Google Earth Map

[SM247]

The only work left is mapping the actual routes, which will take some time, and then adding whatever connecting train/ferry services are near the route or any express stops or interchanges along the route. BBI has kindly agreed to host the most up-to-date versions as I finish them at http://www.brisbanebusoperators.info/SE ... ortMap.kmz. (The Board will not let me upload a .kmz file as an attachment.)

Progress updates will be added as new posts so I don't lose the thread (I doubt it merits a sticky).

- Routes will be added in the following order:
--- All TransLink bus routes in usual 3-digit sequence starting with Route 100 and ending with Route 799
--- TX1, TX2 & TX5
--- NightLink routes
--- Surfside's remaining pre-TransLink numbered routes (unless these are amended before I reach them)
--- Free Loop, CitySights, Surfside Tweed routes, Port of Brisbane (i.e. all non-TL routes of what are otherwise TL operators)
--- BCC ferry routes
--- QR Citytrain lines
--- Non-TransLink bus routes in the region (e.g. Garden City Sunbus, Murwillumbah Bus Co, Hinterland Connect service)
--- Non-TransLink ferry routes in the region (i.e. Moreton Bay services)
--- Non-TransLink railway lines in the region (closest thing would be the Broadbeach monorail I suppose )

[bunza]

Excellent work! I can see this improved edition being VERY useful when complete. I love the flythroughs of routes.

[Deleted 16/4/2008]

The SEQ Transport Map has been updated too include routes 100-170. It is still available from the original address up the top.

[SM247]

Progress update at 28 January 2008:

All routes up to and including Route 285 have been fully mapped, with the exception of new and amended Routes 137 and 207 commencing on 18 February 2008, details of which were not available at the time of posting.

[SM247]

Progress update at 3 February 2008:

All routes up to and including Route 328 have been fully mapped, with the exception of new and amended Routes 137 and 207 commencing on 18 February 2008, details of which were not available at the time of posting.

[SM247]

Progress update at 10 February 2008:

All routes up to and including Route 334 have been fully mapped. I have also mapped the 340, 341, 370, 376 and 392, which all sprung out of a series of routes common to Gympie Rd starting with the 330.

The main reason for this update is that I have now installed all the express stops, stations, stand info etc to a standard I consider reasonable. If anybody has any suggestions or can point out any inaccuracies I would be greatly obliged and will fix them up when I can.

I will still be looking at including additional information for some major shopping centres or other locations as time goes on and I will of course have to amend bits and pieces when changes occur. However the main job now is just to finish drawing in the pretty coloured lines, everything else is there.

[Hendikins]

Interestingly enough, a while ago I was looking at doing something like this for QR stations only, as I'd previously done for CityRail.

Attached is the placemark format I was looking to use for that, which is a slightly adjusted version of the one I used for CityRail stations.

Thoughts?

[SM247]

Interestingly enough, a while ago I was looking at doing something like this for QR stations only, as I'd previously done for CityRail.

Attached is the placemark format I was looking to use for that, which is a slightly adjusted version of the one I used for CityRail stations.

Thoughts?

Looks good. I'm only going to be using text for now because it is such a huge job as it is to keep track of all the express and other stops and they can change quite regularly, not like the rail system. I am looking at eventually moving to some colour coding myself but not for ages yet.

[Hendikins]

What I might do is fork the rail section, clean it up, then you can merge it back in when I'm done.

After all, you've saved me from having to locate all the stations, which is always a great start.

A couple of things I would suggest for the sake of brevity:
* Listing the services for each platform is going to be severe overkill. Just look at Central, Roma St, Eagle Junction, etc. It would be more intuitive to just list which lines pass through the station. Leave the excruciating details for QR, Wikipedia, QROTI, etc.

* I'd probably just list the route numbers of buses passing through the stations - particularly if I can work out how to link them to the route data. This wouldn't apply to bus stop/interchange placemarks.

