Route profile from Google map!

[kruelintent]

Hi all,

I have been cycling for years and I always follow the tour de france. I always like looking at the profile for a days stage as it gives a really good idea of the hills etc.

I have used my web development skills to create a new website where you can put in a google route created on http://maps.google.co.uk and my site will create a route profile from it.

Great to add a little extra to your route notes! Hope you like it.

http://routeprofile.kruelintent.com
Tom.

 

[Will1985]

You mean like mapmyride.com does for my routes before putting them on the GPS?

 

[kruelintent]

mymapride is good and so is bikely and bikehut. I would just say that mine is far easier to use (1 click) as 'everybody' knows how to use google maps to get directions... Actually, having just tried the profile on bikehut I would say http://routeprofile.kruelintent.com is more accurate as well...

I suppose it is personal preferance at the end of the day.

Thanks for the comment though.

Tom

 

[Will1985]

Out of interest, how do you get the altitude data in the first place? Has google written it into their maps/google earth and then various programs can interpret the data and create a profile from that?

It is fascinating how they have gathered all this altitude data in the first place. The profile maps from my regular rides are pretty accurate, although I do wonder if trees have an effect as the profile spikes massively on one of my routes where in reality it is flat/slightly downhill.

 

[Will1985]

Ooh I nearly forgot - welcome to the forum!

 

[kruelintent]

Thanks.

The altitude information comes from another web service - topocoding.com They have the heights of pretty much the whole world within 90 meters. You can pass them an array of long/lat points and it passes back a profile map.

All I have done is put the two things together.

:-)

 

[beanzontoast]

I find route profiles interesting. For years I cycled with only OS map and memory to tell me where the big climbs were. The only reservation I have is that sometimes, in my mind at least, the severity of the climb is exaggerated by looking at the route profile. I think to myself - wow, that looks steep, but having done the route and knowing how the road weaves left and right while climbing, it isn't as difficult to negotiate in reality.

 

[yello]

I've not used google maps for route plotting, because I prefer the 'point and click' method used other sites. But I will give it a go specifically to see the profile generated by Tom's site.

I live in a very undulating area and mapmyride gives a very conservative figure for total climbing, due to the algorithm is uses. The value given elsewhere can be radically different, by hundreds of metres.