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

[bobpbx]

Boyd, the old version had a button for Google Maps to come up at the current location. I used that a lot. For instance on the Walker Mansion thread, I wanted to drive (googlewise) to where others thought the mansion was. It was easy just opening that menu button on the left side. It may be there but it's eluding me.

 

[Boyd]

It's still there, just one extra click now. The menu bar has gotten very large and I didn't want to add three additional buttons to it, so the share button seemed like a logical place to put it. This, and many other things, are covered in the help file.

BTW, recently I used this function and it was opening Google Maps at the wrong location (not the same location I was viewing). It happened several times and I couldn't figure out what was going on, but didn't have the time to troubleshoot. I have been unable to reproduce this problem since then however. But if you experience something like this, please let me know.

 

[bobpbx]

Okay, thanks

 

[pinelandpaddler]

Dumb question.

I can't figure out how to post links to specific locations. I had no problem doing it last night, but now I'm at a loss. Not sure what I'm missing, but I bet it should be obvious.

 

[Boyd]

Are you using the mobile or desktop version? You can just copy the link from the address bar in the desktop version, assuming everything is set to the default. The link preference menu item determines whether the current location is shown on the address bar, it defaults to enabled in the desktop version and disabled in the mobile version. Normally you should not change this

Or you can just use the sharing menu mentioned in my response to Bob above. Just click the button to copy the link, this works in both the mobile and desktop versions.

Actually, I would encourage people to use that method unless they understand some of the subtleties of how the app handles links. The link in the sharing menu should always be a "clean" link, it will remove any facebook tracking info and fix a variety of other problems .

 

[Boyd]

To expand on that a bit.... if you share a link on facebook, they will insert a bunch of invasive tracking info into it. The link will still work, but when you share it elsewhere, then you are helping facebook track everybody that clicks it. Here's an example of what that might look like

But if you use the sharing menu, it will "sanitize" the link to look like this

And here's another example of a problem, if you add "www" to the sitename, the link will work however it will be treated like a completely different site with its own preferences and storage. So, it will ask what kind of device you're using, it won't recognize any of your favorites, waypoints, etc.

Again, the sharing button will fix that.

 

[pinelandpaddler]

Thanks!

 

[pinelandpaddler]

Another dumb question: How do I switch to desktop?

 

[Boyd]

Are you actually using mobile mode on a computer? That will be a very poor experience. The first time you visit the site, the app will ask whether you're using a phone or computer (it defaults to a phone). Be sure to pick the correct option before proceeding. This preference will then be stored and won't need to be set again. The mobile (phone) option has bigger buttons and is designed for small screens, it will work on a computer but will be awkward and look terrible. The desktop version will be virtually unusable on a phone, with many things not fitting on the screen and buttons that are too small for your fingers. Also note that each device has its own preference, so there is no conflict with using a phone sometimes and a computer at other times.

So, really, you should never need to manually change this preference. But if you accidentally chose the wrong option, you can change it from the main menu on the mobile version, you may need to scroll the menu down to see it.

On the desktop version, it is in the preferences menu

 

[Boyd]

Looking ahead...

Here's what I'm currently working on. As mentioned elsewhere, server disk space has been greatly expanded to a total of 1.1 terabytes. To put that in perspective, the original boydsmaps online site used a total about 70 gigabytes of disk. The current site is around 150gb. So we now have room for 9x more data.

For starters, there will be a digital elevation model of the whole world at a nominal resolution of 30 meters from NASA's ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer) satellite. The image below shows what I've already downloaded and processed. The source files are about 1.5 terabytes but the mapbox RGB format is very efficient and the resulting tiles are only about 28gb so far, around 5 millon map tiles. The finished map will have over 6 million tiles, 10x larger than anything I've made before!

I don't plan to make any maps from this data, it will be used to provide live elevation display on the map anywhere in the world and will replace the USGS elevation server here in the US. It's lower resolution (USGS is ~10 meters) however it's better suited to realtime display since it's locally-hosted. And I don't like using the USGS servers because they're intended to lookup a few points on a map, not provide realtime streaming display.

It's a slow process downloading this much data and processing it, had hoped to finish most of it this weekend, but NASA's servers seem to be down. Assuming that they come back online next week, this new data might be available in the boydsmaps app before the end of March.

While the NASA servers are down, I've started working on a new 1-meter LIDAR digital elevation model of the Mid-Atlantic region (see below). Have already downloaded about half of the Pennsylvania data and two-thirds New Jersey. Haven't yet researched availability of imagery for New York, Connecticut, Delaware and Maryland however.

