Background - GPSing the Greenbelt Trails

First Published in MTBKanata Newsletter Winter 2007-01


How It All Began

It all started a long time ago in a faraway land in a cave. Well actually it was back in the 1950s in Sudbury in an eight room stone schoolhouse. That is where I first got introduced to colouring, drawing, and making maps.

Growing up in Sudbury is also where I got interested in playing in the rocks and exploring the bush. When I got older there was not a trail or back road I did not want to explore.

When I moved to Ottawa I discovered Renouf’s bookstore on the Sparks Street Mall (long since gone) which was a huge repository of topographical maps. I soon had topo maps for all of the Ottawa and Sudbury areas. I followed that up with map books and guides to old mines in Ontario. And just recently when I discovered the “backroad mapbooks” at Chapters I had to buy copies of all the books for any area I though we might travel to on our holidays.

Soon after I took up mountain biking, GPSs became all the rage but were still quite expensive to buy as a toy. Luckily I was given one as a gift by my wife Christine and that is where this story really begins.

I started using it to track our hikes and rigged up a way to attach it to my mountain bike using the rubber from an old tube (when I got my new Devinci I bought a proper bracket for the GPS). Then I started looking for a way to create maps from it. I discovered a freeware software program that allowed me to create “maps” that I could add symbols to, and with latitude and longitude indicated. But that was not really what I wanted.

What I really wanted was to overlay my GPS data onto topographical maps. But it was difficult to find easy to use, free, or inexpensive maps to use and the commercial software and maps were quite expensive. Then came Google Earth. Not topo maps, but perhaps even better, satellite images. With Google Earth Plus, for $20 a year I could overlay my GPS tracks onto the Google satellite images. I could become a “Map Maker”.

The Mapping Begins

So now all I had to do was ride around on the trails and plug the GPS into the computer and instant maps. If only it was that easy. The first thing that I discovered was that the GPS is not completely accurate (at least my Garmin Gecko 201 is not). You turn it on and you start tracking with an accuracy of within about 30 metres. As you pick up more satellites the accuracy increases to a maximum of about 8 metres. That is close enough to get you out of the bush when your lost but can result in double map tracks if you make multiple loops of the same trails. It can also result in a trail behind a group of houses going right through them on the map. The more you zoom in on Google Earth the more apparent those discrepancies become. So I developed some techniques to deal with that problem

I decided to start with my backyard, the Bridlewood area Old Quarry trails, and I learned just how extensive that network was when I set out to methodically ride all the trails. I started by mapping out the main access points, the old rail line and the trails and paths along both hydro lines that provided access to the real trails from the neighbourhoods. Then I hit the main and most common trails, 23, 24 and 25. But it was when I started riding and mapping all the side trails that I have been meaning to ride, as well as looking for hidden side trails, that I discovered how extensive and interconnecting the trail system is. This is when I discovered the hidden inner trail right next to trail 23.

It actually took me seven riding and mapping sessions to complete the Old Quarry Trail network plus another session for the Lime Kiln and Wild Bird Care Centre area trails. After that I decided to map some smaller trail areas so I did trails 20 to 22, followed by Jack Pine.

I am now in the process of doing Trails 26 and 27 across from Jack Pine on the other side of Hunt Club. While mapping these trails in early November, 2006 I discovered that the section I needed to map was muddy, muddier than I would normally ride. The cold weather is really hampering the drying out process. But I was on a mission so I persevered.

This is going to be one of the most complex systems to map. Besides a number of official loops there is almost an unlimited number of unofficial connecting and crossing trails which kept me going, mapping trails and marking waypoints at all the intersections in hopes of eventually linking them all up.

This was one of the muddiest rides I have been on. I usually try to avoid the mud, but as I say I was on a mission. So when I came to a wet area with about a foot of water and ice starting to cover it, and I could see the connecting trail a short way ahead on the GPS I had no choice but to break through the ice and ride through the water. there is always a first time for everything. Some time early next spring summer I hope to publish this map.

The GPSing Process

There are probably better ways of doing this but this is the process I have developed and it works for me.

Obviously I start by riding the trails with the GPS on. I would recommend using the most accurate GPS you can afford and preferably one that you can set to start a new track without having to turn it off and on again, necessitating a significant wait while it retracks the satellites. A smaller GPS is really convenient to use attached to a bike, although you have a smaller display, most of the work with the tracks is done on the computer afterwards. To avoid overlapping trails I never ride the same portion twice, unless I reset the track to a new track that can be deleted or turned off in Google Earth.

As I pass intersecting trails I mark waypoints to indicate intersecting trails for later mapping. I may come back to them during the same ride, either by memory or by starting a new track and following the GPS track back to the waypoint and again starting a new track to map the intersecting trail.

When I finish a GPSing session I input the GPS data into Google Earth via a serial cable attached to my computer’s serial port. Newer GPSs may use a USB cable. I then view the session’s tracks, deleting or hiding overlapping tracks. If in the middle of mapping an area I will print out a map with the waypoints for intersecting trails on the map and use this as a guide to mapping the intersecting trails during the next ride/mapping session. When I have completed GPSing all the trails for an are I want to create a map of I move to the next stage which takes place on the computer.

