Do you use Google Earth?

[Son of a Beach]

Yes, OSM has a lot of potential, but it is of limited use for Tasmania, until more Taswegians start providing details.

[Joe]

Yes, OSM has a lot of potential, but it is of limited use for Tasmania, until more Taswegians start providing details.

Spot on...my reason for mentioning it

[Son of a Beach]

I hope it takes off, as it would be much better than Google maps if it had the same amount of detail, simply because it lacks the licensing restrictions of Google maps (eg, offline caching of maps for use while not on a network is actually permitted!).

[Joe]

Ease of export to use with GPS units is the other benefit. Free routable maps for your Garmin in AUS is unheard of

[ILUVSWTAS]

Shonkymaps are free mapping software for Garmins I think??

Google earth is ok but I dont use it much!

[Nick S]

Shonkymaps are free mapping software for Garmins I think??

Google earth is ok but I dont use it much!

Hey Joe I'm pretty happy with shonkymaps and contours on Garmin GPS, how would OSM be different?
Could data from these free sources be added to OSM?

[Joe]

You guys missed the key word....ROUTABLE. Shonky is non routable map. Its just a map whereas the OSM maps will give turn by turn navigation on an apropriate garmin GPS.

[ILUVSWTAS]

Oh ok! I dont use it just going on what ive heard.
I use Topo and Oziexplorer

[Nick S]

Ah I see what you mean. Yeah when I walked the WA's I had uploaded track data into the GPS so we did actually have turn by turn navigation, just not from the base map. It was overlaid if that's the right word.

The track data was from http://www.stepwhere.com/listpaths/srchkey/tasmania
But this still requires people to upload tracks to it. Handy in the absence of routable maps.

[Bush Walker]

Google Earth is great for planning walks so you can get a 3D view of the saddle you are crossing or perhaps the other side of an escarpment.

I recently used GE to assist in the planning a walk through Wilpena Pound

Day 1. Walk from campground through the pound to Edeowie Gorge.Pick up water in Gorge and climb NE to a camp on the slope below Sawtooth.
Day 2. Ascend down NE slope to camp on Wilcolo Ck.
Day3. Walk out to campground.

It gave some spectacular views, which did help with planning, but unfortunately the vertical component is often distorted, which often makes impossible escarpments look possible.

[photohiker]

Google Earth is great for planning walks so you can get a 3D view of the saddle you are crossing or perhaps the other side of an escarpment.

I recently used GE to assist in the planning a walk through Wilpena Pound

Day 1. Walk from campground through the pound to Edeowie Gorge.Pick up water in Gorge and climb NE to a camp on the slope below Sawtooth.
Day 2. Ascend down NE slope to camp on Wilcolo Ck.
Day3. Walk out to campground.

It gave some spectacular views, which did help with planning, but unfortunately the vertical component is often distorted, which often makes impossible escarpments look possible.

Hi Bush_walker,

Did you capture a GPS trace of your walk? I'd be interested in seeing it if you did.

[Bush Walker]

Sorry photohiker. Did not have my GPS on during the Mt Sawtooth walk, except to cross check locations on the map.

The eastern side of Wilpena Pound from Edeowie Ck up to the rim, has 2 m high scrub most of the way to the saddle at the top and with no established trail, its was tough, slow going.

Here are a few GE images which I used to help me visualise the terrain.

[photohiker]

The eastern side of Wilpena Pound from Edeowie Ck up to the rim, has 2 m high scrub most of the way to the saddle at the top and with no established trail, its was tough, slow going.

Yep, sounds like the pound

I'm thinking of heading up there again to do a StMary's - Edeowie circuit for a few days come autumn. On the lookout for 3-4 day itineraries. There was another mention of Edeowie in the SA Favorite walks thread the other day that headed up the Heysen, over the saddle next to Mt Abrupt and then around to Edeowie and up it skirting the the main falls and presumably taking the marked track back to Wilpena via Cooinda. Must ask...

[Bush Walker]

Yep, sounds like the pound

I'm thinking of heading up there again to do a StMary's - Edeowie circuit for a few days come autumn. On the lookout for 3-4 day itineraries. There was another mention of Edeowie in the SA Favorite walks thread the other day that headed up the Heysen, over the saddle next to Mt Abrupt and then around to Edeowie and up it skirting the the main falls and presumably taking the marked track back to Wilpena via Cooinda. Must ask...

If you look at the last of the GE images in my set of 4 you will see the Mt Abrupt area. Looks pretty rugged in there, judging from the closeness of the contour lines!...

[Greenie]

There is a new site that has different and more current Satellite imagery http://www.nearmap.com/ that you may be interested in time.

You can change the viewing angle similar to bing maps.

At the moment it mainly covers urban areas and their fringes. And sorry at the moment only the mainland

[Bush Walker]

There is a new site that has different and more current Satellite imagery http://www.nearmap.com/ that you may be interested in time.

You can change the viewing angle similar to bing maps.

At the moment it mainly covers urban areas and their fringes. And sorry at the moment only the mainland

Thanks for the link.

Checked out Central Highlands of Tasmania. The imagery was January 2004. Hardly current!

[photohiker]

Checked out Central Highlands of Tasmania. The imagery was January 2004. Hardly current!

Bush_walker, have a look closer to home. Nearmap is an aerial photography based system (they fly a helicopter over populated areas, you might have noticed a lot of heli activity on 24/11 in Adelaide, I believe that was Mr Nearmap doing an update)

Anyway, they have no useful coverage of Tasmania yet and they display a place holding low res satellite image for anywhere they don't fly.

[Bush Walker]

Checked out Central Highlands of Tasmania. The imagery was January 2004. Hardly current!

Bush_walker, have a look closer to home. Nearmap is an aerial photography based system (they fly a helicopter over populated areas, you might have noticed a lot of heli activity on 24/11 in Adelaide, I believe that was Mr Nearmap doing an update)

Anyway, they have no useful coverage of Tasmania yet and they display a place holding low res satellite image for anywhere they don't fly.

Yes their metro maps are superb! Much better detail than Google's. In my area the last update was October 2010

Re Tasmania: should have read greenie's posting more carefully. He did warn me not to expect much outside of the metro yet.