Member I
I've known of the OpenStreetMap project for a long time and it is indeed cool. I did not know that there were any good apps that made use of that data for iOS. So thanks.
Gaia or....
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There are a bunch of them. I just don’t know all of them since I use Gaia.
One thing that was brought up in the beginning of this thread is Android or iOS. Some apps are exclusive to each operating system. Gaia on iOS is nearly flawless. On Android a lot more people seem to have issues. I don’t know if it ends up being a hardware issue or what. Android is a much more diverse ecosystem with lots of different versions of the operating system as well. I think that makes it more difficult for developers.
If you have specific Gaia questions check out the thread I started a long time ago "Ask me about Gaia GPS". Lots of folks have jumped in to help.
Some other general comments:
Storage complaints - Not all of the available maps are vector based. That is dependent on the map creator and is not something specific to Gaia GPS. As vector based maps come available Gaia makes sure to make them available.
All Trails - Not a fan of the app. I paid for the pro version for a year and rarely used it. It is very hiking focused and more of the crowd sourced content is for hikes vs vehicle trails.
Map Legends - For Gaia they are available online. Map Legends
They can probably be found within the apps help files but I never use that.
It was already mentioned but most of these apps are not meant for on road navigation. Use Google Maps, Apple Maps, Waze etc for that. As an individual you can add Google maps to Gaia (Google how to do this :) ) It is a nice layer for an overall view of a location. But there are plenty of other maps for this.
To each his own. I always welcome competition and try new apps all the time. I'm even willing to pay for them to try them. I personally am the wrong guy to ask about Android stuff. I have a nice LG Android phone sitting next to me and don't really use it. It's a backup device for me. I prefer the iOS experience. If you do too great. If not there really isn't a need to debate because each have their own camps.
I have used Gaia for over 5 years and have seen them listen to the community, learn what we as overlanders want, and implement them. I know more improvements are coming because Gaia constantly updates the app. They have a team working on the app all the time. Other apps are 1 person development shops and it just limits the ability to make changes and keep up with support.
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While the Surface is a cool device it is not an "app" friendly device. Microsoft has failed to attract folks to develop a robust app store. It's iOS or Android and I don't see that changing. Gaia's web based tools are for planning and not navigating. If you need to I am sure Gaia would provide you a refund. Contact Gaia Support.
Pathfinder II
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You should look at the number of requests for Windows 10 compatibility on Gaia's tech support page. All I'm saying is tablets aren't getting simpler or less capable. Doubting that there will be many out there in 5 years that aren't running a full operating system of Window or IOS. Gaia needs to update or they will be left behind. I was a retailer for years, the mantra is "give me what I want and take my money!"
Traveler III
I keep hearing about how great GAIA is, but honestly I'm not seeing it. It runs like buggy crap on both my PC on either Chrome or Firefox (basically non-functional on firefox) and it's very buggy and broken on Android as well, from what I've seen. I want to like GAIA, but I'm honestly baffled why so many people rave about it, but it sucks so bad for me. It's not a user issue - these are very basic, fundamental functional problems we're talking about, not user error.
Enthusiast III
My very recent experience with GAIA is the without service, it’s useless. Was just up in wasatch mountains looking for some trails, and waypoints I had set prior. No service, no anything. Also found out that it hasn’t been updated since 2015. How I found this out was zooming in on my house, and in the driveway was a car I sold in 2015
Not sure what to use when I’m in a place with no cell service
Not sure what to use when I’m in a place with no cell service
@Pinion, I'm not sure what you're talking about. Did you download your maps for offline use? No mapping app will work outside of cell service unless the maps are on your device. I do this all the time and I roam around in the nation's only Radio Quiet Zone where there is basically no cell service or even much in the way of basic radio broadcast. Works all the time but I have to download the maps first. I also don't know what you're talking about no updates since 2015 but you better check your sources. The latest update was version 1.8.2 just two weeks ago. Practically all smartphones have GPS receivers in them and will get a signal without any cell service and the mapping apps can use that. Again, download the maps before going off of cell. Better yet, download them when you're on wifi - much faster. As far as the 2015 image of your house that is just when that particular map source was last updated or the last version released to the public. A little education will go a long ways in answering a lot of question. Gaia and most of the other apps of any size have websites with plenty of details on them.
@CR-Venturer, the Gaia website is not the best. If you want to do web based mapping work on your computer then I suggest Caltopo. As far as Android, yes I've heard it's buggy. I don't know - I'm a Mac/IOS guy.
Traveler III
@CR-Venturer, yes, Caltopo lets you export files as a standard GPX. You can then use Dropbox to import them to Gaia. Instructions are on the Gaia website. There may be other ways to import them also but that is the one I use.
