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ios

Gaia GPS

Customize Your Maps with New Emoji Waypoints

by Mary Cochenour
written by Mary Cochenour

New emoji waypoints are here! Now you can mark your favorite spots on the map with a ❤️, flag that campsite where you saw a 🐻, and add a💧 at every crucial water source along your route. Customize your waypoints in Gaia GPS using the hundreds of emoji symbols available on your phone, tablet, or computer.

It’s always been possible to customize the name and symbols of your waypoints in Gaia GPS. Now the new emoji waypoints give you almost endless possibilities to mark important places on the map. Whether you’re backpacking across the 🏜, hunting 🦌 on public land, camping 🏕 near a river, or skiing ⛷ and biking 🚲 through the mountains, emoji waypoints give you more options to add custom information to your maps.

Use Emoji Symbols to Add Custom Waypoints

emoji waypoints - say.png

Have you ever worked hard to get up to the top of a ridge and have been overcome by the view? Add a 😃 waypoint to the map to remember the joy you felt when you reached the summit. Use the 📷 emoji icon for waypoints in places with great views or to remember where you snapped photos on a trip. Flag weather conditions on the map to document which days you experienced ☔️ or ☀️ on your trip. Use emoji waypoints to mark hazards such as lightning, wind storms, and mountain snow.

How to Get Emoji Waypoints

Emoji waypoints are available to everyone on iOS, Android, and the web at www.gaiagps.com. Use emojis to customize waypoints on any map in Gaia GPS. Learn more about adding waypoints to the map in this step-by-step article from the Gaia GPS help center.

Customizing a waypoint with an emoji icon is easy. After adding a waypoint to the map, you can customize its appearance by selecting “Choose icon.” Tap the smiley face emoji in the icon menu to access your device’s emoji library. Search for and tap on the perfect emoji to customize the waypoint. Press “Save” after you’ve added the emoji icon.

You’ll need a Gaia GPS Premium Membership to download your custom waypoints and take them with you offline in places without cell service.

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iPhone with screen displaying new Gaia GPS app icons
App UpdatesGaia GPSiOSNew Features

Spice Up Your Gaia GPS App Icon with 14 New Designs in iOS

by Mary Cochenour
written by Mary Cochenour

Spice up your Gaia GPS app icon with 14 new stylish icon options available in iOS. Select an app icon to match the season, reflect your mood, or show your community pride. With a tap on the screen, switch out the classic Gaia GPS icon and bring a little extra personality to your favorite backcountry navigation app.

Change Your Gaia GPS Icon to Match the Seasons, Celebrate Community, or Reflect Your Mood

You can update your app icon to mirror the change of the seasons. Choose the classic, evergreen-inspired icon for the blossoming spring months. Change to a fiery red icon for the heat of the summer. When fall colors arrive, switch to the orange and yellow icon to complement the changing leaves. Select the icy blue-toned icon for the depths of winter. The camouflaged-colored icon is a perfect addition for hunting season.

Seasonal.png

Show your LGBTQ Pride with the rainbow-enhanced LGBTQ Pride Flag icon. Select the Pan-African Flag icon with a red, black, and green motif to celebrate the Black community.

Choose a purple color-scheme for a groovy VaporWave style or make the classic Gaia GPS icon pop with a new 3D design. Tone the style down with grayscale options in the granite-colored icon or choose a “blackout” backdrop for a metallic look on top of jet black styling.

Pan-African.png

Get the Original, Start-Up Gaia GPS App Icons

Get the original, colorful Gaia GPS icon designs from 2009, 2012, and 2014. These artful, original designs harken back to the early days when Gaia GPS was just getting started.

