RCTgo Forums

Full Version: Is there a way to map a coaster while riding it?
You're currently viewing a stripped down version of our content. View the full version with proper formatting.
May sound like a weird question but I was wondering if there is a method to map a coaster while riding it? Would it require sophisticated equipment or is there an app of some sort?

For instance my home park is King's Island. I have lived around the corner from K.I. all of my life and even worked there for a summer back in 98. We have some pretty fantastic coasters like Diamondback and my favorite, The Beast.

This probably sounds really far-fetched but I'm just interested in if such a thing exists or is even plausable. Using The Beast as an example, let's say you can mount your phone or device on the coaster, similar to a go pro when recording a POV ride.

You mount it and calibrate everything to zero. When the train starts the app goes to work mapping and measuring things like speed, degrees of banks, hills, change in altitude, etc. Essentially creating a detailed virtual map of the entire ride that a person could go home and recreate The Beast or any ride, with a high degree of accuracy in the software they prefer.

Is such a thing possible?
I'd be inclined to say that it isn't, since I've never heard of anything of the sort. Most people use a combination of POV videos, aerial photographs, and ride databases to get the ride's stats and layout as close to accurate as possible.