Gmap Pedometer Mileposts

[paul]

Basic Usage

Just as you do at Google Maps, drag or double-click to move the map, use the slider to increase or decrease the zoom level, and click the "Map/Satellite/Hybrid/Topo/Terrain" buttons (top right) to switch the type of imagery. You can also use arrow keyes and the + and - keys to move or zoom the map.

If you want to jump to your city or town, enter a street address, or just city and country, or postal code, or latitude and longitude.... any search that will work on maps.google.com will work here as well. Then choose your zoomlevel, and click "go". NOTE that searches in China, Japan, and the UK are not supported by the google API gecoder, so in those cases you will need to click the "more options" button to the right of the "go" button, and choose your country from the small dropdown that appears.

When you're ready to start recording the distance you traveled, click the Start recording button.

Thereafter, every double-click will draw a point on the map, and the distance from your last point and your cumulative distance will both appear in the boxes above. Note that only a double-click will create a new point.

There is a radio button with three choices that will control how your route is drawn. You can switch back and forth between the following modes in the middle of a route.
- The automatically (for runners) choice will create a route that follows the streets on the map. The line will automatically go around corners and follow curves in the road.
- The automatically (for cyclists) option does the same thing, but also makes sure not to go the wrong way down a one-way street.
- The manually (straight lines) choice simply draws a straight line from the last point. This option is useful in cases where the route you want to run does not contain roads, such as hiking trails or parks.

The route drawn on the map will be red until you save the route, when it will turn blue. See the Saving Routes section below for more details on saving routes.

If you make a mistake or change your mind, the Undo last point button will remove the last point drawn and revert your distances to what they were before you drew it.

If you want to start over, click the Clear points and start over link.

Additional Features

Saving Routes:

If you want to save your map, click the Save route link and all current route information, including the location, distances, elevatons, and other settings will be saved in the database. When the route has been saved, a URL will appear below the link. This is the URL to use when accessing the route later, and can be placed in a bookmark or email. (In Internet Explorer only, you will also be presented with a link that will allow you to automatically add this URL as a bookmark.)

Routes will be red until they are saved, when they will turn blue. A red route serves as a reminder that some information about a route has not been recorded, and will be lost if you exit the site before saving.

All changes you make to an existing route in the current session will be saved to the route you are currently working on. However, if you return later, you will create a new route number. This is done to prevent other users you share your route with from changing the data in your route.

For example:

* You begin a new route and save changes. This is route #1.
* You continue to make changes to the route and save again. This is still route #1. You bookmark the URL containing route #1.
* The next day, you open route #1 and make further changes. This is now route #2.

Units:

Use the english/metric radio button beneath the distance boxes to choose your units.

Elevation:

If you want to view a graph showing the elevation of each poinit plotted against distance, click the small or large link next to the Elevation heading. The data is derived from radar topography taken during a space shuttle mission, and should be available for anywhere in the world.

Mile Markers:

By default, markers will be placed at the end of each mile or kilometer, and at the beginning or end of your course. Use the Turn off markers and Turn on markers links to toggle whether links are shown.

There and Back Routes:

If your course is a "there-and-back", click the Complete there and back route link once you reach the midpoint.

Calorie Counter:

If you wish to calculate how many calories you've burned in the course of your run, click the Turn on calorie counter link, and enter your weight in the Weight box.

Printing:

Click the Print map link to temporarily reformat the screen to make it more suitable for printing.