Abaq.us Blog

GeoTrack Recording Devices

A. Ways to record your GeoTracks using a variety of devices:   

There are various types of GeoData formats e.g. NMEA, GSD, TCX and GPX, KMZ, KML.  You can use the following types of devices to record your GeoData.

1.  GPS Phone with a geotracks recorder application (upto 30 min of geodata recordings per session;  Batteries may last for a day):  

• Abaqus currently provides a GeoTrack Recorder application for Blackberry devices.  
• Nokia S60 phones are pre-installed with a Sportstracker application which records tracks in KML and GPX format.   
• Application for Windows Mobile phones can be downloaded from our partner sites

In the near future, we will be releasing GeoTrack recorders for major Smartphones & feature phone brands.

2.  Personal Navigation Device (upto 4 hrs of geodata recording per session.  Batteries may last for a few months):  You can use PND such as a Garmin (e.g. 350/360, nüvi 660, StreetPilot c550, the zumo etc.), Tom Tom, Magellan, QStarz (e.g. BT-1000), GlobalSat DG-100 etc to record your geodata.   Most of these devices will behave as a USB mass storage device and store track, routes or points-of-interest data in the aforementioned formats.   There are some PNDs that need special handling in order to allow users to access their data.  For such devices, we are working on providing plugin support to seamlessly read and upload data into your GeoDiary e.g. Garmin eTrax, Forerunner, 60CSx etc. 

3. GPS Consumer Electronics devices (10 hrs or more of geodata recording per session;  Batteries may last for 12 hrs or more):  There is a new class of Consumer Eleectronics devices with embedded GPS & other types of positioning functionality.   Abaqus will continue to build support for prominent CE devices.  E.g.

• Geotate Snapper (www.geotate.com):  Battery lasts for months
  
• Sony Logger (GPS-CS1, SONY GPSCS1KA)

If your device does not produce NMEA, GSD, TCX and GPX, KMZ & KML format geotracks, you can use the GPSBabel service to convert to GPX or KML which you can then upload on this page to your GeoDiary.

B. Ways to upload your data to the GeoDiary:

• Using the website, you can upload & geotag pictures from your PC that were taken at the time of the track recording. Your GeoDiary will automaticaly place them on your track
• You can upload your GeoTracks from your phone’s browser using the following URL: http://www.abaq.us/geo/upl/wupload
• To upload more than one file at a time, download the For files from devices such as Garmin & Sony etc. Please download our Uploader application from the downloads page. This provides you features such as:
  • uploading more than one file at a time
  • uploading very large files that can be created by devices such as Garmin, Sony and GPS navigation devices
    
  • uploading data to your account without logging into your GeoDiary

Geotagging pictures & uploading to Flickr

We, at Abaqus are regularly adding 3rd party web sites to our GeoDiary service. For our latest addition, we now allow users to upload their pictures to Abaqus web site, geo-tag them and then move the pictures to their Flickr account.  Flickr is a world class photo-sharing service which allows users complete control on how their social-networks access their photo data. 

In order for your GeoDiary to be seamlessly integrated to the Flickr service, you have to give your permission to allow Abaqus to access your photos (both public & private). 

The steps to authorizing the Flickr link are:

• Go to the Abaqus Profile tab and click on the link to 'Authorize your Flickr Account. This will send you to the Flickr site where they will explain how you can give your permission for Abaqus to connect to your Photo account. 

• You will also need to specifically set permissions on your Geo profile on Flickrs.
  • http://www.flickr.com/account/geo/privacy/

• The process to do this very simple and secure and your password always remains private. The permission can be revoked at any time from your Flickr Account page.
  • http://www.flickr.com/account/?tab=extend

• After giving your permission, you will be returned to the Abaqus site where you can continue using the GeoDiary service.

• Following the Flickr Account setup, you are now ready to use your geotracks uploader with our photo service.

Once you have configured your profile, you are now ready to upload your geotagged photos to your Flickr account.  The steps are:

• Upload your KML, GPX etc tracks to your GeoDiary account via the Upload page.
• Simultaneously, add pictures that you want to geo-tag and annotate your tracks.
• The service will try to align the photos with your geo-track and display the tracks in your geodiary.
• If your Flickr account is pre-authorized, the pictures will be geo-tagged & meta tagged (title, description, tags) and then uploaded to your Flickr Account.
• The pictures will be private by default unless you manually make them public.
• The tracks on your GeoDiary account will have a link to Flickr so that you can easily reference the pictures for future use.

Watch this space for additional Flickr features & links to other cool Web Service in the future!!

Devices: Garmin

Our site will let you upload tracks from any GPS device that can produce a GPX, KML, WGS, TCX format file (e.g. Abaqus GeoRecorder for Blackberry / Windows Mobile, Sony logger, Garmin, Tom Tom etc.).

There are some PNDs that need special handling in order to allow users to access their data (tracks, routes, waypoints). For such devices, we are working on providing plugin support to seamlessly read and upload data into your GeoDiary.

In the meantime, you can use PND devices which function as USB mass storage devices. For e.g. Garmin lists a suite of such devices that can be easily accessed as USB drive e.g. the nüvi 350/360, nüvi 660, StreetPilot c550, and the zumo. These PND devices function as a USB mass storage device and do not need a Garmin protocol plugin or Garmin SDK Application. Simply connect your Garmin device to the PC, and directly upload the tracks to MyGeoDiary Service.

www.abaq.us

Easy way to upload your GeoTracks & Pictures

Abaqus PC Uploder can be used to upload geo-track files of various formats to the GeoDiary Service. 

Recently we have extended our web form uploader to similarly support any GPX, KML, KMZ, TCX, WGS track.

The form also allows you to upload picture (s) that can be aligned with the geo-track.  

Geotrack & Video

Here's a sample of a trip recorded using the Abaqus Blackberry GeoRecorder while driving from Palo Alto to SF.   Work and a Friiends ... sushi at Ozumo, discussions on hyper-local ads, drinks at Vitale.   You can add Pictures, Video, Audio clips as annotation on a track. 

Sample Video Annotation:  Simply add a new annotation to track and add the following YouTube Widget code in the Description text box.

<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/TUn03nXccII&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/TUn03nXccII&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object> 
San Franscisco Video

 

The Result will be the following map widget which can be embedded into any website, blog etc.

View Larger Map