The Editing and Map Making Process

The first step is to select the area of the map from within Google Earth. Normally I do all my editing within Photoshop Elements. However in the case of the trail on the Old Quarry map that went through the houses I deleted the track that went through the Houses and recreated it in the correct spot using Google Earth’s line drawing capability, as it is more difficult to clone houses than to clone terrain.

But the usual process is to save the selected area as a jpg file and open it in Photoshop Elements. Sometimes there will be gaps in the track where the signal was lost in dense bush and sometimes the GPS will just do weird things and draw a line in the opposite of the correct direction or draw extraneous lines.

This happened while mapping Jack Pine. In Photoshop Elements I clone out incorrect lines and draw in correct ones. I also add in the parking lot numbers and the occasional point of interest such as the Lime Kiln. Until the final version is done the file is always saved as a Photoshop Elements file to retain image quality. When completed I add the title and save the file as a jpg for publication and then I release it to the world.

Easier Trail Mapping With My New GPS

First Published in The Fifth Column, September 29, 2008


Last year I started mapping the Greenbelt trails using my GPS unit. With my older GPS unit it was a long complicated process requiring that I avoid overlapping my tracks and involving extensive editing in Photoshop Elements. (See article in the MTBKanata Newsletter above)

With my new Garmin GPSMAP 60Cx,which is much more accurate, the process is much simpler.

When I recently mapped Greenbelt Trails 11 & 12 I did not have to worry about overlapping tracks nor did I have to do extensive editing. All that was required was to input the data into Google Earth and MapSource Topo Canada and save an image of the track, and then add whatever text or labels I wanted on the maps.

Posted 2009-05-30

Backroad Mapbooks GPS Map Review (Ontario)

Background

Up until now I had used Topo Canada (ver. 2) from Garmin on my GPS for navigation and mapping, along with Google Earth. I was not completely happy with the detail it provided nor the fact that it was getting out of date. When ver. 4 came along (skipping ver. 3) I was interested in possibly upgrading as it did include some new 3D software functions. However, from what I could tell from the sample map utility on the Garmin website the maps did not seem to be particularly updated.

I also experimented with TopoFusion which provides access to the Natural Resources Canada map server and the most recent Canadian government maps. That provided an alternative view but it was still not completely satisfactory, as they are just flat maps without road or street names, etc.

So I was quite interested when the Backroad Mapbooks people contacted me to ask if they could use my GPS maps in a new product they were developing for Garmin GPS units, as I already owned several of their print volumes for parts of Ontario. Those discussions ended up with my offering them the GPS map data with no conditions but suggesting they provide me with a free copy of their Ontario GPS product, to which they responded positively.

I have had it for a few weeks now and it has become the default GPS map on my GPS unit for Ontario, as well as the most used map on my computer. Hopefully, as I continue to provide them with new and updated trail data they will continue to provide me with map updates.

The Review 

 

The first thing I should say, as I have learned as I have worked on writing this is that this should be considered a preliminary review (although I likely won't write another one as I think this will capture the spirit of the product and most of what I want to say) because I sense I still have a lot to learn about the depth and capabilities of this mapping software.

Let us skip ahead to the conclusion to say that it seems obvious from comparing Garmin's Topo Canada to Backroad Mapbooks Ontario GPS Map that Garmin is a technology company and Backroad Mapbooks is a mapping company.

First I should note that I did have a bit of a problem with my first attempt at installation until I went back and carefully read the actual instructions. That is to say, the install is not as intuitive as some of us lazy folk who hate to read instructions would like, but as long as you read the instructions all will be well.

Backroad Mapbooks GPS Maps work with MapSource so you do not have to learn a new software interface on the GPS or computer. One of the advantages of this is that it allows the Backroad MapBooks people to concentrate on what they do best, map-making rather than software development. Although it would be interesting to see what kind of software features they would add, based on their mapping experience.

The look, both on the GPS and computer is different, primarily because there is more detail provided, and that took some adjusting but I quickly decided I preferred BackRoad Mapbooks (BRM) to Garmin's Topo Canada (TC). BRM uses 10,000 and 20,000 scale maps rather tham TC's 50,000 and 250,000 scale maps so I was expecting to see a difference there. However the biggest difference is in what information BRM provides that TC does not.

Map of Choice For Outdoorspersons

One of the first things I noticed was that BRM has trails marked, which TC does not (with a few very rare exceptions). In particular they have the official NCC Greenbelt trails that I ride on (and map) included. I look forward to them adding my GPS maps which includes all the undocumented Greenbelt trails that are not on the official Greenbelt maps, along with the South March Highlands trails which they also lack at the moment.

Seeing this led me to check out the maps on the computer for trails I have recorded in Algonquin and Killarney provincial parks and they were on the map also, along with other trails in the parks. A quick overview of the Ontario map showed considerable trail coverage across the province, including the Bruce Peninsula National Park and the Bruce Trail so I will assume there is pretty decent coverage of all provincial and national parks.

