OS Maps online - an alternative | |
I do a lot of walking and wild camping, obviously I use paper maps but always like to have an electronic backup. For a few years I've been happy with the OS software on Android, actually, a de-Googled Android, I started to have problems with it so I stuck to a version that worked and declined the updates. One of the things I like is the ability to mark a route on a PC and have it available to download to my GPS, print out a map and have a backup on my phone.
Predictably, OS started to degrade older versions so I started looking for a replacement, i tried a couple of alternatives that were either hobbled in their ability to work across platforms or didn't have the features I needed/wanted, eventually, whilst trying to resolve some of the issues with the OS maps software, I came across a reference to Viewranger, which promised OS maps and nearly the same functionality. Predictably, it is no longer maintained, but it is part of Outdoor Active - which is a far bigger project and includes OS & IGN mapping (if you pay £29 p.a.) plus other international OS-alike mapping, along with the ability to create routes on the desktop, export to GPS, print & obviously use on my phone.
I've been testing it over a few weeks and I'm very happy with it, yes, you need to pay for the ability to use OS maps (OS charge about £26 p.a.) but you do get more than just GB, a lot of the features are common across both applications but for me, the fact it 'just worked' on install was reassuring compared to the faffing it takes to get OS Maps to see the GPS signal and not crash out.
It's a good backup to paper maps, I still miss the likes of Fugawi & Memory Map for PC route planning and tracking in a vehicle, but these days most of my travels are on the hoof with dogs, even if I have to drive to get there.
https://www.outdooractive.com/en/
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