For those with a GIS legacy , a mapping between  from the traditional GIS terms and concepts to the Google Maps Data API terms and concepts is probably a handy thing to have.  So here goes ..

Feature Classes and Feature Instances:

• Feature Class becomes a  Map:  The GIS Feature Class ( e.g Roads, Parcels etc.) becomes a Map in the the Google Maps Data API.  From the Google Developer Guide the following “Maps are containers for any number of features. A map has attributes that include a title, author, and the time this map was last updated, but does not include any geographic information or placemarks.”
• Features, Feature Instances become Features:  From Google the following: “Features are objects on a map. A feature is associated with only one map, and is defined using KML. A feature is a KML placemark element and can contain geographic information, descriptive information (such as a title, icon, and description balloon contents), and associated geometry, such as lines or polygons.”

Projections:

KML uses WGS 84 . Thus longitude, latitude and height.

This means that if your GIS features must be converted to WGS 84 before uploading data into Google Maps.

This obviously has potential repercussions for the cadastral specialists, geodesists and guidance experts in our midst. This lat/lon limitation will be a reason for certain organizations to maintain their data internally and possibly only use Google Maps data store in a limited manner.

On 16 December 2009 the Google Maps team announced that they are adding geospatial and attribute search functionality for our Google Maps. This is an interesting continuation of  the Google mantra of challenging the status quo of the IT (and GIS) world as we have come to know it.

And — while we are on the topic of the Google Cloud, the 2009 Oracle Openworld Conference comes to mind because the major theme at SalesForce.com booth was “The Best of Both World – Salesforce and Oracle”. There must have been a business driver for this theme – and in pursuing the answer to the driver , the SalesForce team acknowledged that enterprises are not readily jumping onto Force.com lock,stock and barrel.  Business organizations find safety in having control of what they deem to be proprietary information , in an environment that is perceived to be more secure than the nebulous cloud.

Oracle Corporation has an industrial strength spatially enabled database solution and they continue to see impressive adoption of their database for spatial application globally. Looking back at the SalesForce realization that they have to work and interface with the likes of Oracle, we could go out on a limb and predict that Google and Oracle – in the context of things spatial – may see a demand increase for interoperability. In fact , this is already manifested in functionality embedded in the Oracle Spatial 11g latest release. Oracle has added the SDO_UTIL.FROM_KMLGEOMETRY and the SDO_UTIL.TO_KMLGEOMETRY functions to respectively consume and produce data in KML format.

Will blog what we discover in the sandbox …

I’ve been using it for the past couple of months, for visualizations.

Here, go on and read the documentation. It’s rather well-written.

The short of it: You can access the API using Javascript. But the fun doesn’t begin until you’ve begun with KML.

More coming up. I’ve been working on this quite a bit.

Finally I’ve got something to show. The results of the parliamentary elections of 2006 of the Christian Democrats can be found on this page.

Things I’ve changed since my last post are, the loading of the kml-file uses jQuery. Looks more polished, maintainable and doesn’t bug in Firefox. I love the $.each method. Performance is ok, after you click on the link below the map it loads on my computer in a second or so. Not benchmarked. It works for me in Firefox,Chrome and Safari under OS X. I haven’t tested other operating systems thoroughly though it seemed to work using IE7, WinXP.

There seem to be a few glitches on the polygons. I’m not sure how to fix it, or where the problem originates. Have to look into that.

The article on FlowingData I posted earlier also has a link in the comments to a library handling this kind of stuff. Should have found out earlier, would’ve saved me a lot of work. Might check it out though, it uses the encoded polygons for Google Maps to speed it up, something I’d like to implement. Right now only the US states are in there I belief. Also, nice website. These (encoded) polygon really should be in a repository somewhere. I’ll happily donate my data, after the trouble I went through to convert the shapefiles to something sensible with the right projection. Nevertheless, thank you CBS for map data.

