Offline map software for a Mac

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Sweep
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Re: Offline map software for a Mac

Post by Sweep »

sjs wrote:
I think QMapShack could do what you want on a mac, including offline routing. I took the trouble to learn enough to use it a year or so ago, but it has a steep learning curve, and I have now forgotten nearly all I knew about it. An Android tablet is much easier .

What would you use to plot/create a route on an android tab?
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sjs
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Re: Offline map software for a Mac

Post by sjs »

Sweep wrote:What would you use to plot/create a route on an android tab?


I've recently discovered Locus Maps (also mentioned by others on here in similar threads). Powerful, including offline routing, but also needing some effort to learn. Probably less popular than OSMand, judging by mentions on here, which is a bit easier I think.

I'm fond of Ordnance Survey maps, and for that reason I also use Maverick, which is very easy to get to grips with, limited in features, but will download and keep OS map tiles, in a format compatible with the Locus Maps I mentioned earlier.
Zulu Eleven
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Re: Offline map software for a Mac

Post by Zulu Eleven »

Cant imagine anything worse than taking my MacBook on a cycle tour as another thing to lug up hills, let alone worry about getting soaked or nicked.

I'd buy a second hand iPad mini off Ebay and use the OS maps app on it (you can either download maps with the code fond on paper maps or download a route and background map in advance)
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Mick F
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Re: Offline map software for a Mac

Post by Mick F »

Zulu Eleven wrote:Cant imagine anything worse than taking my MacBook on a cycle tour as another thing to lug up hills, let alone worry about getting soaked or nicked.
Taken mine a few times.

Not much weight at all compared to the rest of the stuff.
Mine wouldn't get soaked, and I wouldn't leave it unattended.

I have an iPad Mini and taken that instead for the mapping, but you can't get a Garmin to upload into it.
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climo
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Re: Offline map software for a Mac

Post by climo »

Decided to leave the mac at home. It's too heavy, bulky and expensive. More importantly there just isn't any decent offline mapping software for it. Bought a 10in Lenovo android tablet, a third of the bulk & weight and more importantly runs Osmand which is my choice of offline map software. I can plot a route on that and seamlessly transfer it to my phone for navigation.
Ipads don't run Osmand very well.
I've used macs since 1988 and I love the system but the company is arrogant beyond belief and I hate this built in obsolescence of IOS. My wife has an early ipad and there's nothing wrong with it apart from it won't run later systems and so can't run any new apps. Effectively it's useless
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Sweep
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Re: Offline map software for a Mac

Post by Sweep »

climo wrote:Decided to leave the mac at home. It's too heavy, bulky and expensive. More importantly there just isn't any decent offline mapping software for it. Bought a 10in Lenovo android tablet, a third of the bulk & weight and more importantly runs Osmand which is my choice of offline map software. I can plot a route on that and seamlessly transfer it to my phone for navigation.
Ipads don't run Osmand very well.
I've used macs since 1988 and I love the system but the company is arrogant beyond belief and I hate this built in obsolescence of IOS. My wife has an early ipad and there's nothing wrong with it apart from it won't run later systems and so can't run any new apps. Effectively it's useless


Can I ask about your methodology for plotting routes on the android tab climo?

I have OSMand on my lenovo 7inch tab (prefer it as tougher) but may get a 10 inch in time after my very favourable impressions of Lenovo.

Your experience with OSMand android may be particularly useful as (maybe you don't know) android apps can also be run on more modern chromebooks. OSMand android will run on my large chromebook but not, unfortunately, on the 11 inch one I ride with. If I can produce reliable offline routes on OSMand I may get a more modern 11 inch chromebook.

Apologies for my ignorance - have had OSMand a while but have only just discovered it's apparent ability to manually plot and then edit routes - it is a great package but not exactly intuitive.
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climo
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Re: Offline map software for a Mac

Post by climo »

Sweep wrote:Can I ask about your methodology for plotting routes on the android tab climo?

I have OSMand on my lenovo 7inch tab (prefer it as tougher) but may get a 10 inch in time after my very favourable impressions of Lenovo.

