Okay, so I’ve been messing around with this thing called Valhalla, specifically the “yardage” feature. It’s all about getting distances, you know, like how far stuff is from other stuff on a map. Sounds simple, but it took me a bit to figure out how to properly use it, So, I documented my whole process.
First, I installed Valhalla. That was a whole other adventure, I had to play the package on my system. It’s a bit of a process, so i will share that process next time.
Getting Started with Yardage
Once I had Valhalla up and running, I started digging into the yardage stuff. The basic idea is, you give it a bunch of points, and it tells you the distances between them. You can format the points in different way.
I started by creating a simple JSON file. This file held my locations. I went super basic at first:
- I made a list of locations, just latitude and longitude coordinates. Think of them like addresses on a map, but just numbers.
- I named them things like “start_point” and “end_point” just to keep track.
Next, I needed to figure out the Valhalla command. I poked around in the documentation (which, let’s be honest, wasn’t the easiest to follow) and found the valhalla_service command. It’s like the main control center for Valhalla.
I crafted a command that looked something like this (don’t copy this exactly, it’s just the general idea):
I ran that command in my terminal, and… boom! I got a bunch of numbers back. At first, I was like, “What the heck is this?” But then I realized, it was the distances! It was telling me how far each point was from the others, in meters (I think… or maybe kilometers? I should double-check that).
Tweaking and Experimenting
Of course, it wasn’t perfect. I played around with different options:
- Changing the “costing” method. I think I tried “auto” and “pedestrian” to see how the distances changed. It’s like telling Valhalla if you’re driving or walking.
- Adding more points. I went from two points to, like, five, just to see how it handled a bigger list.
- Formatting. Change source and target formatting options.
Each time, I ran the command and checked the output. It was a lot of trial and error, to be honest. I made a few mistakes, got some weird errors, and had to go back and fix my JSON file a couple of times.
What I Learned (So Far)
So, after all that, here’s what I’ve got so far:
- Valhalla’s yardage is powerful, but it has a learning curve.
- The JSON format is important. Get it wrong, and things break.
- The command-line options matter. They change how Valhalla calculates the distances.
- Reading documention. I have to read document more precisely.
I’m still figuring things out. Next, I want to try using it with a real map, and maybe even build a simple app that uses it. But for now, I’ve got a basic handle on how to get distances using Valhalla’s yardage. It’s a start, anyway!
