Tag:

maps

Contours-Meters overlaid on the Mapbox Aerial layer.

Contour Line Overlays in GaiaPro

by Kate Dougherty October 5, 2016

written by Kate Dougherty

Contours-Meters overlaid on the Mapbox Aerial layer.

GaiaPro users can overlay base maps with worldwide contour lines in either feet or meters for additional context. You can layer the contours with any source, but will probably find them most useful when paired with satellite imagery.

Add the contour layers to the map by opening the More Layers menu, then the GaiaPro Overlays category. Read these Help Center articles for info about how to use layered maps on iOS and Android.

We also suggest you set the opacity of the contour layer to slightly less than 100% for best performance.

Optimized Contour Intervals

We styled the contours to work well across zoom levels. They first show up at zoom level 10, and render differently as you zoom in.

Contours-Feet

z10-11: 400 feet, no labels
z12-13: 200 feet, labels for every other contour
z14+: 40 feet, labels for every fifth contour

Contours-Meters

z10-11: 100 meters, no labels
z12-13: 50 meters, labels for every other contour
z14+: 10 meters, labels for every fifth contour

Use the Same Great Data in New Ways

We originally created the contours for the Gaia Topo project, then extracted them from that source to create two new, separate overlays with transparent backgrounds.

Both the feet and meters overlays use the same source data—digital elevation models (DEMs) including Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) topo data, the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Mission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER)’s Global Digital Elevation Model, and the U.S. National Elevation Dataset (NED).

Help Improve the Layers

We plan to continue improving the contours over time. You can help by reporting errors like missing or incorrect data at https://tileslicing.gaiagps.com/preview/contours-meters/ or https://tileslicing.gaiagps.com/preview/contours-feet/.

As always, feel free to email support@gaiagps.com if you have any questions or feedback.

October 5, 2016

New GaiaPro Map Layer—MapBox Satellite with No Labels

by Ruthie Irvin October 4, 2016

written by Ruthie Irvin

Now available to GaiaPro subscribers, MapBox Satellite Imagery with no labels offers a cleaner map view than the version with labels—perfect if you plan to layer the source with other maps in the app (iOS/Android), layer maps on gaiagps.com, or print your tracks on gaiagps.com.

MapBox Aerial with no Labels

MapBox Aerial with Labels

Add the source from the More Layers menu under the GaiaPro Base Maps category. For detailed instructions, check out the Add Map Sources articles (iOS/Android/Web).

MapBox Aerial with no Labels beautifully displayed with topo layers

Try MapBox Aerial with No Labels, Free

Unsure if you’d benefit from a GaiaPro subscription? Read about the perks of GaiaPro here, and sign up for a free 1-month trial today: https://www.gaiagps.com/user/freetrial.

October 4, 2016

Gaia GPS New Maps

SwissTopo Maps Now Available

by Ruthie Irvin September 27, 2016

written by Ruthie Irvin

Similar to USGS Topo maps, SwissTopo provides beautiful handmade cartography and fine detail. These maps of Switzerland are perfect for hiking, skiing, and planning trips in the Alps.

SwissTopo features heavy elevation shading and contour lines, and emphasizes peak and range names that display prominently.

Add the source from the More Layers menu under the GaiaPro Base Maps category. For detailed instructions, check out the Add Map Sources articles (iOS/Android/Web).

Unlike the USGS, SwissTopo requires license fees for these maps, so we have included them as part of a GaiaPro subscription.

Test Out the New Maps Today

Not a GaiaPro subscriber? Sign-up for a free 1-month trial here: https://www.gaiagps.com/user/freetrial

If you’d like to see additional sources added to Gaia GPS, post your ideas in the Maps section of the Gaia GPS Community Forums.

September 27, 2016

Gaia GPS Hunting New Maps

Updated Public Lands in Gaia GPS

by Kate Dougherty September 26, 2016

written by Kate Dougherty

In addition to the new collection of hunting data we recently added, GaiaPro users can now access an improved public lands layer. Updated for 2016, the overlay gives you the most current and comprehensive data on government-managed areas. Hunters and anyone exploring areas of mixed land ownership may want to consider using this layer, which emphasizes:

National and state forests
Parks and monuments
Wildlife refuges
Conservation lands and game preserves
Bureau of Land Management areas

To add public lands to the map, open the More Layers menu and look for them under the GaiaPro Overlays category. Read these Help Center articles for info about how to use layered maps on iOS and Android.

A User-Friendly Design

Color-coded federal lands let you easily identify which agency manages an area. We represent data at the state, county, and local levels with a single color for each, so the map doesn’t become overwhelming. Note that we’ve updated the symbology associated with the various categories. Labels will appear at zoom level 14.

The updated public lands layer at zoom level 14. The image shows labels for Bureau of Land Management and State of New Mexico lands, as well as Gila National Forest.