On another note, surely there has to be some way to have a single placemark in multiple folders. One would hope, at least. Not a criticism, mind you, given *I* don't know it yet...

[BT Buses]

Can I suggest the removal of the comment of after 930pm drop off!

[SM247]

What I might do is fork the rail section, clean it up, then you can merge it back in when I'm done.

After all, you've saved me from having to locate all the stations, which is always a great start.

A couple of things I would suggest for the sake of brevity:
* Listing the services for each platform is going to be severe overkill. Just look at Central, Roma St, Eagle Junction, etc. It would be more intuitive to just list which lines pass through the station. Leave the excruciating details for QR, Wikipedia, QROTI, etc.

* I'd probably just list the route numbers of buses passing through the stations - particularly if I can work out how to link them to the route data. This wouldn't apply to bus stop/interchange placemarks.

On another note, surely there has to be some way to have a single placemark in multiple folders. One would hope, at least. Not a criticism, mind you, given *I* don't know it yet...

Thanks, but for various reasons I would prefer to have my own in the way I have it set up for the sake of completeness. Please feel free to have a fiddle with mine or incorporate it into yours, but I will ultimately be going with what I have.

I find having the multiple stops is actually a good checking mechanism, as I have uncovered numerous errors that way that would have gone undiscovered had I not been focusing on each stop individually.

Can I suggest the removal of the comment of after 930pm drop off!

Can I ask why? It is in the timetables but I don't have too much experience with late night express buses in Brisbane.

[Volvo B12BLEA]

Can I suggest the removal of the comment of after 930pm drop off!

Can I ask why? It is in the timetables but I don't have too much experience with late night express buses in Brisbane.

It is in the Timetables so leave it. Some Bus Operators don't like the after 9.30pm drop off.

[T1248]

BT Buses just doesn't like the rule as he has to go out of his way to help people.

[Hendikins]

Thanks, but for various reasons I would prefer to have my own in the way I have it set up for the sake of completeness. Please feel free to have a fiddle with mine or incorporate it into yours, but I will ultimately be going with what I have.

I personally feel completeness vs intuitiveness is a balance - in this instance, it isn't actually incomplete per se. However, I can't tell you how to do your own project *shrug*

I find having the multiple stops is actually a good checking mechanism, as I have uncovered numerous errors that way that would have gone undiscovered had I not been focusing on each stop individually.

I'm not referring to multiple stops that are different. Having a dozen placemarks for the same stop saying the same thing, however...

An example would be Roma St. Because of how this is worked, you've got 15 different placemarks for the same spot saying the same thing (although the data may be retrieved from a single source). It is this duplication that I refer to.

On an unrelated note, you can shrink the size of the data file if you wish by firing up a text editor and cleaning up the redundant styling. Unfortunately Google Earth creates a style in the KML file for each individual placemark, even if you've got two (or a thousand) that are styled in exactly the same manner. In the case of the rail data, stripping out the redundant styling resulted in a file size reduction of almost 25% with no change at all to how the information is presented.

[BT Buses]

BT Buses just doesn't like the rule as he has to go out of his way to help people.

I don't like it because people abuse it, some pax believe they can be dropped off where THEY want, without the regards to road/passenger safety, and also try and get drivers to drop off even before 930! There are guidelines that drivers have to obey by too, which is the traffic act in doing such things, but some passengers don't understand why we won't let them off at a set of lights, or at the street corner to an intersection!

Anyway back on topic, how long until you reckon you'll have the map finished?

[SM247]

[quote"Hendikins"]I'm not referring to multiple stops that are different. Having a dozen placemarks for the same stop saying the same thing, however...

An example would be Roma St. Because of how this is worked, you've got 15 different placemarks for the same spot saying the same thing (although the data may be retrieved from a single source). It is this duplication that I refer to.[/quote]

Can't exactly see the problem here.

