Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Dublin Bus and Google Maps Project

  • 06-04-2007 10:16pm
    #1
    Registered Users Posts: 7,544 ✭✭✭


    Hey all,

    I'm a daily user of Dublin Bus but I usually only take the same three bus routes into and out of town. So while I know those routes backwards, when it comes to going to any location I'm not sure what bus to take.

    The Dublin Bus website isn't great at giving the exact route of the bus. It might say the bus goes to A then B and then C but doesn't say how exactly it gets from A to B. So I'm not sure what stop to get off in order to bring me closest to my destination.

    But now that Google Maps have launched their My Map service, this could change. I think it's possible to use this service to map out every Dublin Bus route and stops.

    Now obviously due to my limited knowledge of other routes, I wouldn't be able to do this alone. So why not make it a (boards) community project?

    Each person could contribute their route knowledge until all routes are covered. It would be possible for one person to do one half of a route and someone else continue it. So even if you didn't know the complete route you could contribute.

    Obviously some project management would be required.

    One login would have to be shared so there would have to be some level of trust that someone doesn't log in and feck it all up. So perhaps we would only issue the login to people that have been referred and vouched for.

    We would also have to draw up a list of all routes and then assign them to individuals.

    We would have to ensure that a colour scheme is used so that bus routes can be differentiated if they travel along the same roads.

    But at the end of it, we should have a map of the Dublin Bus route that could be shared globally so that locals and tourists a like could make use of it.

    And I'm sure other features could be added to the map. Photos and video can be linked so maybe tourist attractions and the like could be marked.

    Anyway, as I said, it's a big project for just once person, so do people think that this is something that could/should be done?

    I'm opening it up for discussion and ideas, be interesting to see if there is much interest in this.

    R


«13

Comments

  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,923 ✭✭✭Nothingcompares


    excellent idea.


  • Registered Users Posts: 23,212 ✭✭✭✭Tom Dunne


    I think it sounds like an excellent idea. While I don't use Dublin Bus myself, I am a regular user of the trains, so maybe I could contribute something from that angle.

    I also think we could get some guidance from the chaps over on the commuting/transport forum. They are a very knowledgeable bunch and seem to have some great resources. Maybe a sub-forum either here or over there maybe?


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,544 ✭✭✭irlrobins


    Yea I was thinking of asking to get a forum for this project if it takes off. Two sub forums, one for development talk between developers and a second for users to give feedback, report bugs etc.

    But I'll wait and see what response is. I might link to this post in both Dublin and Commuting forums.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,127 ✭✭✭smcelhinney


    Cool, count me in. I'd know a fair bit of the naaaaarthsoide..


  • Registered Users Posts: 23,212 ✭✭✭✭Tom Dunne


    irlrobins wrote:
    But I'll wait and see what response is. I might link to this post in both Dublin and Community forums.

    Don't forget the commuting/transport forum. :)


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users Posts: 3,590 ✭✭✭Blackjack


    Fantastic Idea.
    I don't presently live in Dublin but will probably be back at some stage in the coming months.
    Willing to help out with the testing etc if needed, as I won't have a clue of the routes.


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,112 ✭✭✭Blowfish


    Great idea, it's actually something I had been trying to find already. I'll give a hand where I can, although I don't use that many different buses.
    tom dunne wrote:
    I think it sounds like an excellent idea. While I don't use Dublin Bus myself, I am a regular user of the trains, so maybe I could contribute something from that angle.
    That aspect has been done already here.

    I think I read somewhere that the buses now have a gps on each, it would be great if we were able to convince Dublin Bus to let us use that for tracking them.

    [edit]
    It looks like they are thinking of doing the real time stuff themselves, there are plans here saying that they have put gps on some buses but not on all of them yet. Their timescale is insane though, they plan on having it finished by 2011, despite starting it in 2001.


  • Registered Users Posts: 23,212 ✭✭✭✭Tom Dunne


    Blowfish wrote:
    That aspect has been done already here.

    I don't see any trains there, only those pesky Darts. :)

    I'm talking about non-Dart trains.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,809 ✭✭✭edanto


    Smashing plan! I'd be able to help plot a couple of routes.

