Route snapping

Further to my last post New Year, New Mapping Software we have added an additional feature to https://www.walklakes.co.uk/maps2 which we hope you'll like and that's "route snapping".

The way this works is that if you're plotting a route and you add another point (or drag a point you've already added) then when it appears in the map the software will then try to "snap" or move it to the nearest path, track, or road so long as it's fairly close. This means you can add route points quickly and accurately while taking a little less care and it's particularly handy if you're using a touch device where precision of tapping it hard.

Hope that makes sense, but it should be more obvious if you just try adding a route point close to a path ...

Some things to note:

1. This works on Waymaps, OpenStreetMap, and aerial photography but doesn't work on OS maps (either current or historic) as it's doing it's snapping against OpenStreetMap geodata and, as you'll know if you've been using OS for a while, their footpaths in particular often don't represent the current course of the path on the ground.

2. It works on zoom 7 or higher.

3. Normally the snap happens in under a second but if the server is busy there can sometimes be a delay ... but it should catch up pretty fast.

4. You can turn the feature off temporarily by holding down [Ctrl] when you click the mouse button to add a point.

5. If you don't get on with it you can turn the feature off completely in your settings (in which case holding down [Ctrl] turns it on again temporarily).

We're really excited by this enhancement but we will be interested to hear what you think of it.

By SheepFarmer on 11/01/22 at 8:36am

Things are getting better & better.

Having had a quick fiddle I'll add that the route snapping includes roads & vehicle tracks including private ones with no public access, I tested it on one I know very well, so beware, but I assume thats down to the OSM data.

Also with 2 maps it only works when your working on one of the types listed by Paul as OK but replicates if the other is OS, but won't work if you're active on the OS but the other is a compatible one.

TallPaul likes this post

permalink