Previous entry | Next entry | All entries
ShareMyRoutes.com - GPS route sharing
The idea of exchanging routes with others has been an obsession of mine since 2002, when my interest in walking, cycling, and mountain biking led to the purchase of a GPS receiver. Realising the potential power of combining a website with GPS data, I experimented with a route sharing website. Alas, in 2002, this idea was a bit advanced for the available technology and wasn’t quite ready for the mainstream yet.
Fast forward a few years:- I had amassed a large collection of mountain bike routes in the North Yorkshire Moors that I wished to share. I decided to reuse many of the ideas I had in 2002 and took advantage of modern online mapping capabilities. GPS devices had become mainstream, and thanks to car satnav, using a GPS to navigate had become commonplace. The time was ripe to revisit my route sharing concept: Not only had the underlying technology improved vastly, but also user-generated content was hot.
At the start of 2007, I started work on ShareMyRoutes.com. This website is about being able to create routes, and share them with friends, family and the rest of the world. By May the site was really starting to grow, with routes being added all over the world. As more routes were added, more people discovered the site. Now, in late 2007, the site has routes in nearly 20 countries, with more routes being added all the time.
Having now established ShareMyRoutes as a popular site, I’d like to expand it even further. As well as the routes, I’d like to develop the social side of the website. There are lots of outdoor clubs and organisations that could use ShareMyRoutes, for instance a running club publishing the regular runs they do. Additionally, I want to carry on developing an online community of individuals who can connect with others sharing common interests in the outdoors.
The next step is to make a business of it through advertising. ShareMyRoutes offers advertisers the opportunity to uniquely target consumers by both geography and activity. Want to let walkers in Snowdonia know about your B&B;? Easy, just buy an ad that is targeted to be run next to walking routes in Wales. Want to draw attention to walks starting from your pub in rural Yorkshire? No problem, create a route, and brand it with your business. Want to promote an area to cyclists? Fine, create some really great routes in the area, and sponsor them. The great thing about the advertising for both consumers and advertisers is relevance. By being able to tightly control exactly who sees an ad, we can ensure that the consumer only sees relevant advertising, which they consider useful, and are much more likely to act upon.
See for yourself, by going to www.ShareMyRoutes.com and having a look for yourself.
Images
Image I
Image II
Video
No video has been submitted with this project.
Notes
Software patents are not possible in Europe, and there's lots of prior art in anycase, so patents are not really applicable. I have registered most common variations on the ShareMyRoutes domain (.com / co.uk / .org / .net) to prevent 'cyber squatters' and establish my use of the brand for this website, which will help when I decide to register a trademark. I can't think of any other intellectual property implications of my idea.
I’m an outdoor fanatic who has translated his fascination with maps and the outdoors into a website
Comments
I am well impressed and look forward to meeting you at the outdoors show!
I have also added a route via Google Maps. It is great to get a profile of the route and makes a GPS unit extremely tempting!
Does it work with Satmap in anyway
Unfortunatly, most in-car satnav systems are closed, and they can’t receive or send data.
But, some newer mobile phones with satnav capabilities (e.g. nokia N95) have the ability to get at the data, so the range of devices you can use is getting bigger all the time.
Alpkit.com National Innovation Award in association with:
coLAB 08 | Brief | Rules | News
coLAB08 will be a showcase event at The Outdoors Show 2008 where you will get the chance to show your vision of outdoor products.
Alpine Dreamin' since way back when
Contact us | Terms & Conditions | Company info | Site map
Copyright © 2008 Alpkit™
Alpkit™ designs and sells goods for enthusiasts of alpine activities including climbing, mountaineering and trekking.
We sell with the minimum of fuss, directly to you so our gear is competitively priced. 
I’ve been using the site for nearly a year now, mainly for my paragliding.
I love the way I can analyse my flights and see when and why I was rubbish and missed lift.
I’ve also put some of my biking and walking routes there, partially for analysis and partially for bragging rights!
I’m overwhelmed at how smoothly it all works and the ‘feel’ of moving both adding routes and moving around the site is spot-on.