Locus Map is a multi-functional
Android navigation
Navigation is a field of study that focuses on the process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another.Bowditch, 2003:799. The field of navigation includes four general categories: land navigation, ...
app adding advanced online and offline GPS capabilities to Android devices. Primarily it is designed and used for leisure time outdoor activities like hiking, biking,
geocaching
Geocaching is an outdoor recreational activity, in which participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called "geocaches" or "caches", at specific l ...
. Besides its leisure time utilization the app is also used by professionals e.g. for collecting geospatial data, by rescue squad teams, aerial reconnaissance teams etc.
The app was developed in 2009 by Czech developer Jiří Mlavec, founder of Asamm Software company, based in Prague, Czech Republic. Locus Map development is carried out in cooperation with the community of its users-contributors and as such is partially crowd-sourced.
The application has registered up to 2 500 000 installations and has been reviewed in professional media
(e.g. Computer Bild. or AndroidPIT). It received awards in several app competitions and polls.
Maps
Locus Map displays maps of various providers in online and offline mode:
Online maps
* US -
USGS
The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, a ...
,
OpenStreetMap
OpenStreetMap (OSM) is a free, open geographic database updated and maintained by a community of volunteers via open collaboration. Contributors collect data from surveys, trace from aerial imagery and also import from other freely licensed g ...
ChartBundle..
* Europe -
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
(France)
Outdooractive(Germany, Austria),
Ordnance Survey Opendata (UK),
Kapsi.fi (Finland)
Turistautak(Hungary)
SHOCart(Czech Republic and Slovakia)
Osmapa.pl (Poland)
Skoterleder(Sweden)
Map1.eu(Europe)...
* other parts of the World
Visicom(Ukraine, Asia, World),
GSI maps (Japan)
SledMap(World)
Navigasi(Indonesia),
NzTopoMaps(New Zealand) and others
* support of
WMS sources -
meteorological
Meteorology is a branch of the atmospheric sciences (which include atmospheric chemistry and physics) with a major focus on weather forecasting. The study of meteorology dates back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not ...
maps,
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research.
NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...
maps,
cadastral
A cadastre or cadaster is a comprehensive recording of the real estate or real property's metes-and-bounds of a country.Jo Henssen, ''Basic Principles of the Main Cadastral Systems in the World,'/ref>
Often it is represented graphically in a cad ...
maps...
Most of the online maps can be downloaded for offline use.
Offline maps
* the World - dedicated vector maps with changeable themes - hiking, cycling, skiing, road or city use - OSM based and redesigned
* Switzerland -
SwissTopo
Swisstopo is the official name for the Swiss Federal Office of Topography (in German language, German: ''Bundesamt für Landestopografie''; French language, French: ''Office fédéral de topographie''; Italian language, Italian: ''Ufficio fed ...
maps
* Germany, Austria
Outdooractivemaps
* support of
SQLiteDB,
TAR
Tar is a dark brown or black viscous liquid of hydrocarbons and free carbon, obtained from a wide variety of organic materials through destructive distillation. Tar can be produced from coal, wood, petroleum, or peat. "a dark brown or black bit ...
, MBT, GEMF, Orux or RMAP formats
* support of other
OpenStreetMap
OpenStreetMap (OSM) is a free, open geographic database updated and maintained by a community of volunteers via open collaboration. Contributors collect data from surveys, trace from aerial imagery and also import from other freely licensed g ...
data or custom map themes
Features
Search of addresses (online and offline), coordinates or phone contacts,
Google Places
Google Maps is a web mapping platform and consumer application offered by Google. It offers satellite imagery, aerial photography, street maps, 360° interactive panoramic views of streets ( Street View), real-time traffic conditions, and rou ...
and
Wikipedia for local places
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 ...
(POI) & Tracks - creating personal points, search and sorting of OSM based points of interest in an offline database, planning routes, sound notifications of approaching points or leaving routes
Geocaching
Geocaching is an outdoor recreational activity, in which participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called "geocaches" or "caches", at specific l ...
