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Burning Man

Gaia GPS

iBurn 2012 – password and download info

by Staff Reports
written by Staff Reports

This blog post should tell you all you need to know about iBurn 2012. Thanks to everyone who helped make the app happen this year, especially new iBurner David Brodsky, who made a full-fledged Android version. iBurn has a lot of community support this year!

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Gaia GPS

Download iBurn 2011 for Android

by Staff Reports
written by Staff Reports

You can now download iBurn 2011 for Android at this link. If you have trouble installing, download tAttachApkInstaller from the Android Market, and use that option when touching the link to install.

We are going to test this out for a little while now, and then we will also post it to the Market this afternoon for easier downloading. Please email iburn@gaiagps.com with any bug reports.

It’s a little late for the Droid version, but now’s better than never we hope!

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Gaia GPS

iBurn 2011 for Android Update – Wednesday?

by Staff Reports
written by Staff Reports

We are still working on getting iBurn 2011 for Android out there. The code from last year was very dependent on how the map was set up, and it ended up being a much bigger job to redo this year to accommodate the new map.

We’re very sorry! Given the gates have been open for a couple of days, we know time is of the essence, and we’ll try and get it out by Wednesday. Total SNAFU.

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Gaia GPS

iBurn 2.01 update now in review – bug fixes

by Staff Reports
written by Staff Reports

Update: Apple expedited after all. Have fun at the Burn!

We have submitted iBurn 2011 (v2.01) to the App Store, to address a couple of bugs that people reported. Most importantly, iBurn is showing all events an hour late because we goofed on a time zone, and the app is not showing repeating events on subsequent days.

We’re very sorry for any confusion this may cause, and hopefully the app still has a lot of utility. It’s quite a challenge to navigate getting the app put together and approved in time for gates open, with the API in flux, data unavailable until the last minute, and Apple’s approval process on the back-end.

At this point, Apple is not going to expedite the review, and the update probably won’t be live until mid-next week. While they were nice enough to speed through the 2011 release, I guess we’re stuck with our bugs for a few days. If you are a Burner who works at Apple, please help.

Here is the complete change list for 2.01:


  • multi-day events are now listed on each day

  • event times should now be correct (they were off by an hour)

  • added in camps ending in “W” that were accidentally omitted

  • pin labels are now easier to read when overlaid on black parts of the map

  • fixed the location of Pee Funnel camp

  • added a shout out to BurnerMap.com

  • made the Detail screen for Art/Camps/Events more compact

  • added a disclaimer that the data might be inaccurate

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Gaia GPS

iBurn for Android will be Ready When Gates Open

by Staff Reports
written by Staff Reports

Update, 4:43pm, Monday: We are almost done and hope to get it out by tomorrow. It ended up being trickier than we expected.

Update, 11:34pm, Sunday: Still working on it :/

Folks keep emailing and asking if we are going to update the Android iBurn app this year, since the iOS app went live yesterday. The answer is almost certainly yes – we will try and at least have the app as it was last year, showing the map, and it won’t be ready until basically when gates open.

If you are an Android developer, we would very much appreciate anyone chipping in and either getting the app ready or improving it, as you see fit. You can either contact us at iburn@gaiagps.com, or you can simply go to town on the open source code, hosted on GitHub.

Due to the embargo we have to observe on the camp geo-data, we probably won’t publish the Android version until gates open. For the iPhone version, we worked around the embargo by locking up the data in the app, but on Android, we don’t have as many developers, and we don’t really have time to code the app for early release. As I understand it, there should be some wi-fi on the playa this year, so hopefully the early-goers will be able to get it regardless.

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Gaia GPS

iBurn 2011 is Live

by Staff Reports
written by Staff Reports

I am mighty pleased to announce that iBurn 2011 is live on the App Store! We submitted a request to expedite the review, and Apple was kind enough to oblige within 24 hours.


Map of Black Rock City on the iPad

I think mobile devices will be an increasingly important part of Burning Man, and they make the experience both richer and safer. I know there are many Burners who prefer to keep things as low-tech as possible, but at least they tolerate the nerds among us who tote computers everywhere 🙂

Hopefully, the app is rock solid, and the new stuff we added this year makes the app even more useful on the Playa. Anna and I just bought a house, and we had to cancel our trip at the last minute, but we will be there in spirit, and a touch of binary.

Let us know how it works for you at iburn@gaiagps.com. If you find a bug, we might be able to get an update in before gates open!

Also, check back here for the password for the embargoed data after gates open.

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Gaia GPS

iBurn 2011 submitted to Apple

by Staff Reports
written by Staff Reports

We have submitted iBurn 2011 to Apple for review. While the API didn’t work out this year, we were able to scrape together the data and put up a map with the help of some friends. Anyone who still has the app from last year will get an update, and of course you can download it for free either way. This one works on iPhone/iPad/iPod – the jury is still out on the Android app, but we’re trying.

Here is a screenshot of the new map, which links to a Flickr photo set of more screenshots:


Map of Black Rock City on the iPhone

Here’s what’s new in the app this year:


  • all new 2011 map and data
  • map shows tappable pins for camps and art when zoomed in
  • map highlights camps with current events with green pins
  • sort camps and art by name, distance, or favorites
  • sort events by time, name, or favorites
  • tables provide alphabetical index scroll bar
  • a “now” button to show current events
  • data is completely bundled with the app, instead of caching at load
  • Unlock, Credits, and About screens

Special thanks to the following contributors: Virgil Zetterlind (maker of Marine Charts), Josh Braegger, Andrew Johnstone, Tom Longson, Jeffrey Johnson, Mikel Maron, and Rod Garrett.

Anna and I had to cancel our trip to the Burn this year, at the last minute, but we hope everyone else creates a spectacle!

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Gaia GPS

iBurn 2011 very unlikely to be available for Burning Man

by Staff Reports
written by Staff Reports

Update, August 18: iBurn 2011 is going to happen. We’ll post the update to Apple next week.

Update, August 11: We are making some progress on getting some camp and map data together. Still no promises, but we’re trying.

I have been getting a lot of emails asking if there will be an iBurn app this year, and the answer is I don’t know, but at this point I am pessimistic. I’d like to ship (at least) the same iPhone and Android apps as last year, with the new data, but I just don’t think the data exists.


Map of Black Rock City on the iPhone

My buddies Jeff and Tom helped set up the Burning Man API and map last year, and they roped in their wives and girlfriends to help too. Most of them didn’t actually go to Burning Man in 2010, but they loved it enough to do the work anyways. The API for 2009-10 is hosted here.

At the tail end of last year’s work, I heard Burning Man brought in contractors to replace the volunteers. If that’s the case, then I guess there are some things you just can’t pay for, because the API isn’t working this year. Here is the API this year. If you paste most of the URLs into the browser, you will see they return bunk data. There is also no map.

Anyways, because of last minute circumstances, my wife and I are not going to Burning Man this year, but we’d be happy to publish the app if the data and map existed. If someone stands up an OSM-style map of Burning Man or provides us with any sort of geo-referenced event/art/camp data in the next week or so, we will produce iBurn again.

Otherwise, sorry! Not sure why the API is so bereft of data this late in the game – maybe I’m doing it wrong?

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