Community Waypoints Layer(s)

[globalkeith]

Firstly forgive me if this has been suggested before.

Something I have frequently thought when using OpenCPN in preparation for a cruising passage is how useful a community/crowdsourced layer would be - at its most basic would be the ability to:

1. subscribe/update specific areas
2. download and cache published waypoints
2. create/update/delete(undo) waypoints

This should result in a kind of wiki style meta datalayer inside OpenCPN, which I would personally find of great use and interest.

Does anyone have thoughts on this idea?

[sinbad7]

Keith..

I have started a .gpx based library of tracks here which you are free to download and also contribute to.

4shared folder - GPX-KMZ-NMEA FILES

You can also create POI´s within OCPN linking to specific .gpx tracks.

Perhaps this could be a solution?

Tore

[globalkeith]

Thanks Sinbad7 - I don't have an account with 4shared, so i can't get to these files, but something like that which is available through the opencpn interface is really what I'm talking about!!

[sinbad7]

Keith..

You don´t need an account,it is free! You can register and get 10GB of storage for free. I also recommend that you download their free special upload/download program 4share desktop which is VERY fast and allows multiple file up/downloads.

The first screen below shows the POI setup. (see the blue info icon top left)
The second is the GPX menu used in the free downloadable 4share desktop.

All this of course pre-suposes that you have internet connection,but this is normally a facility you use at the planning stage ashore.

The .gpx files can be imported straight into OCPN.

Tore

[globalkeith]

Thanks Tore

Using GPX is great, thats exactly what its designed for.
Using 4shared is ok, it works to share files for now, but it lacks that central point to fully enable community driven content.

The more I think about this the more I'm hedging towards the concepts on your other thread about openseamap.com.

So, some kind of integration with OSM is definitely the way forward. All its content is shared under creative commons. It already provides the hosted central database for the content, so the here's how I can see the feature development of our "osm_plugin":

1st iteration: retrieve data from OSM and draw it on the map.
2nd iteration: cache the content.
3rd iteration create/update content through the OpenCPN interface.

Further investigation is required I feel. Never looked at the OpenCPN code, let alone the plugin architecture. Small steps I think....

Much thanks for sharing your links though Tore!!

[travler37]

Originally Posted by globalkeith

Firstly forgive me if this has been suggested before.

Something I have frequently thought when using OpenCPN in preparation for a cruising passage is how useful a community/crowdsourced layer would be - at its most basic would be the ability to:

1. subscribe/update specific areas
2. download and cache published waypoints
2. create/update/delete(undo) waypoints

This should result in a kind of wiki style meta datalayer inside OpenCPN, which I would personally find of great use and interest.

Does anyone have thoughts on this idea?

On shared waypoints,
After kedging off a bar that moved enough from my own 5 month old waypoints.I would not trust others points besides a bouy at entrance point.
My thoughts
Mark

[sinbad7]

A track is not a railway line,you still have to use dilligence and make changes to it where necessary.

Tore