Higgy's diary
Recent diary entries:
New BGT-31 GPSMy BGT-31 (new SIRF-III NaviGPS with Bluetooth) arrived yesterday from StorageDepot.
It look exactly like the BGT-11 but is far more able to get, on hold, signal. My tracks look pretty good and without, even when heading down narrow alleys and under dense tree cover.
Setting up was simply a case of inserting the SD card, turning it on and turning on logging (which I actually forgot to do).
Like the 'beta' firmware I have on my BGT-11, it is able to dump tracks from internal memory to SD card.
Thanks to 'pope' TomH the latest release of GPSBabel (1.3.5) includes support for the NaviGPS, both directly and from the dumped files. Simply use 'navilink' as the input format - but don't forget the -t flag to get the tracks off.
Getting the latest GPSBabel into Ubuntu Hardy was easy once I knew what I was doing; use 'alien' to convert the .rpm package to .deb. I also had to make a symbolic link in /usr/lib pointing libexpat.so.0 to libexpat.so.1 - presumably there's a better solution but it seems to work, which building from source didn't.
So my tracks were salvaged. Unfortunately my mapping was cut short when the point of a drawing pin (thumb tack for you Americans) pierced my front inner tube - the third puncture I've had to repair on that, second within a month.
Coordinates:Posted by Higgy at Thu May 15 12:42:46 +0100 2008
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Argh!
So, I finishes work and starts cycling home. I actually didn't intend to do a lot of mapping, but I saw one of the cul-de-sacs roads I know has some sort of foot/cycleway at the other end. I was only interested in it today as a potential shortcut, so didn't map the maze.
So I eventually finds me way out and heads on towards home. Then some girl I can't remember ever meeting says "Hi, Tom." Seriously, no clue.
Anyhow, then I decides to follow the road to the Shrewsbury School boathouse and path beyond intending to cross the Kingsland Toll bridge and head across town. On reaching the path up to the bridge I changed my mind, intending to take the English Bridge to get across the river and follow the NCN81, my usual route.
Reached the end of the path, here's some roads. I follow said roads in Belle Vue area doing ~3 miles up and down hills and various paths.
Now back home to tag it all up. Apparently I took the route as described until I reached the boathouse, where I flew across the river, over Frankwell and the town centre several times before heading over the houses towards home.
I can't wait for my BGT-31 to arrive...
Coordinates:Posted by Higgy at Thu May 08 22:35:14 +0100 2008
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Today: The Mount
Decided I'd do stuff off The Mount on my way home today. It's pretty flat all the way with some gentle up and downs until it gets to about 200 yards from Frankwell where it's a good downhill. Leaving the road is a different story but it wasn't too bad.
I decided I'd take every road on the left, although I did a couple of cul-de-sacs anyway.
Once in town I headed up Claremont Bank, which was quite steep and recently made 2 way. Then a few little bits of that before I joined the Victoria Avenue (NCN81) in the Quarry Park.
Right, to tag up...
Coordinates:Posted by Higgy at Tue Apr 15 19:26:49 +0100 2008
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Oh what fun it is to ride...
I've just got home from work, which has taken me about 2.5 hours. Considering I live about 3 miles away, that's a really long time. Actually, my average speed was about 6 miles per hour because in that time I covered about 16 miles, probably ~6-8 of that is previously unmapped roads, and ~1 mile currently unmapped by Google.
I've also worked how a few existing roads join up, with some of the roads in between being easily done on my journey to work. Basically, it cuts off a mile of main road before I get onto NCN81, which takes me about 1/4 mile from work.
The battered fish fillets I bought from local shop are ridiculously expensive! £4.99 for 4, which turn out to be really tiny! Not impressed.
Coordinates:Posted by Higgy at Mon Apr 14 20:39:15 +0100 2008
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Shrewsbury
I've been working as a web developer in Shrewsbury for 2 weeks now. Just a couple of hours ago I agreed to the terms of a flatshare. So within the next week or two I'll be moving in to the Monkmoor area.
Currently I appear to be the only OSMer anywhere near Shrewsbury, something I hope to change.
If anyone wants to come up for any mapping, do let me know. I can't offer anywhere to stay but will be happy to meet up and provide any assistance required.
