Add Waypoint (or Search Map) by Entering Coordinates
Completed
Being able to mark a waypoint simply by entering coordinates would save a TON of time. (Lat/Long, UTM, etc.)
Also being able to enter coordinates in the map view to set the map to that location would be VERY helpful.
Thank you!
-
Official comment
Hi everyone,
I wanted to let everybody know, with the release of the new web map on gaiagps.com you can now search and create waypoints with 4 different coordinate types.- Decimal Degrees (lat/long)
- Degrees, minutes, seconds
- UTM
- MGRS
Check out this article to learn more: https://help.gaiagps.com/hc/en-us/articles/360026835693Comment actions -
@GlennZieve Where is a button that says "add a waypoint"? On the map view, I see Create > Create Waypoints, but no “add a waypoint” button. (Clicking on Create Waypoints does not give the option to enter coordinates that actually creates a waypoint on coordinates entered.)
Could you please be more specific? Thank you.
-
Sorry, there isn't any "Add A Waypoint" button, I was being lazy.
On the website from the map view: Select Create > Create Waypoint > click anywhere on the map. The coordinates will fill in automatically for wherever you clicked. Then you can change the coordinates to whatever you like.
-
You're right, it won't change the position on the map. You have to change the coordinates within the app on the phone using "Edit/Reposition" to change the actual location.
I found this from Ashli in another thread: "There isn't a way to add a waypoint using coordinates on gaiagps.com right now, sorry about that. You can do that in the app and it will upload to the website automatically. Also, I think that we will add this ability in the near future, but I don't have an ETA for that right now."
Yep, definitely need this!
-
There's a workaround (ish) that I use.
Paste your lat/long into the search bar and search. That will center the map on the location. Create your waypoint and try to click in the middle of the map (or use the + to zoom in more first). Kind of annoying, but it gets me pretty close. I usually drag it around until the coordinate match what I was looking for. Alternatively, it looks like you can edit the link and manually enter lat/long: random location entered as an example...
https://www.gaiagps.com/map/?layer=GaiaTopoRasterFeet&lat=53.0379&lon=-106.6596&zoom=18
A simpler workaround for the developers (maybe) would be to create the waypoint at the center of the map automatically, instead of having to click on the map to create the first waypoint. The idea is that you search for your coordinates, the map centers on them, click Create -> Create Waypoints and the first one appears at map center, click save and you're done.
-
Wow, it's insane that this isn't a core feature! Also (developers), it'd be really nice when you get around to implementing this feature if you could include hooks to recognize lat/long in its various formats (like fractional degrees, degrees plus fractional minutes, deg/min/sec, etc) rather than limiting recognition to a single format and forcing the user to convert first. Thanks!
-
Yes, it is a shame. This feature is rudimentary high school coding, and absolutely a critical and essential feature! This and several other rudimentary features are keeping me for upgrading, specifically: 1. A decent place name search (try Bear Rocks WV, it can't find one of the most photographed spots in WV); 2. Being able to be in the map and click on a way point and it opens to edit it, the notes you took in the field etc.; 3. zoom in to the same resolution on satellite view as you can on Google so you can actually see details on the ground; 4. significantly better, sorting and cataloging of tracks, way points etc; 5. a built in route and track editor that lets you move, concatenate, chop off, merge almost over laid tracks into one, etc.!
-
captain dirtbag said, "Paste your lat/long into the search bar and search. That will center the map on the location. Create your waypoint and try to click in the middle of the map (or use the + to zoom in more first). Kind of annoying, but it gets me pretty close. I usually drag it around until the coordinate match what I was looking for."
Ha! This works on my iPad but not on the website version on my Mac........Maddening!!!!
-
This has been fixed. I have been entering coordinates of waypoints for some time now. In both the iOS and Gaiagps versions.
The problem now, is when you enter a coordinate in Gaiagps, it doesn't place a marker on the map so you can see where it actually is when you zoom in. That's frustrating.
But in iOS, it works just fine and places a marker on that spot while you zoom in and out.
-
@stevenboise - I'm not super techy or great with gps apps and such but I'm not figuring it out on ios or online. I've searched a ton and played with both the app and online version - what am I missing? How are you actually entering waypoints?
I can "add" a waypoint, then go change it, but that's a huge pain and skips me all over the map and it doesn't change the location of the point. I'd really like to plan a route by simply entering waypoints from others routes or that I find online for specific routes and such.
