Tools for Making Ward Directories and Maps

[hpaulsen]

The only fields that I don't use right now from Membership.csv are "MRN", "Endowed", "Rec Exp", "Mission", "Spouse Member", "Sealed to Spouse", and "Sealed to Prior" - basically, the temple and recommend information.

The age is stored as a floating point value, so the birthdate could conceivably be extracted (though it would take a lot of work to do so). I originally stored the age as only an integer, but doing so was inadequate for the nursery/primary divide.

I have considered adding a filter, "Likely Active", which would include people who:

• Have a current recommend
• Have had an ordinance recorded within the last two years (excluding baptism but including confirmation)
• Have recently returned from a mission
• Have a family member who matches any of the above

I can see this being a big help to (e.g.) newly called EQ presidents, who need to create home teaching routes but don't know who they can call. Unfortunately, there are risks associated with this if people take it too seriously. It would be far from infallible - just a nice starting point. Anyway, I've tested it and like the results, but I'm not sure I'm comfortable releasing it....

[RossEvans]

I have considered adding a filter, "Likely Active", which would include people who:

• Have a current recommend
• Have had an ordinance recorded within the last two years (excluding baptism but including confirmation)
• Have recently returned from a mission
• Have a family member who matches any of the above

In our ward, for leadership use, we sometimes find it useful to flag as a proxy for "active" any family with a member who has a calling or serves as a home- or visiting-teacher. (The obvious caveats apply about innacuracies, assumptions and timeliness.) I have made maps that color-code families that way for use by the leadership and FT missionaries. To avoid offending anyone, we are careful not to label the codes as "active" or not.

[hpaulsen]

In our ward, for leadership use, we sometimes find it useful to flag as a proxy for "active" any family with a member who has a calling or serves as a home- or visiting-teacher. (The obvious caveats apply about innacuracies, assumptions and timeliness.) I have made maps that color-code families that way for use by the leadership and FT missionaries. To avoid offending anyone, we are careful not to label the codes as "active" or not.

Oops - yes, home teachers and people with callings should also be "active". If I were to add this filter, is there a better label than "likely active" that would still be clear as to what it means but which would be less likely to cause offense?

I originally had three activity categories: likely active, unknown, and likely inactive (for people who were behind in ordinances or with family behind in ordinances). I coded them with suns (likely active), moons (unknown), and stars (likely inactive). Families with both likely active and likely inactive members were going to be coded differently, but I didn't get that far. In my excitement, I showed my wife, and she (rightly) vetoed it. I guess I got a bit carried away....

I still think it's useful information, but even being conscious of the dangers of stereotyping, I fell into the same trap.

[RossEvans]

If I were to add this filter, is there a better label than "likely active" that would still be clear as to what it means but which would be less likely to cause offense?

In applications for which I have used my indicator, I have not been so constrained for space that I needed to use a terse label. I deliberately avoided that. On some limited-distribution maps I just use color codes, and a verbose description or legend that says something like "Serves as HT/VT or in a calling." That is factual and non-judgmental. I just explain to the users verbally that it is a rough indicator of activity.

Even though my applications have been primarily for leadership use -- as Google Earth files, printed maps or just spreadsheets -- I did not want to publish any label that would offend anyone if they happened to see it applied to themselves (or not). For example, I make large-scale wall maps of all ward families for our FT missionaries' apartment, where it might be seen by some visitors.

Also, the composition of this indicator uses no data that is regarded as highly confidential, such as temple recommend or ordinance data. Including such elements would mean the file should not be shared outside the bishopric and perhaps other key leaders. (For that matter, sharing any map files derived from MLS data should be done according to the bishop's direction.)

[pete_arnett-p40]

Looking if someone knows of a local desktop process or application that will change a LDSMaps download file (.csv) to a format that can be used for the following devices:

A) TomTom: convert from LDSMaps .csv ward download file to a format for TomTom XL device

B) Garmin: convert from LDSMaps .csv ward download file to a format for Garmin Nuvi device

Notes:
1) The LDSMaps download file (.csv) has Longitude, Latitude and if the address has been verified http://beta-maps.lds.org
2) User trhodes provides an application, but it uses the Local Unit Web Site (LUWS) membership for input and then it creates files for GPS devices
http://tech.lds.org/forum/showthread.ph ... ght=tomtom
http://www.mormongps.com

[greggo]

I looked into this when I first got my Garmin for Christmas.
From what I recall, it would be straightforward to edit a .csv file in Excel and then run the utility that can be downloaded from the Garmin website. The Excel process should be able to be automated with a macro.

I planned to create the Excel file to do this, but since our family will soon be moving out of the stake, I just haven't yet taken the time.

[coloradotechie-p40]

Looking if someone knows of a local desktop process or application that will change a LDSMaps download file (.csv) to a format that can be used for the following devices:

A) TomTom: convert from LDSMaps .csv ward download file to a format for TomTom XL device

I did this exactly with my Tom Tom... unfortunately I don't remember exactly how, but let me look it up, re-teach myself, then post it.

For now, if you want to research yourself, you can google search "Tom Tom create custom POI list"

(Essentially, you create a custom Point of Interest (POI) list from the coordinates downloaded from LDSMaps download... I'll post more when I find all the instructions).

Thanks!

[coloradotechie-p40]

Looking if someone knows of a local desktop process or application that will change a LDSMaps download file (.csv) to a format that can be used for the following devices:

A) TomTom: convert from LDSMaps .csv ward download file to a format for TomTom XL device

B) Garmin: convert from LDSMaps .csv ward download file to a format for Garmin Nuvi device

Okay, I found it:

For TomTom, you have two options:

Option 1: Follow instructions in TomTom documentation for create your own content - (click Points of Interest > Web Developers Guide, follow instructions on the web developers guide page... in fact, there is a lot of good information in there )

Option 2: Install POIEdit

For Garmin, it looks like you can just install POIEdit and export to the right format (as long as it is a Garmin Nuvi or en zumo, see supported devices )