pct-search-2015

Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) Search and Map function

This repository contains the following related sub-projects

1. A simple Python script that returns the closest Pacific Crest Trail mile marker to a supplied latitude and longitude coordinate.
2. A simple PHP web-site that takes a supplied latitude and longitude coordinate and presents the closest Pacific Crest Trail mile marker.
3. A web-site that plots markers showing the progress each day of a hiker from an associated Google Docs Mileage Log spreadsheet and plots Halfmile's Pacific Crest Trail track.

pct-search.py

The pct-search.py file is a simple python script that returns the closest Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) mile marker waypoint for a supplied latitude and longitude. It depends on the doc.kml file which is zipped within the halfmiles_pct_tracks_waypoints_2015.kmz file.

To run, just supply a latitude and longitude coordinates (e.g. received from a device like the SPOT Satellite Messenger) and you'll get back the mile marker waypoint (note: half-mile markers are written in the format 0156-5), the latitude and longitude of the mile marker, and the distance between the supplied coordinate and the mile marker as calculated by the haversine equation (as the crow files).

A sample usage is:

./pct-search.py 33.59556,-116.57129
0156 33.59643,-116.57026 0.1mi

Typically the latitude and longitude coordinates, and the mile marker waypoint values are then manually inserted into the Google docs Mileage Log spreadsheet.

Note: By internally uncommenting lines in pct-search.py, it can also generate either mile_markers for index.php or pctMileMarkers for script.js mentioned below.

pct-search/index.php

Alternatively to the pct-search.py is the pct-search/index.php web-site PHP file which provides a web interface to convert a latitude and longitude (typically sent by a SPOT Satellite Messenger) to the nearest PCT mile. The latitude and longitude coordinates, and the mile marker waypoint values are then manually inserted into the Google docs Mileage Log spreadsheet.

spreadsheet/YourName PCT Mileage Log.ods, and spreadsheet/StewartTaylor PCT Mileage Log.ods

The spreadsheet/YourName PCT Mileage Log.ods is an empty Google docs Mileage Log spreadsheet in Open Office spreadsheet format. It is a template for a new Mileage Log. It has all entries deleted for the Date, Location, Mile Marker, Notes columns. To use it rename it, then import and upload it to Google docs. It expects you will take 150 days to hike the 2660 mile PCT in the Expected Miles column formula. If necessary, edit and adjust this formula. As an example of a completed spreadsheet see the spreadsheet/StewartTaylor PCT Mileage Log.ods for Stewart Taylor's 2014 PCT Thru-Hike.

script/Code.gs

The script/Code.gs file is a Google docs script file which when run (typically using an hourly cron job) converts the Google docs Mileage Log spreadsheet to a day-points.js file used by the Google map web-site described below. It can be used as a template for a new Google docs script file. To create a new script based upon this, update the SPREADSHEET_ID, and SHEET_NAME to the new Google docs spreadsheet that was based upon the template above.

crontab/entry.txt

You must also update the cron job entry on your website to execute the Google docs script file which produces the day-points.js file. A sample cron job entry is found in entry.txt.

pct/index.html, pct/script.js, pct/pct-logo.png, and pct/day-points.js

The pct/index.html, pct/script.js, pct/pct-logo.png, and pct/day-points.js web-site files plot a Google map with the Halfmile PCT trail in red and the day-by-day hiker locations (as defined in day-points.js) using a PCT trail marker icon. Note: A sample pct/day-points.js file is provided even though it is overwritten when the cron job runs as described above.