Tag:

Gaia GPS

Gaia GPS

Gaia GPS to the Rescue

by Staff Reports
written by Staff Reports

I got this email from a user on an search and rescue team, and I wanted to share what he said. It makes my day to hear Gaia really make a difference.

Our group S&R group was actually out this evening evacuating a snowmobiler with a broken femur from miles back off the trailhead.  I am a huge proponent of your software and I think I’ve gotten at least a dozen people our team using it now.  The area we were in this evening, is an area we were in last year, past midnight in a white out blizzard.  It is on top of a ridge where you have to thread your way down through various rock bands without actually going off the ridge.  Last year, after we found a lost snowmobiler we used my phone and your app to guide about 10 of us and the subject through the white out conditions and safely down through the rock formations while we couldn’t see more than 10 feet around us.  The others with their GPS units had horrible version of topo maps, and it was too cold and windy to break out the actual maps.  Using the GPS overlayed onto the actual USGS topo maps was key in getting us out safely.  So, with all sincerity, thank you for this app!     

0 FacebookTwitterLinkedinRedditEmail
Gaia GPS

Topo Maps are Back

by Staff Reports
written by Staff Reports

Despite all the shenanigans this week, we’re back online with topo maps now.

In Gaia GPS, go to Settings->Help to show topo maps in the app. The default topo map source no longer works, but you can use topos by activating them in Settings->Help.

In addition, the new versions of Gaia GPS and Offline Topo Maps should be live next week, and they include our new topo server as the default source.

0 FacebookTwitterLinkedinRedditEmail
Gaia GPS

Trimble-MyTopo Kills Topo Server, Intentionally Cripples Gaia GPS and Other Leading Apps

by Staff Reports
written by Staff Reports

Update, March 2016: Trimble has discontinued all of their apps as of March 26, 2016. They list Gaia GPS as a recommended replacement for all Trimble and MyTopo apps.

Update: We now have our own USGS topo server. It’s live in our Android app now, and we’re pushing an update to Apple today. Thanks to all of our users for the flood of supportive emails, and thanks to our partner EarthNC (maker of Marine Charts) for standing up the topo server literally overnight.

I’m sorry folks, but as of today the MyTopo maps are dead in Gaia GPS. We should have an alternate topo source up later this week, but for now, users will be limited to the OpenCycleMap topos.

This was a competitive move by Trimble, following their acquisition of MyTopo this summer. We were given no warning, and they did this intentionally in order to cripple our app, as well as a leading outdoor app on Android, Backcountry Navigator. We found out when maps stopped showing up in our apps – no email, no phone call, no nothing. Their purpose was to mow down the competition, so that they could dominate with their line of inferior apps.

I understand the cold-blooded reasoning that would lead to this course of action, but I could never imagine making such an unprofessional move, regardless of the money at stake. And it’s much worse than just not warning us – they went as far as to lull us into believing this wouldn’t happen. When MyTopo was acquired, we were told that we would be warned about impending changes in the usage of their tile server. Furthermore, I have spent the last month and a half discussing my company being acquired by Trimble, all the while they were systematically plotting to ruin us instead.

What is even more disturbing about this is that Trimble is jeopardizing people’s lives, for money. I doubt it will work out that way, and I hope with all my soul and being that it will not, but it is simply irresponsible to pull maps from circulation with no warning. Despite our disclaimers and Terms of Use telling users that Gaia GPS can’t be relied on, people still use the app for critical navigation. If this move strands someone in the woods or gets a traveler lost overseas, Trimble will regret these machinations dearly.


And look at this scummy image they are serving up instead

If Trimble thinks this is the end of Gaia GPS, they are sorely mistaken. I don’t think they realize that my friends in the industry can replace the MyTopo server in a matter of days, and that they are coming to our aid to do just that. As we speak, our allies with expertise in maps and GIS are taking time away from their families and evenings to help us respond to this emergency and stand up a new topo server. While we’ll take some lumps over the course of the next few days, in the end we’ll go back to beating the tar out of Trimble on Android, iPhone, iPad, and everywhere else they try and compete with us. The end result of this move will simply be a black stain on the Trimble’s corporate name and the wicked corporate suits who dreamed it up.