Stick with the Classic Gaia GPS Icon

Gaia-GPS_Logo-Promo_4C.png

Of course, you can never go wrong by sticking with the classic Gaia GPS icon. Designed in 2016 by our creative director Nick Botner, the classic Gaia GPS icon mimics the shapes and hues of nature. Botner crafted the classic Gaia GPS icon in the shape of a towering mountain peak, backdropped behind layers of maps. He then painted the avatar in the deep, rich green palette of a mountain pine forest and brushed in bright green accents of freshly budding evergreen needles.

From hiking a quiet trail in your neighborhood to exploring overland routes deep off the grid, the classic Gaia GPS design logo symbolizes and inspires backcountry adventures of every kind.

Screen Shot 2021-03-17 at 9.13.37 AM.png

How to Change Your Gaia GPS App Icon

Changing your Gaia GPS icon in the iOS app is simple. Open up the Gaia GPS in the iOS app. Tap the Settings icon in the lower, right side of the main screen. Select “Appearance” and “App Icon” to get to the list of icon styles. Tap any of the 14 icon designs to customize your Gaia GPS app icon.

Get started with Gaia GPS at gaiagps.com and download the app for free on iOS and Android. Get a Premium Membership to access the entire Gaia GPS map catalog and download maps to navigate offline.

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Gaia GPS

Gaia GPS Year in Review: CarPlay plus New Maps and Features for the Best Backcountry Navigation

by Mary Cochenour
written by Mary Cochenour

Let’s face it, 2020 has been like a never-ending slog up a peak riddled with false summits. But as we round the ridge and see what’s on the other side of the pass, we’re reminded of how far we’ve come. Whether running on town trails or escaping for the weekend to the wilderness, Gaia GPS members recorded more tracks, downloaded more maps, and used the app to find their way in the backcountry more than ever before. Not even disrupted routines and cancelled plans stood in the way of exploring outside.

Our community’s collective energy, drive, and passion for the natural world motivated us to put our heads down and work harder to bring you new features and maps. From the little things, like making it easier to organize your saved routes, to bringing you more maps to stay safe during wildfire season, to the more technical feats of putting Gaia GPS on your dashboard screen with Apple CarPlay, we hope these advances brought you a little closer to the fresh air this year. Read on for a look at all the development highlights that you inspired us to create in 2020.

All-New Gaia Topo: Download Your Entire State Map

An iPhone screenshot of the Gaia Topo shows a swath of land ready to be downloaded.
Gaia Topo is so compact and optimized so you can easily download huge swaths of land in a single map.

Have you ever arrived at a trailhead only to realize that you forgot to download your digital maps to your phone? We now have a solution for you: Gaia Topo. We kicked off the year with a complete redesign of our worldwide flagship Gaia Topo, to bring you a map that is both easy to read and quick to download. In fact, it’s so fast that you can download your entire state— yes, the whole state — and never get caught without a topographic map again.

The new Gaia Topo is curated and constantly updated by our world class cartographer Lee France, who matched the map’s retooling and optimization with improvements in styling and design. The end result is an easy-to-read map that lets you download huge swaths of land in a snap — and without hogging up your phone’s precious storage space.

But that’s not all. Gaia Topo saw numerous additional improvements throughout the year. From introducing color-coded amenities symbols to making public lands easier to recognize, Gaia Topo is a living map that is consistently updated. In fact, you can expect an even newer version of this masterpiece in the months ahead.

Apple CarPlay: Navigate with Your Favorite Backcountry Maps on the Dashboard Screen

A car dashboard with Gaia GPS on Apple CarPlay shows turn-by-turn directions.
Pair Gaia GPS with Apple CarPlay to get-turn-by-turn directions as you navigate the backcountry.

No more squinting at your phone’s tiny screen when you navigate those bumpy backroads. We integrated Gaia GPS with Apple CarPlay this year to put trail maps right on your vehicle’s navigation screen. View all of your favorite Gaia GPS maps, from USFS Topo to MVUMs to National Geographic Trails Illustrated, with or without cell phone service. Plus, get turn-by-turn directions on off-grid adventures for any drivable, saved route.

