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API to access climbing gym map data?

Original Post
Daniel Kat · · Denver, CO · Joined Nov 2014 · Points: 3,938

I'm interested in building some data visualizations about climbing gyms, and want to query that data used in the climbing gym map page, here:

https://www.mountainproject.com/gyms

it says it's based off open street maps (which is open source) and mapbox - which seems like a map-builder tool for developers? Anyway, I can't seem to find the original open-street map or data it's based on anywhere on the interwebs. Anyone know where/how I might be able to access this?

Thanks,

Ethan Henderson · · Washington · Joined Oct 2010 · Points: 602

I haven't looked at mapbox, but you could just scrape the gyms page/app.
You might have to do a bit of sleuthing to figure out the api calls. Note, I haven't investigated the gyms page at all, there might be a simpler way. But, as a past web-scraping developer, often one has to make their own unofficial "API". 

Tradgic Yogurt · · Unknown Hometown · Joined May 2016 · Points: 55

Well I'll be damned, I was today many years old when I learned that MP has a gym directory.

I would be that it's their own layer though, and OSM is the map component. Probably a scraping job for beautifulsoup or something, but I will absolutely disavow any knowledge of this conversation if you get banned for using the website in a way REI thinks is naughty ;)

Daniel Kat · · Denver, CO · Joined Nov 2014 · Points: 3,938

lawl. I guess I could figure out how to just scrape the data - but then if MP changes that page, i assume I'd have to update my code :/

If there's an easier way... that'd be cool too. The gym data they're displaying is crowed-sourced I believe (I've submitted a few gyms myself), just like routes (which have an API), so I figure the data could/should be available. Or think the CWA would consider making some data available?

Ethan Henderson · · Washington · Joined Oct 2010 · Points: 602

Ask them.
Yeah, it's an unofficial API so you will have to change it sometimes. Or just figure out what the map app is doing. Probably just one call to get all the info.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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