Here’s a collection of resources I’ve used for my mapping and driving logs projects.
Software
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Google Earth Pro. KML/KMZ viewer and editor.
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EasyGPS (Windows). GPX viewer and editor.
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MyTracks (MacOS). GPX viewer and editor.
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MyTracks (iOS). Lets you use an iPhone to log your GPS location data.
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QGIS. Geographic Information System application for creating advanced maps.
Mapping Websites
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GPS Visualizer. Converts map data between various formats.
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Great Circle Mapper. Generates flight maps from a collection of airport codes.
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uMap. Imports GPX files and shows them on a variety of OpenStreetMap base layers.
Data Sources
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Natural Earth. Vector and raster map data.
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OpenStreetMap. Road data exports.
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USGS National Hydrography Dataset. Water body polygons.
Documentation
- GPS Exchange Format (GPX)
- Keyhole Markup Language (KML/KMZ)
Books
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Anita Graser and Gretchen N. Peterson, QGIS Map Design (2nd Edition). This book has a collection of tutorials for creating some advanced QGIS maps. It’s best if you already understand the basics of QGIS before starting this book.
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Mark Monmonier, How to Lie With Maps (3rd Edition). Despite the provocative title, this is a book about avoiding creating misleading maps, and gets into detail about how small choices in map design can lead to maps saying very different things.
Tutorials I’ve Written
Recording and Extracting GPS Data
GPX is a file format for GPS data that many applications and websites can use. These tutorials show you how to log your travels with GPS devices and extract that data into GPX files.
Converting GPS Data Between File Formats
Creating Maps with GPS Data
If you already have some GPX files, these tutorials will show you how to use them to make maps.