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Is the Clinched Highway Mapping site still active?

Started by 1995hoo, February 18, 2015, 01:57:06 PM

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oscar

Quote from: froggie on March 28, 2015, 04:32:51 PM
Could just keep it simple, like "Highway Mapping" or "Travel Mapping".  The latter would be more appropriate if we ever delve into rail transit systems like a few have suggested.

I like the second suggestion, to make the new project's name simple and more different from the old project.  Especially appropriate to drop "clinched", which CHM defines to mean travel of an entire route -- some people want to track partially-traveled routes, without aspiring to cover entire routes.
my Hot Springs and Highways pages, with links to my roads sites:
http://www.alaskaroads.com/home.html


vdeane

Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

1995hoo

Something like Mapmikey's suggestion might make the site something non-roadgeeks might look at. You don't need to be interested in roads to be interested in keeping track of where you've been–indeed, I first started highlighting a map when I got the idea from my French roommate my first year of law school. He wasn't into roads, but he was highlighting everywhere he'd been in the USA during his year here.

But "Clinched Highway Mapping" is not a name that is likely to mean much to the average user until he reads more of the info on the site. Even the front page of the existing site arguably assumes you already understand what it's about.
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

oscar

#178
Quote from: 1995hoo on March 28, 2015, 06:26:11 PM
Something like Mapmikey's suggestion might make the site something non-roadgeeks might look at. You don't need to be interested in roads to be interested in keeping track of where you've been–indeed, I first started highlighting a map when I got the idea from my French roommate my first year of law school. He wasn't into roads, but he was highlighting everywhere he'd been in the USA during his year here.

Of course, the county-counting site mob-rule.com is perfect for showing where you've been, within the U.S. and Canada; and there are other sites to track the countries you've visited (not me, my country count is pretty piddling).  CHM, and the new project, are more oriented to the details of how we got there (currently just major highways, but could be expanded to cover other transport modes).  I would want to maintain that difference from mob-rule.com so that they remain complementary, rather than overlapping, resources.

I agree that "Clinched Highway Mapping" doesn't draw non-roadgeeks, though I expect that even if the project expands beyond highways, most non-geeks will notice but not want to use it.
my Hot Springs and Highways pages, with links to my roads sites:
http://www.alaskaroads.com/home.html

Jim

Quote from: Mapmikey on March 28, 2015, 04:46:58 PM
M.Y. Travels

(Map Your Travels)

Mapmikey

I like this one.  Variations on appropriate domain names are fairly well picked over.
Photos I post are my own unless otherwise noted.
Signs: https://www.teresco.org/pics/signs/
Travel Mapping: https://travelmapping.net/user/?u=terescoj
Counties: http://www.mob-rule.com/user/terescoj
Twitter @JimTeresco (roads, travel, skiing, weather, sports)

rickmastfan67

#180
Well, once we finally agree on a name, I'll adjust the name of this subforum. ;)


And here's another idea for a name that just popped into my mind:

-Traveling The Roads, where have you been?
(TTR)

english si

Quote from: oscar on March 28, 2015, 07:14:37 PMOf course, the county-counting site mob-rule.com is perfect for showing where you've been, within the U.S. and Canada; and there are other sites to track the countries you've visited (not me, my country count is pretty piddling)
It's like your interstate travels, isn't it ;)

I'm another vote for M.Y.Travels

oscar

Quote from: english si on March 29, 2015, 03:34:45 AM
I'm another vote for M.Y.Travels

While M.Y. is a clever abbreviation, I think it's important to include "map" or "mapping" in the regularly used version of the name.  So I'd go with "Map Your Travels" as the full name, with the first two words only sometimes abbreviated to "M.Y."

Regrettably, "mytravels.com" and "mytravels.org" seem to be taken.  So is "mapyourtravels.com" -- but "mapyourtravels.org" is "parked" at GoDaddy.com (I don't know the cost for unparking it, though it would include a premium above standard domain registration rates). 
my Hot Springs and Highways pages, with links to my roads sites:
http://www.alaskaroads.com/home.html

hotdogPi

Quote from: oscar on March 29, 2015, 08:18:53 AM
Regrettably, "mytravels.com" and "mytravels.org" seem to be taken.  So is "mapyourtravels.com" -- but "mapyourtravels.org" is "parked" at GoDaddy.com (I don't know the cost for unparking it, though it would include a premium above standard domain registration rates).

mapyourtrave.ls is not taken yet.
Clinched, minus I-93 (I'm missing a few miles and my file is incorrect)

Traveled, plus US 13, 44, and 50, and several state routes

I will be in Burlington VT for the eclipse.

froggie

QuoteI agree that "Clinched Highway Mapping" doesn't draw non-roadgeeks, though I expect that even if the project expands beyond highways, most non-geeks will notice but not want to use it.

