Trailmakers Activation Code And Serial Number
Taj Barnett
The way I see this potentially used is the hikers who have smartphones (I do understand not all hikers have smartphones) would get the App, which would be a web based App with content that enables use with out the internet. Through out the hike the Hiker could scan the QR codes getting updates along the way about various bits of information that can be useful.
I don't have a smart phone, but I still love QR codes. Also anything laser etched. This is awesome, and the Presidentials are actually one place where I remember having reception while on a hike. Get this to AMC. :)
Edit: So here's my question. I'm on a trail with my smartphone and this app. I come across one of these signs, but I don't have coverage. Does the app have an onboard database that it keys into to still give me that data?
I've actually been in contact with many members from the AMC. I've spoken with the trail crews that replace the signs and am getting in contact with the USFS as I was told the USFS would like to standardize all signs along trails rather than having dozens of signs formatted differently.
My ultimate goal is that upon completing this for my senior thesis is to form a non-profit that works with groups such as the AMC, ATC, USFS, SAR groups and so on. Not looking to get rich from this, looking to make the app and keep it free since QR codes are open source. If it is able to make it to the point of being a non-profit then I'd just be looking to make it so the service is free but some how raises enough funding to keep afloat.
Well, please keep us updated here. I don't know if you're a coder, too, but I wouldn't be surprised if there was someone on these forums that could do it (I've seen at least a simple gearlist app come through).
Also, let me know if there's anything I can do to help. I've been able to get some pretty good funding for a hiking stove I developed here (called the Backcountry Boiler) and also have a background in non-profit development.
As for being a coder, unfortunately I am not one (Industrial Designer) but have graphic design skills that I will utilize in developing the User Interface as well as how the App works. I go to a computer/tech college in Boston, MA. Wentworth Institute of Technology, so my plan was to find a Computer Science major and pay them to code it for me (not sure how much it will cost, but I know people shouldn't work for free so I'll try and offer something). But if there are any guys and gals on here that have coding experience by all means feel free to contact as any and all help is greatly appreciated.
Just set up to be an Apple developer. Figured it made the most sense to develop on the iOS platform first then take it to the Android once I am able to get a working App rather than trying to develop the same thing on two seperate OS platforms while not having a finalized set of parameters.
We were thinking to create a concept and then invite an Eagle Scout or other organization to implement it (as we're often approached by folks seeking projects to enhance our preserve), and I'm really stoked to see the signs and concept drawings you've posted. You're really fleshing out how it can be done and done well.
You're spot on with the opportunities available with the QR codes. They can be placed to further the education of animals and plants which would be great! I'm hoping to use them in a way that all parties will benefit, not only hikers, but all the organizations that go into making it all possible.
Hypothetically (And I'm getting ahead of myself) but IFF this were to work well as a pilot program (a single trail) and then advance to a whole park (say the White Mountains) and that were to work that the long term goal would be to get it to move from park to park, because I'm sure there is information from the Great Smoky Mountains that could benefit Parks and groups in say California. But like I said, getting a bit ahead of myself, gotta focus on the small goals short term right now!
On a recent trip to Japan I noticed a lot of their signs for trails and public interests had these QR Codes. And by trails I mean more public ones throughout and on the out skirts of the city. Not ones way up in the Japan Alps. FWIW all their signs were metal with the QR Code painted on.
I love this idea and I think those laser-etched trail signs look cool as hell. I can see how these this system would come in handy, especially if the data were available offline. You could make all sorts of data available, from trail maps to local history, to watering holes, to letting users upload GPS waypoints with hidden nearby waterfalls/caves/ etc. That said, the lightweight backpacker in me has some doubts about the practicality of all-new, laser etched signs.
As soon as the wood started to rot or if it split, the QR sign would become unreadable. I think you could get by with much less, and there's no need to replace anything. Basically, all you need is a sticker made of the same kind of stuff that our license plate registration stickers are made of, or comparable material. However, a sticker won't just stick to a rotting wood sign. So you'd need a plastic or metal backplate, which would have to be screwed in. Add on a little hood as added protection from the sun and most of the rain, and you've got a system that's much more versatile.
