The new universal boydsmaps web app is (finally) here!

[Boyd]

I had another "Aha!" moment today and realized I could bring all these maps to the boydsmaps app. Again, it turns out to be quite simple... if you know how. But I haven't found any examples of "how". These will take a little while to fully implement, but I have added the "shader" map for starters. It can be selected and used just like any other map. For example, here's Mullica Hill

https://boydsmaps.com/#17.25/39.736250/-75.224475/mbx3dshader/-58.80/71.60

You can easily switch to any other map the usual way, such as

https://boydsmaps.com/#17.25/39.736250/-75.224475/pines1999/-58.80/60.00

The map should be listed on the menu like this (depending on your mapset preference)

Of course, you can link to the 3d map just like any other map on the site. This should work on computers and phones, although it may stress some older/cheaper phones. It will be interesting to see how well these work in GPS tracking mode on a phone - that has not yet been tested! I will be adding a control for vertical exaggeration - finally figured that out, so I won't need multiple versions of the same map in the future. But for now, exaggeration is "hard coded" to 3x.

Usual disclaimers about clearing cache apply, as discussed earlier in this thread. Here are a few more examples, just for fun.

Pennypack Creek
https://boydsmaps.com/#15.94/40.080247/-75.055712/mbx3dshader/147.00/64.60

Colliers Mills
https://boydsmaps.com/#17.63/40.067520/-74.447988/mbx3dshader/14.40/71.20

Mount Holly
https://boydsmaps.com/#17.82/40.002094/-74.788567/mbx3dshader/3.00/75.40

The Forked River Mountains
https://boydsmaps.com/#16.57/39.846240/-74.292460/mbx3dshader/-34.20/77.60

Pecks Corner
https://boydsmaps.com/#16.23/39.506659/-75.346361/mbx3dshader/-42.60/69.20

Devious
https://boydsmaps.com/#18.03/39.744671/-74.640655/mbx3dshader/40.80/70.60

After I finish implementing the other maps in the main app, then I'll probably retire the dedicated 3d site. So it would be best not to link to any of those maps.

 

[Boyd]

The three-dimensional version of the monochrome LIDAR map is also available now.

Amatol:
https://boydsmaps.com/#17.05/39.603861/-74.741798/mbx3dsolid/124.80/68.60

Bear Swamp Hill:
https://boydsmaps.com/#17.32/39.751526/-74.464765/mbx3dsolid/0.60/71.40

I will eventually provide a control so you can set exaggeration as desired. BTW, these maps can be added to your favorites just like any others. You can also set a 3d view as your "home" location if desired. See the help file if you are not already familiar with these features.

 

[Boyd]

It will be interesting to see how well these work in GPS tracking mode on a phone - that has not yet been tested!

Gave it a good test this morning, worked perfectly in the car and had no trouble refreshing the screen while driving 50 mph. Was using my iPhone 12 Pro Max paired with a Garmin GLO bluetooth GPS receiver.

 

[Boyd]

I came up with a kludgy fix for the rainbow lines in the sky by adding fog that obscures everything in the far distance. This is not perfect, you will still see the lines at lower zoom levels or if you're close to the edge of the map. However, it does let you explore some more interesting views of the terrain at high zoom levels. For example, Bear Swamp Hill

https://boydsmaps.com/#17.48/39.752397/-74.466025/mbx3dshader/120.60/85.00

For the monochrome LIDAR, the blue sky seemed wrong so I made it nearly black - looks like a lunar landscape.

https://boydsmaps.com/#17.76/39.770228/-74.464782/mbx3dsolid/84.60/79.40

I am processing my own aerials with 3d shading, they should look more three-dimensionsal and load much faster than the NJGIN aerials. Another heavy lift, about 30 hours rendering already. Decided to use the 2007 aerials after all, they really are much more clear than the newer ones.

