Author Topic: VeloViewer Explorer Score and Max Square  (Read 337068 times)

Re: VeloViewer Explorer Score and Max Square
« Reply #500 on: 18 January, 2019, 01:12:04 pm »
That's why it'd be nice for the Veloviewer Companion app to be able to export a track, so you know you have *a* track that puts you within the square - assuming of course it uses precisely the same grid as Veloviewer itself!

(though there's an argument that if you get stiffed by GPS error, that's the universe telling you you weren't truly in the square any way, and you should try to visit it properly. Not always possible, of course)

Re: VeloViewer Explorer Score and Max Square
« Reply #501 on: 18 January, 2019, 01:17:28 pm »
For an explorer ride with multiple spurs, I check tile positioning on Strava, then upload the gpx from Strava to Ridewithgps, put a POI on each spur end, then export the gpx with 'POI as waypoints', to Etrex.  Also means I have backup navigation (on rwgps app) if etrex doesn't play ball for some reason.
Cycle and recycle.   SS Wilson

Re: VeloViewer Explorer Score and Max Square
« Reply #502 on: 18 January, 2019, 01:31:51 pm »
TBH, If I knew I'd visited a tile but my GPS just hadn't recorded it properly I'd just tweak the GPX file and reupload it.
"Yes please" said Squirrel "biscuits are our favourite things."

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: VeloViewer Explorer Score and Max Square
« Reply #503 on: 18 January, 2019, 05:07:55 pm »

Was in Utrecht with an extra hour to kill. So thought I'd go for a walk, bag a couple of tiles. Ended up getting 3. Decided to get a bus back to the centre. Got on wrong bus. Realised this, went 3 stops. Logged the walk back to a bus stop in the other direction, got bus back to the station. Result: 5 tiles, filling in the blanks of Utrecht. And a walk logged of under 200m...

J
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/

pdm

  • Sheffield hills? Nah... Just potholes.
Re: VeloViewer Explorer Score and Max Square
« Reply #504 on: 18 January, 2019, 06:30:30 pm »
Took advantage of the lovely weather this morning to wheel the bicycle 100m onto a now hard frozen bog to bag a local tile and increase my square from 12x12 to 13x13... :)

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: VeloViewer Explorer Score and Max Square
« Reply #505 on: 20 January, 2019, 12:18:30 am »


Cancelled my planned 200k diy due to my stomach rebelling against yesterdays dinner, so took the Brompton on the train a couple of stops out of town, and did a simple 16k ride to bag 6 tiles that had been blocking my cluster's expansion. Any one of these tiles would be enough to open up the cluster, but while I was there, I may as well bag them all. Cluster went up 27 from 281 to 308. Now I have 5 overlapping 13x13 squares. Am going to have to work on southern tiles now. There's a tile with no public access blocking anything further north, and I'm gonna be limited by the Ijsselmeer at ~21x21 anyway.

J
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/

Re: VeloViewer Explorer Score and Max Square
« Reply #506 on: 20 January, 2019, 07:59:27 am »


Cancelled my planned 200k diy due to my stomach rebelling against yesterdays dinner, so took the Brompton on the train a couple of stops out of town, and did a simple 16k ride to bag 6 tiles that had been blocking my cluster's expansion. Any one of these tiles would be enough to open up the cluster, but while I was there, I may as well bag them all. Cluster went up 27 from 281 to 308. Now I have 5 overlapping 13x13 squares. Am going to have to work on southern tiles now. There's a tile with no public access blocking anything further north, and I'm gonna be limited by the Ijsselmeer at ~21x21 anyway.

J

That tile further north has been bagged already by a few guys on the Dutch forum (fiets.nl)

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: VeloViewer Explorer Score and Max Square
« Reply #507 on: 20 January, 2019, 08:58:08 am »
There's a tile with no public access blocking anything further north, and I'm gonna be limited by the Ijsselmeer at ~21x21 anyway.

