om wrote:Perfect ! That gives more information than tons of bla bla bla...

I just found a very simple way to integrate topographic Google Maps with a GPX route, with the following website
http://www.wandermap.net
If we have a facebook registration it's even quicker to post a map.

My .02 HUF

For "remote" areas where no such handy online maps do exist, there's an other option: displaying kml files on the "usual" Google Maps. Just copy-paste the url of a kml file (hosted somewhere) into the search field, click the "search" button and voilá! This map with the kml overlay can be embedded or linked via the "Link" option in the top right corner of the map. Here's an example, where you see only some POI. I haven't tried displaying gpx files, but those can be easily converted to kml, and then you can display any gpx track as well. (Maybe it works directly, too.)

Peter

peterbud wrote:My .02 HUF
For "remote" areas where no such handy online maps do exist, there's an other option: displaying kml files on the "usual" Google Maps. Just copy-paste the url of a kml file (hosted somewhere) into the search field, click the "search" button and voilá! This map with the kml overlay can be embedded or linked via the "Link" option in the top right corner of the map. Here's an example, where you see only some POI. I haven't tried displaying gpx files, but those can be easily converted to kml, and then you can display any gpx track as well. (Maybe it works directly, too.)
Peter

That's interesting ! The thing is that KML is a standard owned by Google, while GPX is the generalized GPS standard. As for converting, I just found that you don't even need a tool, the wandermap site does it automatically. Just go to this example :
http://www.wandermap.net/route/357959
Click on the "export" tab, and here you are ! What is cool is that the trace can be kept at this URL and can be used again and again in all other possible websites that need the KML or GPX stored on a server.
Another good advantage of wandermap is how easy is to get a HTML piece of code to copy/paste into your website (or a SP page). Google maps, as you pointed, does the same, but just have a look at both here, and tell me which one looks the nicest
http://www.summitpost.org/view_object.p ... #chapter_6

Canada and US join the club, thanks to member Jelf :

http://www.summitpost.org/phpBB2/viewto ... 168#696168

http://www.mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.p ... th_pic.kml

visentin wrote:That's interesting ! The thing is that KML is a standard owned by Google, while GPX is the generalized GPS standard. As for converting, I just found that you don't even need a tool, the wandermap site does it automatically. Just go to this example :
http://www.wandermap.net/route/357959
Click on the "export" tab, and here you are ! What is cool is that the trace can be kept at this URL and can be used again and again in all other possible websites that need the KML or GPX stored on a server.
Another good advantage of wandermap is how easy is to get a HTML piece of code to copy/paste into your website (or a SP page). Google maps, as you pointed, does the same, but just have a look at both here, and tell me which one looks the nicest
http://www.summitpost.org/view_object.p ... #chapter_6

Yes, I know GPX is the standard, and yes, the wandermap-exported map looks better. I just wanted to note the GoogleMaps/KML possibility. For my websites, I use GPSVisualizer to make maps using multiple GPX files. It's a cool tool, but that produces html files, not embeddable maps.

I think it certainly is useful! A must-add to the article, Eric

FortMental wrote:I was able to embed a google earth map (KML file) of a trail at this page. Is the 3-D view a useful feature? If you don't have the plug-in you only get the 2-D Sat map. GoogleEarth also allows you to make a fly-over video of your trail in google earth. Again....is this a useful thing?

No, in my opinion it is a bit off topic. Everyone know, or is able to find, how to enbed Google, no article needed for that. But Google maps are not maps (even if they give an idea).
The aim of the page is to inventory all available real hiking maps in the world and summarize the "how-to" for each of them. I only made a chapter about Google maps and Wandermap site because of the interest to get the GPX or KML saved at a static URL.
FortMental, have you tried to display your map with the american maps ? Just give me your KML and I'll show you what to do with it.

FortMental wrote:OK...I've imported my .KML file into wandernet and generated a shaded relief map. http://www.wandermap.net/route/359911?125961672639265

Now have a look at this :
http://www.mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.p ... export.kml

Borut Kantušer wrote:This (gov.) Map Viewer and geographical search tool (in english) shows an amount of maps (some include the mountain paths) for Slovenia .
Does this help any?

That's a super map of Slovenia ! But, how to:
- extract a HTML fragment to enbed a Grintovec map on the SP Grintovec page ? (the minimum requirement to put a chapter for Slovenia)
- create a GPX with it
- displaya route on it via GPX or KML
For the last 2, perhaps there are non non-gouvenemental alternative sites who enable this possibility ? Let's search about GPXes and "Geodetska uprava" on Google in Slovenian... perhaps something exists !

visentin wrote:No, in my opinion it is a bit off topic. ... But Google maps are not maps (even if they give an idea).

I understand, but with the 3D-plugin you get an extra service that none of the "real" embedded maps can provide. Having a bird's-eye aerial view on the area is a neat feature. On the other hand, the existence of the plugin is user-dependent, as far as I know.

By the way, there's a promising tool here for Central Europe: the OpenMaps Project. They don't explicitly offer exporting embeddable maps, however it is technically possible: see a test here.

Click on the "layers" option (icon of three sheets on the right side of the header), and tick "Land contours" and "Signed trail highlight" to enjoy full functionality

I have yet to figure out whether displaying your own gps data is possible or not. Nevertheless, for areas like Transylvania such a simple online map can be just as useful as a fancy gpx-equipped one for a Western European country.

Map data is not complete but constantly growing.

peterbud wrote:By the way, there's a promising tool here for Central Europe: the OpenMaps Project. They don't explicitly offer exporting embeddable maps, however it is technically possible: see a test here.

Click on the "layers" option (icon of three sheets on the right side of the header), and tick "Land contours" and "Signed trail highlight" to enjoy full functionality

I have yet to figure out whether displaying your own gps data is possible or not. Nevertheless, for areas like Transylvania such a simple online map can be just as useful as a fancy gpx-equipped one for a Western European country.

Map data is not complete but constantly growing.

That looks very interesting ! Would you be ready to write a "how-to" chapter for the map you enbedded in the Carpathian page ?
Enbedding is one thing, but I wonder if we can also download GPS tracks the same we can upload them, I haven't found how (I saw we can download maps, but only maps). Same for creating GPXes from this map. Any idea ?

First I have to familiarize myself with its capabilities, and also inquire about the legal issues. If all is well, I'll be ready to add a section.

I just discovered another fantastic tool for french maps
http://www.gpx-view.com/
An example of route visualization
http://www.gpx-view.com/gpx.php?f=azet.gpx
Enbedded in a page :
http://www.mbpost.com/view_object.php?o ... #chapter_3

Peterbud added a very interesting chapter about a tool for Central Europe :

http://www.summitpost.org/article/57875 ... #chapter_9