OpenStreetMap

Hi. I’m doing a charity walk from Norway all the way round to Finland , next May. I’ve looked at other map tools for the purpose of downloading them for offline use with GPS, but so far they either block you after a certain download limit, delete the cached files after 30 days or some other restriction that doesn’t suit my 3 month trek needs.

Does anyone know if OSM has a limit on the number of tiles downloaded and whether the cached maps are deleted after a set time. Also, is there a tool that I can use with my android to use these maps offline with GPS tracking (waypoints, POI, etc)…

Thanks in advance.

Lee

Discussion

Comment from Vincent de Phily on 24 April 2015 at 14:23

For the number of tiles, see http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Tile_usage_policy

But for android offline use, apps that support vector downloads are vastly superior. Two of the most popular ones are http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/MapsWithMe and http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Osmand but have a look at http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Category:Android too and search the play store directly, you might find something you like better.

Finally, for those kind of questions, you should use https://help.openstreetmap.org/ rather than the diary.

Good luck on the walk :)

Comment from NomadicHayward on 24 April 2015 at 14:31

I’m downloading OsmAnd now. It looks perfectly suited for my needs. Thank you for the advice and accept my apologies for posting in the wrong forum. I’ll note the correct url for these types of questions and use that from now on.

Thanks again both the advice and wishing me good luck on the walk :)

If an admin can remove this diary entry, i’d be grateful.

Comment from Hjart on 24 April 2015 at 21:47

A dedicated gps receiver is often better suited than a smartphone for tasks like the one you describe since it’s batteries will usually last longer. There are a number of ways to load OSM maps onto Garmin receivers.

There’s no real need to remove this diary btw.

Comment from NomadicHayward on 24 April 2015 at 22:17

Hi Hjart. I was looking at getting a dedicated GPS but after asking whether I could get maps for Norway and Finland on the Garmin GPS I was looking at (the one in my price bracket) I was advised that there were no maps for that country. So I opted for a solar power recharging kit and a Samsung Galaxy, with a back up map stored on my Kindle.

If you’ve got a recommendation for a dedicated GPS I’d be happy to look at it and see if its affordable for me :)

Also, while I’m on this journey if there’s anything you or the other readers think I could do to help with the OSM project, let me know. I’ll be off grid for most of the journey, with limited internet access and only an hour or so each evening to do my journal etc. But I’ll gladly do what I can to bring something back for the project.

Lee

Comment from aseerel4c26 on 24 April 2015 at 23:43

Hjart already mentioned a link to OSM-based maps for most Garmin devices. So, a Garmin GPS would be the brand to buy (sorry, I do not own one suitable for your journey). You can find many Garmin devices described in our wiki ( see https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Garmin or via search in the wiki). Just note that many pages describe old models.

A half off-topic suggestion (which may be nothing new for you): Take care that the solar power recharging thingy is big enough for powering a gps-enabled smartphone with map display and possibly routing calculation / route display. Also think of bad weather conditions. Test it before the journey. :-) If possible take replacement batteries with you and/or a battery-powered recharger, possibly also usable as a source for a decent lamp. I think your smartphone approach is not bad.

What you could do during the journey for OSM? Collect data and gps traces, e.g. with Osmtracker or with OsmAnd itself. I think only collecting gps traces is reasonable with some minor exceptions – otherwise it would be way too much to add to OSM once you are back home. gps traces are a minor help for OSM. However, the gps accuracy should be not too bad, that makes the traces less worth. Usually dedicated Garmin gps receivers have a much better accuracy than smartphones.

Comment from Warin61 on 25 April 2015 at 01:12

OsmAnd has a good pedestrian display mode.

On the Garmin maps .. you can download OSM maps for Garmins. These are not Garmins proprietary maps but the same maps you get with OsmAnd, just differently rendered. Selecting a particular Garmin model .. you’d want a long battery life. Some will last several days on one set of batteries.

Solar power is all well and good, but don’t have it connected to the phone while you walk .. the connection is not robust. Connect the solar panel to another battery and charge that during the day. At night while you sleep charge the phones battery from the solar battery. The solar battery should have at least twice the capacity as the phone battery .. that will give you 3 days of use before you get a flat battery without solar charging.

What to do for OSM? Collect things that are not on the map .. paths, shops, drinking water, hotels. In particular anything that you find helpful while you are traveling. This helps the next person, advertises good services (hotels and shops that are good should be supported).

Have a good trip. Just before you leave - download the latest OSM map they do change thanks to contributes like yourself.

Comment from NomadicHayward on 25 April 2015 at 14:04

I’ve got one of those huge 14w 2A multi panel things, it folds out longer than my backpack and soaks up solar energy even when cloudy (just slower). I’m going to buy one of those portable power banks too. I wasn’t expecting this type of response , you’ve all been more than helpful. A very friendly community, thank you.

I’m sure I’ll find something to add to the map.

Cheers everyone. Have a great weekend :)

Comment from joost schouppe on 26 April 2015 at 12:10

I used Osmand in the background during a three day (guided) hike on my LG G2 on a single battery charge. This was mostly to have a quick look at the map two or three times a day, and of course to have the GPX track.

If you switch on background navigation, choose a destination which is not seven days walking in the future, make sure the screen can’t be waken up by Osmand (somewhere in navigation settings) and to be sure switch of the screen without Osmand open (i.e. just the home screen), battery consumption is VERY reasonable.

When it comes to helping OSM on the way, apart from the GPS tracks you make (do that anyway, you can make a nice map of your trip with those!), you can report mistakes in the map with the “Notes” or Bugs function; and you can also add all sorts of features you find on the road. Depending on what’s important to you, those could include shelters, benches, water sources, campings, etc. Osmand knows all the correct tags, but if you’re unsure, look at the wiki (google is your friend: “osm wiki the thing i want to map” will almost always come up with a very clear explanation). And in doubt, just make a “Note” with the description of the thing. Of course, this kind of work on the road does consume some battery, as you obviously need to switch on the screen a somewhat longer time.

I wrote a beginners guide on setting up Osmand for navigating and helping out on my blog, and recently found the Learn OSM project has a very good introduction.

Comment from Vclaw on 26 April 2015 at 15:08

If you want to buy a GPS device, I recommend the Garmin Etrex 20. Its not too expensive, and you can load free OpenStreetMap based maps on it. Also it has plenty memory for recording a track of where you have walked.

As mentioned above, it has much better battery life than most phones - about 25 hours on 2 AA batteries. Plus it uses standard AA batteries, so you can carry a few spare sets, or buy new ones along the way if necessary.

Plus the Etrex is waterproof, and fairly rugged. So good for walking in the rain, you don’t have to worry about your phone getting wet or broken.

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