As gpsbabel doesn’t do ‘calories’ from garmin data (and why should it?), I’ve been making a mental note of the calories for use in pytrainer (or, when I forget, checking the device history!).  I wasn’t aware of garmin_tools until just recently, discovered ploughing through the Ubuntu repository after a lovely upgrade to Karmic Koala.  The package is a set of tools to dump data from the device and then convert the data to other known formats, like GPX or Google map data.  It is not as detailed as the kml produced by gpsbabel but it does contain the missing information — like the calories — needed to ‘complete’ a run in kml; if only there were a script to pull the useful bits out

#!/bin/sh

me=${0##*/}

tools=`which garmin_get_info`
if [ -z $tools ]; then
    echo "$me: Are garmin_tools installed (can't find garmin_get_info)?"
    exit 1
fi

# see garmin_save_runs man page about GAMIN_SAVE_RUNS
GARMIN_SAVE_RUNS=/tmp
export GARMIN_SAVE_RUNS
result=`garmin_save_runs | grep -c "garmin unit could not be opened!"`
if [ ${result} -eq 0 ]; then
    y=`date +%Y`
    m=`date +%m`
    d=`date +%d`
    garmin_dump $GARMIN_SAVE_RUNS/$y/$m/$y$m$d*.gmn | grep calories
else
    echo "$me: couldn't connect to garmin unit; is it plugged in?"
    exit 1
fi

exit 0

There.  This writes a stanza to stdout containing the calories for any of today’s tracks.  Works OK, xml can go straight in to the kml used by kmlextract or something.  It’s a prototype used to figure out what I can do next, like ’start’ and ‘finish’ graphics in the kml.  That’s also one less manual process I need to think about therefore easing pressure on my brain

(which I’m sure is a tip I’ve covered before, pulled straight from the Pragmatic Programmer)

Right now I’m working on visualising the Dutch election results (parliament, local etc.) in Google Maps. It’s far from done but this might will serve as the documentation of my efforts for myself and hopefully for others as well. This also the reason being this post is in English.

My goal is relatively simple, visualise turnout, votes for party X as percentage of total votes, winning party etc. per municipality. For that purpose I have collected the results of the elections at http://www.verkiezingsuitslagen.nl/, I understand the Kiesraad is planning to visualise the results themselves but I decided not to wait for that, this little project will probably not be as extensive as theirs. Besides, I have some ideas of my own I’d like to implement.

Next step was a map of Dutch municipalities, in itself not difficult but adapting it to serve my needs was. I had first decided to stick to a map in svg-format (from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nederland_gemeenten_2007.svg), based on the information by the CBS (The Dutch Bureau of Statistics). In fact this worked rather well, using the jquery-svg library I was able to select specific municipalities and color them. I might even go back to using that. Nonetheless, the thought of using Google Maps for this experiment prevailed.

I downloaded the borders of municipalities in the Netherlands from the CBS and then the trouble started. I have no experience using Geodata whatsoever and figured it would be easy peasy from here on. Trouble however was that the CBS map uses a different projection that Google Maps. The projection is basically the way in which the earth is projected onto a 2d-surface. On maps Greenland is about the same size as South-America, but in fact it’s 8 times smaller, the projection is what’s causing that because there will always be distortions when you try to put a sphere on a flat piece of paper. Pretty much each country has its own projection for domestic uses and I needed to translate the Dutch one (Rijksdriehoekcoordinaten) to the one used by Google Maps.

I tried several programs across three different platforms (my native Os X, virtualized Windows 7 and Ubuntu running on a laptop) to achieve this. I tried ogr2ogr commandline tool to convert a shape-file (.shp) delivered by CBS. It failed and only then I found out about the projections. I moved on.

One excellent piece of open-source software MapWindow GIS, I first tried to use it to convert the projection of the shape-files but it failed on me. Still, I’m not sure what I did wrong. Nevertheless, it looked great and MapWindow came in handy a little later. I installed a bunch of stuff to no avail until I stumbled on Quantum G (Qgis). There was a version for OS X, Windows and Linux. What could go wrong? The OS X version worked pretty neat, till the conversion to the Google Maps projection where it crashed. The Windows version wouldn’t install and the Linux version missed the projection-conversion menu. I went back to the OS X version, fiddled with some settings and this time it worked. What did I do? (this is the documentation for myself since I won’t remember this in a year).

First, open the shapefile and set the projection right (Tools->Data Management->Define current projection). In this case to the Dutch system (Amersfoort/RD New: EPSG 28992). Then go to Tools->Data Management->Export to new projection and choose the Google Maps projection (Popular Visualisation CRS/Mercator:EPSG 3785) Next step, select ‘browse’ to give the filename for the output. In the save dialog, set the encoding to UTF-8. I think this was the cause of it failing on me the first time. Click OK and tada, a shapefile with the right projection.

