4 ms·

In line with http://xkcd.com/1138/ http://xkcd.com/1138/, i'd request this map be adjusted by the population density in the mapped areas, so be to be able to ge

In line with http://xkcd.com/1138/ http://xkcd.com/1138/, i'd request this map be adjusted by the population density in the mapped areas, so be to be able to get more data than "a lot of people live here" and "a lot of Strava users live here".

bbarn 13y ago
If you look at connections between medium to small sized cities though, often in google maps, even with street view, something seems like it'd be a totally fine route. This takes that, and when paired up with the frequency people tend to feel comfortable riding at speed on them to track, can show you out of ten various routes, which is the best to take. Zoom level :)
notatoad 13y ago
it's not so useful for seeing what regions have the most active people, but it is still useful if you zoom in on any city to see where the trails are. even in the most populous regions, there's lots of good info to be had on this map.
dionidium 13y ago
This criticism only applies when zoomed out. It provides a lot more information than "where the people are" when sufficiently zoomed in on a specific location.
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]
baddox 13y ago
Why does that make sense in this case? People probably don't care how many bike paths there are in an area per capita. They would just want to know how many bike paths there are and where they are.
pgwhalen 13y ago
I'd certainly like more specific data, but if you're a resident of the area you're examining, this is definitely revealing on its own.
mxfh 13y ago
Look at the dutch/german border, it's clearly not a population map if market penetration/usage is not homogenous. http://labs.strava.com/heatmap/#8/6.26125/52.11946/gray/both http://labs.strava.com/heatmap/#8/6.26125/52.11946/gray/both Especially there is no gap between the Ruhr area and the Netherlands http://imgur.com/SLF6dIM http://imgur.com/SLF6dIM Source: http://www.ivie.es/es/actividades/noticias/2012/ws_res01.php http://www.ivie.es/es/actividades/noticias/2012/ws_res01.php
- joostdevries 13y ago
  I was puzzled by that abrupt change at the border as well. It could be market penetration. Maybe bike infrastructure like the bike knooppuntnetwerk plays a role as well. http://www.nederlandfietsland.nl/knooppuntroutes/overzicht-knooppuntroutes http://www.nederlandfietsland.nl/knooppuntroutes/overzicht-k... Although dedicated bike lanes fall of much more gradually at the border f.i. https://www.google.de/maps/@51.6623341,6.998291,9z/data=!5m1!1e3 https://www.google.de/maps/@51.6623341,6.998291,9z/data=!5m1... As a Dutchman I never realised how unique this dense network of dedicated bike lanes and route signs is. Until I met some Canadian bike head expats who couldn't stop raving about it. It seems that if you're into touring on bike and getting around by bike the Low Countries are without equal.
- rawland 13y ago
  As I'm living and cyling here [0] most of the year, my impression is: It's a mix of things. * In Germany cyclists are not treated well on streets [1] * The nature is much more beautiful in NL/Belgium/Luxemburg [2] * It is population density and "hilliness", too. I.e. there are more people using a bike, when it's flatter, imho. * The infrastructure and law in Netherlands and Belgium are much much more cycling friendly. * The culture in Netherlands and Belgium is much more outdoor sports friendly, thus the average person and car driver treats you better. Guess where all the "classics" of road cycling are? [0]: http://labs.strava.com/heatmap/#8/6.26125/52.11946/gray/both http://labs.strava.com/heatmap/#8/6.26125/52.11946/gray/both [1]: Mainly due to the focus of the media (ARD, ZDF) on the doping problem, using road cycling as a scapegoat and the sacred car culture in Germany. Each time, I'm training on German roads, my life gets threatened at least once since 2006. Thus I train in Netherlands and Belgium for 99,9% of my time. [2]: Especially in the link provided by mxfh in https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7688974 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7688974
colordrops 13y ago
There is some information to be gained at a high level. For instance, in China you see that only Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong have high concentration, so this indicates the most international cities in China.

bbarn 13y ago

If you look at connections between medium to small sized cities though, often in google maps, even with street view, something seems like it'd be a totally fine route. This takes that, and when paired up with the frequency people tend to feel comfortable riding at speed on them to track, can show you out of ten various routes, which is the best to take. Zoom level :)

notatoad 13y ago

it's not so useful for seeing what regions have the most active people, but it is still useful if you zoom in on any city to see where the trails are. even in the most populous regions, there's lots of good info to be had on this map.

dionidium 13y ago

This criticism only applies when zoomed out. It provides a lot more information than "where the people are" when sufficiently zoomed in on a specific location.

deleted 13y ago
[deleted]

baddox 13y ago

Why does that make sense in this case? People probably don't care how many bike paths there are in an area per capita. They would just want to know how many bike paths there are and where they are.

pgwhalen 13y ago

I'd certainly like more specific data, but if you're a resident of the area you're examining, this is definitely revealing on its own.

mxfh 13y ago

Look at the dutch/german border, it's clearly not a population map if market penetration/usage is not homogenous. http://labs.strava.com/heatmap/#8/6.26125/52.11946/gray/both http://labs.strava.com/heatmap/#8/6.26125/52.11946/gray/both Especially there is no gap between the Ruhr area and the Netherlands http://imgur.com/SLF6dIM http://imgur.com/SLF6dIM Source: http://www.ivie.es/es/actividades/noticias/2012/ws_res01.php http://www.ivie.es/es/actividades/noticias/2012/ws_res01.php

joostdevries 13y ago
I was puzzled by that abrupt change at the border as well. It could be market penetration. Maybe bike infrastructure like the bike knooppuntnetwerk plays a role as well. http://www.nederlandfietsland.nl/knooppuntroutes/overzicht-knooppuntroutes http://www.nederlandfietsland.nl/knooppuntroutes/overzicht-k... Although dedicated bike lanes fall of much more gradually at the border f.i. https://www.google.de/maps/@51.6623341,6.998291,9z/data=!5m1!1e3 https://www.google.de/maps/@51.6623341,6.998291,9z/data=!5m1... As a Dutchman I never realised how unique this dense network of dedicated bike lanes and route signs is. Until I met some Canadian bike head expats who couldn't stop raving about it. It seems that if you're into touring on bike and getting around by bike the Low Countries are without equal.
rawland 13y ago
As I'm living and cyling here [0] most of the year, my impression is: It's a mix of things. * In Germany cyclists are not treated well on streets [1] * The nature is much more beautiful in NL/Belgium/Luxemburg [2] * It is population density and "hilliness", too. I.e. there are more people using a bike, when it's flatter, imho. * The infrastructure and law in Netherlands and Belgium are much much more cycling friendly. * The culture in Netherlands and Belgium is much more outdoor sports friendly, thus the average person and car driver treats you better. Guess where all the "classics" of road cycling are? [0]: http://labs.strava.com/heatmap/#8/6.26125/52.11946/gray/both http://labs.strava.com/heatmap/#8/6.26125/52.11946/gray/both [1]: Mainly due to the focus of the media (ARD, ZDF) on the doping problem, using road cycling as a scapegoat and the sacred car culture in Germany. Each time, I'm training on German roads, my life gets threatened at least once since 2006. Thus I train in Netherlands and Belgium for 99,9% of my time. [2]: Especially in the link provided by mxfh in https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7688974 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7688974

colordrops 13y ago

There is some information to be gained at a high level. For instance, in China you see that only Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong have high concentration, so this indicates the most international cities in China.