Has anyone developed / found a generative AI that you can feed a list of coordinates and it will generate a route between them that satisfies e.g. “Shortest”, or “Least Altitude Gain”?
They claim to have something like this. I just read about this last week. I gave it a try to generate a flat route for my commute and it suggested a route on the highway! I was not impressed.
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Strava can do this right?
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I like RWGPS ability to do something similar and Garmin Connects current auto gen. I might’ve have to check them first but they’ve never routed me down a busy road when an alternative quiet lane exists. I sometimes have to check they aren’t putting me down something unsurfaced, but they seem to be getting better on that front. 15 years ago if you never spent a while checking they would.
The MS copilot can be used to create routes according to the instructions. You can get the routes shown on the Bing map. I have played with it and created just some simple test routes, from one place to another, but I suppose it can create more complex routes too.
Sorry, but I’ve to point out that you don’t need an AI tool to do something like this. “Find the shortest route under these conditions” is a classic mathematical problem.
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I suppose the Komoot process is like this….you can just plug in a waypoint / destination and it will automatically generate a route for you.
Have used it a few times and the route options have been OK….a few busy roads but nothing like being out on a highway or anything dangerous (so far).
@splash Even adding qualifiers to add some excitement to the route (ie: with some gravel) doesn’t really require AI either.
I’ve just been thinking about it, I actually think an AI would be pretty bad at this. For example, I could see it ignoring waypoints and picking “similar” options - for example ignoring a waypoint for a new little cafe and routing to a nearby Starbucks instead, because historical evidence suggests it’s a popular stop in the area.
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Can you explain how such a mechanical calculus would be set up then? How would you qualify road quality or inclusion criteria? Suitability for a bicycle or not?
I think you know why you wanted to point that out, and it has nothing to do with helping anyone solve the problem ;-).
Shortest path problem is a classic problem taught in Comp Sci, and has several different solutions that have no reliance or connection with AI. Algorithms used to solve the problem can consider weight which can be comprised of one or more criteria (speed limits, suitability for bikes, traffic lights/stop signs, real-world speeds impacted by elevation, etc.). There’s a plethora of information to sift through if you’re truly interested. I’m not actually sure how AI would be of benefit here.
ETA: Source - comp sci major, 20 years in field including 5+ in GIS.
If the number of stops is reasonable, you could manually use Strava or any other route builder for this. Create a distinct route for all reasonable permutations of your stops and pick the one that looks the best. The tool automatically creates a “best-fit” route between two points. I’m not sure what your use case is though, so not sure whether this is a match.
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I pointed it out because there is no need to look for specifically an AI route planner that can do that. A non-AI route planner would do fine. Not everything needs to be AI, and looking for it might lead to no results, even though tools that can do what is requested exist, just without AI.
If you’re interested in the maths, this might be a starting point: Shortest path problem - Wikipedia
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Is what you’re really asking is there an AI that can look at a map/aerial photographs plus other data on the web, to decide whether a route is suitable for a road/gravel/mountain bike, when the map itself doesn’t contain data about road surface, traffic, classification etc?
Apple Maps > Fastest Route
Apple Maps > Avoid Hills toggle
I don’t see any relevance for Gen AI?
GIS data is available for London, England:
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To interpret a common language instruction set and quickly modify the query based upon new natural language instructions.
None of the apps suggested so far will solve the problem of, for example, “find the shortest route that includes these 30 climbs in this specific direction but in any order with this start point”.
Or
“Now prioritise minimisation of altitude gain”
Or
“Remove motorways and dual carriageways”
Or
“Remove gravel paths”
Or
I could go on.
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Oh
My limited knowledge of GIS systems and GIS data processing is that this is hugely compute intensive, ie expensive
An LLM front end might be nice to have for something like but not particularly valuable
You got solutions for the stated problem, which is to to generate a route between a set of waypoints that satisfies shortest path/least altitude gain. Now you’re expanding the problem, which is fair. Some of your use cases are already solved (exclude gravel/paved only, minimize altitude, etc.). I’m not aware of any route builder that allows you to specify this many variables, probably for a good reason (very resource intensive). Not to say it can’t be done, but it seems like a niche product, one that’ll cost a fair bit to operate, and as a result, one that is unlikely to be profitable. The industry is driven by optimizing for shortest/most cost effective path, not one that is tweaked by variables like you describe, which makes this feature unlikely to appear in your favorite mapping software.
Find me a road without junctions I can spend ten minutes at 3W/kg would be really useful…
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I still run into issues with rwgps to be honest - i find I have to add way points to make sure it doesn’t send me off road. And then when I am planning a gravel spin, I have to toggle between walking and cycling or it refuses to allow me down some trails (where cycling is 100% allowed by byelaws).
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Does it need to have any elevation? If not, you should consider moving to the prairies 
My choices are limited entirely by which direction I’d like to ride, which is directly influenced by the wind that day. No need for AI or fancy software.
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