SmashingTrips.com - How are we doing for progress

Revisited the plan today and I'm incredibly behind with everything.

 

 


And yes, it's that bad :).

Garmin GPS - How to Load OpenStreetMap (OSM) Maps in your GPS

This post is about loading the UK OSM maps in my Garmin etrex VISTA HCx GPS device on the microSD card.

These maps are a lot better than the ones that came in my GPS, and they're free. So:

1. Go to http://talkytoaster.info/ukmaps.htm, this website provides the OSM UK maps both for your GPS and the for the software application  you  might  have on your computer: MapSource or Basecamp.

The  website's main page will give you the general overview -following that, read their FAQ page for important and step by step instructions (covers various Garmin GPS models).

2. I assume you have now understood you need a specific map file for your GPS (and it's not the same with the map file you'll be using with the software application on your computer). So try to download the correct .zip file.

This is the one I've downloaded:

OS 1:50K Look and Feel Mapset For Use With Garmin GPSrs Only - Routable+Contours
File Name:	Size: Unzipped	Description:	Download Link:
121228-British-Isles+Contours-Routable-OS50tt-GMAPSUPP.zip contains 121228-British-Isles+Contours-Routable-OS50tt-GMAPSUPP.IMG	~540 MB	British Isles Map (With Contours) - Routable. Can be overlaid over other maps.	HTTP:121228-British-Isles+Contours-Routable-OS50tt-GMAPSUPP.zip Torrent:121228-British-Isles+Contours-Routable-OS50tt-GMAPSUPP.zip.torrent

The HTTP link stoped a number of times with me, and you can not resume downloading, so I ended up installing the Torrent client and the download was straight forward, just click on the 'torrent' link. You'll download a .zip file.

3. Unzip this archive .zip file. Rename the map file '121228-British-Isles+Contours-Routable-OS50tt-GMAPSUPP.IMG' to GMAPSUPP.IMG. (your original file name might be slightly different).

The easiest way to do this is to Right click on the file, select Properties, highlight the text prefixed to 'GMAPSUPP.IMG' and delete it.

4. Create a folder called 'GARMIN' on the microSD card and copy the 'GMAPSUPP.IMG' in this folder.
(The path looks like 'I:\GARMIN\GMAPSUPP.IMG' in Explorer on my computer, your drive letter might be different)

5. Insert the SD card in the GPS device, the map will be picked up automatically.

6. Make a donation to talkytoaster on their website !

 

Garmin GPS - How to Load OpenStreetMap (OSM) Maps into MapSource/ BaseCamp

This procedure has been tested on the MapSource software application that came with my Garmin etrex VISTA HCx GPS device.

I wanted  to get started with managing tracks and routes, so these are the steps I took to load the MapSource application and to upgrade it with the OSM maps.

The process is easy and straight forward, so I would really recommend it - you'll end up with much better maps.

1. Have a look in the GPS original box - you'll find the CD labelled 'Trip and Waypoint Manager'. This is the software to install on your computer to help transfer files from and to the GPS device and to manage waypoints, tracks and routes.

2. The 'Trip and Waypoint Manager' CD has an 'autorun' facility - it will start installing the software once the CD is in the CD drive. Otherwise locate and run the setup.exe on the CD.

3. At the end of the installation process I ended up with an application called 'MapSource'.

(How good is that ? Having different names, one on the CD cover and another one for the application itself ? Confusing at best...anyway from now on we shall call it MapSource).

4. Right, now launch MapSource and have a look at the map that came with it.

If you share my thoughts that the MapSourse map is pretty basic (I'm trying hard not to use another adjective for it) you might decide to replace it.

In the end I went for the OpenStreetMap (OSM) maps, mainly because this was the advice I found on various websites and 'walking' forums. If you want to do the same, keep reading.

5. Go to http://talkytoaster.info/ukmaps.htm, this website provides both the OSM UK maps and the installer (in the form of a .bat file). 
The  website's main page will give you the generaloverview; following that, read their FAQ page for important and step by step instructions (covers various Garmin GPS models).

6. I assume you have now understood you need a specific map file for MapSource (and it's not the same with the map file you'll be using in your GPS). So try to download the correct .zip file.

Example:

OS 1:50K Look and Feel Mapset For Use With PC ONLY (MapSource or BaseCamp)
File Name:	Requirements	Description:	Download Link:
121228-British-Isles+Contours-Routable-OS50tt-MapSource.zip	Windows XP or Later & MapSource or BaseCamp.	British Isles Map (With Contours) - Routable.See the Mapsource-British-Isles+Contours-OS50.txt file in the zip file for instructions.	HTTP:121228-British-Isles+Contours-Routable-OS50tt-MapSource.zip  Torrent:121228-British-Isles+Contours-Routable-OS50tt-MapSource.zip.torrent

The HTTP link stoped a number of times with me, and you can not resume downloading, so I ended up installing the Torrent client and it worked like a treat.

