GPS Art. A Perfect Social Distancing Activity!
Have a go! It is easy, free and fun.
You are already a GPS artist. You just don’t know it. Let me explain how you can do it, easily and for free! Oh, and due to the need to connect with GPS satellites and create shapes or letters (the bigger the better!) means that you appreciate the outdoors environment in a completely different and rewarding way, all the while keeping your distance from others.
You are probably aware that your mobile phone can (and probably does) track your physical movements. These movements create shapes, over time and distance, which you can explore through mapping apps on your phone. At this stage, these shapes are pretty meaningless. To add meaning to your shape, just follow pre-determined routes, recording your movement with your mobile phone or GPS watch (if you have one). In this way, you can create a shape or word and export them from your phone or watch and overlay them on satellite imagery, maps or graphics covering the area they were collected over. In this way you can then share your art work and inspire others. And all for free!
So with a bit of know-how and planning, you can create some awesome GPS art. Here is a recent piece of GPS art work I created inside the Al Qudra desert cycling track in Dubai, UAE, overlain on satellite imagery. The length of the track for just the Camel’s outline is 6km. The total distance to create the camel and words was over 17km.
For inspiration, if you search online for images under ‘GPS Art’, ‘GPS Drawing’ or ‘Strava Art’, you will see an array of artwork. Some created on foot, bike, car, boat or aeroplane! Just imagine what you can do with your phone!
So how do you do it? GPS art is created through a three stage process as follows:
· Create the lines for your artwork, as shapes and/or words, in a mapping application
· Walk (or run, cycle, drive) the lines, recording your route on your phone or GPS watch
· Share your art, either in its raw format or overlain on satellite imagery, maps or graphics
To receive detailed instructions on how to easily and freely create your own GPS art, all I require from you is a donation, of any size, to the charity I am raising funds for. In October 2020, I am lucky enough to be running the London marathon on behalf of the amazing charity, Afghanaid, a humanitarian and development charity dedicated to the vision of a peaceful and thriving Afghanistan. Their work gives ordinary Afghans a voice in their own development and shaping the future of their country.
Please sponsor me here (http://bit.ly/rbrun) and leave a response below and I will send you the detailed instructions on how to do your own GPS art. I will also run you a GPS art ‘thank you’ note. Thank you!
