Jump to content

Live and offline maps


Boudewijn

Recommended Posts

2 minutes ago, Boudewijn said:

Just bought an iPhone and thinking about getting cachly. The most important for me in a cache app are the maps. Which offline maps are supported and can you also navigate to a cach using a offline map?

Cachly provides the following map layers:

  • Apple Maps
  • Google Maps
  • Ordnance Survey (UK)
  • Open Street Map
  • Open Cycle Map
  • Thunder Forest Landscape
  • Thunder Forest Outdoors
  • ARC GIS Satellite
  • ARC GIS Topo

Cachly had offline map tile downloads available. But in our upcoming 2.0 version we will be releasing Open Street offline vector maps, which will allow you to download entire states and countries offline in very small file sizes. (WA State is only 58 MB)

Yes, you can navigate to a cache using offline maps.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 months later...

I have downloaded my state Open Street map, and that appears to work quite well if that sort of map is all that I need. There are times, however, when I need other map types in areas where there is no cell phone coverage, but I don't see whether they can be deployed as map layers in Cachly.

1. Specifically, I have purchased and occasionally like to use Topomaps (https://goo.gl/QHm4pQ) and Gaia GPS (https://goo.gl/MvkxWI). Is it possible to navigate to a cache in Cachly using such maps? If Cachly would recognize them as additional map layers along with the standard ones, the would be great. That feature may be there, and I'm just missing it.

2. Using the Google Maps app, it's possible to download offline map areas. Is it possible to use these offline maps with Cachly?

Thanks!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, brudderman said:

I have downloaded my state Open Street map, and that appears to work quite well if that sort of map is all that I need. There are times, however, when I need other map types in areas where there is no cell phone coverage, but I don't see whether they can be deployed as map layers in Cachly.

Other map types besides our vector Offline OSM maps are not available for download. Mainly because they are tile based maps and they have license agreements prohibiting the use of their tiles for offline use.

2 hours ago, brudderman said:

1. Specifically, I have purchased and occasionally like to use Topomaps (https://goo.gl/QHm4pQ) and Gaia GPS (https://goo.gl/MvkxWI). Is it possible to navigate to a cache in Cachly using such maps? If Cachly would recognize them as additional map layers along with the standard ones, the would be great. That feature may be there, and I'm just missing it.

When navigating in Cachly we have a number of routing providers available (if you have them installed). Just tap the ... button when navigating to a cache. We do support Gaia GPS but I have never heard of Topomaps before. Will look into that. 

2 hours ago, brudderman said:

2. Using the Google Maps app, it's possible to download offline map areas. Is it possible to use these offline maps with Cachly?

No, this isn't possible. Those downloaded maps are sandboxed inside of the Google Maps app and they don't allow them to be used anywhere else.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for explaining, Nic! The offline Open Street Maps are sufficient in most cases, and the download for my entire state is very small! And for turn-by-turn navigation, the offline HERE Maps and Maps.me generally fulfill my needs in getting near a cache.

I have downloaded areas of interest in Gaia GPS, and activating navigation from Cachly in airplane mode (to simulate no cell service) does switch over to Gaia properly. Sometimes the Gaia maps are very fuzzy after the switch, but I'll experiment more.  Having Topomaps as a option here would also be quite nice since I have downloaded many megabytes of tiles for offline use. It would sure be nice to have a pin automatically dropped at the cache coordinates in both Gaia and Topomaps when the switch is made, but that may not be possible. Too bad about the sandboxing of offline Google maps. Would be nice to have them available as well.

Thanks again for a great app and for the continual improvements! Lots to learn here!

James

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, brudderman said:

Having Topomaps as a option here would also be quite nice since I have downloaded many megabytes of tiles for offline use. It would sure be nice to have a pin automatically dropped at the cache coordinates in both Gaia and Topomaps when the switch is made, but that may not be possible.

There are a couple of apps in the App Store called Topo Maps. Can you let me know which one you are referring to? What is the developers name?

Also, pretty sure that last time I worked on the Gaia integration it wasn't possible to drop a pin, but I will check again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks, Nic!

The one I use is Topo Maps by Phil Endecott (https://goo.gl/NUo1pZ). Have used it for years. 

It may not be possible to automatically add a dropped pin to Gaia, but I made a request to them several years ago, and it seems like it was acted on. But that could be only for the paid subscription service. I'll do a little research.

Now concerning the offline Google maps. I'm a user of FileMaker Pro (and the iOS version, Filemaker Go) and have a database of registered voters on my iPhone. This includes voter addresses, and I'm able to go to an address in an offline Google map in their maps app. Here's the basic procedure:

1. Download the desired offline map area in Google Maps on the phone.

2. In Filemaker construct a URL with this Google map syntax: http://local.google.com/maps?q=FullStreetAddress, City,zip

3. Turn on airplane mode to simulate no cell service

4. "Execute" the above URL with a FileMaker script step. If the address is in the previously downloaded offline area, a pin will be dropped in the Google Maps app at that point. If the address is not in the offline area, then nothing happens. No map, no pin.

So it might be possible to do something similar in Cachly to access the Google Maps offline maps. 

One other thing that perhaps might deserve its own thread. The iOS Workflow app (https://goo.gl/FrD0Pz) permits some incredibly complex automations in iOS and might be a way for Cachly to be customized by users beyond it's native built-in capabilities. I'd expect that certain data in Cachly (coordinates, etc.) would need to be exposed so that Workflow could be programmed to set variables, etc., that could then be passed to other apps and processed. Just a thought in case you're not familiar with Workflow. there’s a subreddit group dedicated to Workflow where many complex automations are discussed.

Just another wild idea for your "spare time"!

Thanks again for all the work you put into Cachly!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

46 minutes ago, brudderman said:

So it might be possible to do something similar in Cachly to access the Google Maps offline maps. 

We do offer integration with Google Maps, just go to the cache you want to navigate to and then to the Navigate to Cache screen. From there tap the ... button to see routing providers, one of which will be Google Maps if you have it installed. This will allow you to navigate to the cache and use the Google Maps offline maps if you have them. (I thought your previous question was about bringing those offline maps INTO Cachly.)

49 minutes ago, brudderman said:

One other thing that perhaps might deserve its own thread. The iOS Workflow app (https://goo.gl/FrD0Pz) permits some incredibly complex automations in iOS and might be a way for Cachly to be customized by users beyond it's native built-in capabilities.

This is something we have on our feature list (not specific to the Workflow app) so that you can use the Cachly URL scheme to open various things. We do currently have one available:

cachly://gccode=<gc code>

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, you are right! I was originally referring indeed to bringing the maps INTO Cachly--and that's where the sandboxing comes in. I just tried Google map navigation with airplane mode, and it works great! Being new to Cachly, I had the concepts or map layers and navigating by map mixed up in my mind. B) Now I understand.

Good news on expanding the URL scheme! Will be on the lookout.

Thanks again!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...