Overlanders love CarPlay connectivity, which allows them to run Gaia GPS navigation on the dashboard screen alongside maps mounted to the dashboard with a tablet. CarPlay is useful to hikers and backpackers, too, for finding those lonely, out-of-the-way trailheads. Hook Gaia GPS up to CarPlay so you keep your eyes focused on the rugged road ahead.

New Maps: Check Out our Ever-Expanding Map Catalog

We love making new maps to help more people find their way outside. Okay, maybe this is a purely selfish endeavor. The Gaia GPS team likes to play in the backcountry, too. We’re a crew of day hikers, backpackers, trail runners, skiers, overlanders, hunters, bikepackers and climbers. Truth is, we like to make new maps so that we can use them ourselves. Some might say we went a little overboard with adding new maps this year during quarantine. Take a look at how we expanded our map catalog in 2020:

An iPhone screenshot shows a wildfire burning in the Wildfire (Satellite Detections) layer.
The Wildfire (Satellite Detections) layer shows you where wildfires are actively burning.

Wildfires Maps

Find wildfire hotspots with the new and free Wildfires (Satellite Detections) layer on Gaia GPS. This layer sources satellite data from NASA to show where wildfires are currently burning worldwide. Pair this layer with your favorite base map to plan re-routes around hot spots, predict likely trail closures, and stay safer during fire season. In response to the wildfires that ravaged the western US this summer and fall, we’re offering the Wildfire (Satellite Detections), Wildfire (Current) and Air Quality layers for free on both the app and on the web.

Avalanche Forecast Layer

We partnered with the experts at Avalanche.org to bring you the new Avalanche Forecast layer. Now you can get official, up-to-date avalanche forecasts for mountain zones in the U.S. directly from the map on your phone whenever you are online or connected to cell service. Get the avalanche danger rating and link to complete avalanche reports from professional snow safety scientists in your region. Whether you’re backcountry skiing the couloirs or snowmobiling into the back bowls, always check the complete avalanche forecast report before you head out the door. Available with a Premium membership.

Check out recent trail conditions using the FreshSat layers.

FreshSat

Examine trail conditions from the comfort of your couch using two new satellite imagery maps. FreshSat – Cloud Free shows mostly cloudless terrain. FreshSat – Recent shows as up-to-date imagery as possible. Both maps use satellite data from the Landsat-8 and Sentinel-2 government satellites, and are updated at least every 14 days. Available with a Premium membership.

Updated National Parks Maps

Gaia GPS offers an expansive collection of National Park Service maps for 45 national parks and recreation areas throughout the United States. Skip the paper map at the park entrance and view all park amenities, trailheads, and must-see stops right on your phone. Available with a Premium membership.

Gaia Streets

Not all adventures happen off the grid. Get your bearings in cities, towns, and on the road with the new Gaia Streets map. This map features more points of interest and amenity labels with less clutter, making it easy to pinpoint the places you want to go on the road. Use this map as a go-to for navigation and wayfinding through city downtowns, national park centers, and anywhere else the road takes you. Available with a Premium membership.

A desktop screenshot shows the overlapping native territories on the Native Land Territories map.
Discover which Indigenous nations call a place home using the Native Land Territories map.

Native Lands and Territories

The Native Land Territories map lets you learn more about the land you live and recreate on, plus make land acknowledgments. Created by the Canadian non-profit Native Land Digital, the Native Land Territories map marks traditional Indigenous territories across the Americas, Australia, New Zealand, and, increasingly, worldwide. Deepen your knowledge of home and the places you visit with the new Native Land Territories map.

Native Lands Digital and the Native Governance Center explain why and how you can make a land acknowledgment. To find out how to use the Native Land Territories map and deepen your knowledge even further, read Native Land Digital’s Teachers Guide. This map is available for free in the Gaia GPS app and web map.

