Note: This project has been a success and is now ongoing! Please visit Mapping Stirchley for updates.
Everyone currently involved in Walkspace lives in the Birmingham suburb of Stirchley and the lockdown has made us keenly aware of our immediate surroundings. Walking the same routes again and again means we're noticing things for the first time and figuring out new routes to perambulate along.
So we've started mapping things-of-note. It's currently just a Google map, because they're easy to manage, but in time we'd like it to be something more interesting on OpenStreetMap data, maybe like that excellent Tree Talk service that builds walks around its database of trees in London.
But before we get there we need the data.
Right now it's just got stuff from the four of us, and that's not good enough. If you're also from Stirchley (and we know at least 20 of you are because you came on our pre-lockdown night walks!) and would like to contribute a thing-of-note, there are two ways.
Send us a pin
In your mapping app of choice, drop a pin where the thing-of-note is. Look for the Share button (usually a box with an arrow leaving it) and email it to walkspace.uk@gmail.com. Make sure you include at least a title and feel free to provide more context. Your name won't be put on the map but we'll keep a record in case we want to credit people in the future. (We won't use your email for anything else, promise.)
Make your own map
If you're a regular explorer of Stirchley and have loads of pins to send it's probably easier to just make your own map. That way you also have your own map! Google Maps is probably the easiest but any service that lets you export the data will do.
To create a Google Map go to google.co.uk/maps on your desktop browser and click on the menu bar in the top right. Look for Your Places and click on that.
You should see four tabs, Labled, Saved, Visited and Maps. Click on Maps and then, at the bottom, click on Create Map. You can now drop pins on the map and label them. Feel free to write descriptions or link to pages with more info. Photos are also great.
Once you've made your map, click on the Share button and figure out how to copy a link that means anyone with that link can view the map. (Google keep changing how to do this). Send that link to walkspace.uk@gmail.com.
Phew! Anyone would think Google don't want you to make your own maps! But once you get through the setup it's all really simple. If you need help, drop us a line.