Karta GPS is a
mobile app
A mobile application or app is a computer program or software application designed to run on a mobile device such as a phone, tablet, or watch. Mobile applications often stand in contrast to desktop applications which are designed to run on d ...
lication developed by Karta Software Technologies Lda., a daughter company of
NDrive, for the
Android,
iOS
iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also include ...
and
iPadOS
iPadOS is a mobile operating system developed by Apple Inc. for its iPad line of tablet computers. It is a rebranded variant of iOS, the operating system used by Apple's iPhones, renamed to reflect the diverging features of the two product ...
operating systems. It is distributed for free and pairs open-source map data from
OpenStreetMap alongside curated content from
Yelp
Yelp Inc. is an American company that develops the Yelp.com website and the Yelp mobile app, which publish crowd-sourced reviews about businesses. It also operates Yelp Guest Manager, a table reservation service. It is headquartered in San F ...
and
Foursquare.
The application does not require a connection to the
Internet
The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...
(e.g.
3G,
4G,
WiFi
Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols, based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by radio wa ...
, etc.) and uses a
GPS
The Global Positioning System (GPS), originally Navstar GPS, is a satellite-based radionavigation system owned by the United States government and operated by the United States Space Force. It is one of the global navigation satellite sy ...
satellite connection to determine its location. Routes are calculated and plotted based on real-time traffic information provided by
Inrix
INRIX is a private company headquartered in Kirkland, Washington, US. It provides location-based data and software-as-a-service analytics — such as real-time and historical traffic conditions, road safety, and parking availability — to automa ...
.
History
The application's
beta release
A software release life cycle is the sum of the stages of development and maturity for a piece of computer software ranging from its initial development to its eventual release, and including updated versions of the released version to help impro ...
was released on 4 November 2016. On 19 May 2017, Karta GPS featured both
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
and
Donald Trump's
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
voices in its selection of navigation voice overs.
Features
*Offline maps and guidance: all maps can be downloaded for free. No internet is required for searching, route calculation or turn-by-turn instructions.
* Search: one box search supports partial names, initials and can search
points of interest
A point of interest (POI) is a specific point location that someone may find useful or interesting. An example is a point on the Earth representing the location of the Eiffel Tower, or a point on Mars representing the location of its highest m ...
, street names, crossing streets,
GPS coordinates
The World Geodetic System (WGS) is a standard used in cartography, geodesy, and satellite navigation including GPS. The current version, WGS 84, defines an Earth-centered, Earth-fixed coordinate system and a geodetic datum, and also descri ...
and
address points.
* Traffic: the application shows the route layered with different colors based on the current
traffic
Traffic comprises pedestrians, vehicles, ridden or herded animals, trains, and other conveyances that use public ways (roads) for travel and transportation.
Traffic laws govern and regulate traffic, while rules of the road include traffi ...
along the route. Live traffic service finds faster routes and aims to avoid
traffic jams
Traffic congestion is a condition in transport that is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular queueing. Traffic congestion on urban road networks has increased substantially since the 1950s. When traffic de ...
.
* Suggestions:
point of interest content drawn from
Yelp
Yelp Inc. is an American company that develops the Yelp.com website and the Yelp mobile app, which publish crowd-sourced reviews about businesses. It also operates Yelp Guest Manager, a table reservation service. It is headquartered in San F ...
and
Foursquare to Karta GPS maps (such as the ten best nearby restaurants), allows users to "explore" a location's top-rated places of entertainment, their descriptions, their last three reviews, photos, and their opening hours and prices.
*Car & Walking: provides navigation for both car and pedestrians.
See also
*
Comparison of commercial GPS software
Resources
Karta GPS Official websiteKarta GPS on Apple App StoreKarta GPS on Google Play
References
{{OpenStreetMap
Companies established in 2001
IOS software
Mobile route-planning software
Navigation system companies
Portuguese brands