 

[Boyd]

The LIDAR 3d aerials are now available - here are some examples

Clements Bridge
https://boydsmaps.com/#17.10/39.837031/-75.085148/mbx3dortho/-151.80/72.20

Bridgeton
https://boydsmaps.com/#17.46/39.429653/-75.236124/mbx3dortho/-1.20/77.00

Brookville
https://boydsmaps.com/#17.70/39.779186/-74.298219/mbx3dortho/-113.40/73.20

Mount Misery
https://boydsmaps.com/#17.55/39.921243/-74.522442/mbx3dortho/-65.40/75.80

I also figured out how to get the HERE vector maps working with the Mapbox API. The available styles are a bit odd, but it's good to have some additional vector-based maps and the 3d buildings are nice. Garmin's City Navigator maps are based on HERE data. These may take a few seconds to load, due to the complexity.

HERE Night Vector Map of Philadelphia
https://boydsmaps.com/#16.62/39.953372/-75.168138/hereVectNight/54.00/60.00

Here Day Vector Map of New York
https://boydsmaps.com/#16.55/40.774083/-73.971738/hereVectDay/-151.80/60.00

Here Basemap of Atlantic City
https://boydsmaps.com/#16.34/39.361776/-74.424142/hereVectBase/-84.00/60.00

All the usual disclaimers about clearing cache apply here, if you have problems see the earlier discussion in this thread.

 

[Boyd]

Have been looking for ways to bring out more detail in the LIDAR imagery since the beginning, and decided that the "stoplight" (red/yellow/green) color scheme just isn't adequate for showing the full range of elevation in the Pines. So I created a new shader where the color changes with each 10-foot elevation increment, I am calling it "spectrum shading".

Just finished the lengthy process of rendering, and - continuing the tradition - here's LIDAR in the Pines HD 2022! You may want to put on your sunglasses before looking at this one.

It's available in the standard two-dimensional format here. The 2d version loads faster if you don't want 3d terrain (or if your phone is too slow for it).

https://boydsmaps.com/#11.00/39.643631/-74.649304/lidar2022hd/0.00/0.00

Then there's the new 3d format here. There are no roads or labels, just the imagery. I have "blacked out" the waterbodies because the map is so colorful that colored water just didn't look right.

https://boydsmaps.com/#16.34/39.845241/-74.294385/mbx3dspectrum/127.80/73.80

I find the details a bit more clear on this map than the other LIDAR versions - you be the judge, it's easy to flip between maps and compare. I spent awhile tweaking the 3d settings to acheive that. Just another way of looking at the Pines, you will have to decide when and where to use it. I may release a new monochrome map also, have been playing with a completely different rendering technique that brings out new details.

BTW, there are a few small changes to the app that might make you need to clear your cache, as discussed earlier in this thread. One change you may notice is that the 3d maps all have "smooth zoom" enabled which let you zoom in smaller increments. That was the case before, however the zoom level display at the top right only showed whole numbers. Now, when you switch to a 3d map, the zoom level display shows two decimal places.

 

[Boyd]

BTW, there are a few small changes to the app that might make you need to clear your cache, as discussed earlier in this thread.

I should have mentioned before, for small problems with the app you should try using the restart function before messing with the browser cache, etc. It won't help if the app doesn't start, but this new map was not showing for me initially and a restart fixed that. The reset function actually deletes all your data - don't do that. But the restart function just forces the app to load again from the server.

 

[bobpbx]

Boyd, I have restarted, but I cannot seem to find the "edit favorites" you speak out in the help file. Is it supposed to be one of these?

 

[Boyd]

Just click the gear at the top left of that window

 

[bobpbx]

Thanks

 

[Boyd]

As mentioned elsewhere, very accurate elevation data is now available on my newer LIDAR-based maps. This data has a nominal resolution of 1-meter vs the 10-meter data from the USGS. It also has the advantage of being locally-hosted at boydsmaps, so it should be more responsive and not suffer from the outages sometimes experienced with USGS servers. All you need to do is enable elevation display from the menus. The LIDAR data will automatically be used when available

The following maps are compatible with this new feature, and the source of the elevation data is also indicated in the display.