The sad truth is that despite having vast marketing resources, and tons of money to spend on development, Trimble makes inferior apps. They brand them with well-known logos (Backpacker and Cabella’s), outsource development to people who don’t care, and then use vicious moves like this when their apps get dominated by Gaia GPS. So if they want to fight dirty, bring it. It just makes me want to redouble my efforts and beat them all the more.

0 FacebookTwitterLinkedinRedditEmail
Gaia GPS

How We Protected Our Trademark

by Staff Reports
written by Staff Reports

When I noticed a company had named their new Android app “Gaia GPS to Your Email” I was at first a little excited. I thought someone had made an app that hooked our GPS app into email functionality. Wouldn’t that be flattering!

However, after I checked out the app, I realized it had nothing to do with Gaia GPS at all, and that the names just happened to be similar.

So, next I sent an email asking them to change the name, and that was that, because people are generally nice and cool. The company changed the named to Genie GPS to your Email right away, and they even apologized for the mixup.

I just thought I’d take a moment and thank these guys on my blog, because they really could have ignored me and I wouldn’t have done a thing, Instead, they took a little time and found a new name, just because I asked, and because it was the right thing to do.

My takeaway from this is if you are ever thinking about getting aggressive with someone over a trademark, you shouldn’t immediately pay a lawyer to write a letter. I would hope that sending a personal email, devoid of threats and legalize, doesn’t do anything to endanger a trademark down the road, but I guess it wouldn’t surprise me.

Since it seems apropos, let me also close by saying that we’ve signed The Patent Pledge, and we hope you will too. Not that we haver any plans to file any patents, but I’m told that we’ll feel differently after we grow a tad more.

0 FacebookTwitterLinkedinRedditEmail
Gaia GPS

Gaia GPS for Android – 3.0

by Staff Reports
written by Staff Reports

We launched Gaia GPS for Android last summer, and with the release of v3.0 today, I must say – I think the app has arrived.

I wish I could claim more of a role in building the Android app, but it’s our friend Abhishek who leads Android development, and he works tirelessly and relentlessly. More and more, I see Gaia on Android surpass Gaia on iPhone, which is really quite motivating for us on the iOS side of things 🙂


Gaia GPS for Android, map screen.

For posterity, here’s a recap of Gaia’s updates since we launched on May 15, 2010, including the new stuff in v3.0. It’s amazing what you can do in a year – thanks to all the users for telling us how to make the app good, and Abhishek for making it happen:

August 3, 2011 (v3.0)

  • faster map scrolling
  • map scale
  • tool to measure distance between two points
  • ability to import waypoints from gpx files.
  • fixed track imports. Now each track segment is imported as separate track – will later allow segments in single track
  • added in-app file browser to import tracks from filesystem.
  • other bug fixes.

July 27, 2011 (v2.2.1)

  • fixed pinch-zoom crash affecting android 2.1 and 2.2
  • fixed crash on startup for some users
  • other bug fixes

July 9, 2011 (v2.2)

  • continuous pinch zoom on map
  • tap POIs on map to see details and do actions now
  • TrailBehind.com waypoint overlays on the map (trails, parks, and more)
  • added ability to open POIs in Google Maps and get Driving Directions
  • optimizations for use on tablets
  • fixed start-up crash affecting some users
  • other bug fixes

May 6, 2011 (v2.1)

  • added the ability to import/export track files
  • fixed issues with map downloading on various devices
  • set up for full screen display on tablet devices (still work-in-progress)
  • added long press to drop a pin on the map
  • faster map tiles download when viewing maps
  • other important memory optimizations

February 27, 2011 (v2.01)

  • v2.01 includes bug fixes based on logs we received from users
  • there are no functional changes from v2.0

February 23, 2011 (v2.0)

