I will be going to the Seychelles later in the year and want to use some of my time for mapping. I’d like to ask the community what I should be considering and planning to be prepared for the trip.
What I have thought and planned so far:
Mapillary mapping using iPhone 5S and gopro 3
OpenStreetCam mapping using OnePlus 3T
external battery to recharge devices
dual car charger
I think that on the smaller islands I will be mapping using a rental bicycle. On the main island I will have a rental car
What I need to arrange:
bicycle mount for
gopro
iPhone 5S
OnePlus 3T
other mounting options?
car mounts (inside or outside?)
Comments I would like to have feedback on from the community are:
tips on mounting cameras on bicycles
mount iphone and gopro - which one which direction?
how to deal with uploading images or limited storage space if internet access is limited or slow upload
things to consider when mapping
planning the mapping? which roads first, which one last?
camera to forward right and both sides?
mapping/image capture - what is the best time? I have heard that morning light is best for photos shoots.
should I map only roads and tracks? what else to map/capture?
tips on mounting cameras on bicycles
I normally attempt to put the camera underneath the handlebars is my preferred option, mainly as if you come to an abrupt stop, you don’t want to meet it as you go over the handle bars. I also take some large rubber bands to dampen the bumps and also protect the camera if your mount becomes a little loose.Mounting the camera on top is not an issue, I just prefer to mount it underneath.
how to deal with uploading images or limited storage space if internet access is limited or slow upload
I found uploads were incredibly quick in asia but still took too long if you are travelling, you are there to relax. Depending on what you are doing, buy a 1tb usb backup disc and take a small laptop or use the hotel pc to transfer images from time to time. Always good to view what you are doing as you only have one go at this. Keep a log file sometimes help to match the images.
planning the mapping? which roads first, which one last?
It looks like you will be the first to do the Seychelles so any road is a good road. Your on holidays so enjoy again rather than attempting to do roads because they are there. The key is taking images when you are not filming directly into the sun so perhaps work out a plan of filming at an angle or taking the scenic hill road out if you are heading east int he morning.
mapping/image capture - what is the best time? I have heard that morning light is best for photos shoots.
I actually find when it has rained or when it is overcast is the best. When shooting at midday where you have canopy, it does make the contrast pretty full on and it can take time for the camera to refocus. Morning or evening is great. If it is raining, stay in the pub.
should I map only roads and tracks? what else to map/capture?
That’s a great start. Parks, piers, beaches are all good. When travelling from one island to another and where roads are not available due to the habitat, I think limited filming from a boat that shows shorelines accurately would be useful.
Hey all, a few weeks have already passed since I returned from my nice holidays on the Seychelles.
I had two mounts on the front handlebar. One for my phone to record for OSC and one for my GoPro to record for Mapillary. I controlled the GoPro with an iPhone 6 that I held in my hand while riding.
the roll bar mount (1) was best as the gopro connection gave good stability.
the bike mount was not practical at all. The tripod adaptor kept loosening while driving. The phone which I have mounted first with this mount was to heavy. The GoPro was lighter so that arrangement worked better. The top part swivel was also hard to get tight and there was a spring connection to allow the top to rotate which made the camera more bouncy. All in all the clamp gave a good tight grip but all other components where to loose or cheap to provide good restraint.
the clamp worked well. Initially I feared that the GoPro connection would not match up properly but I attribute this to my cheap item (1)
Unfortunately I’m having now issues transferring the photos from the GoPro to the camera. The app keeps crashing and nothing is transferred.
The photos from my phone are already on OpenStreetCam
@seb sorry I didn’t read your message carefully enough. Can you please let support@mapillary.com know about this. Definitely an issue that needs to be looked at if you have a lot of images stuck on your GoPro.
We are traveling as a couple either in the last week of September or in the first week of October to Seychelles for our honeymoon. We have only six days with us and we are not sure as to how to plan our itinerary. I am thinking that we should stay in either La Digue or Praslin for 5 days and make a day trip in one of those days to the other island. One day we are keeping it for Victoria to get a glimpse of the town. Or is it better to split our stay between Praslin and La Digue? Please suggest a nice and quiet place to stay in La Digue or Praslin and Mahe. We would like to spend time near a beach (with no seaweed) and our budget is in between USD 3000 and USD 3500 saw.
