Uploading GPS coordinates to the Mountain Views service.

The Irish Mountain Views service provides GPS information for mountain summits.  As noted in the instructions for downloading this data, some of the data has significant inaccuracies, particularly in horizontal position.  
 
The purpose of this feature. This feature allows you to contribute information to the Mountain Views service to progressively correct errors.

Once you have visited an area and taken averaged readings for summits using your GPS, you can upload the data you acquire through the facilities here.

You must have As with downloading GPS data, you require certain facilities.
  • A cable to download coordinates from  your GPS unit
  • PC (or Mac or Linux) software which will enable you to download data from your GPS.  This software must then output a format of data useable by Mountain Views.  Currently this is limited to "GPX" format.  An example of this software, for a PC, is "GPSU" a shareware program with a workable free version. 
  • The program must be correctly set up so that its output to GPX has data in the correct format (WGS84 lat/lon with heights in WGS84 datum also.  In the case of GPSU this is achieved by specifying " WGS84 datum" even though the program may show information as "Irish grid"
What happens. All the data that you have brought back is displayed on a page.  This is then compared with the original approximate positions that Mountain Views holds.  Where the data you have returned is likely to be a correction on the original data, you are offered the chance to accept the data.  These corrections are held in a database file and are periodically merged into the data that Mountain Views presents.
Procedure for uploading GPS coordinates
  • Go to "Your View"
  • Select Input GPS data
  • In the window that appears choose "Upload GPS Data"
  • In the box that appears either copy the data from the GPX file in directly or give the file name on your machine where it is located.  (It might be named something like FromField17Aug2003W84.gpx )
  • Select GPS Waypoint id length (usually 10)**
  • Click on "Next" 
  • A list of datums should appear with Mountain Name, Area, GPS ID, etc. Or you will get an error message.   
  • Assuming you do not have an error message then you should see that some items have a check box under "Select"
  • Inspect these, and check those that you know are good corrections.
  • When you are ready, click "Save selection & Exit" 
  • Your data will now be held  -- periodically it will be averaged into the existing Mountain Views data for use in further GPS downloads etc.

** This should be the same as whatever data you originally obtained from the Export Feature in Mountain Views.  Usually 10.

Your data. Your data will usually come from direct readings from GPS.  Readings enhanced by "EGNOS" will, of course, be particularly welcomed as these becomes available.

It is also possible to upload data read off maps using a tool such as GPSU.  These can represent a considerable improvement on existing data so such redings may be accepted.  Please contact Mountain Views if you want to do this.


Mountain Views is a service from "Simon Stewart's Hillwalking in Ireland".