I know quite a few urbanists and transit folks who would use it if we included transit systems.  Having a name that isn't specifically road-related would help in that regard.

My earlier "Travel Mapping" idea or Mike's "Map Your Travels" suggestion would work in that regard.

english si

Quote from: 1 on March 29, 2015, 09:48:56 AMmapyourtrave.ls is not taken yet.
Nor is mytravels.ls if we can get a Liechtensteinian domain (when I doubt we'd have stuff to map there, so bizarre).

I like the idea of rail stuff, but do we want rail cluttering up the maps (and vice versa). I suggest some sort of shared login and back end and combined stats, but different maps (even though having the rail would make sense of my London travels!). Plus we'd need a new manual for file creation, etc. However that's well after we get the road stuff sorted, so outside the naming thing, we don't need to bother much (though I have just made Files for several smaller networks in the UK...)

1995hoo

Quote from: oscar on March 28, 2015, 07:14:37 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on March 28, 2015, 06:26:11 PM
Something like Mapmikey's suggestion might make the site something non-roadgeeks might look at. You don't need to be interested in roads to be interested in keeping track of where you've been–indeed, I first started highlighting a map when I got the idea from my French roommate my first year of law school. He wasn't into roads, but he was highlighting everywhere he'd been in the USA during his year here.

Of course, the county-counting site mob-rule.com is perfect for showing where you've been, within the U.S. and Canada; and there are other sites to track the countries you've visited (not me, my country count is pretty piddling).  CHM, and the new project, are more oriented to the details of how we got there (currently just major highways, but could be expanded to cover other transport modes).  I would want to maintain that difference from mob-rule.com so that they remain complementary, rather than overlapping, resources.

I agree that "Clinched Highway Mapping" doesn't draw non-roadgeeks, though I expect that even if the project expands beyond highways, most non-geeks will notice but not want to use it.

Depends on whether someone would consider "county-counting" to be how to track "where they've been." My brother is not interested in roads the way most of us are, but he takes a lot of long roadtrips (mostly following various bands around) and he found the CHM site to be a really interesting idea when I showed it to him.

But he did ask "why the hell did they call it 'Clinched Highway Mapping'? What the heck does 'clinched' mean?" Hence one reason why I speculated on whether an alternative name might be more, I don't know, accessible? less esoteric? to the average person who might see it. Of course, I suppose it's fair to acknowledge that on the whole it's a somewhat esoteric concept to most people anyway!
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

Mapmikey

Quote from: oscar on March 29, 2015, 08:18:53 AM
Quote from: english si on March 29, 2015, 03:34:45 AM
I'm another vote for M.Y.Travels

While M.Y. is a clever abbreviation, I think it's important to include "map" or "mapping" in the regularly used version of the name.  So I'd go with "Map Your Travels" as the full name, with the first two words only sometimes abbreviated to "M.Y."

Regrettably, "mytravels.com" and "mytravels.org" seem to be taken.  So is "mapyourtravels.com" -- but "mapyourtravels.org" is "parked" at GoDaddy.com (I don't know the cost for unparking it, though it would include a premium above standard domain registration rates). 

It appears these are not yet taken:

mappingyourtravels.com
mappingyourtravels.org
mapmytravelz.com and .org also appear to be not taken

Mapmikey

sipes23

While not nearly so felicitous as Map Your Travels, the following sites are available:

travelmapping.org
travelmapping.net

And if we're willing to go to Nigeria....

travelmappi.ng

Though I like Map Your Travels much better. I'm just tossing in a couple of non-parked domains.

Bickendan

Quote from: sipes23 on March 29, 2015, 08:31:06 PM
And if we're willing to go to Nigeria....

travelmappi.ng

I think we'd be required to assist deposed royalty (with a significant cut to us, of course!) if we do that :bigass:

Duke87

"MY Travels" is rather too cutesy for my liking. It also fails to specifically describe what is being mapped.