I'll disagree with you there. This is on Microsoft. Microsoft has tried and failed over and over again in the tablet/smartphone space. Windows is still a clunky experience and even worse on a tablet.
I think you mean Mac OS vs iOS on the Apple side. Apple has been very reluctant to make its tablets run a desktop/laptop OS. It would kill their Macbook sales. I don't see that changing anytime soon.
Companies like Gaia does just fine on iOS and Android and they don't need to support another OS. That's my opinion at least.
You are confusing a map layer with the application. The app gets updated all the time. The satellite imagery you have selected may not have been. What layer are you using?
You have to PRE-download the map layers you want to use for when you don't have cell service. Whether that is Gaia GPS or any other app. So make sure you have downloaded what you need prior to heading out.
Caltopo is already a map layer in Gaia GPS. What are you seeing on the CalTop website that is different?
The thing is if you look at an app like bcn or topo usa they all have probably a dozen variations available from usgs topo maps to forest service the usgs maps cover everything so why not have the whole west ? The only reason not to is because the app can handle it or the hardware can't the maps are there all ready
Enthusiast III
Ummm, ok
Anywho, picked up a piece of hardware to use when no cell service that I hope solves my issue. Which is current location on a routed trail
Anywho, picked up a piece of hardware to use when no cell service that I hope solves my issue. Which is current location on a routed trail
So here are a couple of questions
1 what other mapping gps apps work on iOS? And work well?
2 is the buggyness on android what is responsible for not being able download large tracts of land
3 any one running a near iPad with any gps app able to load more than 100,000 tiles at zoom level 15 or better?
1 what other mapping gps apps work on iOS? And work well?
2 is the buggyness on android what is responsible for not being able download large tracts of land
3 any one running a near iPad with any gps app able to load more than 100,000 tiles at zoom level 15 or better?
There is a lot of misunderstanding in this thread and general lack of information. I'll try to clear some of that up. First, my credentials - I have a Master's degree in Geography and work in IT as a Senior Systems Admin (25+ years) so I know both sides of this situation.
@1Louder, Caltopo is not a layer in Gaia. CalTopo is a mapping and trip planning tool for the backcountry - here's their overview page. Several of the map layers in Gaia are sourced from Caltopo but it is a standalone application - either web based or on your computer for you to do mapping in. Think of it as a much updated version of the old National Geographic Topo! except with dozens of layers available. Anyone can use it but you can also have subscription accounts to give you access to addition features. For backcountry exploration this is the first place I go to draw freehand routes for human-powered exploration and then I import these routes into Gaia. In some ways Caltopo is to backcountry exploration (hiking, backpacking, fishing, etc.) like Google Maps or Mapquest is to driving.
@Wanderer, there are many apps that work with iOS for mapping. Besides Gaia, I have on my iPhone Avenza Maps, Maprika, OSMAndMaps, Google Earth, FATMAP, onX ROAM, Guru Maps, Topo Maps+, BaseMap, etc. There are plenty more. Can't answer about Android. What do you mean by a "near iPad"? Also, you might want to check how much storage space and processing power a device would need to download half of the country at the level you want and all the layers you want. That will tax a desktop machine.
@Pinion, Suit yourself but the smartphone that I assume you have would do the same thing. You just have to download the maps for the area in advance.
@1Louder, Caltopo is not a layer in Gaia. CalTopo is a mapping and trip planning tool for the backcountry - here's their overview page. Several of the map layers in Gaia are sourced from Caltopo but it is a standalone application - either web based or on your computer for you to do mapping in. Think of it as a much updated version of the old National Geographic Topo! except with dozens of layers available. Anyone can use it but you can also have subscription accounts to give you access to addition features. For backcountry exploration this is the first place I go to draw freehand routes for human-powered exploration and then I import these routes into Gaia. In some ways Caltopo is to backcountry exploration (hiking, backpacking, fishing, etc.) like Google Maps or Mapquest is to driving.
@Wanderer, there are many apps that work with iOS for mapping. Besides Gaia, I have on my iPhone Avenza Maps, Maprika, OSMAndMaps, Google Earth, FATMAP, onX ROAM, Guru Maps, Topo Maps+, BaseMap, etc. There are plenty more. Can't answer about Android. What do you mean by a "near iPad"? Also, you might want to check how much storage space and processing power a device would need to download half of the country at the level you want and all the layers you want. That will tax a desktop machine.
@Pinion, Suit yourself but the smartphone that I assume you have would do the same thing. You just have to download the maps for the area in advance.
I probably didn't phrase it properly but my questions was what are you seeing in the CalTopo application that can't be seen in Gaia? I agree there is a lot of general confusion from folks that don't have experience with GPS applications. Nothing wrong with that. I just don't think people should discard software or discount it because they don't understand how to use the application.