The new public lands layer, superimposed over Gaia Topo. Labels appear at zoom level 14.

The Best Public Lands Data in Gaia GPS

The updated layer draws on the most comprehensive and precise datasets available to offer a high level of detail. It displays the privately-held inholdings in federal and state parks that may not appear elsewhere, and shows smaller public lands missing from many popular maps. Bear in mind that not all of the areas in the layer will be open to the public, and watch for any restricted zones within otherwise accessible lands.

Open Source Data in the OpenBounds Project

Just like the hunt boundary overlays, we based the public lands layer on data gathered for OpenBounds, an open source project we founded to aggregate boundary data and share it from a single location. Gaia GPS sources the most current and detailed public lands data available directly from government agencies, then manages data submission and review for the project through the OpenBounds project on GitHub. Anyone can contribute to the project, check out the code, or even copy the repository by visiting the project site.

You can also post your thoughts about the new layer or the OpenBounds project to the Gaia GPS Community Forum, or email support@gaiagps.com with questions.

September 26, 2016

Colorado bighorn sheep hunt districts, superimposed over US Topo.

Gaia GPS Hunting New Maps

Updated: Hunting Map Boundaries in Gaia GPS

by Kate Dougherty September 21, 2016

written by Kate Dougherty

Colorado bighorn sheep hunt districts, layered over US Topo.

Gaia GPS Premium Membership users now have access to detailed hunting map boundaries for hunt districts in many states, just in time for the fall hunting season—a huge improvement on the previous collection in Gaia GPS.

These new maps use the fruits of OpenBounds, an open data project we created as the basis for these maps. This article describes the OpenBounds project, how the project aggregates data, and how you can contribute to this ongoing effort.

To add hunt districts to the map, open the More Layers menu and look for them under the US Hunting Boundaries category. Read these Help Center articles for info about how to use layered maps on iOS and Android.

Data and Coverage Overview

The OpenBounds initiative aims to collect data for U.S. hunt district boundaries and public lands in a single repository, and share it with the world. We’ve used the hunting boundaries as the basis of the new hunting layers, which show district name or number. Gaia GPS Premium Membership currently includes hunt district boundaries for the states in red on the map below.

Hunt district boundary coverage map of the US.

Map of Gaia GPS’s current hunt district boundary coverage.

Please note that Premium Membership currently offers partial species coverage for the following states.

North Dakota (fall turkey only)
Tennessee (huntable Tennessee Valley Authority lands only)
Washington (all available species except deer)

We will continue to integrate data for additional species and states in the coming weeks.

How the OpenBounds Project Works

Gaia GPS sources the most current and detailed hunting data available directly from state wildlife agencies—then manages data submission and review for the project through the crowdsourced, collaborative, open source OpenBounds project on GitHub. Anyone can browse the OpenBounds data sources and processing scripts by visiting the project site.

How You Can Use the Data and Code

If you’re a developer, we invite you to explore the code. You may even want to copy the repository to make your own map or app. Mappers can also check out OpenAddresses, an open repository of high-quality, consistently-referenced address data that businesses, organizations, and individuals can use to match more than 100 million addresses to geographic coordinates. The amazing work of the OpenAddresses project inspired the OpenBounds project.

The data in OpenBounds is important to conservationists, wildlife professionals, outdoor adventurers, and many other people. We hope that, by collecting it one place, the OpenBounds project will make it easier for them to work and play. And like many other open source efforts, we hope the data can support other great tech projects.

Continued Work – You Can Help

The hunt unit boundaries will get updated on an ongoing basis. If you’d like to contribute, consider reviewing GitHub issues to see how you can help with data collection, or even work on the code.

You can also post your thoughts about the project to the Gaia GPS Community Forum, or email support@gaiagps.com with questions.

September 21, 2016

Gaia GPS New Features

Add Map Sources on gaiagps.com Main Map

by Ruthie Irvin September 14, 2016

written by Ruthie Irvin

You can now customize your map sources on the main map of gaiagps.com, and these changes sync seamlessly with the app.

In the past, using non-default map sources on gaiagps.com required adding them from within the Gaia GPS app, then syncing the changes back to the website. So instead, you can now add all available layers directly on gaiagps.com.

Adding a map source on gaiagps.com/map works similarly to the Gaia GPS app. Access the Add Map Sources option from the Layers menu, then choose a source from within one of the available categories, and add/remove with the + and – symbols.

Click on any source listing to view details about the map

For detailed instructions about adding map sources on gaiagps.com, follow the step-by-step instructions with pictures in this Help Center article.

September 14, 2016

Gaia GPS New Features New Maps

Import Custom Map Sources on gaiagps.com

by Ruthie Irvin June 28, 2016

written by Ruthie Irvin

Now available on gaiagps.com—import custom map sources directly to your online account with a TMS URL. Read here to learn more about finding a TMS URL.

