Questions tagged [maps]
Use this tag both for questions dealing with actual, physical maps and on-line or digital maps.
84
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Austria: 1:25000 paper and other maps
This year I will do some hikes, tours in Austrian mountains. I don't know, what do you think are the best, precise 1:25000 paper maps for Austrian mountains? The difficulty will be light - very ...
7
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4
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Italy: recommended paper maps for hiking in Trentino and Alto Adige
For a spring time holiday in Trentino and Alto Adige / Südtirol in Italy, I am planning to do a number of day hikes in the areas around Riva del Garda, Trento, and further up north, Brixen / ...
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0
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Garmin watch with vs without maps
I'm looking to get a new Garmin wristwatch.
Broadly, I'm looking at the Garmin Instinct 2/solar and the fenix 6.
Neglecting the price differential, the main difference seems to be that the fenix has 1....
10
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3
answers
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Maps showing forest type
In planning my hikes, I would find it very useful to know where different types of forests are to be found across the map. Even having a basic distinction shown on the map between coniferous/needled ...
3
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1
answer
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What are blue long-dashed lines on a French topo?
On a topographic map of Chamonix I noticed these thick long-dashed (and sometimes dotted) blue lines. They appear to connect huts, settlements, and some arbitrary points. They tend to follow glaciers.
...
4
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1
answer
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Is this a valid method from taking a bearing from a map?
I want to check my understanding here. The goal is to determine your direction of travel by taking a bearing from a map using a compass, given that you know where on the map you are and where you want ...
3
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3
answers
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Do Garmin satellite map devices allow me to feed them coordinates from a CSV or JSON file or similar?
I may buy a Garmin satellite map thing at some point. But if I do, it's an absolute requirement for me that it will allow me to feed it some sort of list of GPS coordinates with labels, such as ...
2
votes
1
answer
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Given a GPS coordinate, can you get the elevation?
I was doing some hiking today and climbed into a gully of sorts. It seemed pretty deep and I'm curious how deep relative to the surrounding land. It'd be cool if I could just plug in arbitrary GPS ...
3
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3
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Are there any affordable, dedicated (one-purpose) handheld GPS receivers with nice satellite maps?
I don't have a smartphone, or any phone, and specifically don't want to have one for many important reasons. However, I do wish that I had some sort of map where I get to see where I am currently, ...
7
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3
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Collaborative map of dive sites
Where can I find a collaborative wiki-style map of dive sites focused on comprehensiveness, not on "top destinations"? Google searching yielded surprisingly poor results.
The best I've found ...
0
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1
answer
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How to find a wall to play squash or racket ball during quarantine?
Is there some kind of wall AI identification system in google maps or some google earth software to find a wall nearest my location to play squash during quarantine?
Excluding hitting garage
3
votes
0
answers
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zoomable Köppen climate maps
So I recently hiked Humphrey's Peak in Arizona and was curious if I passed through multiple different Köppen climate types.
Quoting https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Arizona#Humphreys_Peak , &...
13
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9
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How can I know what a road will be like?
The map simply shows it's not paved. But does that mean it's a decent dirt road that an ordinary car can handle, or is high clearance and/or 4x4 need? How would I go about finding out?
(Yes, this ...
7
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6
answers
636
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Unknown map symbol
Does anyone know what this line of circles on a map represents? (the ones that start to the east of where it says Hangman's Hill) It is near Malvern. We passed some rocks but they were probably 300 ...
4
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3
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How to interpret forest from the map?
I basically like to bomb into forest and set up the tent. While doing this last time I ended in the forest with clay as ground, it had a lot smaller and bigger puddles and I was main meal at mosquito ...
6
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8
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Topo map server out there somewhere?
It's winter. I daydream of trips in various areas. Using Google/Apple/Bing maps is frustrating. Openstreet has trails if you are near civilization, but names are weak. None of them have coordinate ...
7
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2
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E-ink device with GPS for maps?