    Over in Valencia, they have a really snazzy way of showing you which bus goes where, with a flash route/map overlay. In case you want to have a look at it to see how they've done it - it's at http://www.emtvalencia.es/b1024.htm
    From the left, click Menu, then planos.... then 'General'.
    Once the map loads up, you'll see that you just have to tick the boxes by the route number to toggle display of the stops or the route.
    It's well handy! Only had to use it a couple of times but it saved a bit of hassle.

    It's missing a handy search feature though - there's no way to put in the name of a street or a district and find the bus routes that go close by. That'd be a suggestion to try and include in this project.


  • Registered Users Posts: 9,219 ✭✭✭markpb


    I think it's a great idea! I started doing something like this a few months ago but I didn't have enough time to do much on it so only some routes are there, mostly northside ones and they're not all correct.

    It's here if you want to look: http://www.redbrick.dcu.ie/~markpb/dta/traffic/transport.php I think it only works on firefox for the moment.


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users Posts: 5,112 ✭✭✭Blowfish


    markpb wrote:
    I think it's a great idea! I started doing something like this a few months ago but I didn't have enough time to do much on it so only some routes are there, mostly northside ones and they're not all correct.

    It's here if you want to look: http://www.redbrick.dcu.ie/~markpb/dta/traffic/transport.php I think it only works on firefox for the moment.
    Thats a pretty good start, all you would need is for a few people to do the same thing and you'll have most of it done.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,488 ✭✭✭mathew


    brilliant idea!!
    Dont exactly know how to use google maps in that way but I'd be happy to learn and contribute what I know of my local bus routes!!!


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,544 ✭✭✭irlrobins


    I get a message saying the key is for another site. :(


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,112 ✭✭✭Blowfish


    mathew wrote:
    brilliant idea!!
    Dont exactly know how to use google maps in that way but I'd be happy to learn and contribute what I know of my local bus routes!!!
    Theres a guide here explaining how to do it.
    irlrobins wrote:
    I get a message saying the key is for another site. :(
    Strange, i'm getting that now too, it was fine earlier.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 9,082 ✭✭✭lostexpectation


    yeah nobody will ever do it by themselves

    here platform 11 people discuss it, http://forum.platform11.org/showthread.php?t=1669&page=2 Ive been doing a bit on googlemaps recently done 31 49 17a 25a and I tried to do it quite accurately


    somebody on platform 11 uploaded a huge map of all the bus routes, (its a bit old ) but you see every road and im sure we can figure out the changes, like terminus and then you only need to do one of each route really and then minor changes

    http://www.lexferenda.com/map/webpage/dublinbus.html


    see now markpb if you'd share the files on google bbs then people would see them add to them and not duplicate the work!

    it called open source!

    anyway its is impossible to know exactly which road the route goes, why do the only have it in irsh too, now I know i suppose to be Irish but even for me it confuses, think about tourists.

    we do have google maps board


  • Registered Users Posts: 9,219 ✭✭✭markpb


    Boards seems to be scrambling the ~ in the link which might be causing the errors. If it doesn't work, try going to http://url.ie/3jd instead. The data for the routes themselves are at http://url.ie/3je. It's just an XML file with some waypoints but it should probably be converted to an encoded string to keep the filesize down.

    I had a piece of code on the site that let me click and record each of the waypoints in turn - I could put that in if people wanted to mark out their own bus routes or correct the ones that I have wrong (13/13A definitely and the 4 through the city centre).

    The map that the P11 member scanned is known to be wrong in several cases, I wouldn't rely on it to be honest, better of doing routes you know from experience.

    Edit: Just saw the 'My Maps' feature now, I'll have a look at moving my routes onto it if I can. I'm on dial-up this weekend so it might take a few millenia ;)


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,475 ✭✭✭daymobrew


    anyway its is impossible to know exactly which road the route goes, why do the only have it in irsh too, now I know i suppose to be Irish but even for me it confuses thing think about tourists.
    If you look at the STAGE information at the bottom of the route page it will give you a decent idea of the roads used, though it's no substitute for local knowledge.

    I wonder could we create routes in Gmaps Pedometer (very easy there) and export the data to a form that could be imported into this project. That could work around the login/trust issues. Others would review the saved Gmaps Pedometer route before it's imported into this project.

    The EMT Valencia maps are excellent. I really like the way it tells you what routes use the street your mouse hovers over. That would be excellent for planning connecting routes.

    I'm on for helping out. I can contribute a few routes from Dublin 15. I'd promote the project on my BusSched.


