This was the best place I could find to post this, so please forgive me if it should be in a different section. It seems that I've become the default ride planner for my group of friends, and I'm looking for a decent program that will let me plan and save a few routes to be accessed at a later date. I've used Google Maps, and that works just fine, but they removed the Save option a while back. As a bonus, if I could find a program that would allow me to save/share these to my Android device either for instant reference, or maybe even for navigation, that would be fantastic.
I am not GPS guru Have you use Base camp, map source or Google earth Check out this link http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=988617
I have a co-worker thats using this on his Sony smartphone (link) http://www.66.com/US/home/ He swears by it, uses same map database as Tom Tom. AMA website has a boatload of links for travel planning. Honda has a online trip planner (link) http://tripplanner.honda.com. Does have an export feature for Garmins. Haven't tried it yet but may be only for Honda customers w/ GPS equipped bikes.
There was a British company that was beta testing some software that is pretty much what you are looking for. If I'm not mistaken the owner of the company posted on VFRD and asked people to beta test it and give their review/opinions. I believe that they are now up and running and it's accessible via the internet. I'll go dig through the archive over there and see if I can find a link. Found the link: http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.php/topic/76046-route-builder-please-test/
The Google maps and Tyre combination still seems to work over in Europe even after the recent Google maps/Earth "improvements". Just devise your route using the "get Directions" function on Google maps. It will usually take the most direct option but you can drag the route around as much as you like. When you are done, go to the top left of the screen and you will see a "link" icon - you will find it next to the printer icon - it looks like a chain-link. (Its the third icon to the right of the "Get Directions" on the attached screen shot) Click that icon and you get two options - the first is the most useful - the second is only used if you want to post the route onto a website. Right click on the relevant link and choose copy. Then post the link into an email and send to your fellow riders with whatever commentary you think is appropriate. Your friends just need to click on the link to launch Google maps and review your planned route online - seems to work on most platforms/browsers. If they switch to "satellite view" they can see the planned route superimposed on the landscape - which makes it easy to see things like lakes, rivers etc which you might want to visit, and you can also select other overlays to show useful things like tourist sites, viewpoints and filling stations. If your friend wants, they can use the same process to produce an amended route and send you back a link showing their suggested modified route. Once you have an agreed route, then all the riders fortunate enough to own a GPS can import the final agreed route link into Tyre and then transfer the route to their relevant GPS format - Tyre can provide TomTom or Garmin format files. Tyre offers the choice of setting the route as the active route - if you want to start it immediately, or you can simply save it into the itinerary planning folder on the GPS to retrieve it when required. You can easily store several dozen different routes, so choose suitable names - like Friday morning, Friday afternoon etc. I am not sure what format the Android GPS system uses, but you should be able to find on the web a suitable conversion programme which will allow you to work with the Google maps link. Hope that helps SkiMad
Try Bing maps or maybe Micorsoft's "Streets and Trips" 2013. Yep I know this will be the last of it but because of that all sorts of retailers will be blowing it out the door. Google it.. Free trial ect..
I have an app for my iPhone called "Cyclemeter" made for bicycling, but you may be able to adapt it for longer faster rides. Not for planning so much as recording and mapping rides, times, and speed. I will try it next time I am out. Went for a short ride and it works great, made a new activity called VFR, programmed a route I take all the time, both North & South, now I will start keeping track of my times.