USFS Roads and Trails

Find the best trails for hiking, biking, trail running, horseback riding, and off-roading with the color-coded USFS Roads and Trails layer in Gaia GPS. Whether you are wondering where to ride your mountain bike or looking to avoid areas that allow bikes and motor vehicles, this layer makes it easy to find the right trail for your adventure. Available with a Premium membership.

Two iPhone screenshots show cell phone coverage maps for AT&T and Verizon over the course of a route on the map.
Overlay the Cell Phone Coverage maps on your routes to find out where you will have cell phone service during your trip. AT&T displays in blue (left) and Verizon displays in red (right).

Cell Phone Coverage

Track where you can find cell service anywhere in the United States including Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico with the Cell Phone Coverage maps. You no longer need to worry about unexpectedly losing signal. These seven new overlays define where major cell phone carriers reach across the country. Available with a Premium membership.

Snow Stations (Daily)

No more trial-and-error in driving up to the trailhead to find the deepest and lightest powder. The new Snow Stations (Daily) map gives you up-to-date, 24-hour reports on snow conditions in remote areas around the western US and British Columbia. Check out the new map for real-time conditions on peaks and passes in your favorite backcountry zones. Available with a Premium membership.

A desktop screenshot shows the color variations for slope angles on the Avalanche Slope Angle map.
Use the Slope Angle-Avalanche Map to quickly and easy identify avalanche terrain.

Slope Angle

Identify avalanche terrain quicker and easier this winter with the new Slope Angle map. Designed in-house, this map expands our coverage globally and integrates high-resolution data to help make picking out steep slopes on the map a snap. Add the new slope angle layer to your favorite base map to help plan a safer route through the snow-bound backcountry. Available with a Premium membership.

Mines and Mineral Resources

Find over 300,000 mines, mills, and known mineral deposits with the new Mines and Mineral Resources map. Discover the history of old mining sites plus handy details about mine and mineral sites across the US and select regions around the world. Available with a Premium membership.

US Hydrography

Find water sources, identify river crossings, and get a better picture of any landscape with the new US Hydrography map. This layer shows more rivers, streams, lakes, and wetlands than any other map on Gaia GPS. Level up your favorite maps by pairing them with US hydrography for more precise and expanded coverage of bodies of water across the US. Available with a Premium membership.

USGS Streamflow and Gaia Fishing

Find a new favorite fishing spot or plan the perfect trip with two all-new interactive map layers. Get up-to-date streamflow and water temperature information from the new USGS Streamflow map. Plus, the brand new Gaia Fishing Map dials you in with boat access information and known fish species for select waterways in Montana and Oklahoma. Available with a Premium membership.

Nat Geo Baja California

The new National Geographic Baja California Maps on Gaia GPS now provide coverage of the Mexican states of Baja California and Baja California Sur. Find the best spots for surfing and sightseeing along the coast, or reach rugged peaks by following remote backroads. Available with a Premium membership.

New Zealand Topo

For those keen on a multi-sport adventure in New Zealand, Gaia GPS now offers detailed New Zealand topo maps of the North and South Islands. Beyond shores, Australia/NZ Nautical Chart maps provide coverage of surrounding islands and oceans. Available with a Premium membership.

Web Updates: The Most Powerful Planning Tools To Date

A desktop screenshot shows a route mapped out in Gaia GPS with campgrounds and waypoints along the way.
The new sidebar on gaiagps.com makes planning from your desktop a snap.

Planning and organizing your data on gaiagps.com is easier than ever thanks to several rounds of improvements throughout the year. Now, when you find a route or file from another website or source, you can import them directly to your Gaia GPS account with a single click. A new side bar houses all your saved map data, including tracks, waypoints, and areas. Plus you can create and measure areas and polygons on the big map with a new tool on the desktop. These improvements follow a complete revamp of gaiagps.com in 2019, and you can expect to see more improvements in the year to come.

