[Qgis-user] QGOS maps fort Garmin GPS

[Stephen Wandling]

Phil,

For a government mapping agency to have a problem, it first has to 
exist.  I am told that in 1992, British Columbia dismantled it's 
cartography department and fired all of the cartographers.  I am also 
told that no work had been done on any of the 20K maps in the prior 10 
years.  So, only the private resource extraction corporations have 
access to up-to-date digital data and at a price that I certainly can 
not afford.

I had a look at OSM mountain biking maps last night, your second link 
below.  I could see that someone had probably 'walked' what they thought 
was Joe Smith Creek with their GPS, and extended what had been on the 
base map.  First, that is Molyneux creek and not Joe Smith, the base map 
was wrong and secondly that creek comes from a large number of forks up 
the mountain, so they only dealt with a small percentage of it's reach.  
My immediate thought was "This is Wikipedia for Cartography!".  Errors 
laid upon errors.  No use of local knowledge or the Streams shape files 
available on the Regional District's site.

That is a can of worms I am not interested in delving into.

Cheers,
Stephen

On 04/03/2017 8:28 PM, Phil (The Geek) Wyatt wrote:
> No problems Stephen,
>
> Unfortunately many government agencies can't keep up with edits of new tracks/trails but that is the beauty of Open Street Map. Your contribution, by adding tracks, means that all the folks making derivative products get the benefits. You also get the benefit of their knowledge in the creation of products to suit your GPS. Indeed you can even use OSM mapping as a background in QGIS so you get the same benefits immediately.
>
> If you have some GPS files, drop me a few and I will get them loaded for you to get you started.
>
> The Mountain bike community are quite active in some areas and have great wiki information on tagging for trails
>
> http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Mountain_biking
>
> https://openmtbmap.org/
>
> Cheers - Phil
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Stephen Wandling [mailto:swandling at gmail.com]
> Sent: Sunday, March 5, 2017 12:14 PM
> To: Phil (The Geek) Wyatt
> Cc: qgis-user at lists.osgeo.org
> Subject: Re: [Qgis-user] QGOS maps fort Garmin GPS
>
> Phil,
>
> Someone suggested the same OSM approach in an off list email.  Here was my response:
>    
>> I have just taken a look at OSM, and the maps there, for my area of
>> interest, are taken from the ancient (pre 1992) British
>> Columbia/Canada maps that are very incomplete and riddled with errors.
>> It is because there are no accurate maps of this area that I resumed
>> my struggles with GIS and have been making maps and having them
>> plotted.
>>      
> The areas I am creating maps for are entirely forest areas, with streams, trails, roads, parks and that is about it.  No buildings, streets, etc.
>
> In the last 20 years or so the mountain bikers and hikers, have put in and documented hundreds of kilometers of trails along this coast.  The OSM maps have a single digit percentage of what is here now.  And many they do have have been obliterated by clear cut logging operations.
>
> I have been making simple maps, that meet my needs, and having them plotted at a local facility for $15 each, which is cheaper than the incomplete/error ridden maps that one can purchase.  I use these maps to travel through this area on foot.
>
> Now I wanted a better map for my GPS.  So far, no luck.
>
> Stephen
>
> On 04/03/2017 4:28 PM, Phil (The Geek) Wyatt wrote:
>    
>> Depending on the size of the area involved and how 'custom' your maps
>> are likely to be you may be better off looking at solutions from OSM.
>> There are many sites that create files suitable for Garmin GPS
>>
>> http://garmin.openstreetmap.nl/
>>
>> If the areas are small you could also create KMZ (Google Earth Files) and transfer them to your garmin device. These can be created in QGIS. Look at the plugin GarminCustomMap.
>>
>> Cheers - Phil
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Qgis-user [mailto:qgis-user-bounces at lists.osgeo.org] On Behalf
>> Of Stephen Wandling
>> Sent: Sunday, March 5, 2017 11:03 AM
>> To: qgis-user at lists.osgeo.org
>> Subject: [Qgis-user] QGOS maps fort Garmin GPS
>>
>> I am running QGIS 2.18.3 and am at a very early learning stage.  I wish to create simple maps, with 2 or 3 shape files for my Garmin GPSMaps 76CSx.  This map would consist of Trails and Streams shp files and maybe Contours.  It would also be accepted by Mapsource and Base Camp.
>>
>> There were some tutorials that seemed like they were what I wanted, but they all failed in one regard or another: 1.) They were using an 'ancient' version of qgis.  2.) The maps they produced worked in just about every Garmin GPS except the one I own.  3.) They use a plug-in with a disclaimer that it will demolish my data.  There were other issues, but my memory fails me.
>>
>> If someone out there is familiar with my situation (and possibly has the same GPS) and can either point me to a site I missed, or outline the steps for me, I would be grateful.
>>
>> [If it is easier to do in ArcMap, I have access to the ESRI software
>> also.]
>>
>> Please keep in mind that while I have a general idea about GIS work and have been making some maps, for plotting, that satisfy my needs, I get very lost when I am subjected to acronyms and technical jargon.  If is not clear and straightforward, it will probably be wasted on me.
>>
>> TIA,
>> Stephen
>>
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>>
>>      
>
>