Mapping software.

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U

User269

Guest
Hi everyone, and a belated Happy New Year!

I've been using Bike Route Toaster for a while now, creating routes then uploading to my Garmin Edge 705. This has been great for planning cycling trips to Europe.

Although I'm quite pleased with this software, I wondered if anyone recommends anything else, especially if it has better map detail?
 
robgul

robgul

Legendary Member
Memory Map - OS on the PC, does it for me. I have the whole of the UK 1-50000 OS on a DvD but you can buy just the areas of map you want.

Excellent - and routes squirt straight into most GPS gadgets

Rob
 
robgul

robgul

Legendary Member
Memory Map - OS on the PC, does it for me. I have the whole of the UK 1-50000 OS on a DvD but you can buy just the areas of map you want.

Excellent - and routes squirt straight into most GPS gadgets

Rob
 
OP
OP
U

User269

Guest
Thanks robgul. I tried MM some time back, but never really got the hang of route creation with it ;) The other thing I didn't like was having to pay for the mapping, which I recall was quite expensive. I bought the South of England OS sheet, but the rest of the country of course is blanked out.
 
OP
OP
U

User269

Guest
Thanks robgul. I tried MM some time back, but never really got the hang of route creation with it :cycle: The other thing I didn't like was having to pay for the mapping, which I recall was quite expensive. I bought the South of England OS sheet, but the rest of the country of course is blanked out.
 
robgul

robgul

Legendary Member
The route planning is pretty simple - go to the option and click away with your mouse.

The comment "I don't like paying for mapping" rubs a bit - just think of the amount of work involved to create maps, and thus a value - they are incredibly cheap in my view. Bit like music downloads I suppose ....

The way that Mem Map works now with an online shop for digital maps (rather than buying the CD/DvD - which you can still do) is to specify and pay for just the area you want. Presumably you could order strips of map that, for example, gave you an E2E route and few miles either side?

By all means go to Google maps, with various online mapping and route planning systems run by amateurs, BUT beware the maps are riddled with inaccuracies ... many roads don't appear, others do but don't exist.

I guess you get what you are willing to pay for.

Rob
 
robgul

robgul

Legendary Member
The route planning is pretty simple - go to the option and click away with your mouse.

The comment "I don't like paying for mapping" rubs a bit - just think of the amount of work involved to create maps, and thus a value - they are incredibly cheap in my view. Bit like music downloads I suppose ....

The way that Mem Map works now with an online shop for digital maps (rather than buying the CD/DvD - which you can still do) is to specify and pay for just the area you want. Presumably you could order strips of map that, for example, gave you an E2E route and few miles either side?

By all means go to Google maps, with various online mapping and route planning systems run by amateurs, BUT beware the maps are riddled with inaccuracies ... many roads don't appear, others do but don't exist.

I guess you get what you are willing to pay for.

Rob
 
OP
OP
U

User269

Guest
Hey Rob, funnily enough I've just been messin' with MM, trying to create some local sample routes. The thing I'm struggling with is that it doesn't seem to do 'auto routing', ie; it won't follow the road from point a to b, but creates a straight line instead. Now, I guess this is because of the inclusion in the mapping of footpaths, bridleways etc., but when I'm creating a route it takes ages clicking on every single change of direction. And I want to get the route accurate so I can get a meaningful distance and altitude.
However, the main thing is I need European maps, which don't seem to be available.....or are they? I certainly couldn't find any on the shop link in the software. Perhaps I better go look at the MM website..........

I'll be back.
 
OP
OP
U

User269

Guest
Hey Rob, funnily enough I've just been messin' with MM, trying to create some local sample routes. The thing I'm struggling with is that it doesn't seem to do 'auto routing', ie; it won't follow the road from point a to b, but creates a straight line instead. Now, I guess this is because of the inclusion in the mapping of footpaths, bridleways etc., but when I'm creating a route it takes ages clicking on every single change of direction. And I want to get the route accurate so I can get a meaningful distance and altitude.
However, the main thing is I need European maps, which don't seem to be available.....or are they? I certainly couldn't find any on the shop link in the software. Perhaps I better go look at the MM website..........

I'll be back.
 
OP
OP
U

User269

Guest
And here I am..........

So the MM website has excellent map availability for France, but not Spain where I'm actually going next. The TOPO maps of France are nearly as good as our OS maps, but hey.........£98 for the alps?! I've already bought many real maps of the alps, and they didn't cost anything like as much as that!
So there's my problem, it would be crazy to spend so much money on mapping which mostly I've already got, and as far as digital versions are concerned, that I can access via bikeroutetoaster etc.
Thanks for getting me to look at MM again though, as I'll be using it for local off road routing in the future.
 
OP
OP
U

User269

Guest
And here I am..........

So the MM website has excellent map availability for France, but not Spain where I'm actually going next. The TOPO maps of France are nearly as good as our OS maps, but hey.........£98 for the alps?! I've already bought many real maps of the alps, and they didn't cost anything like as much as that!
So there's my problem, it would be crazy to spend so much money on mapping which mostly I've already got, and as far as digital versions are concerned, that I can access via bikeroutetoaster etc.
Thanks for getting me to look at MM again though, as I'll be using it for local off road routing in the future.
 
robgul

robgul

Legendary Member
I bought the IGN map of the whole of France from Mem Map (on CD) - not cheap but I reckon I've had my money's worth out of it - it's 1 - 250 000 which is not brilliant but adequate for cycling - we used it to ride from Calais to Montpellier - plotted a route, printed it as an A5 route book - easy.

The Mem Map plotting is just that - lines connecting points - for creating a route in the sense of "I'm going from here to there" it works fine with straight lines ... what it doesn't do is give you actual distances taking account of curves in the road etc. - you can only achieve that by putting in points at every twist and turn.

I have a source for some other maps that might be useful - if you want to PM me I'll give you details.

Rob
 
robgul

robgul

Legendary Member
I bought the IGN map of the whole of France from Mem Map (on CD) - not cheap but I reckon I've had my money's worth out of it - it's 1 - 250 000 which is not brilliant but adequate for cycling - we used it to ride from Calais to Montpellier - plotted a route, printed it as an A5 route book - easy.

The Mem Map plotting is just that - lines connecting points - for creating a route in the sense of "I'm going from here to there" it works fine with straight lines ... what it doesn't do is give you actual distances taking account of curves in the road etc. - you can only achieve that by putting in points at every twist and turn.

I have a source for some other maps that might be useful - if you want to PM me I'll give you details.

Rob
 
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