Geo-Enabling Piste Maps Using Anchor Points

Sammanfattning: Piste maps have been used as navigational aids by winter sports enthusiasts for decades. These maps are often hand drawn and are designed to be visually pleasing while still providing an overview of the terrain of a ski resort. As smartphones have become the go-to tool when satisfying our daily navigational needs, the expectations of a digital map have changed. One of these expectations is being able to position yourself and others on the map. With the existing GPS functionality of smartphones, there is a great potential for bringing classical piste maps into the digital age. This project proposes a solution which can position a user given their geographical position on a piste map. The solution includes a process for identifying anchor points which tie geographical coordinates to piste map coordinates, a suitable method of triangulating these points, combined with an algorithm that finds the most suitable triangle to use for finding the transformation parameters, and finally an affine transformation that yields the corresponding piste map coordinates for a given geographical position. The solution also proposes a method to find the smallest but sufficient set size of anchor points for a resort to create a useful and cost efficient model of transformation. The thesis work also presents possible implementations of the positioning algorithm, such as creating a smooth transition between a piste map view and a satellite map view in an Android device. This includes automatic panning and rotation of the satellite map in response to the centering of the piste map on the device screen. Geo-enabling piste maps enables many more interesting applications, such as recording and displaying skiing statistics, providing suggestions of new unexplored areas, keeping track of family or friends, selective location sharing, location-tagged weather and disaster information, and in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, providing a user- friendly interface for displaying localized congestion levels.