7. Unzip the archive .zip file: a new specific folder will be created.

Mine is called '121214-British-Isles+Contours-Routable-OS50tt-MapSource'.

Don't change the name of the folder.

Open this folder and read the '....txt' file, it might be called Mapsource-British-Isles+Contours-OS50.txt, it contains instructions of how to proceed further.

8. So copy this folder under the c:\Garmin\ folder, as specified.

8. Locate and run (double click) the 'install.bat' file.

This file will alter your computer 'registry' file (you'll need admin rights in order to be able to do this operation.)

Also be aware that altering a system file comes with its risks, make sure you know what you're doing !

9. Monitor the installation messages on the screen - if the installation went OK, restart your computer to get the new 'registry' file loaded in the computer memory.

10. Start MapSource, locate and select the new OSM map (the map should now appear in the dropdown list, right under the Menubar) - see the red circle on the screenshot below. And voila !

11. Make a donation to talkytoaster on their website !

If you'd rather install BaseCamp instead of MapSource, download it and install it from Garmin's website, then continue at step 5.

I've installed MapSource, then the OSM maps, then BaseCamp and the OSM maps are available in Basecamp - didn't require any further installation.
What I'm trying to say is that if you install the OSM maps once they'll be available both in MapSource and BaseCamp.

I've also installed BaseCamp because the Elevation Profile in MapSource is throwing an error, otherwise MapSource simplicity would win me over.

The next blog post is about loading and using the OSM maps in the GPS on a microSD card.

If you don't have a micro SD card already you might want to order one - they are quite cheap on Amazon.

Killing me Softly

Came across this message today:

and yes, I really (really, really) wanted this page to go away, HOWEVER,  feeling quite christmassy, not sure if I wanted to 'Kill' it.

In a nutshell, I couldn't get myself to press 'Kill pages', so I've just closed the browser - weak, I know :).

Do all developers come from the gaming industry these days? Sounds like.

What's next? Press 'Kill pages'and get some blood pouring animation on your desktop?
'This page has been killed as instructed, don't worry, plenty more out-there'.

(All the old Warcraft days are coming back to me :))

Killing a process or a virtual machine is common terminology in the IT development world, not sure at all about using it in the Internet browser - and quoting some of my clients in a meeting the other day : 'hello, we're normal people...'

Why I walk the hills

I woke up this morning with Radio 2 playing Sam Carter's 'Dreams are Made of Money'.
No matter how hard I try, I can't fault its message and makes me sad.

I remembered a day walking through a meadow in the mountains in Romania, in the strong heat of the summer when the air is hazy and the grass can touch the sky with its scents.
Suddenly and out of nowhere,  clouds of small and totally blue butterflies filled the path and followed us for a while dancing around, to then just disappear into another world.

I have these days when I need to go away from the city and walk the hills - it's the only time I can abandon my dreams made of money.
And for a short while dream of blue butterflies.

Internet Success is all about Content

I'm totally convinced that Internet success is all about the quality of your website content. No doubt this sounds like a broken record, it has been said a million times before.
If your website content is interesting, informative, reads like a good story, it's witty and clever, people will come over and over again to check it out.
They'll even put up with a crappy website for interesting content - I know I've done it in the past. However that's not to say I'm not going to fight for usability. If there is one thing I know how to get right that's probably usability.
But I disgress as per my usual habit.
A recent question I got while sharing the smashingtrips idea was: 'what about the content, have you got the content'?
I like when people ask the right questions.
On this note, I'm building a group of initial content creators and beta testers.
In two weeks time I'm up in the Dales to meet Julie again, and ask her to act as our first beta user and content provider.

And to breathe some open space before I die of too much urban civilation and style.

Smashingtrips - One Year Later

The Smashingtrips idea has been simmering in my head for too long now. Time to make a move.

What's different this time?

Well, the fact that my life seams to be back on track, and most importantly, the fact that I can get help with the architecture and with the DATA. And this in itself gives me huge confidence.

If you would have asked me a while ago how do you build such a thing I'd have said : well, start by prototyping the screens, build the database and start coding the forms with a bit of IDM and graphic design thrown in the mix.
Today's story is a bit different, because I want to add a bit more of the recently acquired sophistication of a formal Business Analyst.
Which means we'll have a nice Logical Data Model, most probably caring on the data model started long time ago in Enterprise Architect, we'll have proper Use Cases and proper system requirements.
...to summarise, what you'll see here is a BA acting as a BA, also remembering how to be a .net developer again, and a Data Architect acting as himself and doing the data architecture.

It will be have to be asp.net because that's me limits as a developer...not that I'm complaining though.