A How To - OpenOrieenteeringMapper through OOM to PurplePen

[MichaelRaz]

Edit (2 Feb):  After communication with the Purple Pen developer it has been confirmed that there is an issue with using OOM as the event map when OOM has an embedded template that is georeferenced (as I point out below and provide a workaround).  Besides my workaround below (save as and OCAD format), a second option is to set up OOM as I describe then turn off the geo-referencing of the template check mark bottom right when in the Template management/edit mode.  Or stick with saving as OCAD!  Likely in a couple of weeks a new version of Purple Pen will be released that fixes this - I'll test it when it comes out.

I know that many people are using the OpenOrienteeringMap Web application  OpenOrienteeringMap to make quick and simple maps/courses based off OSM map data.  Given that the application will also produce the KMZ and KML files needed for MapRunF, I suspect it is even more popular with those setting up MapRunF courses.  It does have limitations, primarily no ability to edit the map and the course design being limited to Score-O format only.  On the other end of the spectrum there are those that have access to OCAD, Condes and various other paid applications, with lots of mapping experience – this post is not for those!!


My aim was to develop a fairly easy way to start with a base map from OpenOrienteeringMap but allow for some map editing and much more capable course setting while sticking with free software.  I’ll admit that it took lots of trial and error to get a simple process that did not end up with controls at the wrong place, map shifter and more.  I suspect this may be more related to something I’m doing wrong but for now, I’m sticking with what I have here that works!  The goal is to start with OpenOrienteeringMap, bring this into OpenOrienteering OpenOrienteering Mapper (OOM) where you can make some map edits (including rotating to Magnetic North if desired), then use PurplePen  PurplePen (PP)  to design and publish courses and maps.  The most challenging issue is using the correct settings to ensure proper geo-referencing (from the initial image) is maintained through the complete process.  Second challenge was how to (fairly) easily make use of a better quality image available from the original step.

I put a quick (and so-so quality) YouTube video that walks through the process available at YouTube Video or, for those more text inclined, I’ve attached a PDF of the steps (although more information is contained in the video). Steps.pdf

Please keep in mind, I’m assuming some knowledge (or willingness to figure out on your own) about OOM and PP.  Happy to get question, comments (positive, negative, alternatives) on this process but can’t really help with the use of OOM or PurplePen.

Hopefully this will help out somebody.

[epeesharkey]

Wow,

I just signed up to the forum to say thanks!

I'm not a very 'map-oriented' person but those instructions look pretty clear and I cannot wait to try them out.

That work-flow looks like it can manage to get a more natural flow from OOM into Purple Pen.

(Where today, one has to start on OOM, adjust controls in Google Earth and then finally re-enter ALL the controls in PP).

Looking forward to giving this a try and will report back.

[MichaelRaz]

Please do let me know if you have any comments/additions/criticisms of the process.

[epeesharkey]

Hi @MichaelRaz

Yes, that all works fine! I actually found the instructions in the PDF "Steps" really clear and easy to follow.

So far I didn't actually create a Maprun, but I did the following: used your method to make a KML using controls placed with Purple Pen on a geo-reffed (in OOM)  Open Orienteering Map . Then used Google Earth Pro to test the locations of the controls.

Of course it is still more 'fiddly' than one would wish, but this does look like a great toolchain for an  'Orienteering' workflow. As you point out it overcomes the shortfalls in Open Orienteering Map and allows working in Purple Pen for creating events and courses. Bravo to you!

The steps towards a better jpg by extracting the tile from the KMZ also look straightforward, though I've not yet done it.

Step-by-step of what I did:

- Create 'blank' map in Open Orienteering web app at the right coverage and scale. Exported the jpg and jgw files (one note -- they need to have identical names apart from the extension).

- Opened OOM and did the template and geo-ref as in your instructions. (one note: your instructions say 'by EPSN code' -- in my version of OOM the corresponding option is 'by EPSG code'

- I could have but didn't edit the map in OOM, this would be a nice upgrade on doing it in the Open Orienteering web app or PP (where the edit facilities are very basic).

- Saved it as a OCAD using latest one (v10). Throws some warnings but creates.

- Made a new PurplePen event and used the OCAD map saved.

- Placed a Start and around 40 controls, exported as IOF XML 3. (note -- I think you should specify XML3 ?)

- I tried using the o-utils but had some problems with them (also found it too fiddly to have to work with an extra zip file)

- So for now I created a small script that converts the XML into KML.

- Just looking at it in Google Earth Pro - all the controls are 'pretty much' at the locations I expect from the map.

- Of course they are not exactly there, but I think this is normal (same as if I put controls on the Open Orienteering map and export the KML from there. ) Maybe I should think of adjusting the magnetic North (?)

- So I think a usual practice of moving the controls around in the GE and re-saving the KML will work fine. The PP controls are in the right place 'on the map' and don't need to move again.  

[MichaelRaz]

Appreciate the feedback!  Some comments (in no particular order) then another issue I seem to have found:

"- Saved it as a OCAD using latest one (v10). ":  You should have a version 12 option - check the version of OOM you are using.  not sure it makes any difference but...

"- Just looking at it in Google Earth Pro - all the controls are 'pretty much' at the locations I expect from the map.":  I'm hoping you are talking about very small differences here and there, rather than a general shifting?  If you include the KMZ map in GE, the controls should match on that but you may find the KMX does not match perfectly with GE due to mapping errors.  If there is a general shifting of all controls something is going wrong.

