UKC

Hi all

Various friends have really good navigation Apps for Androids but I'm not sure what's best for an iPhone 7.  What are people using?  

I'm primarily interested in the alps but also need it to work for UK, Norway etc.   

Many thanks

R

View Ranger and OSMaps (Uk only) both work on iOS

Thanks Ian.  I was really hoping for something to use everywhere, and the alps especially.  

Any ideas, anyone?! 

Thanks

Viewranger works on iPhones and you can buy mapping for most countries on it. In France you can get the 1:25,000 IGN maps that most people use. I'd be surprised if you couldn't get the national mapping of the other Alpine countries. As an app, the Android version which I have used, works fine.

Just make sure you are aware of the limitations of digital mapping. 

Mehmet

It's hard finding an app with good quality maps to use "everywhere"... Quite often the everywhere bit is just taken from a generic source like OpenStreetMap, which is prone to errors, especially in Alpine or other mountainous regions, and not detailed enough. Good map sources are expensive to make...

For example, there aren't any real craters in Totes Gebirge, Austria, as depicted here on OpenStreetMap (and several other map apps as well)

https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=47.7081&mlon=13.9904#map=15/47.7081...

Fortunately, some countries have their own, very detailed GIS maps, available online and as apps - some for free - as an OpenGovernment initiative.

A short list of ones I like:

Switzerland:

 https://map.geo.admin.ch/

free app available (Swiss Map Mobile), up to very detailed 1:10000 (!) maps. Free version can only download 10km area for offline use, subscription available for bigger downloads. Website allows unlimited printing to pdf up to A3 at 1:10000. Can also show coloured slope angles for over 30 degrees and other data like measured snow depth. Really excellent resource for Swiss Alps, and includes still quite detailed maps of the bordering Italian and Austrian areas. An example: https://s.geo.admin.ch/801cab5632

Austria:

https://geoland.at or https://basemap.at (free OpenGovernment project) have a very detailed shaded relief (DEM) map, which can be quite useful for planning (online only).

Overall Alpine maps:

https://outdooractive.com - used to be very good (with paid OutdoorActivePro, good maps based on Austrian and German official maps), but now they moved to a hefty subscription model of 30/60E per year. For the 60E, you also get the excellent alpine maps by OEAV/DAV/...The free version has been dumbed down, offering only OpenStreetMaps

AlpenvereinAktiv - the very same app as above, just in German.

However, AlpenvereinAktiv still has two versions on the AppStore - the new one (subscription model) and the old one, which allows offline saving and offers the OutdoorActive map layer (often quite better than OpenStreetMap) and slope angle overlay.

I suggest you download and use the older version, while it is still available...

If, on the other hand, are you ok with just OpenStreetMap based map app for the whole world, I can probably recommend Windy Maps - it's an app version of Mapy.cz (https://en.mapy.cz/turisticka), with nice legible layout, and allows unlimited downloading by whole countries or regions for off-line use as well as off-line search and route finding (both car and pedestrian).

 ViewRanger has open street map, but alps let’s you purchase tiles of maps from sources like IGN (France). 

Yes, but some of ViewRanger map sources are just pretty dubious. Especially for the Alps. Kompass for Austria? Alpenverein maps are the standard there. DPA for Czech or Slovak hiking maps for areas like Tatras (DPA? Never even heard of them, everybody there uses KCT or Shocart maps).

Some of their sources are good, some of them are just strange... I had quite a few problems with Kompass maps (admittedly, not in the Austrian Alps, where I mostly use the OEAV paper maps, but my experience from other parts of the world like Canary islands was pretty bad with Kompass - misplaced or missing routes, low detail, etc.).

IGN is available elsewhere, the excellent Swisstopo as well, and 35 UKP per year for 1:10 000 is, even with the subscription, so much better deal than 1:25 000 Swisstopo maps for 561 UKP (sic!). You can get 16! years of subscription of more detailed maps for the price of the ViewRanger Swiss package... 

It's a messy situation - in the ideal world, I would love to use one awesome, speedy and most usable app with the best and reasonably priced map sources. Unfortunately, that is not so, thus I have to live with several map apps.

WindyMaps for nice OpenStreetMaps of the world (with some hiking path added, easy offline usage and offline navigation  for actually getting to the destination by i.e. car, they are pretty good), specific country map apps like Swisstopo, Alpenverein app (old version) for the OutdoorActive maps for Austria (the version before subscription model), and off course paper maps...

By the way, if anybody knows of any other good multi-map-source apps for iOS, I would be much interested in knowing. I am almost sure I missed some. Something like ViewRanger but with different sources for Alpine? Especially for the Alpenverein (OEAV) maps. I think there was a way to legally load OEAV maps into Ape@map app if you bought the full OEAV DVD/USB, but I did not especially like the ape@map app...

Many thanks to all for the responses.  

I'm a big fan of an app called Map Out - it's mostly designed for cycling, but works for walking too.

G.