Your experience with OSMand android may be particularly useful as (maybe you don't know) android apps can also be run on more modern chromebooks. OSMand android will run on my large chromebook but not, unfortunately, on the 11 inch one I ride with. If I can produce reliable offline routes on OSMand I may get a more modern 11 inch chromebook.

Apologies for my ignorance - have had OSMand a while but have only just discovered it's apparent ability to manually plot and then edit routes - it is a great package but not exactly intuitive.


You're right about osmand. Fantastic app by by god it's perverse. I'm always impressed by the amount of info it contains.
I've bought the Lenovo P10 tablet (new and reduced on ebay) so haven't used it on tour. Normally I'd plan online using the excellent cycle.travel and transfer it to the phone. The tablet is useful for altering or creating new routes, finding campsites or other POI's and a wider view - bit like a paper map!. Here's what I do though I'm sure there's easier ways like doing it online!

To change an existing gps route or track or whatever you want to call it. It's the same process if you're starting from scratch.
1 long press map on road you want to travel along to get orange & brown round marker
2 dialogue box press “marker”
IF you've put the marker in the wrong place then do 3-6
3 on map hit the marker flag, round marker appears
4 dialogue box press “Actions”
5 “change marker position”
6 move map and “apply”
Repeat to make a series of markers edit the name to 1 or 2 as you need to add them in sequence
7 hit “directions”
8 look at the “from” and “to” and next to the “to” destination is a + sign, hit that
9 hit “add” then “markers” to get a list of markers, add them in sequence
10 hit “Apply” to rebuild the route
11 Go back to map, hit “Directions” then “Details”
12 Top of dialogue box there are very small symbols. The tray with the arrow is “Save” and the “Share” symbol will let you send via bluetooth to your phone if they are paired. It’ll go into the bluetooth folder so copy it to the net.osmand.plus / tracks folder

Hope that helps
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Sweep
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Re: Offline map software for a Mac

Post by Sweep »

Many thanks for this climo.
Will investigate/practice.
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Sweep
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Re: Offline map software for a Mac

Post by Sweep »

Climo

Many thanks - I did sort things thanks to your helpful step by step guide.

Not sure I could have done it without.

Of course OSMand being what it is I haven't quite lodged the process in my memory but am confident that I can do the process again without screwing things up.

I created a series of markers at turns using a generated line as a guide, numbered them, then saved them in series.

When I downloaded a gpx of the file generated from them and took a look at it in a text editor I saw that, rather annoyingly, it has put a load of other points in between but it was a simple matter so strip all these out with my chromebook's text editor, caret, as it had put them all at the beginning of the gpx with my own marker points

By the by, would be grateful if someone could recommend a simple android text editor.

All I really need to be able to do with it is search and replaces and to highlight muktiple lines with certain terms in them so that I can hack them all out in one step - which is what Caret does for me.

I would, despite its odd structure, recommend OSMandplus to anyone - a fiver for life for the basic functions and sometimes reduced from that I think.

I have also paid for lifetime subs for altitude overlays.

Thanks again climo.
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Re: Offline map software for a Mac

Post by Angstrom »

climo wrote:Decided to leave the mac at home. It's too heavy, bulky and expensive. More importantly there just isn't any decent offline mapping software for it. Bought a 10in Lenovo android tablet, a third of the bulk & weight and more importantly runs Osmand which is my choice of offline map software. I can plot a route on that and seamlessly transfer it to my phone for navigation.
Ipads don't run Osmand very well.
I've used macs since 1988 and I love the system but the company is arrogant beyond belief and I hate this built in obsolescence of IOS. My wife has an early iPad and there's nothing wrong with it apart from it won't run later systems and so can't run any new apps. Effectively it's useless


I'm curious: why would you insist on having an offline tool?