I could go for a rail equivalent although I feel it really needs to be a parallel site that doesn't render stuff on the same maps and whatnot. A LOT of people will care about only one or the other but not both.

So I propose the following two names:
Road Travel Mapping
Rail Travel Mapping

These names accurately describe what the sites do, in words laymen can understand, without sounding ridiculous.
If you always take the same road, you will never see anything new.

Alps

Quote from: Duke87 on March 30, 2015, 08:45:25 PM
"MY Travels" is rather too cutesy for my liking. It also fails to specifically describe what is being mapped.

I could go for a rail equivalent although I feel it really needs to be a parallel site that doesn't render stuff on the same maps and whatnot. A LOT of people will care about only one or the other but not both.

So I propose the following two names:
Road Travel Mapping
Rail Travel Mapping

These names accurately describe what the sites do, in words laymen can understand, without sounding ridiculous.
road.travelmapping.com
rail.travelmapping.com
crabwalking.travelmapping.com

oscar

#192
Quote from: Duke87 on March 30, 2015, 08:45:25 PM
"MY Travels" is rather too cutesy for my liking. It also fails to specifically describe what is being mapped.

I could go for a rail equivalent although I feel it really needs to be a parallel site that doesn't render stuff on the same maps and whatnot. A LOT of people will care about only one or the other but not both.

So I propose the following two names:
Road Travel Mapping
Rail Travel Mapping

These names accurately describe what the sites do, in words laymen can understand, without sounding ridiculous.

What about ferries (auto-carrying and otherwise), which I'm a fan of including down the road? Or bus systems, local and intercity? The first could be fit into a road travels site, especially auto ferries, but awkwardly.  (But on second thought, roads and ferries might be a decent fit, since ferries run where the roads don't, ferry users often take highways to and from ferry terminals, and as with the Alaska Marine Highway System ferries are sometimes considered an extension of the land road system.)

Your suggestions might be too limiting. The ideas being kicked around generally avoid that, and leave the door open to expansion into other transport modes while deferring for now (while we get a roads site up and running) which ones to cover and how they would be mapped.

But I agree that road and rail systems on the same maps would probably create clutter, in addition to not working for users who care only about one or the other. (Though I can see some people, like me, having some interest in merged maps, such as for Manitoba where I took a train to Churchill from where the primary highway network ends.) Also having separate teams working on each (except for a few people interested in both), not just separate sites, would let each proceed at their own pace without losing focus, and perhaps get rail travel mapping up and running more quickly.
my Hot Springs and Highways pages, with links to my roads sites:
http://www.alaskaroads.com/home.html

vdeane

I like Steve's idea of putting the different sites into subdomains.  That also allows expansion into just about anyting while still keeping the sites specific.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

oscar

#194
Quote from: vdeane on March 30, 2015, 09:31:59 PM
I like Steve's idea of putting the different sites into subdomains.  That also allows expansion into just about anyting while still keeping the sites specific.

So do I (saves on domain fees, too), though alas the specific hypothetical domain name Steve threw out seems to be taken. Also, could the separate subdomains be run as separate sites, with minimal coordination to slow things down?
my Hot Springs and Highways pages, with links to my roads sites:
http://www.alaskaroads.com/home.html

Molandfreak

#195
clinchedhighways.com, clinchedtransit.com, clinchedrail.com.

PS: Why in the world is Elgin Equipment Group's domain "clinch.com?"
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on December 05, 2023, 08:24:57 PM
AASHTO attributes 28.5% of highway inventory shrink to bad road fan social media posts.

Duke87

Quote from: oscar on March 30, 2015, 09:14:26 PM
Quote from: Duke87 on March 30, 2015, 08:45:25 PM
"MY Travels" is rather too cutesy for my liking. It also fails to specifically describe what is being mapped.

I could go for a rail equivalent although I feel it really needs to be a parallel site that doesn't render stuff on the same maps and whatnot. A LOT of people will care about only one or the other but not both.

So I propose the following two names:
Road Travel Mapping
Rail Travel Mapping

These names accurately describe what the sites do, in words laymen can understand, without sounding ridiculous.

What about ferries (auto-carrying and otherwise), which I'm a fan of including down the road? Or bus systems, local and intercity? The first could be fit into a road travels site, especially auto ferries, but awkwardly.  (But on second thought, roads and ferries might be a decent fit, since ferries run where the roads don't, ferry users often take highways to and from ferry terminals, and as with the Alaska Marine Highway System ferries are sometimes considered an extension of the land road system.)

