Got this interesting comment from reader William on my recent GPS article.
So, why not lead an online campaign to get people to input the gps readouts of various sites and landmarks in Amman? Do it as a wikipedia-like effort.
This sounds like a great idea. A community effort to help map out Amman by GPS. Don’t wait for the goverment or big buiness. Do it yourself!
It would be great if:
1. Someone out there with wiki experience could set up a wiki for this.
2. If someone knows of similar GPS wikis to learn from.
3. Someone tell us how GPS users can then ‘use’ the data collected.
Anyone interested?
Comments
26 responses to “Let’s GPS Amman ourselves!”
Wow, wonderful idea!
I’m interested and willing to setup a wiki
Check out geocaching.com. It’s not exactly what you are looking for, but it’s loads of fun.
At this point, there are only 2 caches in Jordan: one at the Dead Sea and one at Petra. Amman would be ripe for some great caches, especially in the famous areas (which would also put these famous places on the map and encourages a visit).
Yazan.. thanks for volunteering setting up the wiki.. Let us know the url when done. We’ll then need to let people know about it.
I think the effort should cover Jordan as a whole, not just Amman. I don’t know how this will affect the wiki. Having said that, It is important to concentrate both on urban and non urban areas.
I think Xpress handsets have GPS built in.
I guess each map point should have:
the name of place
Longitude and latitude (altitude optional)
Date of readout
Name of person providing the readout
Any other suggestions?
That’s a hell of an Idea, I’m interested
Oh, and there are a bunch of people on the Google Earth forums that have already catalogued hundreds of places around Amman. It would be easier to take what they have and add to it.
As you said in your earlier post, this is a wonderful opportunity for Entrepreneurs, and any GPS caching is really going to help launch GPS services in Amman. I think that the lack of reliance on actual street names and numbers and addresses in Amman could be a mixed blessing in this scenario. It will be hard to figure out start and end points accurately, but it will also drive the need for such services on mobile devices for consumers who need help getting to where they’re going.
Mostly, I can’t wait for GPS services to expand into the business arena.
I would help if I could, but not in Amman now!
great idea! i have some experience in Geo mapping! but i lack a big map of jordan or amman! that is I can help with this and maybe we can make a blog of Amman sites and landmarks !
I’m interested, but how can I help ?
From the Jordanian Blogosphere
On International Affairs:
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Guys,
if there’s anyway to help out in this, i would do my best,
but i think that because of the new projects in amman and jordat itself, the whole map is gonna be changed..
what do u think ?
Ok. I am ready to be in this project. by my mind its easest way to GPS Amman to find a god map (maybe from Greate Amman municipalyty) and to connect by our selfs in OziExplorer. If someone able not just to speak but to do something. Contact me by e-mail
hey ppl ..
SURPRISE SURPRISE SURPRISE
i got a surprise for all of you which is:
GPS is already setup and ready for use in Jordan, yes .. no kidding!
my company: “WEYNHA” is a new company concerned with multi GPS applications and solutions from vehicle tracking to navigation system and we got all the maps and everything ready for use.
If u are interested or for further info, email me at:
hope to hear from y’all soon
How to Create Jordan Maps without Driving Around
There is a much easier way of creating maps for Amman and Jordan than driving around and taking GPS readings. Here’s how:
1.In Google Earth, zoom in to an area say, 3 Km x 3 Km.
2.Save the image.
3.Open it on Ozi Explorer as a map or any other mapping/GPS application.
4.Calibrate the map using 2 or more points that you got from an actual GPS reading on the road. Do not use the Google Earth coordinate reading since Google Earth maps are NOT geo referenced.
5.On Ozi Explorer follow the roads on the map image by marking them. Make sure to be accurate.
6.Save your marks either as a track or a route.
7.Download on your GPS and enjoy.
I created a route in my GPS from Al Waha Round About all the way to Habiba/Arab Bank branch downtown (Al Balad) and the readings were extremely close. If you calibrate your map accurately on Ozi Explorer and mark the roads very accurately you will get an accurate roadmap.
I estimate Amman to take no longer than 5 days of full time work to digitize the major and minor roads … not a very long time.
2Mr. Wrangler:
It is a good idea to Calibrate Google Maps images in Ozi.
In order to not duplicate others work, it would be very interesting to use your calibrated maps.
I’m going to travel to Jordan and I can’t find any affordable Jordan GPS maps.
How can I contact you in order to exchange maps?
Great Idea guys ,,, for detailed maps of jordan you can look at http://archaeology.asu.edu/Jordan/SLevant50k.html
so where can someone find the products of this community initiative? it has been now about 2 years from the initial post, any progress happening here? I have ArcGIS and a couple of arial and sat photos for the region and I am currently in the process of developing a tomtom like map with its related software of this area of interest and would be grateful of any input by anyone of you here.
Ulysses..
I think you will not find any “products” that came out of this initiative. The latest news I hear was that the Amman municipality are supposed to release a GPS map for Amman before the end of 2007.
Guys,
I’ve been digging into this for the past year. I attended where2.0 conference in San Jose, Google Developers day, Yahoo Where2.0 camp ..etc. and met many mapping companies representatives, developers, cartographers, neorographers…ect.
First of all there are only two companies that collect the data, and Garmin is not one of them: Navteq, and tele-Atlas who provide that date to be used by platforms like: multimaps, Google maps, Yahoo maps, MSN Live, Mapquest, Autocad who compete with each other to provide mapping services. They are all ‘as usual’ compete with each other.
As of June 2007 both Tele-atlas and Navteq did not and is not interested in collecting the data for Jordan. They recently covered most of the middle east but all the other platforms didn’t provide the services yet.
The GAM are trying to organize the parcel services so when Navteq or Tele-atlas comes to Jordan they will have a strategic local partner.
What does that mean to us?
Getting road maps with driving directions “Geo codding” is not a 5 day work, and can’t be done by a simple GPS devices. It needs millions of dollars with expertise to collect such the data and Geo code it.
Each country have a different numbering and road systems. When tele-atlas went to china they faced difficulties in the existing numbering system but they did it.
I bet they were both shocked when they saw our streets and that why the GAM is developing the street numbering which will be done by the end of this year.
Moreover, I wanna mention that Autocad mapguide depends on landmarks to collect data and not streets which I believe best fit cities like Amman, Cairo, Tunis, etc.
But now Humeid I have to say this:
It’s NOT OVER YET. It’s just the beginning for many many many initiatives and opportunities.
If anybody is interested to play with maps and create miracles please contact me @
Thanks,
Emad Salameh
Why my comment was deleted? did I offend or threaten anybody?
Oops…sorry there was a 12 hours time lag. Please accept my apology
HOW CAN I FIND A GPS FOR JORDAN? I LIKE TO KNOW IF ANYONE CAN TELL ME?
THANK YOU
i started a project to make a street map for amman
i started with zahran region and i wana continue to all other regions
i have an idea to create a electronic guide for jordan .. steps will be like this.. 1. starting with zahran region 2. amman regions 3. aqaba 4. irbed-zarqa-karak.. etc
i know its gona be a real hard work for one guy but realy i fed up waiting for a high quality map for amman streets..
http://www.jordaneguide.com/map/
check it plz and put comments here if possible
be safe all
Who knows about the Greate Amman municipalyty GPS tender?
Unfortunatly, nobody is allowed to develop or create any maps for Jordan. Not only that Jordanian intellegence won’t give you the ok, the Royal geographic center is the only party who can publish any maps. Moreover, if you pass all of this you still need to be approved by Kaddb. Navtiq, which was bought recently by Nokia, have a detailed map for amman. Nobody can use it cause they were not given the permission yet, don’t you wonder why Al-Mumayaz cars are still not in service? and some other recent projects, without mentioning names, who announced that they developed a navigation system for amman which will be launched in Jan. 2009
I know that many many enterprenuers in Jordan are trying to develop their own maps, but that’s risky because god knows if they will be able to use them.
If I am wrong, please correct me.
Walid
It’s always better to get the system installed in a device to be sold as one package. And that’s how the developing companies benefit, from selling the devices and licensing the application.
GAM GPS tender were full of missleading details and a very unclear, sometimes vague, and full of catches.
For example, they want you to build a system to be used for 10 cars and after they test it they will see if they want to implement the system or not. The problem is, why will a company spend so much money to build a system for 10 cars and after that they will see weather they wanna go ahead or not?
That was just one of the catches!
Another one, They just want the system but not the device