Hints for using GPSies
What is GPSies?
Put simply, GPSies provides a way of creating and sharing route maps online. An example of one of my own maps created using GPSies is found here. It has a two features that are particularly useful for cycle tourists.
- You can automate the route plotter to follow a road. This gives accurate distance measurements without having to tediously plot every twist and turn in the road.
- Once a route is plotted, GPSies automatically produces a distance/altitude graph, which is great for seeing where the hard climbs or thrilling descents occur. It also tallies the total metres climbed over the route.
For these reasons I hope to eventually create GPSies maps of all my tours. GPSies has other features which will be appreciated by those who own a GPS, but those will not be discussed here.
Hints for reading a map on GPSies
Use this GPSies map to become familiar with the following features.
- Zoom in or out: use the vertical + - bar on the left hand side of the map.
- Pan map left/right/up/down: either use the pan arrows on the top left of the map, or hold down the left button of the mouse and drag in the direction you want to pan.
- Toggle the descriptive route boxes on/off: mouse-over the "More" box on the top right and click on the "Waypoints" check-box.
- Change the map type: select the desired map type (terrain, Google map, hybrid, satellite, Google Earth, etc) from the drop-down menu on the top right of the map.
- Detailed altitude readings: Mouse-over either of the altitude profile boxes.
- Change units to metric or imperial: Select your preference using the pull down menu at the top right of the page.
Hints for creating a map on GPSies
GPSies allows you to create your own route from scratch. Click on the "Track Creator" tab to begin. Select a starting place using the search feature and then create the route by using left mouse-clicks to plot points on the map. If you want your route to follow a road, check the "Follow Roads" box on the right-hand panel. To add track notes (also known as "Waypoints") on the map, check the "Waypoints" box on the same panel.
GPSies (unlike Google Maps) has a much higher limit for the number of points it will accept to plot a route. However, while Google Maps allow several lines (routes) per map, GPSies only allows one.
You don't need to create an account on GPSies to create a map. However, if you plan to use the service regularly then creating an account will be helpful.