Coordinates:Posted by Higgy at Thu Mar 20 23:35:02 +0000 2008
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The things you find that you'd never have seen otherwise: Moor Pool
One of the great things about mapping for OpenStreetMap is the things you find while out and about, heading down every street, path and passageway that will allow you through.
It was while surveying in an area I've been meaning to do for some time, but never quite found the motivation, just over the Hagley Road and down towards Harborne that I came across the Moor Pool estate.
The first indication that this was not just a typical set of streets was one called 'The Circle,' inside which is the Moorpool Hall and two tennis courts. Cycling around, it became obvious this was some community in itself, just a short distance from Harborne High Street and the A4040.
According to the website of the Moorpool Residents Association:
"The estate was established in 1907 by John Nettlefold, first chairman of Birmingham Housing Committee and member of the Guest Keen Nettlefold (GKN) family. It formed part of the Garden City concept shared by the Cadbury family in Bournville, to provide low density housing centred on a community hall and with many interspersed green spaces, at a time when the majority of inner city housing was of a crowded back-to-back design.
"The five hundred houses were built between 1908 and 1911 and shared a similar design, which can still be seen. The estate today boasts two tennis clubs, a bowling green, numerous allotments and, of course, the Moorpool itself with an active fishing club. In the Moorpool Hall there is a very active and acclaimed dramatic society, a unique skittle alley dating back to 1913 and snooker tables. Many other groups and societies also meet there."
The houses were built 9 to an acre, when typical building was 40 per acre.
Unfortunately my mapping of the area was interrupted by my sister, who has lost her key and wanted me to return home and let her in. Getting home took approximately 1 hour (I saw a path through a small area of woodland I'd missed). Sorry, sis!
Coordinates:Posted by Higgy at Sat Mar 01 00:57:56 +0000 2008
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Shrewsbury mapping postponed again (going Saturday)
Such is my lack of motivation to get out of bed when I don't really need to...
I'm busy on Friday so going to Shrewsbury on Saturday instead.
For now I'll map the area around Harborne I intended to do yesterday but ended up going to Selly Oak instead (sister wanted to try cycling her journey to work, with the result that I bought a new bike pump and cycle lock while passing Halfords). Apparently it took forty minutes to cycle 3 miles...
So if anyone wants to join me in Shrewsbury on Saturday, you've got a little more notice. Leave a comment/message and I'll try and set out a timetable.
Posted by Higgy at Thu Feb 28 12:55:51 +0000 2008Comment on this entry | Reply to this entry | 0 comments
Shrewsbury mapping postponed...
A little distracted by the earthquake last night so didn't get much sleep. Going tomorrow (Thursday) instead. Same plan.
Mapping out towards Harborne today instead. A few long residential streets I started to do on foot yesterday after getting locked out of the house. Gave up because I don't have the patience to walk long streets when I could cycle them in 1/4 of the time!
Coordinates:Posted by Higgy at Wed Feb 27 13:17:08 +0000 2008
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Shrewsbury mapping
I've recently got a got in Shrewsbury (web developer at Mutiny Desgin) and am going to be commuting by train from Birmingham. Obviously this gives me the opportunity to map various bits of the town after work.
I'm heading up tomorrow (Wed 27th Feb) to try out the journey, taking the bike in order to complete some of NCN 81. I'm happy to meet anyone that wants to come and do a bit, whether they've ever done any mapping before (but I don't have a GPS so you'll have to supply one), although I realise it very short notice and most people have work.
I'll be doing the trip out towards the Oxon Business Park, towards Bicton Heath, (since this is where I'll be working). While there I'll map the business park itself, then head back towards town joining the NCN 81 at the first available opportunity, getting off it by the train station. Then heading back the other way I'll finish off inside the loop of the river before rejoining NCN 81 and following it as far as I can (hopefully as far as Telford.
Is the plan. Weather permitting.
Coordinates:Posted by Higgy at Tue Feb 26 19:16:41 +0000 2008
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A pleasent day
Vaulting went well; no-one died. I got a little worried when cartwheels were mentioned but I actually managed to do one today. Hoorah!
Coverage of Shrewsbury is a little improved. I got done about half the area inside the loop of the river, for road coverage, at least. I've still got streetnames to do. Unfortunately my photos don't seem to be lining up with the GPS trace properly again. I could be here a while...
