WiGLE.net

Im not exactly sure I understand the purpose of WiGLE. Whats the point?

I uploaded my .ns1 file, but what was the point to that?

Im new to this, so go easy on me.

that's a very existential question.

we draw maps, and then we draw points on maps.
the maps are derived from US census and VMAP0 data, mostly.
the points are derived from hundreds of millions of aggregate observations of millions of networks from thousands of people just like you. (depending on your belief system, of course. there's noone just like me.)

that's a very existential question.

It is. Wigle is an addiction. You come back constantly with new wardrive logs, looking for that high of seeing 'New networks found with GPS locations'. Looking at slowly going up and down in the ranks. Planning detours through the city to visit 'uncharted' parts or revisiting streets you haven't seen in a while. Making scripts to generate maps of places you have visited or haven't visited in a while.

It is a good reason to go a different way and see different things.

that's a very existential question.

It is. Wigle is an addiction.

Absolutely true. Somebody keeps pushing me back towards #100 in the stats, so I go drive a bit farther, a bit more out of the way, off to a new quadrant of a neighboring suburb I haven't wandered yet. Then I'm back at #94...for a day or two

And it IS a great way to explore; I know more about what's in my city and it's surrounding areas then I ever have before.

That was a surprising bit of fun, seeing bits of the city I've never seen. Plus my long-way-around mis-routing starts to serve a purpose.

That was a surprising bit of fun, seeing bits of the city I've never seen. Plus my long-way-around mis-routing starts to serve a purpose.

I like to joke that war driving has given me a cabbies knowledge of whatever city I'm in while doing it. After just a year of driving I know shortcuts that even natives don't know. A major accident at a common choke point? no problem, drive over three blocks and there is a road with no traffic lights or stop signs that goes the same place or nearly so - found while war driving. I even beat one co-worker to his house from work. he took the highway around and I cut through the city bypassing lights, or better since I know their timings in a lot of places...catching them all green.