Now Google Maps still needed to get the data in a format it would understand. This format is the Keyhole Markup Language or KML and many conversion tools exist for it. Qgis also has one (the ogr converter) but it didn’t work as good for me as the Shape2earth plugin in MapWindow GIS. The reason for this is the number of settings in the plugin. In the Shape2earth plugin I was able to include the extra data (# of inhabitants, ages etc.) in the kml-file and set opacity levels. Not sure yet what use it will be but it’s easier to delete than add in later.

This about concludes what has been done so far. What’s left is to delve into the Google Maps API to show the election results and map the election results to the municipalities. It should all be doable. I’m a bit afraid of the speed the application will have in the end, especially since I plan on handling the colouring on the client-side. Possible plans are to animate the election results so you can see the difference between elections visually, and visualise the extra data embedded in the kml files. In any case, here is what I have so far. Google Maps doesn’t show all municipalities with polygons because it only shows the current results, you’ll have to click next. Of course you are free to pose questions on how I did this.

Dutch Municipalities weergeven op een grotere kaart

GeoSpatial Training Services will be releasing a new instructor guided, Internet based course in the near future.

Google Earth and ArcGIS Integration for Local Government Users

Most local government agencies have large collections of GIS data in various formats including shapefiles, geodatabases, grids, tins, CAD, and others. Sharing this data with colleagues and the public is often a challenge. Before distributing data you have to answer many questions. Does my end user have the appropriate software to view the data? Do they know how to use the software? Do they understand how to add the data into the viewer? Should I create a web mapping application for end users? Converting your existing GIS data to a Google Earth KML format offers many advantages in terms of data distribution to end users and it also offers many new ways of presenting information. This course, geared specifically for local government GIS specialists, will teach you techniques for converting your datasets, creating compelling and interactive Google Earth displays, and sharing the data with your end users.

Notes:

• Register your entire GIS group for $199.00 (up to 8 people)
• This course makes extensive use of Arc2Earth. You will be provided with an evaluation copy of Arc2Earth to use during the course
• Exercises and data will focus on typical local government datasets

Modules

• Benefits of Converting ArcGIS Data to Google Earth Format
• What Google Earth Version Should I Use?
• KML: The Language of Google Earth
• Tools for Converting ArcGIS Data to Google Earth
• The Easy Stuff: Convering Points, Lines, Polygons, and Graphics
• The Not So Easy Stuff: Displaying Spatial Analyst Grids, Aerial Imagery, and Other Image Files
• The Hard Stuff: Techniques for Displaying Large Datasets
• The Fun Stuff: 3D Data Displays, Geography with a Time Element, Info Balloons with HTML, Images, and Video, Guided Tours
• Eye Candy: Creating Legends and Logos
• Google Earth without an Internet Connection
• Techniques and Tools for Sharing Google Earth Data with End Users

Alcuni giorni fa, un amico voleva sapere a quale Municipio di Roma appartenesse Via della Pisana.

Dopo una vana ricerca in google, Antonio mi ha chiesto di visualizzare i limiti dei Municipi con Google Earth.

clicca qui per visualizzare in Google Earth

Fatto ciò, con la funzione di ricerca nella barra in alto a sinistra, puoi trovare l’indirizzo che ti interessa.

Se anche tu eri nella stessa situazione, non devi che ringraziare Antonio.

As I finish work on 0.3 of the Real Estate Meta Language, I can’t help to look forward to release 0.4. The obvious element which needs a bit of attending to is the <location> element. So here’s my thought for this.

For <location>, Remetal will reuse the <Location> compound element offered by Google’s Keyhole Markup Language (KML). <Location> is the parent element to following elements as such:

   <Location>
     <longitude>39.55375305703105</longitude>
     <latitude>-118.9813220168456</latitude>
     <altitude>1223</altitude>
   </Location>

With this and a bit of xsl transformation, could this element inclusion lead to mapping apps reusing remetal listings? Hopefully is my first thought. I’ll let the developers decide what to do and resist tainting.

One of the main principles of the Internet is to “reuse” protocols which already exist, but in this case Remetal will simply reuse an element which already exists thanks to KML.