Any input would be greatly appreciated - TYIA!
-
Coming back to this after months ... glad to hear it's being worked on, although it still sounds like it has a way to go on all platforms. Note, though, dhkiel1959ta: there's no reason to be mean about it; that's not productive. Since the codebase isn't open, it's a poor assumption to state that it's "rudimentary high school coding". Clearly, they've developed their own widget library, which means they can't rely on built-in primitives to do a lot of heavy lifting, and likely have to add a UI workflow that works cross-platform. And while conceptually it's not that difficult to support different GPS coordinate systems, we don't know if the they have been abstracted in a way that would allow for multiple representations across all data structures and UIs of the app, so if it's not baked in from the start it could be a huge amount of work to retrofit. Requesting a feature from developers and denigrating them for not already having done it are two completely different things. Cut the developers some slack and be productive about it.
-
@stevenboise: This is not fixed. Being able to add waypoints (or search/center the map) by entering coordinates via gaiagps.com is not possible.
@JLorraine: It is possible to add waypoints via the iOS app by tapping the + then Add Waypoint.
@barclay: I agree that there is no need to be rude to the developers, though I can understand @dhkiel1959ta’s frustration. However, even if Gaia did build their own platform, since this feature is built into the iOS app already, it shouldn’t be too difficult to implement into the web app as well.
I’m really wanting—and patiently waiting for—this feature (as well as others I have requested) to be implemented.
-
@adam - I know how to add waypoints by just clicking on the + then add waypoint, I'm looking to be able to enter coordinates manually to give me the waypoints to build a route (I think I kept calling the coordinates waypoints confusing everyone, sorry).
For instance, I get coordinates for a certain canyon I'm going to do from a friend or from beta online and I'd like to be able to manually enter each one to give me the waypoints to navigate to the trailhead, through the canyon, exit, etc.
Is it possible to do this and I'm missing something or this the feature I am correctly requesting here (and patiently waiting for!)?
-
@JLorraine
Just go up to the search window in either Gaiagps or in iOS and type in the coordinate of the location you want.
Like this:
34.657383, -115.729464Hit enter and Gaia will take you there.
In iOS, Gaia will drop a marker at that spot and you can zoom in and out without it moving. Once you have a marker, click the “add a waypoint” button and hit “save.” Fill out the name of the waypoint and any other data yiu want to enter and you’re good.
In Gaiagps, no marker is dropped at that coordinate. This is the bug that hasn’t been corrected.
I tried to say this a few days ago. As the OP asked (the two specific questions they asked), this has been fixed.
You can copy a coordinate from Google Maps, for instance, and paste it in the search window as well. It will work that way too.
I don’t know about Android.
-
@JLorraine you can follow the instructions from @stevenboise to set your waypoints, then create a route to trace them manually. This will work the same on Android, too.
@stevenboise We're planning to add this feature to the website. It's on the roadmap :) The reason it isn't available yet, is because this feature and many other new features for the map are depending on a large under-the-hood project to replace the mapping framework used here with a better one.
I think that project will get totally done this summer... We recently were able to hire one of the people who helped build the actual mapping framework we're now implementing on gaiagps.com. Other people at the company started this mapping project, but he'll finish it after he gets ramped up a bit!
-
Thanks for the reply, Ashli.
I saw the FB post about the new hires. Good to see.
I have no problems with a yearly fee for this product when the on-line customer service is good (that’s you) and I consistently see Gaia trying to improve the software.
Good software takes time and I have some understanding of the behind the scenes issues making quality software improvements takes.
In just the few months I’ve been a subscriber I’ve seen many improvements.
Keep up the good work.
-
@Ashli Baldwin Thank you for the insight! I'm glad this feature has made it to the roadmap. Looking forward to it!
*cough* https://help.gaiagps.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/115008333228-More-Waypoint-Icon-Choices *cough*
-
If you have a lot of waypoints to add via coordinates, dump them into an excel file following the instructions here:
https://www.earthpoint.us/ExcelToKml.aspx
Then, upload the excel to that site, and click "View on Google Earth". At least on my mac, this triggered a .kml file download which I imported into Gaia. I added 20+ waypoints from a list of campsites in only a few minutes.
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Comments
44 comments