How to map your ringing data

Three different methods Google Static Maps KML in Google Earth R package maprec

Three different methods Google Static Maps KML in Google Earth R package maprec

Google Static Maps

Google Static Maps http://maps.google.com/maps/api/staticmap? size=640x640 &maptype=terrain (roadmap, satellite, hybrid) &markers=color:blue|57.283,-3.814 &sensor=false http://maps.google.com/maps/api/staticmap?size=640x640&maptype=terrain&markers=color:blue|57.283,-3.814&sensor=false The simplest map that you can draw with a single marker, simply copy and paste the URL at the bottom of the page into the address bar of your favourite browser. The ‘&’ character separates the different components, you need to give size (in pixels) maptype (terrain is the prettiest, but the other options are indicated) and the ‘&sensor=false’. Most common English colour names will work, but note the American spelling ‘color’ (the British spelling will confuse it, but then I suppose they are a Californian company). However, Google will zoom into the immediate vicinity, which isn’t very helpful

Google Static Maps http://maps.google.com/maps/api/staticmap? size=640x640 &maptype=terrain &markers=color:blue|51.483,0.183 &visible=58,-2|50,-4 &sensor=false http://maps.google.com/maps/api/staticmap?size=640x640&maptype=terrain&markers=color:blue|51.483,0.183&visible=58,-2|50,-4&sensor=false Adding the ‘visible’ tag tells Google to make sure the specified points are visible on the map, the two here (Fraserburgh and Plymouth) make sure a reasonable part of Britain is visible even when movements are short

Google Static Maps http://maps.google.com/maps/api/staticmap? size=640x640 &maptype=terrain &markers=color:blue|51.483,0.183 &markers=color:green|51.333,3.2 &visible=58,-2|50,-4 &sensor=false http://maps.google.com/maps/api/staticmap?size=640x640&maptype=terrain&markers=color:blue|51.483,0.183 &markers=color:green|51.333,3.2&visible=58,-2|50,-4&sensor=false Adding another point is as simple as adding another ‘marker’ tag

Google Static Maps http://maps.google.com/maps/api/staticmap? size=640x640 &maptype=terrain &markers=color:blue|51.483,0.183 &markers=color:green|51.333,3.2 &path=color:red|weight:3|51.48,0.18|51.33,3.2 &visible=58,-2|50,-4 &sensor=false http://maps.google.com/maps/api/staticmap?size=640x640&maptype=terrain&markers=color:blue|51.483,0.183 &markers=color:green|51.333,3.2 &path=color:red|weight:3|51.48,0.18|51.33,3.2 &visible=58,-2|50,-4&sensor=false And to join up the points, use the path tag. Weight gives the line thickness, use larger values for thicker lines

Google Static Maps http://maps.google.com/maps/api/staticmap? size=640x640 &maptype=terrain &markers=color:blue|label:R|51.483,0.183 &markers=color:green|label:1|51.333,3.2 &path=color:0xff000055|weight:3|51.483,0.183|51.333,3.2 &markers=color:green|label:2|57.583,9.95 &path=color:0xff000055|weight:3|51.333,3.2|57.583,9.95 &markers=color:green|label:3|57.7,10.583 &path=color:0xff000055|weight:3|57.583,9.95|57.7,10.583 … &visible=58,-2|50,-4&sensor=false And that’s pretty much all there is to it. Just add ‘markers’ and ‘path’ tags as needed (up to a limit of 2048 characters). To plot multiple individuals simply omit the ‘path’ tag between the last sighting of one individual and the first of the next. Note you can label points with a single character using the ‘label’ tag (here I have used this to indicate the order in which sightings occurred). For those who are a bit more picky you can use RGB hex codes (rather than English names) these specify the amount of red, green and blue colour (and optionally the transparency) as a number, see http://html-color-codes.info/ for an easy way to generate these.

Google Static Maps Upsides Downsides Relatively quick Good for including in blogs etc Downsides Can only do a one or a few individuals Not that customisable For more information: https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/staticmaps

Three different methods Google Static Maps KML in Google Earth R package maprec

KML in Google Earth http://www.earthpoint.us/ExcelToKml.aspx

KML in Google Earth Create an Excel file following this template – one line per encounter. You can create a similar file in Open Office’s Calc or in notepad or other text editor as a comma spearated file (see next slide) Latitude, Longitude and Name are mandatory, others (and more) optional. For full details scroll down the page at http://www.earthpoint.us/ExcelToKml.aspx The Description field contains text that will appear when you right click the marker, the LineStringColor (note all one word and American spelling) specifies the path colour. The Icon column uses a numeric code to specify what icon to use, there’s a chart listing all the options at the bottom of the Earthpoint webpage

KML in Google Earth The file in the previous slide entered into Notepad, not how each item of data is separated by a comma (even when it is missing, so you get two commas in a row). Save the file as a “text file” but give the file a “.csv” ending, for example “bluti.csv”.

KML in Google Earth Once you have the file, click the browse button and locate your file. The click the “View on Google Earth” button, this should result in a kml file being downloaded by your browser, simply double click on this to open it, or save it and open it later in Google Earth

KML in Google Earth Our example viewed in Google Earth, add a scale bar by clicking View > Scale Legend.

KML in Google Earth Upsides Downsides Quite easy to do Interactive – eg zoom in, look at labels Downsides Quite a bit of typing (though can copy and paste) Not so good for printing Limit of 200 points (so fewer recoveries)

Three different methods Google Static Maps Google Maps/Google Earth R package maprec

Using maprec in R A simple example, Oystercatcher recoveries from the Wash. The blue/yellow colour combination works well in greyscale, [hint: use map=‘outline’ in get.map()]

Create a csv file in Excel First you need to create a csv file, I’ve done it here in Excel, but you can so this in Open Office’s Calc or even in Notepad. Note the format is a bit different from the file we created for the Earthpoint site.

Exporting a csv file from IPMR To generate such a file from IPMR select records using “Capture Selection and Processing” on the “Captures” menu

Exporting a csv file from IPMR Here we select all recoveries, you can add other filters, eg species, site

Exporting a csv file from IPMR Export by going to File > Export > Recovery Data. This can be read directly my maprec

Using maprec in R Download R from www.r-project.org. See the maprec manual for how to do this, it’s a little convoluted.

Using maprec in R First we need to load the mapping functions. Only need to do this once.

Using maprec in R The commands in red need to be typed one after the other. The first tells R to load the maprec functions (need to do everytime), the second where to put the map files it will generate.

Using maprec in R Then we need to open a file to put the map in (the line beginning map.open); retrieve the background map (line beginning get.map); plot the points (map.points) and finally close the file (map.close)

Using maprec in R And this is the map produced

Using maprec in R You can use help() at any point to get more information

Using maprec in R That’s all very well, but where grey plovers are recovered will depend on season. So we can split the recoveries up by season and colour them differently, and perhaps add some lines…

Using maprec in R …like this.

Using maprec in R Actually the you can tweak most things about the map, here we alter the background and add a legend and label one of the points

Using maprec in R

Using maprec in R Upsides Downsides Very flexible and customisable Good for printing Downsides Need to install, set-up (and learn) R Need a reasonably good computer and internet connection