Road trip planning software?

[NetherRealm]

I am looking for some good software options for an idea I have for a road trip, however what I have in mind will almost certainly not work too well with modern navigation... well anything, I want to drive ALL the way around my state but NEVER once leave my state, no border/state line crossing, no shortcuts to save time - NO OPTIMIZATION. I want to drive the roads that are as close/the closest to my state border for my entire drive, all the while *never once leaving my state (*some exceptions for sleeping can be made but I must return to where I was last).

 

I am currently looking at Google Earth Pro for desktop and (hopefully) exporting/importing the path to my phone for easy navigation in my car, but I want to make sure I use the best tool for my project, especially since (I assume) all modern navigation apps will help you find the best path for you, in my case, there really only is one path I can take but with way too many points to start at.  I have seen another thread talking about Google Earth pro and using paths on phones, but I don't think they had much success: Thread: google maps is literally bad and I don't have a built in power outlet to charge my laptop to help me navigate over my phones connection via tethering, and I don't want to wait up to a couple hours to charge it when I could be driving instead; and to all the older people out there saying "Oh! Just use a paper map!", I will not have anyone with me for the entire trip and I don't think I will be able to collect enough detailed maps to follow my path down the many very obscure roads that are FAR less traveled.

 

 

I don't really have an answer as to why I want to do this, just a stupid idea from the bottomless pit of hellish future planning that my mind tends towards quite often.

 

 

What do you think? Is there better software I could be using, or even a special site/premade course somewhere within the deep dank basement dust of the almighty search engines?

 

 

 

TL:DR I need the most wack navigation/course plotting software out there to follow the path that stays as close to my state border lines as possible, even if that means jumping on and off of any and all freeways/highways(somewhat joking), going down dirt/gravel roads, or even through the most obscure roads that very few travel.

 

sorry for the awful mountain of text, I am awful with wording things and explaining my ideas with few words, once again sorry. -ActuallyNotACanadian

[LogicalDrm]

The main issue is that while there are variety of software and tools for utilizing GIS resources (I could make you route with QGIS/GRASS rather easily), getting it to GPS navigation is whole another thing. So Google's My Maps is what I recommend to try out. While it does try to route best possible option, it also has better tools to force using your own preferences than using normal Google Maps.

[NetherRealm]

On 4/30/2020 at 10:39 AM, LogicalDrm said:

The main issue is that while there are variety of software and tools for utilizing GIS resources (I could make you route with QGIS/GRASS rather easily), getting it to GPS navigation is whole another thing. So Google's My Maps is what I recommend to try out. While it does try to route best possible option, it also has better tools to force using your own preferences than using normal Google Maps.

I have started work with the Google earth pro on my laptop and I currently have about 15-20 miles currently plotted with the path tool, I have found that I can import the file it creates to both google My Maps, and earth online. but if my maps has a way to force navigation in that way, then perhaps that might be what I am looking for, but then again my phone might decide to condense into a black hole the very second I attempt to load the map and navigate my path.

 

I guess my only option would be manually plotting my course for a good few months straight, then I would be able to do it all next year, or maybe I could get the google maps API to give me a path if I learn to code and it isn't destination based?

[LogicalDrm]

17 hours ago, NetherRealm said:

I guess my only option would be manually plotting my course for a good few months straight, then I would be able to do it all next year, or maybe I could get the google maps API to give me a path if I learn to code and it isn't destination based?

I haven't used Google's "API" or rather file format in much details. Opening .KML files crashes my Google Earth Pro for some reason. So getting actual directions is something I don't know how to do. How I would do it, if just route and available roads are what are needed is to get GIS files (shapefiles), select all which are within certain parameters (mainly distance from border), manually remove dead ends and roads going along the border, placing waypoint as helpers for pathfinder tools, then running pathfinder tool. Hoping this would save info about which roads pathfinder uses to trace route. Thats closest I can think the problem. There probably is way to export path made to GPS tracking software, or KML and hope it works. As this is the method bigger companies use for shipping/delivery route optimization.

 

If you aren't in hurry with this, I could take a look if I can help. Just give me state/country and I go full on QGIS/GRASS on it.

[NetherRealm]

On 5/3/2020 at 11:25 AM, LogicalDrm said:

I haven't used Google's "API" or rather file format in much details. Opening .KML files crashes my Google Earth Pro for some reason. So getting actual directions is something I don't know how to do. How I would do it, if just route and available roads are what are needed is to get GIS files (shapefiles), select all which are within certain parameters (mainly distance from border), manually remove dead ends and roads going along the border, placing waypoint as helpers for pathfinder tools, then running pathfinder tool. Hoping this would save info about which roads pathfinder uses to trace route. Thats closest I can think the problem. There probably is way to export path made to GPS tracking software, or KML and hope it works. As this is the method bigger companies use for shipping/delivery route optimization.