I don't have a good handle on how large these finished files will be (again, it will be millions of tiles), so the final coverage area could change - could be smaller or even larger. When finished, this will be a full 3d map of the region - a huge project that will take a couple months. High resolution data from the LIDAR will also be used for realtime elevation display on all maps of New Jersey, a big upgrade from the USGS servers (1-meter LIDAR vs 10-meter legacy USGS).

There are other mapping projects planned for the future - such as expanded coverage for high-quality scans of historical topo maps - but that will depend on disk space... and time! Right now, I'm all about elevation data.

 

[TommyP]

Thank you for sharing this rather amazing tool you’ve made. My iPad doesn’t have cellular. I’m going to try going through a hotspot. The precise GPS location likely won’t work, but my iPhone 8 screen is too tiny for these old eyes. I’ll let you know how well it works. It is great on Android, but I rarely have signal anywhere near Wharton (T-Mobile/Sprint).

 

[Boyd]

Thanks!

My iPad doesn’t have cellular. I’m going to try going through a hotspot.

A hotspot will work, I use one to test the app with an Android phone that doesn't have a data plan. However, the wifi iPads don't have a GPS chip, so it's not going to work even with a hotspot. But you could use the hotspot plus a bluetooth GPS device like the Garmin GLO that I mentioned earlier.

https://forums.njpinebarrens.com/th...-app-is-finally-here.13910/page-2#post-166925

I see that GPSCity has refurbished GLO2's for $90. Garmin-refurbished products have the same warranty as new.

Garmin GLO 2 Aviation Bundle (Certified Refurbished)

Rated 4.7/5. Low prices, reviews, videos and more for the Garmin GLO 2 Aviation Bundle (Certified Refurbished), a Garmin Mobile Phone GPS item.

www.gpscity.com

 

[Boyd]

Here's what I'm currently working on.

It's a slow process downloading this much data and processing it, had hoped to finish most of it this weekend, but NASA's servers seem to be down. Assuming that they come back online next week, this new data might be available in the boydsmaps app before the end of March.

Time for an update, since I obviously didn't meet the March deadline. Spent quite a lot of time downloading/processing over 3 terabytes of data from NASA, covering most of the world. I even had it all working on my server at home. But when I finally took stock of at what I'd created, it was about a 350gb map, and considering the cost of disk space, that was just too much. So, I scaled my ambitions way back and settled for just North America - here's the coverage. This will provide realtime elevation readout whenever you're within the boundaries, regardless of which map you're viewing.

Seemed like a shame to download all that data just for an elevation readout, so I made a black and white 3d terrain map. Didn't really care for that and trashed it. Next, I downloaded aerials for all of North America and made a 3d map of that. Again, didn't like it much. Was an odd patchwork of imagery with different colors from different seasons. Also wasn't quite clear on the copyright for some of the imagery outside the US. Ended up trashing that map too!

Finally settled on downloading landcover data - the National Landcover Database for the US and European Space Agency Worldcover for the rest of the continent. These datasets classify the landscape in broad categories such as decidous forest, coniferous forest, agriculture, etc. I created my own naturalistic color pallete based on these classifications and added some atmospheric effects. I like the simple style, a bit like a painting. It's a pretty low resolution map (level 12) but a fun way to explore the continent and loads quickly in 3d view. Here are a few examples...

Mount Washington

Salt Lake City

The Shore and the Pines

Even though it's done, I've decided to wait and roll it out in a huge update that will also include the new Mid Atlantic 3d LIDAR map. The updates cause issues with browser caches, so I want to keep them to a minimum.

Still working on the 3d LIDAR map but have made a lot of progress. Am shooting for a little larger map than originally planned (hope it fits on the server disk!). This is all full-resolution 1-meter (level 17) LIDAR imagery. For now, it will just be one black and white map (available in 2d and 3d versions). Here's the planned coverage (the area outlined in yellow is already completed). Whenever your map position is within this area, you will automatically get the very accurate LIDAR elevation readout (regardless of which map you're viewing).

Chimney Rock

Delaware Water Gap

Anyway... that's a sneak peek at the coming attactions. Slow going with the LIDAR, the USGS imagery must be downloaded in little 10-kilometer tiles, have already processed somewhere around 3 terabytes - the yellow area is almost two million tiles. Not going to even give an ETA for this, although I'd like to get it done before we get too far into the summer, since there are so many distractions when the weather gets nice.

 

[TommyP]

Wow, you've been busy!

 

[Boyd]

Not going to even give an ETA for this, although I'd like to get it done before we get too far into the summer

After a couple busy weeks, it's getting pretty close. Finished the Mid Atlantic LIDAR map today and it's a BIG one - ten million map tiles total. I extended coverage a little farther South and West to make it more useful for people in the Washington, DC area. It's working on my server at home, I just need to spend awhile to make sure there are no major problems.