As for there signs I think it's great that they have a system in place and cool as heck that they get to use metal signs buttt, one of my main design objectives is to design this to be integrated into existing signs. I also am aiming to make it so for the hikers that don't have smart phones, this is something minimal that they can ignore as it doesn't pertain to them. I'd love to use metal but I also feel keeping the signs wood keeps that feeling that you get when you go into the woods (no flashing lights and sounds to distract from nature)
I like the call out for a sticker, I think that is a great alternative to wood etching all the QR codes. That would be the most efficient way in to make them but my concern is how they would hold up (I'll be testing that). On a side note, having worked in the printing industry designing parts for large printers I would be a bit concerned about the ink used to print the code. Once of the nice benefits with the laser, is that if I can hook up to a solar system I can keep the production of these as clean as possible. Inks are horrible for our environment but stickers are worth looking into!
Oh, it's definitely not a long-term solution, BUT who knows if QR codes and/or smartphones will even be relevant by the time the stickers wear out? Just saying. I tend to think the Japanese idea of using painted metal QR codes would be ideal, although if price were an issue, at least you have a few different approaches to consider.
Art- I like the point you bring up about the potential for QR codes to be obsolete as well as the smartphones. I think having the ability for the QR codes to be "abandoned in place" in the event the QR codes are obsolete will be key. Once the signs need replacing, the trail crews can make new signs with what ever the new technology is that replaced the QR code.
I think price would be a major issue with using metal signs, but ultimately I think wood is a much more appealing material due to it fitting in with nature as nice as it does. I think many hikers would find a metal sign rather out of place out in the woods.
When doing my research I was able to get in contact with the head of the Trail Crews for the AMC. He mentioned that his crew has a database of over 700 signs that the AMC looks after and maintains in the White Mountains not including USFS and signs from other clubs. He did mention that the Whites are rather "sign heavy." During the winter months he said his crew makes the new signs in-house and bring them out to the trails in the spring.
To keep the ability for the Trail Crews to make the signs in-house, maybe the QR code is a separate piece that is made by a third party (Me? or what ever this project turns into) and then the Trail Crew just adds the QR code piece to the sign.
Jared- That makes sense. Another thought: what about those brown flat posts as things you could just stick anywhere along the trail? It sounds like they don't use them in the Whites, but you see them pretty often in Arizona. I don't think they last too long, perhaps 10 years, after which time they simply get replaced (also, note that the information is on stickers). It could be another way to distribute the codes where they were needed rather than just where trail signs exist.
One question that comes up is how much information do you want someone to have access to when they scan a QR code? If you only put the codes at trailheads, people could just access the entire trail system with mileages from the scanned trailhead as a starting point, and be done with it. Alternatively, the QR codes could be like some kind of find-and-seek adventure for hikers, where each code would give access to unique information about that stretch of trail, like someone's favorite viewpoint, or a recent warning about rabid animals reported nearby, or it could be saved to their "my places" as a sort of treasure hunt to visit every one. Just some thoughts.
Roger- I see it more as a fun diversion for people who will already have their smartphones with them anyway. Some people use their smartphones for GPS apps while hiking. Why not have an interactive version of that?
Seems like a lot of effort and discussion about how to put the QR codes on the signs (and how long they last, and what to make them from, and how to get funding to install them, etc.), but very little on content.
What are the top 10 things I get from the QR code that I can't get from a map, a guidebook (which I may have digitally on my phone, which may also have a GPS), or modern GPS? Answer the consumer question first: "what's in it for me?" What makes me (not you) want this?
If you want to talk labels, I'm a great resource. I deal with labels for more hours a day than I would like to. I work for a label company, as an account manager, that specializes in printing on paper and films.
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