I've been using various map apps with offline storage on my smartphone(s) for several years now. The main problem with them is the battery drain. I've searched for e-ink devices with GPS but only ...
32
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What advantage does the what3words coordinate system have over other, traditional systems?
I recently came across the what3words coordinate system in an outdoor magazine. The system divides the world into squares of 3 m x 3 m. Each square is then named with a combination of three (as far as ...
4
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3
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Looking up fish species by body of water and vice versa
U.S. here (and specifically New York state but that's probably irrelevant). Is anyone aware of any websites, apps or DEC resources that allow you to look up what fish species live in any given lake/...
2
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3
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Navigation device with offline maps and GPX support
I have a subscription service from komoot for maps. Is there any GPS device that supports offline maps and GPX, preferably with android OS integration. Example scenario would be: Use an android based ...
3
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1
answer
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What is this purple box symbol on an Ordance Survey map?
This symbol appears on a forest in an OS 1:50,000 Landranger map at SO 24799 27221. It doesn't appear in the map legend. It does not appear at the same point on the equivalent 1:25,000 Explorer map. ...
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Is there an easy way to remember if you add magnetic declination to magnetic bearings or true bearings?
For some reason, once in a while I get confused if you add magnetic declination to magnetic bearings to get true bearings, or if you add magnetic declination to true bearings to get magnetic bearings.
...
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2
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Google Map Hiking Trail
What do the red and blue solid curves in this Google Map indicate?
This is around Dachstein, Austria.
Link:
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Dachstein+Krippenstein+-+Dachstein+Tourismus+AG/Lodge+am+...
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0
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Additional map source information for Willmore Wilderness Park in Alberta?
I currently have the Canada NTS 1:50,000 maps, and the 1990 revision of the complete park map. They don't agree on details, and so far the NTS maps have higher error rates.
I also have a couple of ...
3
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2
answers
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Free online UK maps
Can I view OS maps for the UK online for free?
I want to see both the Landranger and Explorer maps if possible.
10
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1
answer
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With what unit are river flow speeds indicated on the Genshtab Soviet military maps?
On the Genshtab (Генштаб) Soviet military maps, I can read that this ford through the stream Вертный has a stony bottom, a depth of at most 4 dm, and a width of 29 m (under typical circumstances)¹. ...
9
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5
answers
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When using a compass, why not follow a degree mark without rotation?
Instead of taking a bearing the "official" way, why not just see what degree mark corresponds to on the direction I want to go (in real life or on a map), and follow that degree mark? That is, why do ...
9
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1
answer
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OS Map Symbols - Black Dots
Does anyone know what black dots mean on an OS Explorer map?
There are a lot of them on the map of Kinder Scout in the Peak District (UK).
I know the black dashed line is a footpath, I am asking ...
13
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3
answers
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How is elevation gain and change measured for hiking trails?
If a trail is listed as 1500m of elevation change, what exactly does that mean?
For example, if the trail goes up 500m, then down 200m, then up 100m, then down 300m, then up 400m, is that considered ...
6
votes
1
answer
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Online maps of ski-tour trails of Italy (Aosta Valley, Cogne)?
For Austria but not Italy there is awesome http://bergfex.com,
for Italian summer hiking but not winter ski-touring, https://opentopomap.org would do the job, but what about ski-touring in Italy?
Any ...
4
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2
answers
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Are there US Forest Service maps of historical logging?
Some forests in the Western United States will have been logged at different times and by different methods i.e. clearcut vs selective logging.
As time goes by, the trees will grow back but this ...
4
votes
2
answers
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How do you access the back of a large paper map?
I have several paper Ordnance Survey maps, but I don’t know how to easily access the back of the sheet without ripping or damaging my map while trying to unfold a very large area of paper. Are there ...
3
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0
answers
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How to find good hiking maps for the Laugavegur trail in Iceland? [duplicate]
I will be hiking the Laugavegur trail alone and have been looking for good hiking maps (1:50 000) online. My google searches yield no good results. Where do you even begin to look?