Custom vertical exaggeration preferences can now be set for each 3d map. You can go all the way to 8x to bring out details in the Pines.

So, it's coming pretty soon - about another week hopefully. Still have some code to finish and lots of documentation to write. Then a lengthy process of transferring and installing everything. Will post a "heads up" a day before the change, this is likely to break the site for anyone who uses it regularly and require action to clear old cached data.

 

[Boyd]

I am currently planning to perform the site/app upgrade tomorrow (Saturday, June 4), late afternoon. If all goes according to plan, the site will be unusable for perhaps an hour, then it will be back online with the new software. I will post to the connectivity thread before and after the upgrade.

Unfortunately, you should expect to have browser cache issues after such a major update. We have discussed this in the past and I will post more troubleshooting instructions tomorrow. In the desktop version, a "quick fix" would be to just use a different browser - for example, if you normally use Chrome, try Firefox. A different browser will automatically load all the updated software since it won't have cached the site.

This may not work on a phone however. The fastest fix is probably deleting the boydsmaps app from your home screen and re-installing from boydsmaps.com in Safari or Chrome.

In either version, it may be necessary to delete all site data to fully clear your cache. Take a few seconds right now and use the backup function. This will save all site preferences and data to your downloads folder and make it easy to restore.

 

[Boyd]

The new site is up and running, let me know if it works for you. Here are a few links to the new maps for testing:

Mount Washington, on the new North America 3d Terrain map:
https://boydsmaps.com/#12.72/44.035397/-71.681892/mbx3dnalc/48.60/76.40

Kinkora Heights on the new LIDAR in the Mid-Atlantic 3d map (this reminds me of the HR Geiger art from the "Aliens" movie! ):
https://boydsmaps.com/#14.30/40.356276/-77.054777/mbx3dmidatl/64.20/76.60

Notice that 3d maps are now shown in blue text in the map menu.

Note the new "Exaggeration" setting in the Preferences (desktop version) or Main Menu (mobile version).

Try experimenting with different settings and observe the effect. You will not see any difference when viewing the map from the top, you need to tilt it for a 3d view. Each of the 3d maps has its own exaggeration setting which the app will remember until you change it. Click the default button to restore the original setting.

You will also find a 2-dimensional Mid-Atlantic LIDAR map, here's the Ellipse in our nation's capital, for example. This will load faster than the 3d version since there's no elevation data:

https://boydsmaps.com/#17.00/38.894003/-77.036583/midatlidar/0.00/0.00

These new, big LIDAR maps have replaced the old LIDAR 2021 BW maps and any old links will automatically re-direct to them (with an alert). I spent awhile working on the shading and think the map detail is improved in the Pines, with a lighter background and more contrast.

Also try enabling elevation display is you don't have it turned on now. Inside the coverage area of the Mid-Atlantic map, you will see very accurate LIDAR-based realtime elevation readings. In the rest of North America you will see the ASTER elevation data used in the North America 3d map. The app automatically chooses the highest resolution data based on your location. Elevations are shown on all maps as long as you're inside the coverage area.

There are a lot of other changes to discuss, but I need to take a "computer break" for awhile, start the grill, get outside and enjoy a cold beverage at the moment... has been a long day of typing and staring at a screen!

Will check back later and try to help with any problems you may encounter.

 

[Boyd]

FWIW, there are some problems with the elevation readout in certain parts of Pennsylvania around Harrisburg, but only when you zoom in farther than level 14. It seems that the units are wrong and elevations in feet are being interpreted as meters which makes them 3.28x higher than they should be (for example, a real elevation of 100 feet is displayed as 328 feet). I suspect this is related to how I made the level 17 map of this area, or perhaps some error in the source data that I used.

Will investigate further and if it's an error on my part will try to correct it with my next update. This is the only region I see this kind of error - please let me know if you run into it anywhere else.

 

[Boyd]

Looking into this, the problem only affects this area, and only when you zoom in farther than level 14. I believe it was caused by a setting which caused the native elevations in feet to be interpreted as meters instead. Will fix this in the future.

 

[Boyd]

Just uploaded new data for this region and the elevation display should now be correct. A few random checks show less than a 1% difference from USGS benchmarks. Personally, I trust the LIDAR more than the 24k maps, which could be 30 or more years old, not to mention their relatively low resolution and possible georeferencing errors.

https://boydsmaps.com/#17.00/40.405607/-77.097705/pa24k/0.00/0.00