Android and iOS App Updates: Easy and Efficient to Use

A tablet screenshot of Gaia Topo shows the peaks, campsites, and trails in Mount Rainer National Park.
Android users can now enjoy interactive map icons.

In 2020, our Android team tackled many highly requested updates and delivered the next generation of Android for Gaia GPS. Android users experienced faster downloading, interactive map icons, the all new Gaia Topo, and automatic updates. The updates didn’t stop there. More improvements brought a refreshed stats bar, better deletion, improved tablet navigation, and an overall smoother experience when using an Android device.

Save phone battery and see your maps at night using Dark Mode in the Gaia GPS app.

Dark Mode on iOS

Navigate at night with Dark Mode in the Gaia GPS app on iOS. This new development, which rolled out in the first quarter of 2020, lets you plan routes, research hikes, and navigate after sundown without straining your eyes or wasting device battery. Dark Mode inverts the traditional iOS color scheme, showing you light-colored text and icons on a dark background. The result is a beautiful new aesthetic that produces less ambient light and is easier on the eyes in low light situations. Give it a try.

2020 Stat Rewind

If you’re wondering just how far you’ve come this year, check out your yearly totals with Gaia GPS stat rewind. If you’ve recorded tracks this year, this page will tally your total trips, elevation climbed, and total mileage. It may be lights out for 2020, but it’s not too late to start planning to beat your numbers from this year. All you have to do is press the record button on all your upcoming adventures in 2021.

We’re excited to see how far the Gaia GPS community will go in the next year.

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Cellphone screen operating in Dark Mode with dark colored topographical map and white writing, set against a colorful sunset in backdrop
Gaia GPSHow-ToNewsletter

Navigate at Night with Dark Mode

by Corey Buhay
written by Corey Buhay

Use Dark Mode in Gaia GPS to plan routes, research hikes, and navigate after sundown without straining your eyes or wasting device battery. Dark Mode inverts the traditional iOS color scheme, showing you light-colored text and icons on a dark background. The result is a beautiful new aesthetic that produces less ambient light.

For an even better viewing experience, enable the Dark Mode responsive Gaia Topo map and your eyes will thank you.

A tablet screen operating in dark mode with topographical maps shown in dark colors and writing shown in light colors. The tablet screen is set against a dark night sky with stars.

When to Use Dark Mode

Optimal for low-light environments, Dark Mode is easier on your eyes and won’t disturb people around you. It’s perfect for nighttime navigation, reviewing route stats during the ride home, or even just double-checking the weather for your morning hike or run while you wait for the sun to come up. And if you’ve got a dream trip keeping you up at night, you can nerd out over the details without disturbing your sleeping significant other.

Dark Mode also has the potential to extend the battery life of your device since the display requires less light.

A cell phone with the screen displayng a topographical map in Dark Mode, with a dark colored map and light colored writing. The phone is set against a colorful sunset backdrop.

How to use Dark Mode in Gaia GPS

Dark Mode is a feature available with iOS 13. To turn it on, go to Settings > Display & Brightness > Appearance. Then, tap “Dark” to set the display to Dark Mode. Gaia GPS will automatically adjust its own display settings to match.

To ensure that your screen settings are always suited to your environment, tap “Automatic” under “Display & Brightness” to sync up Dark Mode with sunset and sunrise. You can also set it to adjust according to a schedule of your own choosing.

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AndroidApp UpdatesGaia GPSHuntingiOSNew Maps

Easy to Read, Tiny to Download: The All New Gaia Topo

by Julien Friedland
written by Julien Friedland

Today, we’re proud to announce the launch of one of our biggest projects yet. A combination of under-the-hood tech and visual design work, the all-new Gaia Topo combines world-class cartography with industry-leading download speeds and sizes.

Click here for instructions to access this map on iOS, the web, or in Android via the public beta.