  • Registered Users Posts: 9,764 ✭✭✭antoinolachtnai


    DTO have a database of the coordinates of all the bus stops, I believe. We could get a copy of that to use as a basis.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 9,082 ✭✭✭lostexpectation


    its a wonder dto haven't already done it, there quite quite a few nifty things on their site... looks... ah no they just link to this
    http://www.dublinbus.ie/your_journey/search_by_map.asp

    em bus stops yeah, better make the icons small though

    you seem to be able to save kmls from my maps (and then load em into google earth but not the other way around... :/

    heres the full list http://www.dublinbus.ie/your_journey/full_list_of_timetables.asp

    pick one and say before you try and do it

    we can say
    20
    746
    3
    4
    13
    11
    16
    103
    16
    17
    27
    45
    25
    31
    49
    are drafted already...

    and you could use them as basis for other routes too.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,488 ✭✭✭mathew


    Blowfish wrote:
    Theres a guide here explaining how to do it.

    Ah, i see. Nice and simple really. Hadn't been on Google Maps in a while so I hadn't noticed the new features!
    Theyre very handy tho!!


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users Posts: 9,219 ✭✭✭markpb


    Before we go doing any work, we definitely need to decide how to map the data. From what people have said we have:

    - Google My Maps and export each route as a KML

    - Gmaps Pedometer and export each route as GPX

    - Use Google Maps and xml files containing the lng/lat co-ordinates of each route.

    I don't know much about either but my understanding is that KML files are used to overlay on Google Earth. I'd imagine an overlay onto map rather than satellite would be more useful for most people. I've never heard of GPX before. Any thoughts?

    Edit: Using GMaps Pedometer and exporting GPX files for each route would seem to be the easiest way to do it. I could convert my existing site to use GPX files instead of my own XML files which would get us up and running in no-time.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,226 ✭✭✭stereo_steve


    Google maps gets my vote! All the new high end phones coming out support google maps ( Neo 1973, iPhone etc) and it would be extremely handy to have this information stored on a phone.


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,544 ✭✭✭irlrobins


    markpb wrote:
    Before we go doing any work, we definitely need to decide how to map the data. From what people have said we have:

    - Google My Maps and export each route as a KML

    - Gmaps Pedometer and export each route as GPX

    - Use Google Maps and xml files containing the lng/lat co-ordinates of each route.
    Why the exporting?


  • Registered Users Posts: 9,219 ✭✭✭markpb


    irlrobins wrote:
    Why the exporting?

    I don't see any other (realistic) way of doing it. If we just created a Google My Maps account, there's no way to turn on/off particular routes. Apart from taking ages to render, imagine how hard it for users. How many routes use O'Connell St. or College Green? Also having our own site allows us to add functionality later on.


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,544 ✭✭✭irlrobins


    So what you're suggesting is not to use google maps at all?


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,357 ✭✭✭snappieT


    I'm definately up for this.
    I'm good for the:
    123
    124
    20B
    27
    27B
    42
    42A
    42B
    127
    and I'm sure there's some i'm forgetting.


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Education Moderators Posts: 27,088 CMod ✭✭✭✭spurious


    The Ordnance survey street guide to Dublin has the routes all marked out in it, though not the location of stops.


  • Registered Users Posts: 9,219 ✭✭✭markpb


    irlrobins wrote:
    So what you're suggesting is not to use google maps at all?

    Definitely do use Google Maps but I'd suggest, instead of using the My Maps feature, building a website with the Google Maps API, like the one I linked to earlier. If you do that, you need to agree a format for people to store the routes in.

    Like daymobrew said, if people use Gmaps Pedometer to create GPX files, it's easy for someone to upload the files to the site and add them in.


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,544 ✭✭✭irlrobins


    With My Maps, adding a route is as simple as clicking along the required path to create the polyline. I'm not sure if the API offers the same functionality.

    If we could use My Maps to plot the route, extract the data and then import into API or other than that would be handy.

    Will the KML file be suitable?


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users Posts: 3,579 ✭✭✭BopNiblets


    According to Google maps, Celbridge doesn't have any roads, so I think Microsofts Live Maps is better, that has roads even outside the greater dublin area.
    Unfortunately I don't think there's the equivalent of MyMaps on it. :(


Advertisement