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Real-Time Collaborative Mapmaking

Posted by timothy on from the every-city-could-use-this dept.

savetz writes "Throughout October and November, citizens of Amsterdam were invited to wear a GPS tracker as they went about their lives. Their whereabouts were forwarded to a server which created a map of the city in real-time, based on "the sheer movements of real people." The site includes aggregate maps, and those created by individuals, including a subway driver, cyclist, and marathon trainer."

2 of 179 comments (clear)

  1. Re:How can I do this? by faeryman · · Score: 3, Informative

    It's not too hard! I'm interested in this sort of thing too.

    You'll need some software to gather your paths from the GPS, and some digital maps to overlay them on.

    Some of the popular software is EasyGPS for the PC, and GPSy and MacGPS Pro for the Mac. You can download a free version of each.

    The maps are a little harder to come by though. Here is a list to get you started. Some are free, some cost up to about $100 depending on size, scale, and detail. You can scan in your paper maps and calibrate them in some software too.

    I think this is really cool - I'd like to have a map of North America and see where all I've been :)

    --


    ,
    faeryman
  2. Re:Who do you trust? by nairnr · · Score: 3, Informative

    If you want to see something of interest that does this check out Houston Live Traffic They use toll-booth transponders with sensors every 1-5 miles. This then gives them a live map of average traffic flow. They also have web cams at various spots.
    Overall this is an excellent demonstration of this kind of technology.