10 12:02 PM
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Originally Posted By: Steve C


Page 20??? No wonder! smile



I think I scanned the first two pages until stuff worked well enough grin

Still can't get it to load larger GPX files in the range of 20mb, but then I think I found the solution by ditching altitude and time tags from the files. Maybe there's a point limit over on google. I'll know more later today when I am done stripping the excess fluff from my GPX files. I really want the entire JMT on one map, but in reasonable detail.

Re: Gmap4 - Google Maps+topographic. View KML,KMZ,GPX,TPO
Fishmonger #7486 09/16/10 12:31 PM
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Map of John Muir trail.
http://www.mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.ph..._Muir_Trail.gpx

I found that data file here:
http://parkaymaps.110mb.com/

If the same track is in a GPX file and a KML file, the GPX file will always be bigger.

Gmap4 converts GPX files to KML files before displaying the map (required by the Google Maps API)

Google has limits on the size of KML file that can be displayed. Those limits are:
Maximum fetched file size (raw KML, raw GeoRSS, or compressed KMZ) 3MB
Maximum uncompressed KML file size 10MB
Maximum number of Network Links 10
Maximum number of total document-wide features 1,000

1 GPS track is only 1 "feature".

Re: Gmap4 - Google Maps+topographic. View KML,KMZ,GPX,TPO
Joseph #7490 09/16/10 01:57 PM
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Originally Posted By: Joseph


If the same track is in a GPX file and a KML file, the GPX file will always be bigger.

Gmap4 converts GPX files to KML files before displaying the map (required by the Google Maps API)

Google has limits on the size of KML file that can be displayed. Those limits are:
Maximum fetched file size (raw KML, raw GeoRSS, or compressed KMZ) 3MB
Maximum uncompressed KML file size 10MB
Maximum number of Network Links 10
Maximum number of total document-wide features 1,000

1 GPS track is only 1 "feature".


thanks for this - I tried GPSBabel to convert my GPX to KML - my file in GPX was 1299kb, while in KML it exported to 18,200kb. Clearly, there's the problem why KML didn't work for me, because whatever preferences I used in GPS Babel (default), it was adding a ton of fluff. My GPX is stripped down from the originals, no time, no elevation data, so they are quite compact.

here's my actual entire JMT data from a freshly merged GPX with only the relevant location content from 22 days (GPX_Editor has great features to clean up those files). Only thing is the fat line width you can't control with GPX, but if you zoom in it gets better.

http://www.mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.ph...ged.gpx&t=s
the muir trail track you found looks a lot like somebody took mytopo and drew a line following the published map trails, but those can be off by quite a bit.

Last edited by Fishmonger; 09/16/10 01:57 PM.
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