Feel free to leave comments.

–Corey

…are being uploaded often; please check back for updates.

The SC DHEC groundwater contamination list is being organized (currently listed sites are being moved to a folder within the KMZ file), and as soon as this is done, this list will be more helpful for your investigations.

Have you ever thought about if you were to die right now.  What CD would be in your CD player?

John had a CD in his Jeep’s player.  I always wondered what it was.  But, I just wasn’t ready to know yet.

I had my speculations.  John was diagnosed in February with stage IV.  Dr. Elias had him stop working immediately.  John didn’t often listen to CDs while we were in the car together.  He either had the radio on- 98 Rock, 105.7 for the morning show (Huge fan of Kirk, Mark & Lopez on 98 Rock (RIP Lopez- another cancer victim) , followed Kirk & Mark when they moved to 105.7, settled for the Ed Norris Show after they booted off Kirk & Mark.  John couldn’t stand Mickey & Amelia well… Spiegel just SUCKS!!!), or 102.7

Here’s a clip of Twisted Tunes from Kirk, Mark, & Lopez (note not G rated)

Anyhow… I suspected that the CD was either Van Halen, Gary Hoey’s Christmas, or Trans Siberian Orchestra.  John would put in CDs to listen to Christmas music when he was in the mood and my theory was that he hadn’t listened to a CD since Christmas.

Today on the way to church I didn’t want to listen to any of the pre-sets on the radio and went to hit scan and accidentally hit CD, so I found out my answer.

I was Right- Gary Hoey’s Ho Ho Hoey CD- song 8, ‘White Christmas.’

Gary Hoey

Nathaniel seemed to be having a blast listening, so I left it on… after all the stores already have Christmas stuff out.

In a scientific poll of one, (I sampled myself),  Google Earth was voted the greatest free program on Earth. The brilliant developers at Google have managed to turn the most unlikely subject, geography,  into a video game.  And what a game it is!  Google Earth doesn’t troll around in an adolescent make believe world.  Google Earth serves up the real thing.   This would be amazing enough but with Google Earth you can explore the Moon, Mars and the night sky as well.  If you have any geographic  or astronomical needs get Google Earth.

I got into Google Earth a few years ago when I started geotagging old pictures.  Locating old, pre-GPS pictures, is one of the better Google Earth games.  My mother snapped this Instamatic picture of me in 1964.  I am standing in front of the Uintah mountains in north eastern Utah.

1964 was long before GPS was even a dream.  To find exactly where I was standing I turned on Google Earth’s terrain feature and slowly followed the adjacent road until all the landscape features matched up.

For famous sites it’s not this hard.  Here I am at Stonehenge.  Stonehenge is a Google Earth nobrainer.

Over the last few years I have geotagged hundreds of images.  It’s something I will continue to do until I drop dead. Online picture sites like SmugMug provide automatic mapping of geotagged images but Google Earth does a much better job if you do a little KML programming.  KML is an XML namespace used by Google Earth and Google Maps.  It can be used to tour geotagged images.  When KML files are compressed,  (any ZIP utility will do),  they are given a KMZ file extension.  KMZ files can be loaded by Google Earth.

The attached KMZ file geotagged.kmz was generated by a J script I put together to query my geotagged SmugMug pictures.  When loaded into Google Earth it spins around the world pausing to display all the pictures I have geotagged.  I realize few will be interested in my pictures but it’s not hard to extract the KML embedded in geotagged.kmz and adapt it to your pictures.  Go forth and hack my friends.

Mobilizy (the company behind the AR browser wikitude) has proposed the ARML specification to The AR Consoritum, Mobilizy will be presenting an overview of the ARML specification at the Emerging Technologies Conference @MIT, Boston, and at the Over The Air Event held at Imperial College in London. An introduction to the ARML specification is available here: http://www.openarml.org – an extension to KML

more information:

wired artice

wikitude AR browser

mobilizy

Augmented Reality Markup Language (ARML)

246,4 KM mit An und Abreise durch Sauer und Siegerland am 20.09.09

Das Hervorragende Wetter an diesem Sonntag hat mich wieder auf die Kuh getrieben.
Der Tag startete zwar mit dichtem Nebel – der sich im Laufe des Tages aber komlett auflöste.