"- So I think a usual practice of moving the controls around in the GE and re-saving the KML will work fine.":  In general some adjustment will be needed regardless of the origin of the "paper" map. Small inaccuracies on a map are not generally even noticed by a runner and, in some cases control locations are adjusted (from reality) on purpose (to make them more visible on the map as an example.  Problem with GPS punching is that, on a 1:10000, a 1mm shift in a control is 10m on the ground.

"- I tried using the o-utils but had some problems with them (also found it too fiddly to have to work with an extra zip file)":  I, like you, have my own tools to convert an XML to KML courses so I have not used the O-Util in a long time - I should have checked.  
Despite the XML V3 being georeferenced (lon/lat), the O-Util convert utility pops an error that it is not georeferenced or not UTM.  I now remember running into this in the early days.  I have not figured out the issue with the IOF-XML-V3 but, ages ago, figured out the problem with the V2 export from Purple Pen.  The V2 XML is in UTM which any applications needs to know the zone to be able to use and this is not available in the XML produced by Purple Pen.  If you export a V2 XML, edit it in a text editor and add (second line):

replacing the 18T North with your UTM zone.  With this file the O-Util application will convert to KMLs.  I'm not sure if there is an issue with the KML in that the default PP Start and finish control names are STA1 FIN1 rather than S1 F1.  Need to test that.

Like you, I wrote my own tools to handle a bunch of these things.  Given that we often have multiple courses for a site (developed in a single PP file in my case), my workflow (not necessarily good for anyone else) is:
Export XMLV3 (or the V2 if you provide the UTM zone)course from Purple Pen (including the All Controls).
Drop this on my tool and it pulls out (depends on options selected) the All Controls KML (and, if selected, the KMLs for all courses adjusted with correct Start/finish names and course name to Course1).
I can then adjust the All Controls KML in GE as required and save.  Here is where I initially found it a pain as any of these changes are not in the individual course KMLs so I added:
Drag and drop the updated All controls KML and the original XML where the original XML gets updated with any changes to control locations.  Basically the XML becomes my Master file (as it, unlike the KMLs, contains all the controls and all the courses together) which I can then use to, once again, produce updated Course KMLs. I can also re-sequence the control numbers from 1,2,3 ... for each course (rather than the control codes that will be like 34,53,36 ...).  This makes it much easier for the runner to use HITMO and match the control numbers showing on the apps to the control sequence.

[epeesharkey]

Hi @Michael

thanks for those -- helpful comments.

OCAD - yes I am using v12 and writing v10 was an error.

"If there is a general shifting of all controls something is going wrong.": Thanks for the tip about turning the KMZ layer back on. Curiously it does seem there is a consistent ~5m shift to N on each control c/w the KMZ map. Because the KMZ map doesn't conform so closely to 'reality' then the actual shift can be a bit different and in a different direction, so that the actual impact of the shift may in fact not be material, or may be hoovered up by any general adjustment in GE.

In fact one of my club colleagues, who knows more about mapping than I do recently reported an issue with PPen -- I think is he working off a map already geo-reffed, possibly from Ocad. He says there is a consistent N-shift in PPen output, consistent with the scale of the map (he reckons ~5 m for 1:10000).

"I, like you, have my own tools to convert an XML to KML courses so I have not used the O-Util in a long time - I should have checked.  " I blush to hear what I did described as a tool -- it was a dirty hack that worked but only does one thing XML v 3.0 to KML. Thanks for the explanation about the XML v2, that might be useful sometime. You are right about the STA1 and FIN1 -- need to be changed to S1 and F1 for MapRun -- they also need to be at the start and end of the KML, I'm not sure if PPen always writes the XML in that style (maybe it will depend on the order they are created).

Your tools with the ability to reverse-engineer the PPen XML once the Google Earth 'corrections' are made sounds very useful. However I wonder how you can do that since PPen doesn't seem to allow 'import' of XML? Are you editing in a text editor instead?

[MichaelRaz]

I'll spend a bit of time to see if there is a basic shift.  May also be related to what coord system is being used and converted???  The PP developer just confirmed to me the issue with maps coming from OOM and in the OMAP format as I had found (with the workaround to save as OCAD).  This should be fixed in a week or so with a new PP release apparently.

"I'm not sure if PPen always writes the XML in that style".  The individual courses in the XML should be in the correct order although I realize that my tool does capture the start and finish then make sure they are in the right spot - maybe I ran into an issue at one point so made this adjustment - I don't remember! Nothing like a good text editor to do some cut and pasting.

"However I wonder how you can do that since PPen doesn't seem to allow 'import' of XML?" Likely did not explain my workflow well as you are correct.  Once I have the XML I use this as my Master course(s) file.  If I adjust some controls in the KML this is written back to the XML (in the control section) so when I re-export the individual courses from the adjusted XML all is good.  I do not feed this back to PP (and don't want to as the map may be good - just the GPS locations off).  If I really modify a control location then I can  change this in PP for a new map output but the XML and PP are separate.  Works well until you want to make a bunch of major changes then it is easier to go back to PP and start again.

I'm happy to share my tools but it is a windows exe, based on my workflow and is not full of error catching code - do something weird and it will just crash.  I'm not really a coder - just play around.