- Locus Map is one of the official Geocaching.com API partners. It enables downloading geocaches for offline use by the Geocaching4Locus add-on, navigation to geocaches with map and compass, online and offline logging, supports waypoints, PocketQuery, trackables and spoilers
Track recording - creating statistics and charts, customizable recording profiles,
TTS generated audio-coached workouts, support of external
bluetooth
Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology standard that is used for exchanging data between fixed and mobile devices over short distances and building personal area networks (PANs). In the most widely used mode, transmission power is limi ...
and
ANT+
Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period. More than 13,800 of an estimated total of 22,0 ...
sensors
![OpenSeaMap mit Locus auf Android-HTC](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/OpenSeaMap_mit_Locus_auf_Android-HTC.jpg)
Turn-by-turn navigation and guidance - navigation with voice commands, line guidance to a point or along a route on map or by compass
Live tracking - real time sharing user's position with other users publicly or in private groups
Cycling computer
A cyclocomputer, cycle computer, cycling computer or cyclometer is a device mounted on a bicycle that calculates and displays trip information, similar to the instruments in the dashboard of a car. The computer with display, or ''head unit'', ...
functions -
speedometer
A speedometer or speed meter is a gauge that measures and displays the instantaneous speed of a vehicle. Now universally fitted to motor vehicles, they started to be available as options in the early 20th century, and as standard equipment f ...
,
odometer
An odometer or odograph is an instrument used for measuring the distance traveled by a vehicle, such as a bicycle or car. The device may be electronic, mechanical, or a combination of the two (electromechanical). The noun derives from ancient Gr ...
,
average speed
In everyday use and in kinematics, the speed (commonly referred to as ''v'') of an object is the magnitude of the change of its position over time or the magnitude of the change of its position per unit of time; it is thus a scalar quanti ...
,
maximum speed,
elevation profile,
elevation gain
In running, cycling, and mountaineering, cumulative elevation gain refers to the sum of every gain in elevation throughout an entire trip. It is sometimes also known as cumulative gain or elevation gain, or often in the context of mountain travel, ...
, customizable dashboard, digits are displayed above a map, support of external sensors for monitoring heart rate and pedaling cadence
Import/export - importing/exporting points and routes from/to the Internet or from/to other software in a wide range of formats (
KML
Keyhole Markup Language (KML) is an XML notation for expressing geographic annotation and visualization within two-dimensional maps and three-dimensional Earth browsers. KML was developed for use with Google Earth, which was originally named Key ...
, KMZ,
GPX...), exporting workouts to webservers like
Strava
Strava is an American internet service for tracking physical exercise which incorporates social network features. It is mostly used for cycling and running using Global Positioning System data. Strava uses a freemium model with some features on ...
,
Runkeeper
Runkeeper is a GPS fitness-tracking app for iOS and Android launched in 2008. In late 2011, Runkeeper secured $10 million in a Series B financing, led by Spark Capital. In February 2016, Runkeeper was acquired by ASICS.
Functions
Runkeeper ...
GPSies Google Earth
Google Earth is a computer program that renders a 3D computer graphics, 3D representation of Earth based primarily on satellite imagery. The program maps the Earth by superimposition, superimposing satellite images, aerial photography, and geog ...
Vylety-zabava.czetc.
GPS
The Global Positioning System (GPS), originally Navstar GPS, is a Radionavigation-satellite service, satellite-based radionavigation system owned by the United States government and operated by the United States Space Force. It is one of t ...
- skyplot displaying actual satellite network, GPS status notifications, support of external GPS units
Licence
Locus Map is released in Free and Pro versions. Free version has limited features and contains an advertisement banner strip. Locus Map Free is available for free in Google Play Store, on Amazon or in Samsung App Store. Locus Map Pro version can be purchased in Google Play Store only.
Locus community
Locus Map has been developed in cooperation with its users who communicate with the app's developers via dedicated forum or general GPS or navigation discussions. The main source of users' contributions is the helpdesk with voting system - users themselves vote for changes and improvements in the app. Despite the app developers operate in the Czech republic, major part of the Locus community is located in Germany. Also the application translations are crowd-sourced
See also
*
OpenStreetMap
OpenStreetMap (OSM) is a free, open geographic database updated and maintained by a community of volunteers via open collaboration. Contributors collect data from surveys, trace from aerial imagery and also import from other freely licensed g ...
References
External links
Home PageOpenStreetMap wiki pageOpenAndroMapsVisicom Home Page
Further reading
Locus Map Reference Guide: Collecting Geospatial Data, University of Connecticut
{{OpenStreetMap
Satellite navigation software
Android (operating system) software
Mobile route-planning software