Quote Originally Posted by Midgardsormr View Post
If you can ... Fusion is a node-based image compositor used to make feature film visual effects. As such, it's ridiculously powerful, and a little difficult to wrap your brain around at first. If you'd like to go for it, though, I can set up a template for you and walk you through how to use it to achieve your goal. You can download the software here: https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/fusion

And yes, it really is free.

Man this is awesome piece of software! Unfortunately for my hobby map it would be a huge time-killer. Before I say "thank you, but no", let me summarize the knowledge I gathered so far.

A) I was thinking about a heat map of my rides. Road intersections have GPS coordinates
B) However not being able to set up (in fact I don't know how easy/difficult would it be and what kind of knowledge one should have) GeoServer and GeoTools, I took the approach which was suggested - to use some graphics software instead. I chose Inkscape which I used for other map.
C) I put my tracks on a paper map and divided them in sections (each being restricted by road intersection)
D) Each section I numbered and each number I summed so basically I received the number of times I passed the section in real life
E) These numbers I used to Normalize, to be able to calculate heat map colour (based on this formula: A_minimalist_heatmap_function)
F) Until now everything was fine and made on paper

1) I started drawing it in Inkscape so I made 1st layer which was a copy of a Google map road map
2) the uppermost layer would be left for captions
3) second layer would be used to draw lines = road sections as in D)
3a) first problem occurred: If I run through the same road section once or multiple times it does not need to be divided at each road intersection (for time saving reason). However if in future I used part of the road, I would need to divide it at the intersection where I stepped in. How would I number the sections so I knew where in the map it would be? (some of the roads do not have a number in real life so a naming method would have to be made. For those roads that have numbers, it would be rather difficult t use real life system because they may be more than 60 miles in length). The only option which I was able to figure out, was a number followed by a letter. Still the road section may be split (e.g. 1, divided in 1a and 1b. 1b can still be divided in 1b and 1c, however when I split 1b, I need to name 1b as 1ba and 1bb so that 1c can remain). The new numbers must be maintained and updated in a table for colour normalization (point E)
2b) There is one option how to resolve the issue in 2a) If I painted each track as a separate layer. But there would be problem with the fact that I would need to redraw each track individually but I don't know how it would work with colour merging so that the colours would make "heat map" effect.

I probably wrote more than you are keen to read, but I did it even for me to summarize my work so far, so I could come back and knew what I did and where the dead ends were.

Now comes the time to ask all of you and Midgardsormr especially. Have I put myself in a dead-end direction or am I going just through longer routes than necessary and would there be better tools or processes to use?

Thank you all. And thank you Midgardsormr for your will to give me a hand with Fusion.

BTW: sorry for typos and grammar mistakes as English is not my mother tongue