  • Gaia Topo before
  • Gaia Topo after

World-Class Cartography

This project was driven by map-maker Lee France, who joined the Gaia GPS team this spring as the company’s first full-time cartographer. He brings over a decade of mapping experience to the new Gaia Topo, and early in his career, worked on some of the National Geographic Trails Illustrated Maps you can also access in Gaia GPS. You can read more about Lee’s background on the Gaia GPS team page.

The new Gaia Topo features a cleaner look and smarter labeling. That means it’s both easier to use and more beautiful to look at than ever before. We’ve tuned the map to the needs of many stripes of the outdoor adventurer. A new visual hierarchy system causes national and state parks, peaks, and campgrounds to appear first as you zoom in. We’ve also curated features and polished up the labeling system to improve information density. The result is a map that’s both more aesthetically pleasing and more efficient: It shows you exactly what you need at each zoom level without cluttering up your screen.

  • Water labels and contour line styling (before)
  • Water labels and contour line styling (now)
  • Road networks (before)
  • Road networks (after)

Road networks and main trails are now easier to find on the map. You’ll also find better hill-shading and toned-down landcover colors that don’t inhibit visibility.

Finally, we’ve improved contour line styling worldwide. Contour lines also appear sooner, making it easier to picture the terrain during large-scale route planning at low zoom levels. We also corrected a number of user-reported issues with the contour lines in various locations around the world.

Faster Downloads, Beautiful Rendering

With the new Gaia Topo, map downloads are faster and take up far less storage space, even though the new map has better data and styling.

To achieve that difference, we combed through all the data contained in Gaia Topo and eliminated redundant information, and did a neat trick to optimize how we packed each little map tile to be stored for offline use. This sort of optimization is something that defines R&D at Gaia GPS, and it’s what keeps our maps on the cutting edge of quality and download speed.

Download sizeDownload speed
AreaBefore updateAfter updateBefore updateAfter update
Yellowstone National Park63.8 MB28.8 MB1 min, 33 s33 s
Washington State1.34 GB470.8 MB28 min, 20 s9 min, 21 s
Great Smoky Mountains
National Park		42.2MB22.8 MB33 s24 s
Adirondack Park112.8 MB45.2 MB3 min, 19 s1 min, 8 s
Texas1.28 GB538.2 MB1 hr, 2 min20 min, 14 s

Comprehensive Geographic Information

The new Gaia Topo is more thorough and information-rich than ever before, thanks to an expanded roster of data sources. Gaia Topo pulls official government records, crowd-sourced OpenStreetMap information, and existing Gaia GPS data into a living map that constantly updates as new information becomes available.

In addition to comprehensive hiking and camping information, the new Gaia Topo highlights features specific to cyclists, thru-hikers, skiers, anglers, and other more niche categories of adventurer. You’ll find new icons for bicycle parking, ferry routes, beaches, dog parks, hot springs, forest service gates, fishing access points, and backcountry ski huts, to name a few. You can see all new icons in the Gaia Topo map legend.

We’ve also added more ski runs and cross country ski trails, styled to indicate trail difficulty. One-way trails are now marked with small arrow icons.

POI interest icons before the update(left) and after the update (right) ; Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors

How to Get the New Gaia Topo

Gaia Topo is the main map source in Gaia GPS, available to all Gaia GPS users—with or without a paid membership.

The new Gaia Topo is now available on iOS, the web, and in the latest beta test version of Gaia GPS for Android. To access it:

  • iOS: download the latest version of the Gaia GPS app for iOS
  • Android: download the latest version of the Gaia GPS app on Google Play
  • gaiagps.com – visit gaiagps.com/map.

If you had previously downloaded maps, you’ll see a notification offering to let you update your downloads.

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors

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App UpdatesGaia GPSHuntingiOSNew FeaturesNew Maps

Interactive Hunting Maps for Game Management Units with Stats

by Nathan Copeland
written by Nathan Copeland

Interested in hunting stats for all game management units and wildlife areas? With Gaia GPS, you now have access to interactive hunting maps with helpful statistics to plan a successful hunt. Pairing the interactive hunting maps with the private and public land overlays will show your hunting unit’s boundaries alongside current landowners within the unit so you can stay on legal ground.