Coordinates:Posted by Higgy at Sat Feb 02 21:37:34 +0000 2008
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Shrewsbury, by the station
I'm out vaulting again tomorrow. This time with my old team near Shrewsbury.
I've been making some effort to get something done each time I visit. Hopefully I'll have time to do some of the roads around the town centre. Just to join up a few things that are there already.
Just now I fixed up some roads by the railway station. It's a complicated junction made very difficult to work out from GPS because several railway tracks passing overhead. There's a tunnel right underneath one set, various other roads joining nearby. Only with my local knowledge was I able to get that in.
Next up is the railway lines themselves.
If anyone else could verify it looks reasonably correct, please do so and let me know your opinion.
Coordinates:Posted by Higgy at Sat Feb 02 01:15:57 +0000 2008
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A bit more of Bearwood
I have finally been out on my bike for the first time in a couple of months. I'm slightly concerned about the gears and the tyre pressure was slightly lower than I might've hoped. I'll check it again later when I can borrow the pump.
Anyway, I've completed all the roads off Bearwood Road, except one or two at the top end that were under construction when I was there last. Stanhope Road has me a little confused. I'll have to go out again sometime with the objective of checking where it actually goes.
Some roads in that area I managed to get while out on my driving lessons but am missing names for. It's probably worth going out there in future and surveying the whole area again properly.
Coordinates:Posted by Higgy at Wed Jan 23 15:47:51 +0000 2008
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Under construction
Thanks Morwen, RichardB. I'm still seeing roads rendered without casings and on top of nearby primary roads, which isn't great. I guess the casings will be sorted once people update rendering clients.
I'm quite glad to have pretty much finished that section now (using main roads to split areas into manageable bits). I think I'll start heading West/South, where I don't have to cycle as far to find dragons.
Posted by Higgy at Sun Dec 02 21:10:24 +0000 2007Comment on this entry | Reply to this entry | 0 comments
Deer's Leap
Yesterday I decided to brave the elements and unintentionally limited gearing on my bicycle and get some mapping done locally (I've been doing bits on various journeys and other places I've been - see Stalham, Norfolk and Mold/Wrexham and bits in between, Flintshire).
Persimmon Homes are building on the site of the former M&B owned, hence 'Deer's Leap,' Cape Hill Brewery. This has been the cause of quite some controversy as nearby is the Deer's Leap wood nature reserve, which the developers have not taken into consideration appropriately and have bulldozed sections of (for more information on this see http://www.ladywoodconservatives.com/votersview/DLW.htm).
Anyhow, a very small stretch of road on the site was accessible when I was passing the area so I took to opportunity to survey that. Obviously I'll need to go back in the new year to record a bit more. Another one up on the competitors!
If anyone knows how to tag roads as being under construction so they get rendered, do let me know.
Coordinates:Posted by Higgy at Fri Nov 30 14:51:11 +0000 2007
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Mapping Stalham (day 2)
I was trying to think of a more original title but it didn't happen.
What did happen, however, is that I managed to fix my puncture. It's my first ever and with not having anyone around to help I'm worried it won't last. But I pumped it up to 45psi (markings say max 50) and it still seemed fine after cycling 7 miles over various surfaces (tarmac, gravel, mud, stones) so I'm happy enough. Just hope it still works when I want to use it tomorrow.
Overall while I've been here it's been fairly successful. I've mapped about 32km, about 12 of which was on the bike. The other 20 or so was visiting my aunty and taking her 3 dogs for a walk in nearby woods (the paths account for about 2km with my estimate of the area of the woods about 3km).
Unfortunately I can't upload the data as I do it since I can't actually get online. I've uploaded some using my grandmothers phone line but the rest may have to wait. I almost managed to get my laptop online using my mobile but prepay customers on O2 are very limited in what they can actually do. DNS lookups were about the extent of it.
Anyone know of a network that allows prepay customers to get their laptops online? It's only an occasional thing for me so a contract is hardly worth it, whereas carrying a spare sim is hardly a burden. Answers on a postcard please.
See my previous post for the location of Stalham (yesterdays data should have rendered by now on the tiles@home layer).
Posted by Higgy at Mon Oct 22 01:57:42 +0100 2007Comment on this entry | Reply to this entry | 0 comments
Mapping Stalham
I'm in Stalham, Norfolk, this weekend to help my Aunty with a leaflet to explain what the ZimBO Fund is about. She was so moved by her visit to Zimbabwe that she wanted to set up a fund in order to support some of the people, including two AIDS orphans - Benson and Oscar, hence the Zim-BO - she met there.
