How useful would your OnX waypoints be to a stranger?

[svivian]

You missed the point of the thread I started.

The vast majority of my pins aren't even useful to me, just intersting.

no you simply do not understand how data can be used to understand that I answered your question....

 

[Steve300xcw]

Part of me says when they look at the western US and see millions of waypoints that literally litter every square foot of land, where do they even start. But the other side of me says if they can look at some guys instagram page that always posts photos of everything he kills, Im sure they can filter it down to his specific data and collect waypoints that way too.

On another forum (non hunting) theres a guy who was posting up google earth pics, of where other folks had stood when they took a pic that they posted. He was just using what folks had been talking about and a lil bit of research. Did not take him long either.

Was kinda eerie when he showed me a pic of my own shop. Nothing is anonymous or as private as most folks would like to think.

 

[taskswap]

Mine wouldn't be useful at all, because I don't trust it for storing my points. I won't even open it in the field except in base camp to review a new area.

 

[5MilesBack]

Weird to me that you could find something and not remember how to get back to it.

Before GPS all we had was marking tape. You hike 1/2 mile through blowdowns and it all starts to look the same. Finding your kill site can be a challenge at times. Or coming out in the dark it's tough as heck trying to find the correct draw that takes me to the truck or to camp. Last year a seriously thick fog bank settled in after I had chased a herd a couple miles. It was really weird. I knew what direction I had been heading, so turned 180 degrees to head out and crossed a draw and started heading out to my right.

After several minutes I could finally see a little bit of a ridge to my left and see how tall it was. There shouldn't have been a tall ridge to my left, it should have been on the right. I pulled out the GPS and was heading the exact opposite direction than what I thought I was heading. I would have bet my life savings on what direction I was headed before that. Crazy how you can get turned around when you can't see anything. It's mostly solid timber for miles where I hunt.

 

[Swamp Fox]

So my collection of waypoints of places I set a pack down, ate lunch, or saw something interesting would help you hone in on what?

And don't expect the names and icons to help. I've got antelope icons places I've never seen antelope, tents places I've never camped...

For your data to be of no use to a marketer would be to assume the marketer cares that your icons equal real info, e.g. that an antelope means an antelope and a tent means camping.

Newsflash: Marketers don't care about fine-tooth-combing. They care about sales.

"Got a deal on camping waypoints today ... What do I need to do to get you in this sweet ride today?"

 

[Traveler]

OnX has access to so many people’s data it doesn’t really matter if individuals points are useful or not. Enough users data is valuable and a data scientist could start to identify those users whose data is useful and those whose isn’t. They also have access to a lot of information not obvious in the point itself.

What date and time was it created? ( scouting vs hunting) what is the trend over time for a user marking, can make a probabilistic assessment if relevant or not. Where was the user when a point was created? Was the point shared with anyone? If so, did that user save the point and make notes about it, did that person share it again? Did a user ever return to the same area in a subsequent year around the same date. The list goes on.

Individual user actions are not really relevant unless coordinated on a meaningful (large) scale. OnX has what it needs if it chooses to use data in that way.

 

[Fowl Play]

It would be very useful to me, and I would pay for it. So be careful how you use the app. I still use it, because it definitely adds value to me, but with caveats.

Here's my take on it and how I would use the data if I had access to it:
* Generic pins with default names -- not really useful other than aggregated to show where hunter density is (which would be very useful)
* Pins of specific things (elk, wallows, etc.) -- more useful, someone went through the effort to choose what it was
* Pins with customized names -- very useful, could query the names for keywords
* Tracks -- would be locally useful as many of the trails are not accurate
* Repeated tracks, tracks after dark -- likely kill sites
* These things have times they were created, could get rid of many that were made e-scouting based on this, etc. and narrow it down to actual field data

There is just a ton of stuff you could do with this data between text queries, time queries, types, etc. it would be very useful.

BRB changing my elk pin named "Bull '23" to a generic pin labeled "death trap, never again"

 

[bojangles808]

I just put fake waypoints

 

[displacedtexan]

I just put fake waypoints

Sometimes I think I did trying to get figure ones out!

 

[def90]

I haven't got an elk in 6 years so if anyone wants my waypoints...

 

[Still Hunter]

George Orwell- The Author-
The Book - " 1984"
June 8, 1949 - First Publication.

 

[CMF]

* Tracks -- would be locally useful as many of the trails are not accurate

I wish they would use the data to correct the trails, I see them off all the time.

I think using the "gate" waypoint to pinpoint where gated roads are through private would also be beneficial.
I think if you could "allow" access to gate waypoints, I would do it to help improve e-scouting and wasting time driving around to check access.

I'm not sure a stranger would know where to begin with 2800 waypoints, 570 tracks, and 400 lines. From swordfishing in the gulf to a track of a flight from El paso to Minneapolis to random parking spots, I don't think many would find the info useful, lol.

 

[Stache Attack]

I know one, used to be two employees of on x, they hunt the same shit spots they have for ten years. I don’t think there’s a lot to look at

 

[silasbowhunter]

I mean mine wouldn’t be helpful, but I’d pay a decent sum for Robby’s waypoints (joking of course)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[TaperPin]

In the old days we marked things on actual maps (maps are paper things with drawings of mountains) and other peoples‘ maps of familiar areas looked like nothing but a lot of poor judgement. After seeing a few of these in my 20s I’ve never been interested in other people’s information, unless they actually knew what they were talking about, and those guys don’t share sensitive information.

Off trail travel routes that were harder than they needed to be, camp sites not a good place to pitch a tent, and idiotic animal sighting notations.

 

[WCB]

I hardly mark anything. So far I can pinpoint a tree I sat next to 3 years ago...hell 15 years ago. If I don't remember it that is because there was no reason to. Most of my pins are there and then sent to a buddy for a spot to meet up or suggestion on where they should go or where I set a stand/blind for them. Those are deleted as soon as they get the share or the screen shot.

I dont even use waypoints. Or onx. If I find something notable, I just remember it. Weird to me that you could find something and not remember how to get back to it.

Same...except for I use onX to navigate private and public in new areas or places I need to slide through. I've looked at some of my buddies pins and even they are confused what it was for.

I can look at every mount/hunting picture I have and show you to the bush where I was standing since I was in middle school. So about 25 years. For Coyote tournaments me and my buddy know exactly where the other is talking about setting up based on "remember that coyote stopped and smelled the ground on the way in that time"..."oh yeah 6 years ago over that knob". hahaha it is kind of stupid how we remember that stuff but forget gloves on the way out the door.

 

[Hof]

I only mark pretty significant things/kill sites. It wouldnt take a rocket scientist to figure out what most of them are or even what species I was hunting. Id definitely be upset if that info became public.

 

[dieselchessy]

All they would need to do is pick a date range, an area, and then plot the waypoints that are an elk emoji.

So Oct. 10-24, Idaho panhandle, all waypoints of elk emoji from all users.

I’m guessing if you plotted that you’d have a decent idea where to start looking for elk.

 

[Fullfan]

Lol most of mine, anyone would say. I’m not going in there…

 

[MallardSX2]

Extremely useful. Which is why I put nothing on my phone now. Ever.