Road Travel Mapping
Rail Travel Mapping
Ferry Travel Mapping
Bus Travel Mapping
Air Travel Mapping
etc.

Not limiting at all. Expand into as many things as anyone wants. But keep different modes separate because lumping everything together is just going to end up driving users away who don't care about a lot of the stuff.

If the above all existed I would be inputting data for roads, rails, and ferries certainly, but ignoring buses and planes. I would not appreciate having bus routes all show up as unclinched on my maps simply because I don't care to keep track. And I don't really want roads and rails on the same map either.

Ferries meanwhile are interesting since CHM already includes some where they are explicitly part of a numbered route and DOT operated. If we're going to have a side project on ferries it might be nice to cut them out of numbered routes where they are currently included and put them in with all the other non-DOT ferries. This way we can keep a standard that's more physically consistent.
If you always take the same road, you will never see anything new.

Molandfreak

Quote from: Duke87 on March 31, 2015, 12:20:50 AM
Quote from: oscar on March 30, 2015, 09:14:26 PM
Quote from: Duke87 on March 30, 2015, 08:45:25 PM
"MY Travels" is rather too cutesy for my liking. It also fails to specifically describe what is being mapped.

I could go for a rail equivalent although I feel it really needs to be a parallel site that doesn't render stuff on the same maps and whatnot. A LOT of people will care about only one or the other but not both.

So I propose the following two names:
Road Travel Mapping
Rail Travel Mapping

These names accurately describe what the sites do, in words laymen can understand, without sounding ridiculous.

What about ferries (auto-carrying and otherwise), which I'm a fan of including down the road? Or bus systems, local and intercity? The first could be fit into a road travels site, especially auto ferries, but awkwardly.  (But on second thought, roads and ferries might be a decent fit, since ferries run where the roads don't, ferry users often take highways to and from ferry terminals, and as with the Alaska Marine Highway System ferries are sometimes considered an extension of the land road system.)

Road Travel Mapping
Rail Travel Mapping
Ferry Travel Mapping
Bus Travel Mapping
Air Travel Mapping
etc.

Not limiting at all. Expand into as many things as anyone wants. But keep different modes separate because lumping everything together is just going to end up driving users away who don't care about a lot of the stuff.

If the above all existed I would be inputting data for roads, rails, and ferries certainly, but ignoring buses and planes. I would not appreciate having bus routes all show up as unclinched on my maps simply because I don't care to keep track. And I don't really want roads and rails on the same map either.

Ferries meanwhile are interesting since CHM already includes some where they are explicitly part of a numbered route and DOT operated. If we're going to have a side project on ferries it might be nice to cut them out of numbered routes where they are currently included and put them in with all the other non-DOT ferries. This way we can keep a standard that's more physically consistent.
Don't forget "Trail Travel Mapping" for hiking/biking fans like myself. I'd be more than happy to help maintain that site.  ;-)
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on December 05, 2023, 08:24:57 PM
AASHTO attributes 28.5% of highway inventory shrink to bad road fan social media posts.

Molandfreak

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on December 05, 2023, 08:24:57 PM
AASHTO attributes 28.5% of highway inventory shrink to bad road fan social media posts.

oscar

Quote from: Duke87 on March 31, 2015, 12:20:50 AM
Ferries meanwhile are interesting since CHM already includes some where they are explicitly part of a numbered route and DOT operated. If we're going to have a side project on ferries it might be nice to cut them out of numbered routes where they are currently included and put them in with all the other non-DOT ferries. This way we can keep a standard that's more physically consistent.

Actually, CHM normally excludes ferries, and cuts into separate segments routes including ferries. The only exceptions I'm aware of in North America (can't speak to Europe) are in one of my domains, the Northwest Territories, for several river crossings on NT 1 and NT 8 that are ice bridges in the winter (so you can drive across as if they were regular roads), and covered by ferries in the summer. There are also a few short ferry crossings, not yet removed (that's on a to-do list), in the draft California state routes set.

But those ferry crossings would be short enough to not separately display well on a map. Longer routes, for example the Cape May ferry across Delaware Bay, the ferry routes to Newfoundland and between Maine and Nova Scotia, and the extensive Alaska and British Columbia systems, are not in CHM and are more like what I have in mind.
my Hot Springs and Highways pages, with links to my roads sites:
http://www.alaskaroads.com/home.html



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