Also included is what appears to be pretty comprehensive coverage of snowmobile trails, which provides a huge market for the product, as well as canoe routes and portages. Another quick review indicates that the map software includes an extensive collection of Points of Interest (POIs). The Backroad Mapbooks website provides an overview of the Ontario GPS Map Features as well as other information and tutorials on their GPS maps products.

This is indeed the GPS map of choice for outdoorspersons.

I also noticed pretty decent coverage of local walking/cycling paths when I was riding and similar decent coverage on the computer map, though there is definitely some room for improvement there. Indeed the biggest complaint I would have with the BRM map is that it is not perfect. 

Computer Map Comparisons
(Click on images to enlarge)

Google Earth View

TopoFusion Natural Resources Canada Map

Garmin Topo Canada Map

BackRoad Mapbooks Map

Unclassified Roads

One thing that did surprise me with TC was when it routed me from Killarney to Sudbury via roads that no longer exist, except as trails and that may not even be open because they go through Department of National Defence lands at the Old Burwash prison site. So I wanted to see how BRM handled the routing, and it used open main roads. BRM does have those roads marked but as "unclassified roads" rather than local roads.

I had already come across this caution about :"unclassified roads" in another review

There's quite a difference, isn't there? While fourwheeling and testing the maps, I did notice that the maps showed some roads that didn't exist, but that's because they were now heavily overgrown and had become single tracks. Personally, I would much rather see them on the map, than not see them at all. These were all marked as "unclassified roads" which was fair warning. The fun in exploring is to see which of these unclassified roads are actually passable and can take you to new places. And in that regard, Backroad GPS Maps is extremely useful for that kind of trip planning. In fact, it's dangerously easy to lose hours of your time, poring over potential trails to explore, and finding possible routes from one trail system to another. But if you're the kind of person that just wants to know where the known-to-be-good roads are, then just stick to using the roads that aren't marked as unclassified.

I must say that I agree with that view, as the more information for people searching for possible hiking or mountain biking trails the better. However BRM might want to put a caution on their "Legend" about unclassified roads.

Updates

One of the things that was annoying about TC was that updates to the map were not available and the only way to update the map was to purchase the newer version of the software. With BRM annual updates are available at a reasonable cost and there is a progam that provides free updates for users that submit trail and Point of Interest information.

It is very clear that BRM wants to make their product as complete and updated as possible for the outdoorsperson and is engaging the user community in that pursuit. My only concern would be that they ensure reasonable review and control over what is included from the submitted information.

Suggested Improvement

I have one suggested improvement and that relates to the comprehensiveness and extent of information provided on the map. There is a fine line between comprehensiveness and clutter and drawing that line is difficult. Rather than arbitrarily limiting the information included on the map I would suggest BRM let the user decide what information is viewed on the maps, not just in terms of degree (less to more) but in terms of categories. I would suggest the use of an interface similar to what Google Earth uses to show what Layers are shown. I would also suggest that users be able to select the categories shown both on the computer and GPS through a computer interface (easier to use than a GPS interface) and then synch the choices with the GPS.

Conclusion

It seems obvious to me, from comparing Garmin's Topo Canada to Backroad Mapbooks Ontario GPS Map, that Garmin is a technology company and Backroad Mapbooks is a mapping company run by outdoorspersons who truly love and believe in what they are doing.

Update 2012-05-05

As of Version 3.0 my GPS maps from this site current as of today have been added to the GPS and computer maps. 

Posted 2011-11-07 
Updated 2012-05-05

Downloading and Using GPX files

The GPS gpx files used for the maps on Richard's GPS Trail Maps web site can be downloaded from Google Docs.

However, you should be aware of the following. In most cases these gpx files cannot simply be uploaded to your GPS device because there are probably more than the 20 track limit allowed for Garmin devices. I do not know what the limits are for other devices.

This is primarily because the gpx files were used to create maps of extensive trail systems. This often involved multiple mapping sessions and multiple GPS tracks. As well, to avoid track overlap, particularly with my first GPS unit which was not as accurate as my current one, it was necessary to break up the tracks used to record the trails. Often editing of the tracks created very many separate track files.

The best way to use the gpx files is to load them onto software such as Garmin MapSource. You can then create new tracks of your planned route by tracing over the tracks on the map and upload those tracks to your GPS unit. That is the method that I use and it works very well. Note that this does not work very well if you use "white" tracks that blend in with the the MapSource background.

If you do not have a GPS unit you can still use the gpx files by loading them onto software that has background maps, such as TopoFusion, or Google Earth, and see the detailed tracks over the maps or satellite image.

If you do download the gpx files please email me at richardw.woodley@gmail.com and let me know so that I have an idea of how many people are downloading and using the files. They can be downloaded by clicking the link below:

GPX files - Google Docs

Posted 2011-10-04
Updated 2012-05-23