If you are an exercise enthusiast, a regular walker, or even just beginning to get alarmed at that spreading waistline, exercising with GPS can be a good way to gather data. There are dedicated GPS watches that even include heart rate monitors, but these are sometimes a little difficult to find in India. However, if you have a cellphone that has a GPS receiver, you can keep track of the distance you've travelled, the calories burnt, the speed, and even the elevation information. Of course, the last is only useful if you're into rock climbing, but the rest of the stats are handy, especially if you keep logs over time.

To do this, you need a GPS device such as your cell phone, free software (TrekBuddy), and a website that can track these stats. Motion Based (www.motionbased.com), and Trimble Outdoors (www.trimbleoutdoors.com) are two such sites. Signing up is free, though at Motion Based a paid subscription enables a few more features. Trimble Outdoors is completely free. Once you have these bits in place, just go out jogging, with your phone in your pocket and TrekBuddy running. After you get back and catch your breath, the .GPX file created by TrekBuddy can be uploaded to these websites. Trimble Outdoors even allows you to add pictures and videos along the trip, so if you go for a longish hike or drive, you can supplement the raw data with some memorable pictures.

If you find the idea of jogging with your cellphone repugnant, you can buy a watch that has a GPS receiver. Suunto watches are available in India through A&S Systems (www.ascreations.in). It costs a small fortune (Rs. 31,000), so it's only worth it if you're extremely serious about your outdoor activities.

Geotag your Photos

Geotagging adds a new dimension to your photographic journeys. It can mean the difference between a directory full of assorted pictures, or a map that records your journey in your own photos. It also lets you click on a place and get information about that place... in pictures. Geotagging used to be the domain of GPS geeks a while back, but new tools have made it easier than ever to geotag photos.