While here I thought I'd attempt to map at least some of the town.
Today I've been and surveyed several residential streets that make up one area (by my estimation, about one quarter) of the town. I think that's the fiddly bits out the way. The rest is basically long, straight roads with some (large) areas of green.
Unfortunately that'll have to wait. I got back to the house and went in for a quick drink. When I went back out to put the bike away (it was dark at this point) I noticed an odd squeek as it moved. Checked tyres - front was flat.
My Grandmother has a puncture repair kit so I won't be stuck for too long. Not quite how I intended to spend Sunday afternoon but nevermind.
Coordinates:Posted by Higgy at Sat Oct 20 20:30:05 +0100 2007
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at last!
Segments are no more!
I've been waiting for this change for a while. Ever since I started trying to do stuff with the data. Segments always seemed like an extra hoop to jump through. So in theory I should be able to get on with some of the things I've been wanting to do for a while. I shall see...
Just trying out the segmentless JOSM. There's a few residential streets I mapped once but never properly tagged. It was the mass of cul-de-sacs that got me. Having failed to photograph the time from my GPS for the purposes of syncing with the camera, I couldn't work out what any particular road was meant to me. I've now gone back to it and by trial and error have got most of it done properly.
I expect I'll have to check this area when I go out that way again. For now, though, the longer single roads towards the city centre seem a little more appealing.
Coordinates:Posted by Higgy at Mon Oct 08 02:29:02 +0100 2007
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(not quite) Round the Wrekin
On Sunday I had an equestrian vaulting demonstration near Shifnal. The location I was given was Wyke, near Telford. It's not far wrong, as Shifnal is near Telford. However, there is a Wyke and The Wyke just about 10 miles apart.
Searching Wyke, Telford on Goooooogle maps (and even Multimap) returns Wyke near Ironbridge. Which is where I went. By taxi. £14 later, I was in Wyke, near Telford. I soon learnt, by asking one of the locals, there was a riding centre at The Wyke, near Shifnal. Another expensive taxi ride later, I was there.
I finally arrived just in time (5 minutes to spare, enough to get changed and do a quick warm-up). The demo went very well.
OpenStreetMap would, of course, have returned (had they been in the database at the time) both Wyke and The Wyke for a search on Wyke, Telford. One point where I think we (will) have quite a useful feature above what Google does.
Coordinates:Posted by Higgy at Tue Sep 18 14:27:43 +0100 2007
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OK, broke my no-bike for two weeks rules...
I yesterday went to pick up an athlon cpu to see about fixing my sister's computer (complaining of l2 cache error). Got home, went to take the old one out and found it stuck. A quick 'google' and I discovered these ones are apparently soldered in place. Crap!
Anyway, cycled to station, caught train to Dudley Port, did a few roads around where the seller lives (conveniently a fairly small circle road with a few cul de sacs coming off it). Back to station, got back to Smethwick, turned on GPS, did a few roads round there, got home, plugged in memory card, found my last trace (Smethwick) was 0 bytes in total. Argh!
Luckily the NaviGPS can log to its own memory as well as the SD card. Quick fire up of laptop (windows) to copy and I had at least something, although not filtered as my usual traces are.
Fun day.
Posted by Higgy at Fri Aug 31 13:40:22 +0100 2007Comment on this entry | Reply to this entry | 0 comments
Out of action...
I've gone off my bike a bit after finding the gears a bit awkward to change. Also had a minor fall after handle bars came loose while trying to do a tight turn in a cul-de-sac.
My main reason for not doing anything about it right now is that in 3 weeks I have the equestrian vaulting National Championships in Moreton Morrell (which will be, at least partly, in OSM in 3 and a half weeks). One of the main requirements of the sport is a high level of flexibility (in the sense of being able to lick one's shins). Unfortunately, the small range of movement involved in cycling means that muscle develops short in length, so reducing flexibility.
So in an attempt to get slightly better scores at this competition I'm not going to be mapping for a while. Probably.
Posted by Higgy at Sun Aug 26 13:22:15 +0100 2007Comment on this entry | Reply to this entry | 0 comments
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