That tile further north has been bagged already by a few guys on the Dutch forum (fiets.nl)

Oh it's accessible if I have a packable boat, or if this cold snap last long enough for the ice to get thick enough to walk on. But given that I will very soon be limited to by the Ijsselmeer, It's a disproportionate amount of effort needed to bag a tile that will eventually not actually be that much use, am better off spending the effort south. Am trying to make a baseline from the North Sea to Zeewolde (and eventually to Harskamp), that I can then build downwards on. Yesterdays ride got it to the North Sea, and it now reaches Almere on the eastern side. There's a tile just south of Almere in the Gooimeer that I'm gonna need to Either kayak, or swim to bag, same with three east of Zeewolde.

J
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/

Re: VeloViewer Explorer Score and Max Square
« Reply #508 on: 20 January, 2019, 09:09:01 pm »
There's a tile with no public access blocking anything further north, and I'm gonna be limited by the Ijsselmeer at ~21x21 anyway.

That tile further north has been bagged already by a few guys on the Dutch forum (fiets.nl)

Oh it's accessible if I have a packable boat, or if this cold snap last long enough for the ice to get thick enough to walk on. But given that I will very soon be limited to by the Ijsselmeer, It's a disproportionate amount of effort needed to bag a tile that will eventually not actually be that much use, am better off spending the effort south. Am trying to make a baseline from the North Sea to Zeewolde (and eventually to Harskamp), that I can then build downwards on. Yesterdays ride got it to the North Sea, and it now reaches Almere on the eastern side. There's a tile just south of Almere in the Gooimeer that I'm gonna need to Either kayak, or swim to bag, same with three east of Zeewolde.

J

I can't remember anyone bagging the Gooimeer tiles yet.

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: VeloViewer Explorer Score and Max Square
« Reply #509 on: 21 January, 2019, 09:43:28 pm »
I can't remember anyone bagging the Gooimeer tiles yet.

They are Sea Kayak only I think. I'm not sure it would be safe to try them by swimming, too much water traffic. Maybe with a support boat, it could be safe, but I think I'll await the kayak...

Today I set off on a 200k DIY to both bag my RRTY for January, and bag loads of tiles. Alas Ice put play to that and I had to turn round at 85km, after finding the next road I was turning onto was just a single sheet of ice. It was quite a large road, and if that was icy, the smaller ones later in the ride had no chance. Redirected to a station and a warm train home. On the plus side, I now have all the tiles in a line from the North sea to Zeewolde, on the down side, I now know that I don't like combining tile bagging and the time pressure of an Audax.

J
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/

Re: VeloViewer Explorer Score and Max Square
« Reply #510 on: 22 January, 2019, 09:14:09 am »
On the plus side, I now have all the tiles in a line from the North sea to Zeewolde, on the down side, I now know that I don't like combining tile bagging and the time pressure of an Audax.

I've discoverd that already. I do tend to bag a few outlying tiles during a DIY if I can include them in relatively straight forward routes. But not the turning around to bag every tile style of routes. So good for 'new' area's, not for adding a lot to my square or cluster.

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: VeloViewer Explorer Score and Max Square
« Reply #511 on: 29 January, 2019, 09:45:02 pm »
I've discoverd that already. I do tend to bag a few outlying tiles during a DIY if I can include them in relatively straight forward routes. But not the turning around to bag every tile style of routes. So good for 'new' area's, not for adding a lot to my square or cluster.

I bagged a couple of tiles on this weekends Brevet, 2 because the route is different this year, and 1 because I went down a dead end quickly.

Today I went out for a ride, did just over 50k, and bagged the last tile I had on the Haarlemermeer. Gone from 5 13x13's, to a single 14x14. Misjudged the temperature massively, and had very very cold feet on the return. Took a while to rewarm everything. Gonna take a lot of effort to bump the square some more.