Comprehensive Hunting Stats

The scouting information you always wanted, now at your fingertips — Gaia GPS hunting maps now include the critical information you need to select the right units for all your draw tags and plan your hunts.

The hunting stats can be accessed from basecamp or in the field when you download an offline map of your unit.

Stats include:

  • Game Management Unit Name
  • Size
  • Public Land Percentage
  • Covered Game Species
  • Land Cover Types
  • Open Water Percentage
  • Elevation (min, avg, & max)
  • Monthly Temperature (min, avg, & max)
  • Average Monthly Precipitation Rates

Accessing the New Hunting Stats


Hunting stats come built into the US Hunting Maps available with a Premium Membership in the latest iOS version of Gaia GPS. Following these steps will display the hunting stats for your next hunt:

    1. Add your state’s hunting overlay to the Layers menu.
      Step 1: Open the Layers menu and tap Edit
      Step 2: Tap the US Hunting Overlays category
      Step 3: Tap the green “+” icon next to the correct overlay for your hunt
    2. From the main Layers menu, drag your hunting overlay to the top position in the Visible section.
    3. Position the main map over the area you plan to hunt
    4. Tap any of the game management units to reveal their name
    5. Tap the Information “i” icon for the game management unit to view the hunting, precipitation, and temperature stats.
    6. To access the stats for your unit offline, download an offline map for the area you plan to hunt. If you already have offline maps for your hunt, deleting and re-downloading the areas will update your offline maps to include the stats for your hunting unit.

 

Share your favorite game management unit or hunting area with the Gaia GPS family by tagging @gaiagpshunting on Instagram or Twitter.

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Gaia GPS 48 Hour Precip overlay
App UpdatesGaia GPSiOSNew Maps

Get 48-Hour Precipitation Forecasts on Any Map in Gaia GPS

by Angela Crampton
written by Angela Crampton

Prepare for the unexpected with the new 48-hour weather forecast overlay.

Combine this new map overlay with your favorite base map to see rainfall predictions for your next weekend adventure.

Gaia GPS NOAA 48 hour precip forecast overlay

Built on Official NOAA Data

The 48-hour precip overlay taps directly into the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) forecasting data. The NOAA Weather Prediction Center (WPC) researches and releases short-term forecasts twice daily, based on predictive models and satellite imagery. Their reports can forecast heavy rain, snow, and flash flooding up to seven days in advance.

We’ve limited the forecasting for this map to 48 hours in order to give you the most accurate prediction for weekend trips. The overlay refreshes with new information every 12 hours and currently includes the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

How To Read the Forecast

Known as a Quantitative Precipitation Forecast, the weather overlay shades areas of the map to help you visualize the amount of rainfall during a specified amount of time (48 hours, in this case).

The chart below shows the different shades available depending on the forecast, ranging from 0 to 20 inches of rainfall. Green and blue shades represent light showers, while darker areas of red or purple indicate larger accumulations.

Quantitative Precipitation Forecast

Using the 48 Hour Precip Forecast Overlay

Available for iOS users with a Premium Membership, the 48-hour Precip Forecast map can be viewed while connected to the internet.

Gaia GPS 48 hour precip map overlay

From the Map Sources menu, navigate to the Feature/Weather Overlays category.

Add the 48-hour Precip Forecast overlay atop any of your favorite base maps and set the transparency from 25 to 30 percent for the best visibility. Learn how to add map sources for iOS below:

A Note on Safety

You can use the weather overlay as a planning tool to help you pack, plan your route, and be prepared for the weather ahead. Know the terrain and alternate routes ahead of time, and plan for inclement weather, even if none appears in the forecast. Gaia GPS provides map layers to help plan and prepare but the ‘go’ or ‘no-go’ decision remains with you.

