Accessing eDofE Mapping:
eDofE Mapping is accessed through eDofE.
If you are a participant you will find the mapping application within the Expedition section of eDofE, you will need to select ‘Mapping’ from the toolbar on the left-hand side of the screen.
From here you can create new maps as well as view/edit existing maps that have been created.
Participants also have the option to send maps to other participants within their group as well as any of their leaders.
Fig 1: Location of eDofE Mapping in a participants’ eDofE account.
If you are using an ‘Adult’ account, you will find eDofE Mapping under ‘Resources’ on the left-hand toolbar, followed by ‘Mapping’.
Fig 2: Location of eDofE Mapping in an adult’s eDofE account.
Creating a map:
To create a map, you need to provide a suitable map name and a description, then select ‘Create new map’. A new window should open with the eDofE Mapping application.
Please check your pop-up blocker if a second window does not appear.
Fig 3: Creating a new map
Remember – create one map for each day of your expedition!
Getting started:
When you open eDofE Mapping the first thing you will need to do is decide on your start point. This can be done in two ways:
1. Search for location:
You can use a place name, a postcode or a Grid Reference. For place names, it will suggest matches as you type - if the suggestions are incorrect you can keep typing to override them. After you have hit enter or selected a suggestion the map will move to that location and additional information for that point will be shown. You can now check the weather or begin plotting a route from this point.
If there is no exact match for your search, the search tool will match to the next best result. If there is no near match for the place you have entered, the search box will revert to 'United Kingdom' – check your spelling and try again.
2. Plotting a route:
Click on your chosen start point on the map:
Simply scroll through the map and find your preferred start point.
Creating a route:
Once you have selected you start point select ‘Plot’ on the mapping toolbar and add your start point to the map. The start point is a white circle with a smaller green circle inside it (as shown below next to Gwern Gof Uchaf). Once you have selected your start point this cannot be deleted, it can, however, be moved. You can now start plotting your route.
To plot your route, ensure that the ‘Plot’ tool is selected on the toolbar, then simply ‘left click’ at your next point. The map will be more accurate if you add a new point each time you change direction.
Fig 4: Start point and plotting a route
Once you have started adding points to your route you can add in checkpoints by clicking on one of your existing points. To make your chosen point into a checkpoint, select ‘edit’. You will need to give your checkpoint a name (for example ‘Checkpoint 1’) and add in a leg description (this will explain how to get here from your last checkpoint).
Note: You must add text to the title and description boxes otherwise your waypoint will not become a checkpoint. Once you have added the information to the checkpoint it will show on the ‘Route pane’ on the left-hand side of the screen.
Fig 5: Checkpoints and gradients profile Fig 6: Creating a checkpoint and adding leg description
As well as a list of your checkpoints, you can see the estimated time to travel the route, the distance as well as a height profile. You can expand the information for each checkpoint and this will display the leg description, an OS grid reference, Latitude, and Longitude as well as the elevation of the point.
Whilst plotting your route you can simply click and move any point on the map to reposition if required. You can use the ‘Undo’ button if you are not happy with your previous action and delete a point by selecting the ‘Remove’ tool and then select the point that you would like to remove. Please remember to re-select the ‘Plot’ tool to continue creating your map.
You can customize the colouring and transparency of your route by using the ‘Style’ tool. Using this you can specify what colour you would like your route to be, the thickness of it as well as the transparency. This helps to ensure that you do not obscure any key important details on your map.
Fig 7: eDofE Mapping Tool
Expedition Route Card
Once you have added a minimum of two checkpoints to your route you will be able to produce a route card. If you select ‘Route Card’ in the top left-hand corner of the screen, it will open your expedition route card. Here you can add and edit the information about your Expedition (for example your expedition aim, names and contact details, dates, times, level of Award etc.). To return to the map view, please select ‘Route Card’ at the top of the screen.
If you scroll further down the page you will also see the Route Breakdown, this is used to populate your Route Card. Some of the fields in the Route Breakdown are automatically populated by the route that you have plotted (for example the grid reference, distance and leg description). You can then add further detail to personalise your route (for example project work, rests, escape routes and notes about your aim)
The boxes for the ‘Escape notes’ and ‘Activity for your aim’ can be expanded if needs be. You can do this by clicking and dragging the icon in the bottom right-hand corner of the box. Remember to save your route card once you have finished editing your route card.
Saving your map and your route
It is important that you regularly save any changes to your map so that you don’t lose any changes that you made. You can save changes to the route that you have created in the map view by using the ‘Save’ icon on the toolbar.
Printing
To print your map and route card select ‘Print’ from the mapping toolbar. This will bring up the print pane on the left-hand side of the screen along with an overview of the area to be printed. You have several different print options to choose i.e. Map or route card Only, Map with checkpoints and page orientation.
Ensure the area you wish to print is currently visible on screen and click the 'Print' button on the toolbar. The map will print the current layer selected (for example the 1:25,000 scale map or Ariel view) - you can still switch layers using the layer switch button in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen or the zoom controls in the top right-hand corner.
The print area preview will show the current extent of the map that will be printed. Zooming in or changing the paper size or orientation will change the area covered by the print. If your route will not fit on a page, you can either use a printer that supports A3 printing (if you have access to one) or print the route on multiple sheets of paper. If printings on A3 please ensure that you have selected the A3 page size.
Fig 11: Print Pane
When you are ready to print select ‘Preview and Print’ (see Fig 12), this will load a print preview of your map and route card (if you have selected to print this). You will be able to check what your print out will look like and print your map and route card (if applicable).
Fig 12: Print Preview
IMPORTANT: When printing, only change the page orientation using the print controls on eDofE Mapping, otherwise the print out will be distorted.
Import / Export a map
It is possible to save your route as a.GPX file and export it. To do this select the ‘Export GPX’ option on the Edit Route pane.
It is also possible to import a GPX file into eDofE Mapping. At the moment, we have set a maximum size of 2MB or 3000 waypoints. If your GPX file is larger than this, reduce the size by splitting the route into two or more files, or by reducing the number of waypoints. Most GPS software packages have the ability to do this.
Routes over 3000 waypoints make eDofE Mapping respond very slowly or crash altogether. If you’re importing maps from the Old eDofE Mapping system you will only be able to see the route and not the route information, unfortunately. You can, however, re-add your checkpoints, leg descriptions etc. so that you can use the map in conjunction with a route card.
We can now import/export .gpx files with the route card information in one go along with all the saved information i.e escape routes, supervisor contact details and activity times, checkpoints, waypoints and leg descriptions.