On an unrelated note, you can shrink the size of the data file if you wish by firing up a text editor and cleaning up the redundant styling. Unfortunately Google Earth creates a style in the KML file for each individual placemark, even if you've got two (or a thousand) that are styled in exactly the same manner. In the case of the rail data, stripping out the redundant styling resulted in a file size reduction of almost 25% with no change at all to how the information is presented.

Thanks for the advice, but I'm just a humble lawyer and the above is all Greek to me.

Anyway back on topic, how long until you reckon you'll have the map finished?

Can't say to be honest.

[Hendikins]

I'm not referring to multiple stops that are different. Having a dozen placemarks for the same stop saying the same thing, however...

An example would be Roma St. Because of how this is worked, you've got 15 different placemarks for the same spot saying the same thing (although the data may be retrieved from a single source). It is this duplication that I refer to.

Can't exactly see the problem here.

Just clutter. Nothing more than that.

On an unrelated note, you can shrink the size of the data file if you wish by firing up a text editor and cleaning up the redundant styling. Unfortunately Google Earth creates a style in the KML file for each individual placemark, even if you've got two (or a thousand) that are styled in exactly the same manner. In the case of the rail data, stripping out the redundant styling resulted in a file size reduction of almost 25% with no change at all to how the information is presented.

Thanks for the advice, but I'm just a humble lawyer and the above is all Greek to me.

To use an analogy: By default it says "This placemark has a blue image of a train" (in code) a few hundred times. You could have it say "All rail placemarks have a blue image of a train", saving a lot of space.

I also expect it would make the map load somewhat quicker, however I didn't test this theory.

One other thing you can do if you have the time (and are willing to get your paws a bit dirty) is add snippets to the placemarks. By default, Google Earth uses the first few lines of the placemark description when you load your list of placemarks in the sidebar. It is possible to insert 1 or 2 lines of more descriptive text to be used instead - something like the address of a station, for example.

Example of a placemark and a snippet in Google Earth:


Example code:

Code: Select all

      <Placemark>
         <name>Waitara</name>
         <Snippet maxLines="1">Alexandria Pde, Waitara</Snippet>
         <description><![CDATA[***Actual description snipped to save space***]]></description>
         <styleUrl>#msn_rail</styleUrl>
         <Point>
            <coordinates>151.104446,-33.710079,0</coordinates>
         </Point>
      </Placemark>

[SM247]

Progress update at 8 March 2008:

All routes up to and including Route 379 have been fully mapped, together with Route 392.

[BT Buses]

Is there an 'on-line' versions (ie, go into a website to view rather than google earth)? Why I am asking is I find that Vista doesn't like Google Earth (or at least on my pc), and freezes the whole pc

[T1200]

Is there an 'on-line' versions (ie, go into a website to view rather than google earth)? Why I am asking is I find that Vista doesn't like Google Earth (or at least on my pc), and freezes the whole pc

No. If you are having trouble with Google Earth in Vista then run it in compatibility mode for Windows XP. If you need help with this, PM me.

[Volvo B12BLEA]

Google Earth runs fine on my Vista Computer, has worked perfect from day 1.

[SM247]

Progress update at 16 March 2008:

All routes up to and including Route 501 have been fully mapped. This means all of BT has been done except the GCL, CitySights and Free Loop. I have sent the update to BBI for uploading and it will be ready shortly.

There was quite a bit of progress this week thanks to the 'cut-and-paste' option offered by the 'Import' function and the fact that so many western suburbs routes are virtually the same for much of the tricky bits like Indooroopilly. However I will have to go back a review the Veolia routes now, as soon as maps are available.

[BT Buses]

CBF trying to get this to work on my Vista pc, so used my XP laptop, and you have done well adding all these routes.

Just a question though?
A-How can I say select a route and print the route with only the line of the route and also the street names that the route travels along? (what i'm tring to achieve here is to use as a bus route map rather than the current bus route maps that we have...)

[Volvo B12BLEA]

How is this going to affect your work?
Google Transit
The actual story is in the Technology section.

[BT Buses]

Hey, you might be able to get google to pay you money here as you've done a fair bit of the hardwork for them...