More map layers available
You have available two new cool base maps with worldwide coverage. The first one is a relief map that albeit hasn't data at big scales (you'll have to zoom out to see the map) it is spectacular specially around mountains. It is maintained and offered by the guys at http://maps-for-free.com/ and looks like this:
The second one is also a great topographic map with beautifully detailed info (contour lines, trees depicting forests, shelters etc..) I love it. We can enjoy this map thanks to the guys at http://www.opencyclemap.org/
The trail above is a summer ascent to the Mont Blanc peak in the French Alps climbed and shared in Wikiloc by Ivar Thorolfsson
If you know another public map service please tell me and I'll try to add it to the current map list. I've had several requests from you to add more maps from Russia, Canada, France etc.. and I'm still working on them since they require to dive into GIS geeky stuff including coordinate reprojections. I cannot advance a date, hope to add them to Wikiloc soon. Thanks!
--Jordi
2 comments:
Jordi,
thanks for this new improvement.
In my opinion, these two new base layers are an excellent alternative, appropriate to present Wikiloc tracks so visually pleasing and publishable quality. This property provides, in addition, a fast territory 'radiography', very useful to provide security for hikers who plan to access to remote areas of the planet.
Moreover, on 03/01/2010 was presented the 'Natural Earth Browser' (http://earthatlas.info/naturalearth) service developed by Bjørn Sandvik. Briefly, 'Natural Earth Browser' is a viewer for the free database 'Natural Earth' (http://www.shadedrelief.com/). This is a base layer derived from the information captured by NACIS (North American Cartographic Information Society), and prepared with assistance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison cartography lab. The final product is presented in raster format at 1:10m, 1:50m, and 1:110m scales, incorporating WGS projection and datum. The texture mapping is a elements compilation of a global physical map, including administrative boundaries, coastal lines, rivers and lakes, glaciers areas, bathymetry, grid latitude/longitude, etc... with colors based on soil occupancy and shaded relief.
For now, I'm not sure that the contents of 'Natural Earth Browser' can be integrated into other Google Maps application.
Hey Marc, thanks for the info. That's another great initiative. Unfortunately for Wikiloc the issue seems to be the same than with the relief map. The lack of map data at big scales reached when we frame the trail's geographical extent to the screen map.
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