Schon vor 1 Woche habe ich die Tour mit Tyre geplant. Als Ziel sollte die Siegquelle dienen.
In Verbindung mit einer schönen Runde durch das Sauerland ist daraus eine Tagestour geworden.

Hier die Technischen Daten

• Tourlänge 264 KM – ohne An und Abfahrt : 125 KM
• Gesammte Höhenmeter 2452 M
• Niedrigster Punkt : 219 M
• Höchster Punkt : 724 M
• Reine Fahrzeit mit An/Ab : 3h 34Min

Hier die Runde zum Überlick als Google Earth KML Datei

Los gehts erstes Stück bis Siegen Autobahn - Langweilig.
Dann in Siegen ab auf die Landstrasse erste tolle Strecke : Erdtebrücker Str. mit Applauskurve.
Leider strenge Geschwindigkeitsbegrenzung.

Weiter Richtung Kirchhundem.
Ab Hilchenbach ging der Weg über eine sehr schöne schmale Strasse mitten durch den Wald an einem Windpark vorbei, bis nach Würdinghausen.
Oft werden die Strassenbeläge sehr schlecht, dafür gibt es viele Serpentinnen bis zum Panoramapark.

Bin ich nur fürs Foto hin

Zwischen den Ortschaften Aue und Berghausen an der L553 liefen auf einmal seltsame Gestalten in weissen Gewändern über die Strasse. Also hab ich mal bei einer Gruppe Holländerdischer Motorradfahrer angehalten …

und geschaut was los ist.
Eine ganze Wiese war voll mit Ständen und Kurzweil aus dem Mittelalter. Es gab Schmiede, Bäcker und Bogenschiessen.

Doll !

Trotzdem weiter – der Tag ist kurz -> Ziel Siegquelle.

Bis nach Bad Laasphe ging es richtig in die Pampa.
Die Strasse oft nur einspurig und in einem sehr schlechten Zustand.
Dafür wieder viele Kurven und kaum Verkehr
In Bad Laasphe habe ich dann endlich eine Tanke gefunden.

Weiter mitten durch den Busch auf die Eisenstrasse. Und plötzlich auf einem Höhenzug mit schönem Ausblick ins Tal rechts an der Strasse die Siegquelle.
Die Quelle ist mit einer Mauer eingefasst aus deren Mitte die Quelle entspringen sollte. Mittlerweile hat sich die Quelle einen neuen Entspringungsort links neben der Mauer gesucht

Von der Quelle bin ich über eine Schöne Strasse für Motorradfahrer wieder ins Tal gefahren, und dann auf die A45 richtung Heimat.

Wer möchte kann die Strecke genauso nachfahren ich stelle HIER meine TomTom ITN Datei zur verfügung.

Here’s what I want. I want to be just like Secretary Clinton. Well… let me revise that. I want a map on my blog just like her travel map.

It’s excellent.It was done with an iFrame embedded map from www.wayfaring.com, a very cool mapping site. WordPress.com, alas, does not support iFrame, nor does it have the required ’special relationship’ with Wayfaring.. eh hem… hint hint.

Here’s what I have instead:

View Larger Map

Let me explain:

Things I like about Senator Clinton’s Wayfaring map:

1. It doesn’t start with an obscure detailed satellite view, which ends up looking messy graphically. Instead it’s just a nice clean world map.

2. The icons are homemade but there aren’t a million different kinds – just one each for past trips, current location, and future trips. One map, one purpose. With a legend on the side.

3. It has all of her travel routes in various countries and regions, and then you click on one of the seals for a more detailed view with a numbered tour of her stops.

4. (This one is big) When you click on a stop, the little white bubble pops up to tell you more and show you videos and photos… and the window resizes to fit the bubble, instead of the white bubble being out of the range of the little embedded map and you can’t read it or pan over the map anymore and you basically have to stop using it and reload the page. That’s huge.

Mapping options I have tried in this blog:

1. Platial Map Widget: located towards the bottom of my sidebar. Why is it at the bottom? Because it’s ugly. I don’t like using the interface at all. If you only have one spot marked on your map, as we do now, it zooms in so that you have no idea where on Earth you are. And, I understand self-promotion, but the huge ‘Platial’ label at the top reads as though that is the title of my map. Vote: No.

2. Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator Maps: Endless beautiful graphic options, of course. Zero interactivity. This is fine for this post… or for my little changeable world map at the top of the sidebar highlighting an area or a large region, but it’s of no use for mapping the trip. Vote: No.

3. Embedded Google Map: Straight from My Maps in Google, you can embed a map with an iFrame code that WordPress.com reads because of their ‘special relationship’ with Google Maps. This is probably the best option so far. You can save your maps in your account, and come back and change them without having to update the embed code. You can change the icons and do some of the nice path and route things that are in Secretary Clinton’s map. At the moment, it’s even nudging the map around when a white bubble pops up so that you can read the whole thing. The question will be if that still works once the bubbles have more info in them. I’ll have to update this post when I find out. Vote: Maybe.

Another thing I haven’t tried yet is making all the maps in Google Earth, exporting the kml file to Google Maps, and embedding the link. I briefly did a test run, and the transition from Google Earth to Maps lost all my handmade icons. That ticked me off so much that I stopped. I’ll let you know if I pick it up again in the future.

Many GIS Specialists who create ArcGIS Server (AGS) map services know that you have the ability to enable KML capabilities when publishing an AGS map service from an MXD or MSD.  A KML-enabled map service can be viewed in Google Earth.

So, when I was assigned a straightforward task: prove that an AGS map service and any attribute information associated with the map service’s features can be viewed in Google Earth, I immediately thought it would be a cinch.  I already had a KML- enabled map service, so I assumed all I had to do was:

1. find the map service’s KML URL in the service’s capabilities tab under service properties using ArcCatalog
2. add this KML URL to Google Earth as a network link.

Unfortunately, following this process provided me with a blank map service in Google Earth.  I knew I must be missing a step in creating a KML map service using AGS.  After doing plenty of research, I discovered that when enabling the KML capability when publishing the map service the map service’s KMZ file is not automatically created on the ArcGIS server where the map service is located—-

Aha Moment, This is why I didn’t see a map when I added the map service’s KML URL in Google Earth as a network link.  In order to actually create the necessary map service KMZ file and its associated URL (called a KML Network Link), one must log into the ArcGIS server where the map service resides using ArcGIS Server Manager and follow the steps outlined under the “How to create a new KML network link from a map service.” After following these steps, one can copy the map service’s newly generated KML URL and add it as a network link in Google Earth.

Now, I was able to view a dynamic AGS map service and any attribute information associated with the map service’s features in Google Earth.  However, it’s important to note that I was working with a dynamic AGS map service, not a cached AGS map service.  Cached KML AGS map services may display and function differently than dynamic KML AGS map services in Google Earth.  I have not had a chance to investigate the advantages / limitations / capabilities of a cached KML AGS map service in Google Earth, but perhaps this will be my next blog topic.   In the mean time check out how the Center for GIS is using these technologies to create solutions for our clients!

Fomos contratados para desenvolver uma aplicação para a Aeromedia, esta aplicação deveria permitir o cadastro de empresas e detalhes dos vôos realizados pela Aeromedia para cada uma dessas empresas.

Os detalhes armazenados de cada vôo são a localização no Google Maps, download do KML, link para a página de fotos e link para a página com os vídeos do vôo.

——————————–

Somos uma equipe especializada em marketing criativo e de alto impacto, utilizando o voo livre e motorizado de paraglider como ferramentas para encantar o espectador.

Nossos serviços incluem: Apresentações de motor paraglider em eventos, agenciamento para propaganda patrocinada de atletas, divulgação de marcas a mercados-alvo selecionados, propaganda de apoio em praias, eventos ou exposições, lançamentos de marcas a nível local ou nacional ou o que pudermos imaginar juntos com o uso de muita criatividade e da versatilidade do voo livre ou motorizado de paraglider, fotografia e filmagem aérea.

——————————–

Tecnologias

• ASP.NET 2.0
• XHTML
• CSS
• Javascript
• Google Maps

Wieder gings um 8 Uhr los.

Die Abreise war wenig spektakulär -> rauf auf die Bahn 377 KM Schruppen bis nach Hause.

——————————-

Ich habe meine geloggten GPS Daten noch ein wenig bereinigt.

