I’ve added some new features to our Ordnance Survey map of the Peak District which shows local tracks. This brings it from version 2 to version 2.5.

New Features

• View URL encoded routes
• Users can add a customisable Marker and share it using a URL
• Search by place names, post codes or OS Grid References (6 or 8 figure)
• Easier sharing of locations, tracks and built in routes; using URLs
• Better layout
• Link to a map legend (key)

URL encoded routes are the first step in our plan to let users design and share routes using our map. Not only that but you’ll be able to draw a 20 mile route in under a minute! Sounds too good to be true, but I’ve come with a special system that I haven’t see used anywhere else. The route designer is still in development, but this version of the public map allows you to view what we create, eg routes of rides we’ve been or are planning. Hopefully the next public version will have the route designer in it, but that depends on how well the development goes.
All the information for the route is encoded in a hyperlink which means we avoid the tricky business of letting people store routes files on our server or in our database, but still lets you share them in an easy way. (Unfortunately VERY long routes will not be compatible with Internet Explorer which limits URLs to ~2040 characters (cos it’s crap), but I have done everything I can to shorten the encoded length.)

Example: Boxing day route, with a custom marker with an image.

To make a Custom Marker, click ‘position’ and the click anywhere on the map to place it, then click its icon and enter your text and optionally the URL address of an image (eg a thumbnail of one your pictures on Facebook), then click Save. The information has been stored in the ‘Link’ in the sidebar, click it to view your marker in a new window, you can share this with anyone by sending them the link (by copying it from the address bar, or right click ‘Link’ and choose Copy Link Location or Copy Shortcut). If you know HTML tags you can use them in the text box for links etc.

You are welcome to leave comments with feedback or suggestions for future features below.