Downloading Maps for Offline Use - MapQuest Direct Tile Access

[Kath Jamieson]

I have just started using GPS Essentials. I went to download maps for offline use and get a message saying MapQuest direct tile access has been discontinued. I visited the blogpost http://goo.gL/xB0xXt and I can't understand it at all - I have no idea what I am meant to do! All I want is download some maps for using offline. How do I do that? (ie. simple instructions!). Can I download Google Maps offline to use within GPS Essentials? What I ultimately want to do is to import a route I have created in My Maps so that I can follow that direct route when I am on a motorcycle trip (so I don't stray off onto other roads). I have created a map in My Maps of the route I want to take for an upcoming motorcycle trip to Bali. I want to load this into GPS Essentials to use offline so that when I am on the bike I can  navigate this exact route. Note I do NOT need turn by turn spoken directions. I just want to be able to see that the blue GPS locator is navigating down the streets I have selected for my route so that I will know if I am straying off course. In summary, I need to be able to do three things: 1) to use offline maps as I won’t have data/wifi access on the bike; 2) import the route I created in My Maps; 3) use the GPS compass arrow to track that I am on course.  It looked like GPS Essentials did exactly this as I was able to import the route I created as a KML but now I am confused by this Mapquest message. Can someone help please.

[Michael Schollmeyer]

MapQuest provided their tile server free of charge for a few years. Now they thought it is a good idea to shut it down on a 3 week notice on some blog I don't read. They are charging ridiculous prices now that I cannot afford. I am trying to setup my own tile server so that you can bulk download. Meanwhile, please switch to OSM maps. Unfortunately, there is no bulk download from the OSM server.

Regards, Michael
mictale.com/ms
--

> On Jul 11, 2016, at 11:16 PM, Kath Jamieson <kath.j...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I have just started using GPS Essentials. I went to download maps for offline use and get a message saying MapQuest direct tile access has been discontinued. I visited the blogpost http://goo.gL/xB0xXt and I can't understand it at all - I have no idea what I am meant to do! All I want is download some maps for using offline. How do I do that? (ie. simple instructions!). Can I download Google Maps offline to use within GPS Essentials? What I ultimately want to do is to import a route I have created in My Maps so that I can follow that direct route when I am on a motorcycle trip (so I don't stray off onto other roads). I have created a map in My Maps of the route I want to take for an upcoming motorcycle trip to Bali. I want to load this into GPS Essentials to use offline so that when I am on the bike I can navigate this exact route. Note I do NOT need turn by turn spoken directions. I just want to be able to see that the blue GPS locator is navigating down the streets I have selected for my route so that I will know if I am straying off course. In summary, I need to be able to do three things: 1) to use offline maps as I won’t have data/wifi access on the bike; 2) import the route I created in My Maps; 3) use the GPS compass arrow to track that I am on course. It looked like GPS Essentials did exactly this as I was able to import the route I created as a KML but now I am confused by this Mapquest message. Can someone help please.
>
>

> --
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "GPS Essentials" group.
> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to gpsessential...@googlegroups.com.
> To post to this group, send email to gpsess...@googlegroups.com.
> Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/gpsessentials.
> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

[jersent]

- What is OSM?
- How do you "switch to OSM"?
- How do you make a new map the default so that the Mapquest screen message never appears again?
- With whatever new default map, how do you pre-download tiles so that you have maps in areas with no data signal?

[Michael Schollmeyer]

OSM=OpenStreetMap (www.openstreetmap.org). These are the guys who provide all this map data.
In map view, tap on the menu button and then select the map icon from the outer wheel. Then select anything but MapQuest.
Unfortunately, you cannot change the default map so you have to change the map in every stream. I'll change the default in the next version, I'm working on it. The other available maps also don't support bulk downloads, I am afraid.

Regards, Michael
mictale.com/ms
--

[Rodrigo Severo]

Don't Microsoft Maps support bulk downloads?

Regards,

Rodrigo Severo

Rodrigo Severo | DIRETOR DE TECNOLOGIA
Tel. +55 61 3030-1515 
Siga a Fábrica no twitter:@empautaclipping

fabricadeideias.com
12 ANOS DE TECNOLOGIA E COMUNICAÇÃO
NUMA COMBINAÇÃO PERFEITA

[Alen Maksim]

Hi Michael!

First of all I would like to express how much sorry I am this happened. For the last couple of years your app was my best non-human and the most useful companion on the trips around the world. I can't even imagine how would it be without it.

I hope you will manage it somehow to not make us zoom and move around the map in order to have it offline.

BTW... just as suggestion... what about vector maps from OSM (country based)? Or do they not fit in for some unknown reason to me?

Regards,

Alen

[Michael Schollmeyer]

Hi Alen,

Thanks for the "condolences". When MapQuest started to charge for their directions API with a 2 week notice, I should have taken it as a warning.

Vector maps and device side rendering for sure is the way to go. Providing static data is cheap on S3 or Google Cloud Storage and you can have all sorts of offline features on top of it. It's just a lot of work and I need to find some time to do it...

Regards, Michael
mictale.com/ms
--

[John Denker]

On Tuesday, July 12, 2016 at 7:48:36 PM UTC-7, Michael Schollmeyer wrote:

Unfortunately, there is no bulk download from the OSM server.

0) Thanks for making GPS Essentials available.  It provides a remarkable set of capabilities.

1) Other mapping apps such as MyTrails provide bulk downloads of OpenStreetMap data, plus USGS 7.5 minute topo maps and other things.  I verified that this works, just now.  I have no idea how it works behind the scenes, but the result is pretty nice.

These layers would be very welcome additions to GPS Essentials, especially given the loss of MapQuest downloads.

[Michael Schollmeyer]

Their TOS says don't do it. Not sure how strict they really are, but I don't want to try and lose this map entirely.

USGS topo maps are a great source, but you would have to convert them manually to use them in GPS Essentials. I have a video that shows how to do it.

Regards, Michael
mictale.com/ms
--

[Paul Hutchinson]

USGS now makes the TOPO maps available as KMZ files here: http://ngmdb.usgs.gov/maps/topoview/

Save a lot of time vs. rolling your own.

[Michael Schollmeyer]

Awesome, didn't notice this. This actually works great, I just have to find out how to index the URLs to download them right from the app.

Regards, Michael
mictale.com/ms
--

[Paul Hutchinson]

I'd been using it to look at late 19th and 20th century maps to help me find older carriage roads, railroads and other features that have vanished.

One thing that makes this a bit less useful is that it does NOT include any of the current versions of the US Topo maps (maps newer than 2009). However for hiking purposes very often the last version of the map is identical to the newer version for features in parks, conservation and wildlife management areas.

Paul

[John Denker]

This actually works great, I just have to find out how to index the URLs to download them right from the app.

I just wanted to upvote the importance of this.  The need for topographic information is greatest in
situations where there is no network connectivity.  So the overlap between the "topo" concept and
the "download and store" concept is a marriage made in heaven.

[Paul Hutchinson]

I found a free source of the current USGS Topo maps in KML format today via the Maps Mania Blog.

https://caltopo.com/ KML output is in the Print menu.

[Trevor Robertson]

Just wondering, if this USGS map is workable, would this only provide offline map downloads for the USA?

I wonder if the maps used by this interesting newish app -- Flyover Country -- can be used? http://fc.umn.edu/  The app comes preloaded with a pretty decent quality global map that is viewable offline as soon as you download the app.

No idea if this helps but thought I'd throw it out there just in case it could, as a solid offline map is key!