Durch die vielen Strassensperren sind einige Bögen entstanden, die ich in den KML Dateien rausgefiltert habe.
Auch die An und Abreise Routen fehlen, so das in der KML Datei die Route bei der ersten Pause beginnt, und beim letzten Campingplatz endet.
Die übrig gebliebene Streckenlänge ist 876 KM mit kompletter An und Abreise waren das ca. 1450 in 2 1/2 Tagen.

Erster Abschnitt Spessart / Rhön

Zweiter Abschnitt Harz

Tour gesammt

I’ve been using kmlextract to manage my GPS data for a while, import it into Google Earth.  It’s pretty good, even if I do say so myself

However, I soon realised that I had another need to just browse through the data on my device (a Garmin Forerunner 305).  For data I had extracted, this is fine, but I also wanted to browse (or extract) data in bulk or look at historical stuff without repeatedly running the extract script.  I was tinkering with some device driver stuff and needed some feedback about some stuff, stumbled into fuse.  It didn’t work out so well for another project but for KML data with multiple tracks in a larger file, it seemed ideal.

So, armed with Python and a fuse module, design on an electronic note (thanks, Tomboy) I set about learning fuse.  It has been difficult because the documentation isn’t too great but I finally figured it out.  I did intend to write a tutorial/guide on my adventures with fuse but I’ll leave that for a later date?

The final result is another script, one that is part of the kmlextract package (which is even one of its dependencies).  kmlfs will mount the data read from a GPS device into the file system which can then be read using standard tools like cat, your favourite editor or Google Earth.

kmlfs in action

This made it far easier to visualise the data on my device, click through the tracks and just copy and/or read what I wanted.  There’s still some work to be done (code duplication, some methods need adding, exceptions, blah blah) but it works

Take a look at the project page here:

http://code.google.com/p/kmlextract/

Wo findet man den höchsten Kaltwassergeysir der Welt ?

Vor kurzem hätte ich geraten : Island oder USA – weit gefehlt er befindet sich in Andernach.
Zugegeben ist der Geysir nicht natürlich sondern entspringt einer Bohrung.
Dennoch trägt er den Titel höchster Kaltwasser Geysir der Welt mit Eintrag im Guinnes Buch der Rekorde. :-O

Grund genug mal wieder Tyre anzuwerfen, und eine schöne Strecke durch den Westerwald nach Andernach zu planen.
Start ist in Ruppichterroth im Bröltal.

Hier die Strecke  in der Übersicht

Hier die Strecke als Google Earth KML Datei

Die Strecke führt durch den kurvigen Westerwald teils über sehr kleine einspurige Strassen sowie auch gut ausgebaute Strassen.

In Puderbach entstand folgendes Bild vor dem Tor der Firma Afflerbach

Weiter gehts bis nach Isenburg. Hier lädt die Bikerkneipe “Zur Isenburg” auf ein Kaltgetränk ein.

Ankunft in Andernach :

Der Geysir liegt auf einer Halbinsel und ist nur per Schiff zu erreichen. Man muss im Geysirzentrum eine Eintrittskarte kaufen,  kann dann die Ausstellung im Geysirzentrum besuchen und dann per Schiff zur Halbinsel fahren.
Da der Geysir nur alle 100 Min. springt, war ich leider ein paar Minuten zur spät um die erste Fähre zu erreichen. Also war genügend Zeit um die Ausstellung un die Altstadt zu besuchen.

Hier das Geysirzemtrum am  Rheinufer :

Der Rhein hat zur Zeit einen sehr niedrigen Wasserstand :

Nach kurzer Wartezeit kahm auch schon die Geysirfähre :

Die Fähre fährt ca. 2Km Stromabwärts zum Namedyer Werth einer Halbinsel im Rhein, auf der der Geysir gebohrt wurde.

Hier ist er dann endlich :

Der Geysir von Andernach

Und da springt er ->

Ich habe noch ein Handyvideo vom geysirsprung gemacht -> klickst du hier
Das Geysirwasser ist sehr Salz und Mineralhaltig – so sehen die Bäume aus, die in der Gischt liegen…

Das wars…

Meine Planung war eigendlich noch eine schöne Rückreise am Rhein entlang bis Linz, und dann wieder durch den Westerwald zurück.
Da ich leider die erste Fähre verpasst hatte und am Nachmittag noch ein Termin anstand, musste ich über die Autobahn zurück