Until now, only iOS users had the ability to add TMS sources to Gaia GPS, and doing so required testing the TMS URL, converting the data into a TileJSON file, then importing that file into the app via iTunes.

Using the gaiagps.com custom map source import feature, skip those steps—test the TMS source right from the website and save it to your account with the click of a button.

Add , View, and Manage Custom Map Sources

Find the Map Sources data summary page listed in the username drop-down menu on gaiagps.com. From there, you can navigate to the “add map source” form and manage your imported maps.

Click the “+ Import an External Map source” button to reach the form.

—found on https://www.gaiagps.com/datasummary/mapsources

Follow the instructions provided to format the TMS URL properly for import.

—Replace numbers in the TMS URL with the {x}/{y}/{z} variables in whichever order gives a correct preview directly below

You can preview the custom map source near Berkeley, CA by default, or input a different set of Lat/Long coordinates to view it for your preferred area.

If everything looks right, save the source to your account with a single click. You can always email support@gaiagps.com for help, too.

—If the preview looks good, click “Add this map source” to save the custom map to your account

Sync, File, and Share Custom Map Sources

Once you import a source, you can view, file, or share the import right from the Map Sources data summary page.

To view and download selections of the custom map source in Gaia GPS, run a sync from your device and then add it from the Imported category. To learn how to add map sources to view in the app, follow the instructions in these Help Center articles:

June 28, 2016

Company News Gaia GPS

Welcome Map Specialist Kate Dougherty

by Ashli Baldwin May 18, 2016

written by Ashli Baldwin

Kate Dougherty started working with the Gaia GPS team last year, both on stage, and behind the scenes. As of this week, she’s working full-time as the first Gaia GPS Cartographer, or maybe a better title is “Cartographer, GIS Specialist, and Technical Writer.”

So far, you may have read Kate’s technical writing on the blog, including “Map Your World with OpenStreetMap” and “How to Read a Topo Map”. If you are a hunter, you will also appreciate the GIS work Kate did the last couple of months, and ongoing, to build an open set of hunting and boundary data to improve Gaia GPS hunting maps.

To start her career, Kate studied physical geography in college, and earned a masters in library science at Drexel. Kate worked as a librarian for several years, and took up web design while working for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). After realizing how much she enjoyed learning about technology, she entered a graduate certificate program in GIS. She spent time volunteering with local land trusts, the Gulf Restoration Network, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Kate has also done a great deal of writing throughout her career. You can find her writing in Earth Island Journal Online, Entelligent, Civil Eats, Next City, and the American Society for Mechanical Engineers.

A lifelong nature lover and avid hiker, Kate considers herself a gypsy. She’s lived in Washington, D.C., Fayetteville, Arkansas, and New Orleans. For now she lives near her family in Philadelphia, but eventually plans to settle down in the beautiful front range area of Colorado.

May 18, 2016

Gaia GPS How-To New Features

How to Embed Gaia Maps and Data on Your Website

by Aileen May 10, 2016

written by Aileen

You can now embed a map view on your own blog or website to display a track, route, folder, or other data you create in Gaia GPS.

How to Embed Gaia GPS in Your Website

1. Log into your Gaia GPS web account.

Go to gaiagps.com and log into your account.

2. Find the track you want to embed.

In righthand corner, hover cursor over profile picture. Click “Tracks.”

On “My Tracks” page, make sure the track is Public. Click the track you want to share on your website.

3. Embed your track.

Share the track by clicking on the embed button to get the code to paste onto your website or blog.

Copy and paste the embed code onto your website or blog.

4. Track preview

The view shows the Gaia GPS Topo map source with data overlaid, and it includes statistics and a link back to the source data.

Feedback Requested

Help to improve this “embedding” feature by sending your comments to support@gaiagps.com. Say how you use, or would use, the embedding feature, and what would make it better for you.

Embedding could potentially include many customization options, or different layouts that show larger maps, or perhaps photos.

May 10, 2016

Gaia GPS New Maps

New HD Maps Available Now

by Ashli Baldwin May 5, 2016

written by Ashli Baldwin

As of today, you can use HD maps in Gaia GPS for OpenLandscapeMap, OpenHikingMap, and OpenCycleMap.

These sources work great on retina and high resolution devices. The addition of HD maps answers a common request for the ability to increase text-size on higher resolution displays.

How to Add HD Maps

To add the new maps, open the “More Layers” menu. Find OpenHikingMap and OpenCycleMap under “Gaia Recommended” and OpenLandscapeMap under the “OpenStreetMap” heading.

View instructions for adding maps for Android and iOS.

Previously Shipped, Now Live

The last iOS and Android releases actually included HD map capabilities, but due to an issue with existing app installs, we had to wait a week to make the maps available. Check out the new maps today, and email support@gaiagps.com with any comments.

May 5, 2016

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