J
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/

Graeme

  • @fatherhilarious.blog 🦋
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Re: VeloViewer Explorer Score and Max Square
« Reply #512 on: 29 January, 2019, 10:37:04 pm »
It was cold out today, but I still managed to go and collect a tile that was blocking my max square from growing. As a result of today's ride to a dead-end in Spaldington my max square rose to 17*17. I'm quite delighted with that but I think I'll need at least three longish rides to expand further. Since starting:
  • I've walked the dog on Alkborough Flats to get some tiles near the River Ouse/River Trent confluence
  • I've bought a householder a box of chocolates so I could walk to the end of their garden to snag a tile
  • I've ridden so many bridleways that I wouldn't have considered riding before... all on my tourer
  • The north bank of the Humber has some cycle paths between the A63 and the water... which took me through a graffiti decorated semi-beautiful wasteland
  • This game has opened up route possibilities I never knew existed. I particularly loved the bridleway between Aldwark and Myton on Swale... it seems to be a cheeky well-kept back route for locals.

One of the people I know through church is a retired Humber Pilot. He has advised me against sea-kayaking the Humber. However there are a couple of sailing clubs nearby... I just don't think they qualify as 'human-powered.



With a couple of rides I think I can join my cluster of tiles in Humberside with a previously collected cluster near Teesside.

Re: VeloViewer Explorer Score and Max Square
« Reply #513 on: 30 January, 2019, 09:09:42 am »
Good to see which tiles are available on the western side of the Humber.
Looking forward to hear about how you get on with the sailing club

Re: VeloViewer Explorer Score and Max Square
« Reply #514 on: 30 January, 2019, 10:31:11 am »
With a couple of rides I think I can join my cluster of tiles in Humberside with a previously collected cluster near Teesside.
I think your northernmost abut my southernmost. Linking to East Angular is much more difficult.

Graeme

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Re: VeloViewer Explorer Score and Max Square
« Reply #515 on: 30 January, 2019, 10:43:53 am »
With a couple of rides I think I can join my cluster of tiles in Humberside with a previously collected cluster near Teesside.
I think your northernmost abut my southernmost. Linking to East Angular is much more difficult.

It's the challenge of having a series of rides that are 3 tiles wide which makes it so awkward. Just riding different routes from the Anglian television region to the TyneTees region is simples isn't it, but making them a cluster isn't.

Once I've joined Teesside and Humberside, there's another cluster around Durham to add. Coolio. I understand that Max Cluster is a way of recognising the explorer efforts of riders whose Max Square is limited by geography or legal access... so I'm not too worried about filling in the purely wet tiles (of the Humber), but I am wondering if I can get a cluster to spread from one coast to the other. I'm also interested in exploring Leeds/Sheffield where I have no rides at all

I'm grateful to fboab, Deano and ChrisS for enticing me to play.

Re: VeloViewer Explorer Score and Max Square
« Reply #516 on: 30 January, 2019, 11:03:24 am »
The distance between the two furthest points in your cluster is also something interesting to check. That gives also an impresion about your exploring qualities.

Graeme

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Re: VeloViewer Explorer Score and Max Square
« Reply #517 on: 30 January, 2019, 11:05:12 am »
The distance between the two furthest points in your cluster is also something interesting to check. That gives also an impresion about your exploring qualities.

Is that a VeloViewer metric? (Goes off to find out)

Re: VeloViewer Explorer Score and Max Square
« Reply #518 on: 30 January, 2019, 11:06:53 am »
The distance between the two furthest points in your cluster is also something interesting to check. That gives also an impresion about your exploring qualities.

Is that a VeloViewer metric? (Goes off to find out)

No, but on a Dutch forum we do keep track of it ourselves.

Graeme

  • @fatherhilarious.blog 🦋
    • Graeme's Blog
Re: VeloViewer Explorer Score and Max Square
« Reply #519 on: 30 January, 2019, 11:29:26 am »
The distance between the two furthest points in your cluster is also something interesting to check. That gives also an impresion about your exploring qualities.

Is that a VeloViewer metric? (Goes off to find out)

No, but on a Dutch forum we do keep track of it ourselves.