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App UpdatesGaia GPSiOSNew Features

Gaia GPS 1.2 for iOS with Shared Folders

by Ashli Baldwin
written by Ashli Baldwin

This week we released version 1.2 of the new Gaia GPS on iOS. In this update, you can share folders with other Gaia GPS users directly in the app and collaborate on them, too.

Don’t have the new Gaia GPS app yet? Download on the App Store today and get a free 7-day trial

Share and Collaborate

Fill your folders with data and share directly with other Gaia GPS users, app-to-app. Set ‘view only’ or choose ‘edit’ allow read & write permissions to let your friends add tracks, waypoints, routes, maps, and other data.

Share folders with any size group, and get real-time updates with an internet connection. Enable shared folder notifications via Saved or Settings tab.

Use shared folders to plan for your next group backpacking trip, share important data with your organization, or get creative and let us know how you plan to share.

To Start Sharing

  1. Download the app or update to the new version from the App Store
  2. Head to the Saved tab in Gaia GPS and tap to enable notifications
  3. Pick a folder you want to share
  4. Tap the down arrow and select share, or open the folder and tap the   icon
  5. Tap the plus sign to invite users to your folder
  6. Enter the email address for who you want to share folder access with

People that you’ve shared Edit access with will be able to add data directly to the folder, and the data will automatically be shared to your device.

Interactive Map Options

Last month, we announced interactive map capabilities. Tap on roads, trails, peaks, and other icons to get more information, download maps, and more.

Version 1.2 adds even more data to this, making more things on the map tappable, such as camps, parking, and other amenities.

Feedback and Support

We work hard to listen to your feedback and make Gaia GPS the best mapping app available. If you like the update, you can support us by rating us in the app.

Head to Settings > Help > Release Notes and tap the smiley face!

Want to give more in-depth feedback? Send a note to support@gaiagps.com.

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Gaia GPS overlay premium membership screenshot
New Maps

Public Land Ownership data available in Gaia GPS

by Staff Reports
written by Staff Reports

Check out an updated public lands layer here.

One of the most common requests we get from Gaia GPS users is for Public Land Ownership data, which is useful for hunting, fishing, exploring, and even business purposes. Today, we’re making a land ownership layer available in Gaia GPS.

You can add the public land layer within Gaia GPS by going to “Add More Layers…” This overlay won’t work very well unless you have Gaia GPS Premium, because it needs to be layered with other base maps. You might have some basic use for it as a regular Gaia user.

We consider this to be a “beta” effort, and we’re releasing it to you because it’s useful to us, though incomplete. It has excellent coverage of California, fairly detailed coverage of the rest of western United States, including Alaska, and federal lands in the east. Here’s a summary view of the coverage, and you can also view the layer on gaiagps.com:

Screenshot 2013-10-15 15.31.06

The colors are defined by the following legend, and there is also an entry in the user manual with this info. We’ll integrate it better in the future:

legend

Here’s a screenshot using the layer with GaiaPro, on the iPad. I’m showing the weather panel just for fun, too:

public lands map gaia gps

Gaia GPS premium layers capability really shines here, and you can composite a vast amount of information, including USGS topos, MapBox aerials, Forest Service (USFS) maps, weather overlays, and your personal waypoints and tracks.

Today, our public land data collection efforts are stymied a bit by the shutdown of the US government, but we have plans to complete the data set, and integrate it more fully into Gaia GPS, with an interactive legend and alerts.

This project started out from one of our team’s personal interest in hunting (Jesse), and it’s an ongoing effort. Jesse last lived in Montana, before coming to Berkeley to work with us, and he depended on Elk he hunted for food. As with the rest of Gaia, this comes from the needs of people who spend a lot of time in the woods.

Finally for the technically-minded people. you can also view this GitHub gist for how to set up a tile server like this yourself.

 

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