Welcome

The Explorer is a new tool which you can use to interactively explore GeoBike data. Your browser needs to support frames for it to function properly. The Explorer consists of 4 panels to control and display information. These panels can be resized to accomodate your likes and dislikes.

With this tool, you view profile data customized to your needs. Also, you can overlay route data onto either an aerial image or a USGS topographic map.

Route Selector

The route selector is located in the upper left panel. After selecting a specific route with the drop down selector, just click on the "Explore" button. This configures the rest of the Explorer. When you first start the Explorer, it displays the profile and map of the route shown in the selector.

Navigator

The navigator is located in the lower left panel. These tools are used to configure the profile and map presentations. After configuring the profile presentation, just click on the "Profile" button to generate the profile image. Likewise, after configuring the Map presentation, just click on the "Image" button to generate the requested map. Finally, if you click on the "Histogram" button, you will see a histogram of that routes grades.

Profiles

Profiles have 4 items that can be configured: waypoint labels, distance scale, elevation scale, and climb. Waypoint labels can be configured to show combinations of name, distance from start (MI), distance from last waypoint (DL), and elevation (EL). The distance scale can be set to either be the distance of that specific route (That Day) or the maximum distance of any one day of the ride (Ride Max). Likewise, the elevation scale can be set based upon that days elevation excursion (That Day) or to the maximum excursions of the entire ride (Ride Max). By using the "That Day" settings, you can zoom in on detail. By using the "Ride Max" settings, you maintain a common scale across all days of the ride so that you can easily compare different days. Lastly, you can display the cummulative climb data using scales based upon either that days climb (That Day) or the maximum daily climb incurred during the ride (Ride Max). As with the other settings, "That Day" shows you the most detail for a given day while "Ride Max" allows you to easily compare climb across all days. The climb tick marks are in 10% increments.

After you've configured the profile, just click on the "Profile" button to generate the profile chart! Also, if you click on the profile, a map will be generated using default settings which shows you that exact location.

Histogram

The histogram analyzes the profile data and presents it in the form of a histogram. The red areas represent uphill grades in excess of 1.5%, the green areas represent downhill grades in excess of 1.5%. Everything in yellow is between +/- 1.5%. The scale along the right tells you what % portion of that days route will be at that indicated grade. The scale along the left displays is in miles based upon that days total mileage.

Wind

The wind function analyzes the route data against the indicated "Wind from" direction and presents it in the form of a heading histogram. The red areas represent the route headings into the headwind +/- 30 degrees (HEADWIND), the gold areas represent route headings into the headwinds +/-(30 -> 100) degrees (LATERAL). Everything in green represents TAILWIND. The scale along the right tells you what % portion of that days route will be at that indicated heading. The scale along the left displays is in miles based upon that days total mileage.

Maps

Maps can now be generated that display the route (and selectable data) over a base image. The base image can either be an aerial image or a USGS topographic map. The map is centered on the mile shown in the "Center on Mile" selector. In some cases, the base image may show as a blank or have blank areas. This can occur at certain boundaries, as a result of Homeland Security, or because the image data is not available. If this occurs, try switching the map base.

The "Loc" style of overlay paints the route as a series of green markers. The solid green markers are painted every mile while the smaller green boxes represent half mile markers. The "Grade" style of overlay paints the route as a series of color coded boxes. A solid red marker represents a steep uphill grade while an empty red marker represents a less severe uphill grade. Likewise, a solid green marker represents a steep downhill grade while an empty green marker represents a less severe downhill grade. Yellow is used for level and minor grades. Finally, you can overlay waypoints onto the map.

This is a fun tool to explore the route information! Try viewing a route using just the "Grade" marker on the topographic map with the zoom set to 8 or 7. The topographic maps are quite nice at zoom settings 1 and 2. The aerial images are just plain fun! See what combination of settings works best for you...

Cheers!