:)

"Google-walking" distance or "Crow-flies" distance?

  • Kirmington (Northern Lincolnshire) to Marton-le-Moor (Ripon), google gives me 108km walking.
  • Kirmington is 51 tiles east of Marton-le-Moor and 43 tiles south... making the hypotenuse 66.7km long.

(Using the https://www.omnicalculator.com/math/hypotenuse OmniCalculator (because I've lost my book of trigonometric tables)...)

citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: VeloViewer Explorer Score and Max Square
« Reply #520 on: 30 January, 2019, 12:20:49 pm »
It's the challenge of having a series of rides that are 3 tiles wide which makes it so awkward.

Yes, this is exactly what I'm finding with my plans to link up my main East Kent cluster with my mini London cluster. The two clusters are already linked but filling in tiles so both are incorporated into my max cluster will involve some fairly torturous routing.

Anyway, I've worked out that I can do it in two rides - could do it in one ride, in theory, but breaking it down into more manageable chunks means I'm more likely to actually get out and do it.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

Re: VeloViewer Explorer Score and Max Square
« Reply #521 on: 30 January, 2019, 12:28:05 pm »
  • Kirmington is 51 tiles east of Marton-le-Moor and 43 tiles south... making the hypotenuse 66.7km long.

Tiles aren't 1km x 1km. The corners are defined by lat/lon increments[1] and so their size changes depending on how North you are.

It's ~94km as the crow flies.

1. Well, they were originally defined as 256x256px images of OpenStreetMap at zoom level 14, but this boils down to standard lat/lon increments.
"Yes please" said Squirrel "biscuits are our favourite things."

Graeme

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    • Graeme's Blog
Re: VeloViewer Explorer Score and Max Square
« Reply #522 on: 30 January, 2019, 01:08:00 pm »
  • Kirmington is 51 tiles east of Marton-le-Moor and 43 tiles south... making the hypotenuse 66.7km long.

Tiles aren't 1km x 1km. The corners are defined by lat/lon increments[1] and so their size changes depending on how North you are.

It's ~94km as the crow flies.

1. Well, they were originally defined as 256x256px images of OpenStreetMap at zoom level 14, but this boils down to standard lat/lon increments.

Well that makes that complicated. So - how do the Dutch compare sizes then.
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Pingu

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Re: VeloViewer Explorer Score and Max Square
« Reply #523 on: 30 January, 2019, 01:09:38 pm »
There are various tools on the interwebs which will calculate the distance between 2 points on a map - have a google.

Graeme

  • @fatherhilarious.blog 🦋
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Re: VeloViewer Explorer Score and Max Square
« Reply #524 on: 30 January, 2019, 01:15:29 pm »
It's the challenge of having a series of rides that are 3 tiles wide which makes it so awkward.

Yes, this is exactly what I'm finding with my plans to link up my main East Kent cluster with my mini London cluster. The two clusters are already linked but filling in tiles so both are incorporated into my max cluster will involve some fairly torturous routing.

Anyway, I've worked out that I can do it in two rides - could do it in one ride, in theory, but breaking it down into more manageable chunks means I'm more likely to actually get out and do it.

I took the dog for a walk and got to thinking... it is easy to get caught up with max cluster and square, and forget the 'explorer score'. A friend of mine nearby has a similar max cluster to me, but their explorer score is much lower. Essentially they ride a lot within a 20 miles radius, but not much further afield. Which begs the question, which is more interesting:
  • Doing what I did yesterday... a 67km ride for 1 tile... basically this was about 'completing a square shape locally'
  • Just going for a long bike ride meandering a lot more places I've never been... adding a whole bunch of explorer tiles but not adding anything to square or cluster.

(Of course I realise it is all a game, with 'scores' which reward different types of exploration) I wonder, though, if having a low cluster score but a large explorer score would be the equivalent of cycling off into the bits of the map that say "here be dragons". Would this be the difference between 'exploring' and 'cartography'?