I’m rapidly talking myself into getting a smartphone. Not just for the live GPS tracking (see previous post), but because of concepts like Semapedia. In essence, Semapedia is about tagging real world locations with internet-based information, via a mobile phone. This could be a great (and highly subversive) fieldwork activity. Ogle Earth has posted an interesting article about Semapedia, together with a link to a Google Earth file for viewing some of the recently tagged locations.
I’ve printed out my first Semapedia tags - can you guess where they are going?
update 29/1/06 - I’ve just addded my first Semipedia tagged image to Flickr. The image is also tagged with the Flickr Fly script - see this page for more details
Lynmouth on the 14th January
The surf is going off today. That’s not common at Lynmouth and it’s a long way from the main North Devon surf beaches. So why is it so crowded? Where are all the surfers coming from, and do they use the internet to make the decision? Local surfers have prevented a webcam from being installed and even Magic Seaweed, the ultimate surf forecasting site doesn’t mention this spot for fear of upsetting the locals.
The screenshot below displays desire lines that represent the origin of 15 surfers visiting Lynmouth on 14th January.
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Respondents were asked for their postcode, which was converted into latitude and longitude using the converter at Nearby.org.uk The data was pasted into a spreadsheet and converted to a .kml file using Earth Plot software.
I also asked respondents whether they had used the internet to help them plan their surfing that day. The local surfers at Lynmouth are opposed to a webcam or online forecast for this area because of the overcrowding. I added this information as a simple post in EarthPlot, and edited the icon within Google Earth. Surfers who had looked at the internet for infomation about surfing conditions at other North Devon spots are shown with a webcam symbol.
Download Gogle Earth file: Lynmouth surfers
The results show that even local surfers use the internet before setting out to the beach. It may not be too long before Lynmouth does get a webcam although I doubt it would be a permanent fixture judging by the reactions of those who live in the town!
Please note that this isn’t a serious research project - just an opportunity to work with Earth Plot. A full review of this application is due to follow soon.
I spent part of today on Braunton Burrows investigating whether a hand-held GPS can take the place of compass, clinometer ranging poles, tape measure and general fieldwork tedium.
I have concluded that the wonderful Magnalox does indeed offer a challenge to the traditional fieldwork method for dune transecting.
View the sand dune transect on Magnalox
There is an option to view the dune transect on a Google Map or in Google Earth. The thumbail is a screenshot of the Magnalox web page.
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Thanks to Tom for helping with the fieldwork!
This tour of fieldwork locations in Mid Wales illustrates how it is possible to tether placemark images in Google Earth so they float above the ground, yet connect to the surface with a line.
The file is designed to be played as a Tour with the terrain turned on.
To make the placemarks I used thumbnail images from a Flickr photoset downloaded to my computer. The placemarks include a link to the larger version of the image. I tethered the placemarks to the ground in order to improve the fly-through. The technique was especially useful where two images were taken in virtually identical locations such as at the edge of the tarn at Cwm Cau.
To add images as placemarks, click the “Advanced” checkbox in the Edit Placemark dialogue box. Add the image in the “Style” tab by browsing to it’s location in the Icon file/URL entry box. See image below:
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To make the placemark float as a tethered image click the “Location” tab, select “Relative to ground” and move the slider to float the placemark at the desired altitude. If you want to tether it using a line to the ground, check the “Draw lines connecting points to ground” box. See image below:
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