The mapping project

[Jools]

I'm starting a new thread to pull together a number of old ones. Mats and I are going to have a look at adding maps the site.

The general idea is that for each body of water, we will have a pop-up google map. Them as species are listed in that body of water, then we have a link of where a species lives.

It's a start!

Alex Geraskin has also volunteered to help capture the map data.

So, first Mats and I will get the technical side working (I hope!), and then Alex can join in with the data entry but you can all follow progress by subscribing to this topic.

Cheers,

Jools

[Jools]

Mats,

I think we could put the code in a tooltip so when one hovers over a BOFW on the species page then it shows a map? But, first things first, why not make it clickable and go to a page that works as per this Google example?

Up for it?

Jools

[MatsP]

Sure. I just want to finish the food-stuff first...

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Mats

[Jools]

Absolutely, just went public with it so folks (primarily Alex) could see what was going on.

Jools

[MatsP]

I have submitted the food changes.

I'm starting to have a play with the mapping right now. First step is just to figure out what I can achieve...

An extension, as and when possible, would be to add coordinates to the species database too, so we can "show on map" the type location (for example) of a species. And perhaps also for the collecting articles?

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Mats

[MatsP]

Ok, so when I use my local database to fetch latitude and longitude, I get this:

I have adjusted the template code given by Google to make the view only occupy about a quarter of the screen, and using the database to fetch the coordinates for Rio Xingu.

There's more stuff to do, but I think it's a good start...

Next steps (I think this is roughly in the "right" order):
(Done) 1. Make it possible for Alex Geraskin (AleGer) to enter data into the table.
(Done) 2. Add zoom value so we can choose different scale for tiny, small, medium, big and huge bodies of water.
(Done) 3. Make it work with "hover" over bodies of water in the Cat-eLog [etc].
(Alex is ONIT) 4. Me or Alex enter a small number of elements to the database, and try it out a bit. (I've added data for Rio Xingu and Rio Orinoco)
(Done) 5. Show in bofw-tree that the body has map.
(Done [for now]) 6. Add "water" bbcode feature.
(Done [icon]) 7. Have two different "styles" in Cat-eLog list of bodies of water based on map or not [or some other way of indicating "you can get a map of this" - maybe a "map icon" next to the list of bodies of water].

[Edit: added further steps...]

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Mats

[Jools]

Thats a great start.

Suggest I do any changes to the admin security model for step 1 and also suggest I do step 3 (will need a map code snippet).

Suggest also adding an indicator to the bofw tree to indicate if a body has map data or not. Step 5?

Jools

[MatsP]

I edited the above post regarding some of the future work we're doing. I will need to go shopping today, but should be able to do some good work today.

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Mats

[MatsP]

Work is progressing quite well, I'd say. Latitude and Longitude data for the map can be entered. We are currently working out how we should show the map - it probably will be a "hover over shows the map" type feature.

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Mats

[MatsP]

Updated the "todo list" with what's done so far.

Will work on the "bofw-map" right now..

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Mats

[Jools]

Great work. I should get some time tonight to polish it up, if needed, and it will go into live. Then it's up to AleGer and whomever else to get the maps on.


Cheers

Jools

[MatsP]

The easy part of todo-item #6 is done - there is a "water" bbcode tag.

Now, the difficult part will be to make it work as a proper tag, so when you hover over it, it will show a map, and when you click it will show the species that live in the that water...
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Mats

[Jools]

OK, well let's talk about the bbcode offline until it's working.

Meantime, I have uploaded the map code and also styled it a little bit so with a nice border and dropshadow. Also, it displays an inset by default which I really quite like.

So, AleGer, over to you! Actually, maybe Mats you could write a introduction?

Jools

[MatsP]

So, trying out the latest mapping feature: Xingu - clicking that should give the search results for fish from Rio Xingu!

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Mats

[Jools]

Mats has now added the new bofw (Body Of FreshWater) feature. Use like this: these are the other fishes found in the Rio Xingu.

Jools

[MatsP]

It doesn't seem to work tho'. Is the bbcode replacement code correct (check that you replaced "localhost" before anything else!)

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Mats

[MatsP]

Mats has now added the new bofw (Body Of FreshWater) feature. Use like this: these are the other fishes found in the Rio Xingu.

Jools

I think it's "Body OF Water" actually... ;)

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Mats

[Jools]

Well, that is hilarious. The things that you assume and don't find out until the car rolls off the production line.

Anyway, now it's working?

Jools

[MatsP]

Doesn't seem to work for me.

Wanna send me a screenshot of the BBcode page (editting the bofw bbcode tag)?

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Mats

[Jools]

Huallaga

Jools

[Jools]

It appears a timing issue, anyway, the search page is now formatted to as you will see if you click on the link in the post one previous.

Cheers,

Jools

[MatsP]

Let me try: Negro

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Mats

[MatsP]

So, what's left to do - I think I've done everything on the todo-list above.

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Mats

[Jools]

Job done, I think?

Jools

[MatsP]

Well, two things that come to mind (for "Mapping project part II" perhaps):
1. Type locations / known distributions from Fishbase (or another suitable place) [and show that on map]
2. Show genus/family distributions on map.
3. Add "traces" of rivers [massive amount of work!]

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Mats

[Jools]

There is a lot more indeed. What "fish are near me", cross reference with local weather conditions, and the things (or variants thereof) you mention. I would suggest that none of them are worked on until all rivers, lakes etc are mapped. You're put in so much work to get this far, it would only get diluted (pun intended) by more development at the moment.

Jools
BTW I had look at traces of rivers last night, relatively easy if it's achieved by using the API's water layer and style/colouring it in something very vivid.

[MatsP]

I think what we are doing with it now is "done", so I'm moving this to resolved.

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Mats

[Jools]

Yes, I agree.

It would just be nice however if more folks would step forward and work on adding maps beyond just Mats.

Jools

[TP]

Is it something I could do or does it require programming skills.

I'm in China and then Oz for a month but I could have a go when I get back

[MatsP]

No programming skills needed.

As long as you can use google maps and Wikipedia (etc), and know how to type numbers into a field on a web-page, it's enough. The tricky bit is that you need to enter a set of long/lat numbers for a river - that means you have to figure out what point is going to represent a certain river...

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Mats