Beginners Guide 1.1.1
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GPS
This is the most common method of gathering data.
IMPORTANT: Ensure that your GPS unit has the 'Snap to road' or 'Lock on road' option switched OFF, or you will be recording a direct copy of the map loaded into the GPS unit, which may well be a copyright infringement.
When gathering data with your GPS (see Hardware Guide), additional data needs to be recorded in order to add details to the map: street names, amenities and anything else you wish to map. They can be recorded using the following methods:
- Pen and paper
- Dictaphone
- Camera
More information on how to record GPS tracks is available at Recording GPS tracks.
- Q: I don’t have a GPS yet. Any advice on which one to get?
- A: Yes, check OSM's GPS review page with lots of different devices to suit your tracking needs.
- Q: I already have a GPS-capable laptop/PDA/mobile phone. What software can I use?
- A: Tracking software is listed at Making Tracks with Homebrew-ware.
- Q: When I record GPS tracks I have hardly any dots, what am I doing wrong?
- A: This question, along with others is answered in the FAQ.
- Q: When I take photos, how do I remember at what point I took them?
- A: Using JOSM, you can import photos, and it will place them along your GPS route by using the time stamp. This assumes your camera records the ‘second’ at which each photo was taken. For people using cameras that don't record the 'second', taking a photo every time you pause allows you to easily link collections of dots to points at which you took photos, and link them accordingly. Or, you can Synching GPS and camera.
