GMOA would like to announce the Grand Semi-Opening of its brand new Routegadget site ... (http://www.gmoa.routegadget.co.uk/rg2).

This has taken a while to get together, partly because we did not want to go live without being able to put up geo-referenced maps.
Pardon ?
Geo-referenced maps are OCAD files which know exactly where they are in the world of GPS. This positioning is extra data held in the file, and put there by significant work by Eddie using OCAD 11, though fortunately the data is retained when the map is saved back as OCAD 8 (which is our common MDOC/GMOA standard). The point of it is that people who use devices like Garmin GPS watches can upload their routes directly onto the map with no need to fiddle. We feel this is an absolute requirement for a subsequent Grand Opening to Joe Public, as their expectations would be exactly that - for example, they can already upload cycle routes onto Strava, run routes onto MapMyRun, etc etc without any fiddling.

For the moment, we want to make the facility available to savvy orienteers, while we see how well it works - hence only a Semi-Opening.  The initial tranche of maps includes Lyme Park, Philips Park (Prestwich), Bruntwood Park.

The way it works in Routegadget 2 is as follows:

"Events" ... these are the POC Areas - at the moment:
2015-01-01: Bruntwood All Controls
2015-01-01: Lyme Park All Controls
2015-01-01: Philips Park All Controls
Note that the apparent date is a work of fiction, with no current significance.

"Courses" ... currently there is a single course per area ... "All Controls"

[Some time in the future, there will probably be another event - something like "Lyme Park Courses" - with the various suggested coloured courses available under Courses.]

"Results" will simply accumulate over time, as each new track is added.

"Draw" (your route) ... you select a course - currently All Controls is the only choice. For "name" you need to enter something permanently unique like "JB-141220" indicating a run by JB on 20 Dec 2014. Put your time in as "time", and whatever explanation you want to supply as your "comment".  eg. "first go at Steve's terrain training route".  Load in your GPX or TCX file, and that should be it.   Of course, you can also draw your route by hand, and claim whatever time you want - a perfectly reasonable and totally approved thing to do if you don't have a GPS device or don't have a track available.

There is currently a single route visible, which is part of a wander round I did checking stuff for the John of Goats event. It did go straight on with no fiddling. I typed in my time as 110:00 so goodness know where 807:18 came from. Let's hope more sensible times are better handled.  If you hover over the Name "GPS JB-141214" it shows the comments I put in when I did the Draw.
 
And what exactly is the point ?

> (eventually) active young people are accustomed to logging their stuff all over the place and this simply provides the kind of home they would expect, for them to put their orienteering experiences. We will eventually put appropriate words on the back of all our maps. To engage the interest of these folks we don't want to be way behind expectations.

> for club orienteers, this could represent a major new training facility, and possibly raise the profile and usage of all our local areas. Treat each course as an event and see what times people can manage (a bit like off-the-night runs in Street League). Define your own routes around our better local maps - track runs, terrain runs, up-hill runs, etc. Run them repeatedly as fitness indicators, challenge your peer group to see who can be quickest, take coaching groups out and measure them, etc. For challenging bits of forest (eg. Amberswood) you can test out your compass work running straight through trees, and see exactly how well you did. See if you can handle these areas in the dark, etc, etc.

> and of course, if there are errors in the maps, or missing POC posts, we'd get very useful feedback

We aren't the first people to think of this - a couple of Scottish clubs are ahead of us :
> Check out "Virtual orienteering round Grantown on Spey". (However, this hasn't exactly set their world alight - only 3 runners in over 12 months - one of whom set it up!) ... http://www.basoc.routegadget.co.uk/rg2/#14&route=0    
> Also, check out the very recent Moravian initiative ... which sounds like real mini-kites left out in Roseisle Forest for an unspecified period:  http://www.moravianorienteering.org/content/launched-sunday-21st-dec-moray-m-spot

OK, then, I'm desperate to get started - how do I get hold of a map ?? 
One way is to order what you want from me via the GMOA map order form (or email and bank transfer) and get a waterproof-paper laser print with map on one side and suggested courses etc on the other.
If you are OK with a lesser quality offering, I can provide the jpg files which form the background on Routegadget for you to print yourselves.  Email me and ask.

All comments very welcome.

John