Orienteering on demand

[Simon E]

Any suggestions on how to take this further ?

A very good question. I've sent you a PM about your specific queries.

More generally it is becoming clear that there are at least three reasonably distinct things that OOD (prounced as in Dr Who in case you were wondering) could support. I set out mainly with number 1 in mind, but I'm beginning to think the other two are just as interesting.

1) Permanent courses, where there is a need for a single web-based front-end that gets you into a system that keeps fairly long-term results and details. Even this might split up so that you can access it directly at club or association level (as for Routegadget at present) but with some sort of top-level aggregation as well. These events are likely to be more QR/NFC/phone app biased.

2) "Orienteering" "events" (note both sets of quotes) such as street score events as we have already tested with HH. An interesting extension would be the use of GPS functionality to allow extra (longer) courses at conventional events without the need for putting out extra controls. How about an event with courses up to green as normal, but with longer courses relying on GPS for at least some of the controls.It would need careful planning and controlling, but could have great potential.

3) Pure ad-hoc events with little conventional organisation and relying mostly on GPS. This looks like it needs a stand-alone version running on a PC (or iPad/tablet?). Ideal for a training day where you can put on several courses suitable for a range of abilities without the need to put out any controls at all.

I'm nearly at the stage of asking two or three of the people who have already contacted me to try things for themselves. Everything is still very much at the concept proving stage, but things are progressing much faster than I expected.

oodscreen.jpg (112.88 KiB) Viewed 2187 times

And to prove it the attached file shows two screen shots from the Android app I have put together. This records controls via QR code or button press, shows real-time position on the map and supports results upload directly to the website via the infamous API that has caused so much discussion above. What it doesn't do is anywhere near enough error checking, so it is not as stable as it will need to be in future, but it's a start. One of the big remaining questions relates to maps and copyright, but in this case I'm safe since I drew the map entirely based on GPS recordings.

[graeme]

There's a permanent course here with a map drawn from a blank page.
http://www.braidburnvalleypark.org.uk/orienteering/

[peteT]

I'd been working on a similar idea on and off over the last few months - www.navex.org but you will see it hasn't got far (in public anyway)! I'd started playing around with dojo which distracted me for a while.

I'd concentrated on giving as many different ways to register their results so using QR codes but also being able to enter the code on the control site and the system check it is right etc. using the phone's browser and ajax.

I see this is being a really good way of getting people involved in the sport. And not just from the point of 'classic' orienteering. Cycling, mountain biking, walking - basically you can sell the concept of completing a course or collecting as many checkpoints in a certain time to a whole host of people.

I'd thought about Navex Bike, Run, Ski etc. then Navex OS for courses which list the checkpoints as grid references. Navex Collect = score style events, even Navex Clue - yes a treasure hunt where clues at each control lead you to the next. The controls themselves, if they didn't exist, could be printed onto A5 sticky plastic labels and put on existing structures etc.

If people can see what other courses and types are on offer in their area then they will hopefully try them. Then integrate 'standard' orienteering events into the list then our event numbers might go up!

Anyway looks great and I can concentrate on other things now, but would like to try OOD out asap.

Pete