The Great Trail continued

by using pins, which calculate a dis- tance between point A and point B, and help users plan achievable adventures. Finally, the Activity Tracker uses GPS to monitor a journey, and report the time, elevation, and distance travelled. The app was not designed to be

 the user’s attention with endless scroll- ing or clickbait advertising. The app enables trail users to understand dis- tances, to locate themselves along the trail, and then, when it’s all over, to share the journey with friends. No frills. No fuss. With the mobile app available,

everyone— from the world’s most ambitious adventurers to chilled-out, half-day hikers— is able to explore the Trail. Android version coming soon. Onward!

The trail through Stanley Park in Vancouver runs beneath Lions Gate Bridge

How to walk (or bike or paddle) across Canada

In the coming years, an increasing number of Canadians and visitors will want to experience the Trail and sam- ple several sections. In order to plan routes, switch trails easily, and trek safely, Trail users need a simple tool to navigate an immense landscape. Given the magnitude of The Great

Trail, physical maps would be cumber- some and heavy.

As such, a mobile app — something digital yet transportable — is a smart solution for Trail users. “The Trail runs through thousands of communities, and when you get to the end of each municipal trail, the sig- nage changes. The app provides a handy way to navigate to the next sec- tion,” said Danielle St-Aubin, Vice- President, Marketing and Communications, Trans Canada Trail. The iPhone app, aptly called “The

The trail in Grandes Fourches Eastern- Townships; photo by: Clive Weber

24 FALL 2016 AmericanTrails.org

Great Trail - Explore Canada,” was designed in partnership with a tech company called Esri Canada. “The Great Trail is a large trail without a lot of information available on it, and a Canada-wide dataset was unattainable. Esri’s technology allowed us to build additional tools on top of the map, including an activity tracker and tools which measure distance and elevation,” added Lea Hardcastle, Information Technology Manager at Trans Canada Trail.  The Map component enables users to zoom in and out of The Great Trail, and to self-locate using GPS. The Measure functionality helps hikers (or cyclists or paddlers) plan their routes

For more on The Great Trail and the phone app see https://thegreattrail.ca.

Key facts

 Store

  90%

 province to connect its Trail section

 miles

  - munities

 minutes of the Trail

The Great Trail app features:

  elevation of a planned route

 points of interest, including parking, trailheads, and rest areas

  experiences on social networks