Set a Course with Google Maps
When you install MyOMaps you will have access to Maps and Courses from the MyOMaps server. However, you may want to use your own maps and courses.
For full-scale competitive orienteering use OCAD 10,11 or12 to produce a georeferenced Orienteering Map and Course file for use in MyOMaps. You can also use OCAD/Corpse/Purple Pen/Condes etc for course setting.
However, if you want to set a quick course and go for a run, you can consider using Google Maps to get going quickly an easily. This is particularly useful if you don't have an Orienteering map for the area you are going to us.
Using Google Maps is fine if your control locations are identifiable on Google Maps - as they generally will be for Street Orienteering, Park Orienteering and the like. Use the "Satellite with Streets" layer to give you ability to place controls on features such as power poles, track junctions and fences.
All you need to do is:
- Go to My Maps in Google Maps (www.google.com/mymaps)
- Login (if you are not already logged in)
- Create a map
- Just place markers where you want to place controls. Label your controls, and enter them in the order of your course. Use "S1" for Start and "F1" for finish. (Ensure that S1 is first and F1 is last.)
(Google lets you change the order of the place markers by dragging their names up/down in the list on the left)
- Export your map as a KML file. Save it on Google Docs or on your Android Device and then Select it as your course.
(Sometimes you need to refresh your browser window before the icon appears that lets you export the course as a KML file)
- You don't need to load an Orienteering Map unless you want to (as the controls have Lat and Lng coordinates from Google)
- When you select the KML file in MyOMaps, the courses created are:
- Your course in ascending order of controls - with Start being the first control and Finish being the last on the list
- You can load an Orienteeirng Map if you have one. This works well in cases where the map is not 100% true in its geo- referencing.
(By placing controls in this way - you are sure they are at the correct location for the GPS to detect them)
- The advantage of this approach is that you place controls directly on the Google Map (the same map the Android/iPhone device uses), so the Lat and Lng coordinates are accurate. If you place controls on an orienteering map:
- The coordinates may be just the x-y coordinates on the page from the corner of the map
(This is how it works in OCAD if you don't have a geo-referenced map and how it works in Corpse)
- The coordinates will be Easting and Northing if the file is georeferenced. This is more precise, but still relies upon:
- The georeferencing of the overall placement of the map to be accurate
- The map to be accurate geo-spatially for at least the locations of the controls
See the following YouTube video for a practical demonstration:
For full-scale competitive orienteering use OCAD 10,11 or12 to produce a georeferenced Orienteering Map and Course file for use in MyOMaps. You can also use OCAD/Corpse/Purple Pen/Condes etc for course setting.
However, if you want to set a quick course and go for a run, you can consider using Google Maps to get going quickly an easily. This is particularly useful if you don't have an Orienteering map for the area you are going to us.
Using Google Maps is fine if your control locations are identifiable on Google Maps - as they generally will be for Street Orienteering, Park Orienteering and the like. Use the "Satellite with Streets" layer to give you ability to place controls on features such as power poles, track junctions and fences.
All you need to do is:
- Go to My Maps in Google Maps (www.google.com/mymaps)
- Login (if you are not already logged in)
- Create a map
- Just place markers where you want to place controls. Label your controls, and enter them in the order of your course. Use "S1" for Start and "F1" for finish. (Ensure that S1 is first and F1 is last.)
(Google lets you change the order of the place markers by dragging their names up/down in the list on the left)
- Export your map as a KML file. Save it on Google Docs or on your Android Device and then Select it as your course.
(Sometimes you need to refresh your browser window before the icon appears that lets you export the course as a KML file)
- You don't need to load an Orienteering Map unless you want to (as the controls have Lat and Lng coordinates from Google)
- When you select the KML file in MyOMaps, the courses created are:
- Your course in ascending order of controls - with Start being the first control and Finish being the last on the list
- You can load an Orienteeirng Map if you have one. This works well in cases where the map is not 100% true in its geo- referencing.
(By placing controls in this way - you are sure they are at the correct location for the GPS to detect them)
- The advantage of this approach is that you place controls directly on the Google Map (the same map the Android/iPhone device uses), so the Lat and Lng coordinates are accurate. If you place controls on an orienteering map:
- The coordinates may be just the x-y coordinates on the page from the corner of the map
(This is how it works in OCAD if you don't have a geo-referenced map and how it works in Corpse)
- The coordinates will be Easting and Northing if the file is georeferenced. This is more precise, but still relies upon:
- The georeferencing of the overall placement of the map to be accurate
- The map to be accurate geo-spatially for at least the locations of the controls
See the following YouTube video for a practical demonstration:
