I have a new electronic device. It's called SPOT. It's a personal tracker that uses satellites and Google maps to show where I am located.I thought it might be fun to let the Fleeter Log readers follow along in Real Time and see just where my fleetering is taking me as it happens! The way I will be using the SPOT is by manually activating the "okay" button whenever I have time and/or think about it. And that may be when I'm moving down the road or when I'm stopped for fuel, a bonus location, or any other reason to stop. If you zoom out, you will be able to see a basic route of where I've been created by the "tracks" I've left behind by the SPOT. If you zoom in, you will be able to see details such as whether I am actually on the road or stopped in a parking lot or pullout. Try the different versions of the map by clicking the tabs on the top right corner: Map, Terrain, and Hybrid.
The actual route will only be as complete as the crumbs left along the trail will show. Not all SPOT messages are sent -- sometimes it doesn't have a good open view of the satellites -- such as from behind a large building or mountain, or under a roof while fueling, etc. Sometimes I just forget to hit the "ok" button to send the message.
Here is the link to my SPOT Shared Page. It will show only the activity over the last 7 days.
A fellow I know has started playing with the SPOT messages and put together a program called SPOT Trip Manager (STM) where we can manage our SPOT trips. His site will let me control the exact date/time window that I want to show on the map. Thanks Jason for all the work you put in on this great program.
Update: Jason's Spot Trip Manager site is now called SpotWalla. http://spotwalla.com/index.php
1. Fleetering About in 2008. I didn't get the SPOT until late May so the Illinois Moonshine Run, Georgia trip, or the Cape Fear Rally in North Carolina didn't get tracked. This is an ongoing map collecting all the trips so far this year.
http://spotwalla.com/tripViewer.php?id=41
The ongoing tracking map can get confusing with all the tracking spots listed so I've created smaller windows of time to show the separate trips.
2. Minuteman 1000 Rally
http://spotwalla.com/tripViewer.php?id=49
3. Summer Mountain Ride (SMR) Elkins, WV
http://spotwalla.com/tripViewer.php?id=117
This is still a learning experience. Hopefully the maps will work. Let me know what you think.
Hey Fleeter,
ReplyDeleteJohn with SPOT here. The trip manager looks very cool. I'd love to hear more about it and how you're using it.
You can contact me at john.dark@findmespot.com
Best,
John Dark