By LISA KAPPS, UticeOD.com, link to original post
Linda Rockwood is mapping out a whole new way to enjoy snowmobiling. Rockwood, owner of Mohawk Valley GIS (Geographic Information Systems) in Herkimer, has launched the New York State Snowmobile Trails Interactive Map and Trip Planner.
The interactive Web site at www.nysnowmobilewebmap.com not only shows maps of the trails, but also the locations of more than 150 lodging and dining establishments, gas stations, snowmobile dealers, shops and many other businesses throughout the Old Forge and Mohawk Valley regions.
Users can scroll through the map or search by categories such as name, town, keyword, and distance to a trail.
Snowmobilers can use the service online free of charge and without pop-up ads. In November, the map will also be downloadable to GPS units and smart phones for a fee. Downloading fees have not yet been set, but will be “nominal,” Rockwood said.
Snowmobilers will have the option of subscribing to the service for the whole season or making a one-time purchase. Those who subscribe will be notified via e-mail when there are updates to the trail system. “That is a simplified version of the Web site,” Rockwood said, but it will have a map of the trail system and the locations of local establishments like gas stations and restaurants.
Rockwood said she doesn’t know how common sites like hers are, but said it’s only in the past few years that the technology has become inexpensive and widely used enough for a project like this to be feasible.
On the GIS Web site (www.mohawkvalleygis.com) Rockwood describes her business as a “consulting business (that) provides spatial technology training and custom mapping solutions to municipalities, educational institutions, businesses and non-profit organizations and agencies throughout upstate New York.”
A few years ago, Rockwood was hired to create paper snowmobile trail maps. People would call her looking for trail maps, but Rockwood had to tell them that the maps were no longer in print. Over time, trails change and the paper maps become outdated, and they had become obsolete.
She had the idea to put the maps online – where it would be easy to change the trail routes and for snowmobilers download the maps. Rockwood said, “There was a need out there and a void.”
She approached the Herkimer County snowmobiling clubs and they decided to create the New York State Snowmobile Trails Interactive Map and Trip Planner. “We’re reaching out to three markets,” Rockwood said.
First, she said, she wants to reach the local riders who need to know if the trail routes have changed since last year.
Second, regional riders can learn about a new route or establishment.
Finally, she said, they are reaching out to riders from all over the Northeast.
Often, Rockwood said, paper maps focus on an individual county or network. Using the online system, “you can just see how the whole network connects,” she said.
Because many snowmobilers come to the Mohawk Valley or Old Forge area as tourists, she added, searching the map for attractions, restaurants, gas stations could help them plan their trip.
And in the event of a breakdown or other emergency, they could use the site to find a repair shop. “I think what hopefully will happen, and this draws to the tourism aspect of the site again because we are presenting a multi-county network …, it will encourage people to ride in new areas where they haven’t gone before,” Rockwood said.
Or, she said, it may encourage riders to stop at a lodging establishment or restaurant. She added that she hopes to expand the site in the future to include attractions for all four seasons.
The New York State Snowmobile Trails Interactive Map and Trip Planner can be found online at www.nysnowmobilewebmap.com. A version of the map that can be downloaded to smart phones and GPS units will be available in November.