I find offline capability to be a requirement for hiking in mountains but I seldom am out of mobile coverage through a day with my bike. Of course it does happen in a day, but since I always carry a paper map, I never found myself stranded because of a temporary isolation from the internet.
"A cycle tourist doesn't have a track record. Just memories". Jean Taboureau
climo
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Re: Offline map software for a Mac

Post by climo »

I think that most cycle satnav apps allow offline maps. Offline on a tablet is needed for obvious reasons, and is useful as the areas where I can get "geographically displaced" are the areas least likely to have 4g. Don't you find constant internet use drains the phone battery? I use Osmand for several reasons not only because it works offline but because it's the one that, for me, works best. I find Maps.Me drains the battery and looking at others I've not been very impressed. The maps are smaller to download than Komoot and much more logical to find which map you need to download.
I love paper maps but on a longer tour you have so many it's a pain to carry. Why is it that you're always on the edge of a map!
Angstrom
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Re: Offline map software for a Mac

Post by Angstrom »

climo wrote:I think that most cycle satnav apps allow offline maps. Offline on a tablet is needed for obvious reasons, and is useful as the areas where I can get "geographically displaced" are the areas least likely to have 4g. I use Osmand for several reasons not only because it works offline but because it's the one that, for me, works best. I find Maps.Me drains the battery and looking at others I've not been very impressed. The maps are smaller to download than Komoot and much more logical to find which map you need to download.


I dont't understand.

I read this:
climo wrote:Bought a 10in Lenovo android tablet, runs Osmand which is my choice of offline map software. I can plot a route on that and seamlessly transfer it to my phone for navigation.


Don't I understand that OSMand is being used to plot, but the actual navigation takes place on the iPhone?

My point is that using online apps such as CT for plotting, one can "seamlessly transfer to the phone for navigation".

Don't you find constant internet use drains the phone battery?

I turn off 4G when I'm done plotting because indeed 4G drains battery faster. I just turn it on on demand.
I too use an app with maps stored on the device when on the road to follow the plotted route.

I love paper maps but on a longer tour you have so many it's a pain to carry. Why is it that you're always on the edge of a map!

I'm using 1/100 000 maps so I do need to take only a few. I've thought of sending the ones I don't need after I'm through that area but ended up carrying them all the way. I'm not a weight hunter. If I was going for a longer trip, that's what I'd do though.
When only a small part of one map is needed, I print from the web on A4.
"A cycle tourist doesn't have a track record. Just memories". Jean Taboureau
Richard Fairhurst
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Re: Offline map software for a Mac

Post by Richard Fairhurst »

Angstrom wrote:I find offline capability to be a requirement for hiking in mountains but I seldom am out of mobile coverage through a day with my bike. Of course it does happen in a day, but since I always carry a paper map, I never found myself stranded because of a temporary isolation from the internet.


I think France might be better than Britain in this regard. When I rode the Loire and the Velo Francette last year I was never out of mobile coverage (well, not that I noticed). But here in the Cotswolds, not exactly a wilderness area, it's a very common occurrence.
cycle.travel - maps, journey-planner, route guides and city guides
climo
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Re: Offline map software for a Mac

Post by climo »

Angstrom
Obviously a misunderstanding on both sides. I plot a route on CT, transfer it and navigate in Osmand on the phone. The same route is also keep on the tablet. If I then wish to change the route I do that on the tablet and transfer the amended route to the phone. I don't need any internet connection to do this. The advantage of the tablet, just like a paper map, is that I get a wider area to view and a greater understanding of where I am. Unlike a paper map I can find the nearest corner shop marked in osmand. On the tablet I don't have to peer at a small screen to find the nearest corner shop. In the evening I can look at the planned route for next day and alter it to go see a castle or something. If I want an offroute campsite it's a lot easier to use Archie's on a larger screen. All possible on a phone screen but I find that by zooming out to find what I want I can't see my existing route.
Plus I get the advantages of a screen I can read a kindle book, guidebook, etc.
It's just a different way of doing the same thing.
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Re: Offline map software for a Mac

Post by Angstrom »

OK. I understand. I agree that a tablet provides an improved display confort, useful for other purposes. I have taken my tablet with me once but in the end found out I prefer to disconnect as much as possible during the holidays and less confort is better to achieve this objective.

Richard, the Loire region will have no noticeable "zone blanche". There will be some in Massif Central, Alps and Pyrennes but none that will make replotting a course on CT impossible during a day's ride.

Maybe I should come and ride in the Cotswolds! :D
"A cycle tourist doesn't have a track record. Just memories". Jean Taboureau
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