3
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1
answer
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Where can I find free electronic topographic map that cover the entire West Coast Trail in Canada?
Where can I find free electronic topographic map that cover the entire West Coast Trail in Canada? I'm trying to print them and bring them for my thru hike.
4
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2
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Printable maps of the Tony Knowles coastal trail
The maps of the trail at http://anchoragecoastaltrail.com/index.php are not well suited for printing. Even the printable map is pretty much illegible. Are there perchance higher quality maps available ...
41
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3
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"Official" providers of topographic maps per country
If I want to go to some contry, with no specific region in mind yet, I often have trouble to get good topographical information for hiking beforehand. I usually find it rather difficult to discover ...
3
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0
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Finding user images based on keywords/tags and precise map location
For my holiday planning, I've been trying to perform what I thought was a simple task, but which turned out to be more complicated than I'd thought.
For a given geographical location, defined either ...
3
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2
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How can I view a route from a .kml file overlayed on an Ordnance Survey map?
I am taking part in a 100K event later this year, and the organizers have made available a .kml file of the route downloadable from here. This is great, but I want to view this route on a UK 1:25000 ...
10
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1
answer
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Finnish maps: bogs easy vs hard to traverse
Bogs on my Lemmenjoki and Hammastunturi map are marked as either easy or hard to traverse. What conditions should I expect from both terrain types in summer (mid August)? Does easy mean one can walk ...
4
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0
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Is there an interactive map of skiing resorts with snow forecasts? [closed]
I'm hoping to find a spot that gets snow in March, where the temperature doesn't get above freezing during the day. I'd like to avoid the AM ice/PM slush conditions that occur in many places in the ...
5
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0
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GPS data management software
Is there any good software to manage GPS tracks and POI efficiently that you would recommend? My dream would be an offline computer based (macOS and Windows) software, with a modern GUI, which allows ...
5
votes
2
answers
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Handheld Compass Triangulation Typical Error Range
I understand that there are a lot of factors that add to the error of a bearing and therefore the accuracy of a triangulation but I would like to know in general how accurate it is possible to be.
...
6
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2
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How to take a bearing when the geographic coordinate grid is not aligned with true north on a map?
I am confused by my new map of the Westfjords of Iceland. The geographic coordinate grid is rotated slightly, but the map indicates that true north is still the top of the page.
What's going on? I ...
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Why would one choose to use a Harvey map rather than an Ordnance Survey map?
My wife is due to under take her Lowland Leader course in then next couple of months and she has been advised to gain experience using Harvey Maps as well as the more familiar Ordnance Survey maps.
...
7
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Would there be any practical uses of a geological map for a hiker/backpacker?
I just found that I can get free geological map overlays for Google Earth for all of the individual states in the United States from here.
For instance, this is what a good deal of Yosemite National ...
9
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2
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What is dead reckoning when navigating with a map and compass?
There is a technique for navigation known as dead reckoning, what is this technique exactly and when would it be useful?
8
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1
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Hiking map for Hokkaido and/or other resources
I plan to go hiking in Hokkaido next spring. I'd like to hike two weeks and to keep away from the cities during this time.
I'd like to visit Daisetsuzan Park and Shiretoko Park. I've read about ...
16
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2
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Difference between a "path" and a "footpath"?
I was chacking a map to see access rights on a particular route I know. I was checking if a path was a bridleway or footpath as I know Mountain Bikes should only use bridleways. Studying the key ...
10
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4
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Is Gaia GPS inaccurate for distances?
In a previous question, I had asked for help in finding a GPS app with certain features. That led me to find Gaia GPS and it has been great, no complaints.
However, I had a situation recently. I ...
5
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1
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IOS Map App that creates routes by tracing a path?
I've been using a topo app on the PC for years that lets you, among other things, trace a route on the map with the mouse, then it gives you the distance and height profile for that route (even turns ...