As mentions previously by me and others. ALL smart phone/tablet apps require you to download map areas if you want to use them offline. I just did a trip where the entire off pavement portion was without cell service. So everyone in the group download the maps in advance. This was easy to do. We had a track with a distance of about 20 miles. The download which included multiple layers was quick and relatively small.
If you are the type of person that needs maps of an entire state and don't want to download maps there are a few dedicated GPS units out there but you won't find the level of detail you are seeking. Everything in life is a tradeoff. Smart Device apps are much more flexible than any dedicated piece of hardware today. At least with Android and iOS if you try something and don't like it you can then go and try something else. Good luck doing that with a Garmin device, Magellan, whomever.
I'll shut my trap but if you get a piece of software you have to read and learn how to use it. If you go to the developers website prior to purchase and don't see good documentation then you might not want to buy it. I personally stand behind Gaia GPS and have used it for years. I can't answer why some people have issues with it on Android. Other than there are too many different hardware developers and many different versions of Android which makes it harder to maintain a stable app. WIth that said if you have the current version of Android on a name brand device that is not older than 3 years it should run. I can say on a 4 year old iPad Gaia still runs fine.
Trap shut...
@1Louder,
First let me say that we are in total agreement on the need to download maps for offline use (I think I've already said it about three times in this thread) and that smartphone apps are much more robust in terms of what data is available than standalone units. As for your question about Caltopo I can't tell by your response if you've ever used it, I'm thinking not or limited. First of all planning a trip is much eaiser. I can draw in routes including freehand drawing or snap to existing lines. Very important for foot travel. As for layers you would need to go and check yourself since I'm not going to do a one-to-one analysis. What you can do in Caltopo that I don't think you can in Gaia are things such as Viewshed Analysis, DEM shading, Sunlight Analysis, add custom sources, elevation profiles of your track/route, waypoint insertion at any point including by distance on your route, add polygons and bearing lines, Slope angle shading (I find this quite useful), weather overlays, real-time data from Snotel sites, water guages and weather stations, plus much more. As you can see this is a complete map planning package. Go take a look, you'll be pleasantly surprised.
First let me say that we are in total agreement on the need to download maps for offline use (I think I've already said it about three times in this thread) and that smartphone apps are much more robust in terms of what data is available than standalone units. As for your question about Caltopo I can't tell by your response if you've ever used it, I'm thinking not or limited. First of all planning a trip is much eaiser. I can draw in routes including freehand drawing or snap to existing lines. Very important for foot travel. As for layers you would need to go and check yourself since I'm not going to do a one-to-one analysis. What you can do in Caltopo that I don't think you can in Gaia are things such as Viewshed Analysis, DEM shading, Sunlight Analysis, add custom sources, elevation profiles of your track/route, waypoint insertion at any point including by distance on your route, add polygons and bearing lines, Slope angle shading (I find this quite useful), weather overlays, real-time data from Snotel sites, water guages and weather stations, plus much more. As you can see this is a complete map planning package. Go take a look, you'll be pleasantly surprised.
I have used Caltopo in the past. For my needs the web version of Gaia GPS and the app have been fine. I can create routes in the app and or waypoints as needed for the trips where I am in discovery mode. Most of the time though I already have a GPX track for what I am going to drive so using a web based application is not needed.
Maybe help connect the dots for people. If you are using CalTopo for planning a route how do you then get that route/track into a phone/tablet based application. (I know how but since I am not a regular user you would be better at explaining the flow.) If you were using certain map layers in Caltopo how do you match up what you were using online to what you will see on your device? Or do you find this less important. For example, in Caltopo there is a layer called FSTOPO 2016. In Gaia GPS that is called USFS 2016. Gaia also has shaded relief. I guess my point is make sure folks understand the difference between an application (software or web based) which can be used at home while connected to the internet for planning purposes vs an app used in your vehicle when not connected to the internet. I hope that makes sense.
Folks I said I would shut my trap but there are LOTS of videos online, some created by OB members, which give easy to use tutorials on Gaia GPS and other apps. Seek them out before you download an app, head out, and then think the app doesn't work.
This is the help article for downloading maps in Gaia GPS for iOS. There is also one for Android. It explains the 100,000 tile limit and how areas are automatically stiched together. Download Maps for Offline Use
You can also down maps along a track. Which for most people will give them enough map coverage:
Download Maps for Track, Route, or Area in iOS
Use the 'Download Maps for Track, Route, or Area' feature to download an offline map that follows your track or route or area. The width of the map may vary slightly depending on the selected map s...
help.gaiagps.com