  • v2.0 is a major overhaul to the app
  • now includes the capability to record tracks
  • view statistics, altitude, and speed graphs
  • new version also includes a main iconic menu and new navigation scheme
  • fixed numerous bugs and did extensive beta-testing

September 17, 2010 (v1.41)

  • fixed bug in Guide to Waypoint

September 17, 2010 (v1.4)

  • added a “guide to waypoint” menu option, on screens for saved waypoints
  • CloudMade cycle/topo maps can now be cached offline
  • added nautical units setting
  • max zoom for map downloads now defaults to better values
  • fixed a bug that could cause map downloads to stall
  • updated the user manual

August 13, 2010

  • added a compass overlay to map screen
  • added the ability to edit waypoint and map names
  • app will now remember last map position, even within a saved map
  • improved map download infrastructure (moved out of database to make it more stable)
  • changed “tracking enabled” message to “location enabled”
  • added a button to switch map type or to a saved map on the map screen

June 14, 2010

  • added the ability to mark waypoints
  • added map source button to map controls

May 26, 2010

  • different coordinate types (Decimal, DMS, UTM, MGRS, DDM)
  • pinch zoom
  • autolocalize units to metric or imperial based on phone locale

May 17, 2010

  • Fixed download notification not displaying on Android 2.1 devices.
  • Fixed memory problems that could cause crashes when downloading maps and elsewhere.

May 15, 2010

  • Initial release.
0 FacebookTwitterLinkedinRedditEmail
Gaia GPS

Faster OpenCycleMap in Gaia GPS

by Staff Reports
written by Staff Reports

Recently, the OpenCycleMap server in our app has been slow. This is the map source labeled as CloudMade Topo or CloudMade Cycle in the app*, depending on which version you have. To address this, we now have an alternate OpenCycleMap provider in the app that is working better.

The new tiles are provided by Andy Allan, the creator of the OpenCycleMap, via a bulk service more appropriate to our needs. We plan to integrate this more directly soon, but for now you can access it as follows.

Get Faster OpenCycleMap in Gaia

  • within Gaia GPS, go to Settings->Map Store
  • add the “OpenCycleMap” source (it’s free)
  • restart the app
  • there should now be a sixth source under Map Sources, which you can switch to

If you are used to using the USGS topos, these maps are a good alternative abroad, and they even provide better detail than the USGS maps in some parts of the US. For my hikes, I like to download both types of maps and take them both along.

* I want to note, in case any other software developers are reading, that us switching providers was not CloudMade’s fault, and it was in fact CloudMade who suggested we use Andy’s server instead. CloudMade continues to provide Gaia and our other apps with awesome maps and services, and I can’t recommend them enough to other map developers. In fact, CloudMade stood up the original OpenCycleMap proxy in large part because Gaia needed it, and it was always one of those temporary solutions that lasted forever.

So, thanks to CloudMade and Andy Allan for helping us get these maps back to fast again, and making it possible for us to be in business at all.

0 FacebookTwitterLinkedinRedditEmail
Gaia GPS

Gaia GPS 5.0 is Live

by Staff Reports
written by Staff Reports

We are excited to announce the next major version of Gaia – 5.0. You can get it on iTunes now.

This release includes many improvements, including NEXRAD weather radar, new controls for displaying map layers, larger map buttons and popovers on iPad, and many other great changes. In addition, you can now import KML into Gaia, though this was a server side change and not really part of the 5.0 release 🙂

If you are a current Gaia user, check it out and give us a nice review if you like it! If you aren’t a Gaia user, now’s a good time to start! We also released similar updates to our free apps, Gaia GPS Lite and Offline Topo Maps, but we are still waiting on Apple’s approval for those.

I’d also like to give a shout-out to our long-time partner EarthNC, who set up and maintains the radar server we are now using in the app. If you are a boater, make sure to check out EarthNC Marine Charts, which is much better on the high seas than Gaia!

0 FacebookTwitterLinkedinRedditEmail
Load More Posts