 

If you aren't in hurry with this, I could take a look if I can help. Just give me state/country and I go full on QGIS/GRASS on it.

These GIS files (shapefiles), where/how do I get/make these files? Do I need certain software to make/get them, or is it online based, because if it is online based I am pretty sure any web browser I use would just crash upon trying to generate the file with the parameters I would enter.

 

If you are wanting to help me by "going full QGIS/GRASS on it" my state is Minnesota/MN and my country is United States (U.S. Obviously).

 

Thank you

[LogicalDrm]

5 hours ago, NetherRealm said:

These GIS files (shapefiles), where/how do I get/make these files? Do I need certain software to make/get them, or is it online based, because if it is online based I am pretty sure any web browser I use would just crash upon trying to generate the file with the parameters I would enter.

 

Shapefile is one of the more common GIS file formats. Used mainly by ArcGIS and QGIS. Its vector file with each item (point, line, polygon) having lot of metadata along with coordinate/location information. Most governments offer free files, but depends on government how accurate they are. So here road information covers whole country (divided to regions) and includes every legal road. Meaning both public and private roads. I usually just google for the files I want. Most governments offer them as open data.

 

There probably are online based tools, but I'm more used to desktop ones. QGIS is free and open source (GRASS is also, but its like using command line vs graphical UI).

 

Quote

If you are wanting to help me by "going full QGIS/GRASS on it" my state is Minnesota/MN and my country is United States (U.S. Obviously).

 

Thank you

I'll see if this works.

 

E: Forgot one thing. OpenStreetMap. This is also great resource. They have their own routing tool, but online version doesn't give much configurations. Data can be downloaded from http://download.geofabrik.de/. The good thing is that I can use their tools to create directions.

 

E2: If you are interested, https://mapcruzin.com is also good resource of free data. Though fair warning, they have some political promotion going on since I last used it.

 

Also sorry if this goes over your head etc. GIS is my passion and the field I'm studying.

Edited May 12, 2020 by LogicalDrm

[NetherRealm]

On 5/12/2020 at 1:25 AM, LogicalDrm said:

E: Forgot one thing. OpenStreetMap. This is also great resource. They have their own routing tool, but online version doesn't give much configurations. Data can be downloaded from http://download.geofabrik.de/. The good thing is that I can use their tools to create directions.

 

E2: If you are interested, https://mapcruzin.com is also good resource of free data. Though fair warning, they have some political promotion going on since I last used it.

 

Also sorry if this goes over your head etc. GIS is my passion and the field I'm studying.

Yeah, you easily went over my head right here, I have the data downloaded, but I have no idea how to effectively use it to get what I want out of it. You listed off a few options for software, I was aware of only one from when I was in school - ArcGIS, but since I don't want to pay money for something I will probably use only once I will be using QGIS since I don't want to learn commands for a Windows program.

 

 

Skipping wayyy ahead: After I get the final path and export it (?) what file format should I use? Also I am assuming we will be using OpenStreetMap for navigation, right?

 

 

I would like to make sure I am clear about what you meant by:

On 5/3/2020 at 11:25 AM, LogicalDrm said:

If you aren't in hurry with this, I could take a look if I can help. Just give me state/country and I go full on QGIS/GRASS on it.

By this did you mean you would help me by giving me tips and pointing me in the right direction, or did you mean by doing the work for me? I only ask because if you are doing this for me you should be paid for your work.

 

 

Thanks in advance!

[LogicalDrm]

1 hour ago, NetherRealm said:

Skipping wayyy ahead: After I get the final path and export it (?) what file format should I use? Also I am assuming we will be using OpenStreetMap for navigation, right?

 

KML is the file format used by Google Maps. So you can import KML to Google Earth Pro and save to account.

 

1 hour ago, NetherRealm said:

 

I would like to make sure I am clear about what you meant by:

By this did you mean you would help me by giving me tips and pointing me in the right direction, or did you mean by doing the work for me? I only ask because if you are doing this for me you should be paid for your work.

I started to actually do it. I'm half way through, so western and northern routes are mapped. I was planning to do it myself too, and give you all the material plus some instructions on how to use it. And what I've done with it.

 

Don't worry about paying for it. This is learning new things, and I love to work with mapping programs. It's what I want to do for a living, and currently I'm trainee at customer service part of the field so this isn't conflicting with that either.