If there's an error accessing the elevation, the display will show ###.##. Unfortunately, this happens sometimes, I will see if it can be improved. However, it shouldn't be much of a problem. Try zooming in farther and/or moving the map slowly to clear this up. The LIDAR elevation data will also be used in GPS mode on the maps above, instead of the very inaccurate elevation from the GPS chip in your phone.

The usual disclaimers about cache issues following a software update apply here. I suggest that you choose restart from the menu the first time you open the app today, this should force the new code to be loaded. In extreme cases, you might need to clear your browser cache but I did not need to do this myself today.

 

[bobpbx]

I hit restart and lost yesterdays configuration and all my favorites and there's only a few buttons on the left side now. And the maps are gone too.

Before I clear the cache and deal with all the password changes....will this be the last change? I'm hoping for something that won't change for the season coming up.

 

[Boyd]

Sorry, that you are having problems, but I cannot make any such promises. This is still a beta site under development and will continue to change. Unfortunately, if you want a site that doesn't change you will need to find it elsewhere.

But I doubt that you have really lost anything, nothing that I have done would cause that to happen, your browser is just showing you old data. The restart button does NOT delete any data, it just reloads the site, so that's not the problem. Have you tried shutting down your computer and restarting? That may clear the problems without deleting anything. Have you been backing up your data? I have constantly urged everyone to do this. If so, you can restore everything to exactly the way it was before regardless of what happens. It's quick and easy.

If you haven't done a backup (why not?) you may still be able to retrieve your data using the browser's developer mode. I can try to explain this later, but don't have time right now. Again, sorry for the frustration.

 

[bobpbx]

I never lose data. By data I assume you mean waypoints and routes and such. I don't use your maps for that, I use them because you have a nice set of maps, topos, and lidar all in one convenient place, where I can create a favorite maps set and roam where I want while switching back and for between maps, lidar, your own created topos, street maps, and such.

 

[Boyd]

Your favorites are data and you said you lost them. The preferences that you set are also data. The backup function would preserve all of this and allow you to restore.

Anyway, to fix this issue without affecting favorites, other sites, stored passwords, etc. try the following with Microsoft Edge. Press the three dots at the top right of the window. Scroll down to More Tools then select Developer Tools which should be the last item on the menu. Alternately, you could simply press Control-Shift-i which is a shortcut to open the developer tools directly.

Choose Application from the menubar in the developer menu. If you don't see it, click the >> item at the right side of the menu to reveal it. Click Storage at the top left. Now uncheck ALL the boxes EXCEPT Cache Storage, as shown here. Then click Clear Site Data.

That should just clear the data your browser has cached without actually deleting anything that has been stored by any site (such as passwords). I'd suggest that you then close Edge and open it again. Does that fix the problem? It should, however, I have seen cases where you actually need to do this more than once.

 

[bobpbx]

Thanks Boyd. I got it all back, and didn't lose passwords but: I tried the above twice, and it didn't work, even after resarting the computer and microsoft Edge. But then I deleted my bookmark for boyd's maps, then I deleted my cache only (did not even delete cookies), then typed in your site in the adress bar and it all came back.

 

[Boyd]

Cool. Were your favorites still there? Deleting cookies should not affect the site. Just make sure the Local and Session box is NOT checked, that's where your favorites and preferences are stored.

 

[bobpbx]

Cool. Were your favorites still there? Deleting cookies should not affect the site. Just make sure the Local and Session box is NOT checked, that's where your favorites and preferences are stored.

Yup, they were all there, which surprised me.

 

[Boyd]

As long as you don't delete local storage, they should remain. But if you've spent some time configuring them, do yourself a favor and use the backup button. You can just click and forget, it will put the file in your downloads folder. Then, if you ever have a problem it will be easy to restore from that file.

 

[bobpbx]

As long as you don't delete local storage, they should remain. But if you've spent some time configuring them, do yourself a favor and use the backup button. You can just click and forget, it will put the file in your downloads folder. Then, if you ever have a problem it will be easy to restore from that file.

Okay, good it's in my download folder.