Various new feature suggestions

[jimbowilly]

1) Be able to select a section of a track profile and have it highlight on the map page, or vise-versa. Also, on the profile page show stats for just that portion that is selected, ie. distance, average grade, average speed, elevation gain/loss, etc. Topofusion currently shows this for any given point on the profile, but not for a selected segment.   

2) From one of the weather feed sites (Mesonet, wunderground) locate any nearby weather stations and display a weather icon on the map.  (This could be one of the buttons on top). Clicking on this icon would open the weather detail for that station.

Here is an example from the national weather service displaying mesonet stations:

http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/mesowest/mwmap.php?wfo=fgz&map=fgz

This could be useful if someone wants to see what the temperature/humidity will be like for a trail they are about to go to. Currently to do this you have to go to google maps or mapquest and find a nearby town. Then you have to search for that town at weather.com or something else to check the weather there and hope the info it provides is close to where you are actually going. Often it's not the same location as you searched, so it's back to google maps to see how far away the location it provided actually is from where you're going.

[ScottMorris]

Great ideas, keep 'em coming.

We definitely plan on the profile suggestion.

[fulmar2]

Hey Jim -

One thing you could do is use the "lap analysis" tool (under the analysis menu).  Though it isn't as easy as clicking out segments, you can divide up your track, into segments, and get a nice table with all the information you were requesting.  When you double click one of the rows in the table, it will highlight it on the map too!

[jimbowilly]

Thanks. I did not know that. I will definitely check it out.

[Larry]

Scott, with regard to  the idea of highlighting a section of a profile (great idea!) perhaps you could add something like NGS Topo does. As you select any point on a profile, a horizontal line appears that allows you to read the elevation scale, and a vertical line appears so you can read the distance from the origin. Also, when you click this point, a marker dot appears on the profile, and the corresponding point on the map is also marked (with a small dot) and horizontal / vertical lines appear. The  marker dots stay in position until you click another spot on the profile. This is a bit different than the way TF works, but I find the NGS Topo! features very handy!  Especially the markers that stay in place, and the ability to see the whole trail as you move the markers.

Larry

[ScottMorris]

I'll have to get a more recent copy of NGTopo.  My copy doesn't do anything like that.  Sounds potentially useful.

[Larry]

I'll have to get a more recent copy of NGTopo.  My copy doesn't do anything like that.  Sounds potentially useful.

Scott, latest version is 4.50 via the updates page at Topo! Are you still using the 2.x version maybe?

[alimamo]

Currently to do this you have to go to google maps or mapquest and find a nearby town. Then you have to search for that town at weather.com or something else ...

Perhaps since the 'Hand' icon has no right-click functionality (unless it is over a track) you could add a right-click menu that would allow users to search out on the Internet. If you make the context menu on that right-click user editable, then people could search their own favorite sites as Topofusion passes the Lat/Lon data through in variables and opens a browser window.

Then for example, the the right-click in an empty area might show:

Search Trailguru.com
Search Panaramio.com
Search Weather.com
Search GoogleMaps for Pubs

Of course it would be up to each user to edit the search URL to make it work with each service. Unless of course you wouldn't mind collecting a selection of valuable searches.

Just an idea.

Robert

[jonwood311]

First post so bear with me if I screw up...

In the playback tool, where you have date and speed displayed, I'd like to see mileage, so that as I watch the playback I could tell where 1 mile was, 2 miles was, etc.

Jon

[ScottMorris]

Ah, in a multitrack playback?  Good idea.  Will put it on the 'todo' list -- should be an easy addition.

[jonwood311]

Is there a way to edit a waypoint so that you could reposition it on the map without having to go through the process of editing the lat/lon coords by hand?  I'd like to quickly place a waypoint, then send it to my gps and be able to reposition it. I was using the goto coordinate function with lat/lon supplied from google earth waypoint properties, but it lands not exactly where I want it.  I have been making a new waypoint where I want it using the Mark Waypoint tool and then deleting the original, but that's cumbersome.

Is there a way to import a kmz file?

Jon

[ScottMorris]

Yes, you can reposition a waypoint using the 'select points' tool (looks like a regular mouse pointer on the tool bar).  Just grab it to drag around.

You can import a .kmz file by doing this:

1) rename to .zip
2) unzip contents of .zip (the file will be document.kml I believe)
3) open .kml in TopoFusion

.kmz is just a zipped kml.

[jonwood311]

Got it!  Thanks, this will help a lot.

Jon