[Talk-ca] Topographic map app using OSM data

[Dan Charrois]

Hi everybody.  I don't want to make this a commercial plug, so I'll keep this short and relevant.  The only reason I'd even want to mention this here is that I value the feedback of other OpenStreetMap people - especially that of fellow Canadians.

I just released an iPhone/iPod/iPad app a couple of days ago, called "Mapster", available in the iTunes App Store at http://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/mapster/id409304946?mt=8&uo=4  which combines topographical information worldwide with OSM street data.  Relevant to the recent discussion of OSM tile server abuse, we don't hit that server at all - all of the tiles it uses are provided by our own custom-configured server, which merges the OSM data with hillshading, contours, etc. pregenerated on a global scale.

Feature-wise, it's relatively basic - no routing, or even ability to find things at the moment - it's a pannable, zoomable map that can show your location.  It does, however, allow the user to pre-download tiles in areas they are planning on visiting in case they do not have Internet coverage there, and is smart about caching, tile expiry, etc. so they user doesn't have to worry about keeping their map data up to date - the app does that for them, and tries to be bandwidth-friendly in that it only downloads new tiles if they've changed visibly from what it already has (a road that shifts a fraction of a pixel, for example, doesn't constitute a significant change).

Despite its relatively basic functionality, it does present OSM data in what I feel is a useful and intuitive format (especially in mountainous areas where the topographical rendering really gives you a sense of what's going on - windy roads make much more sense this way :-), and is becoming well-received.  It's currently ranked as the #3 navigation app for iPad.

If any of you want to check it out, it's available for free (though a subscription required if downloading more than a certain number of tiles per day - I have to prevent abuse to our tile server too).  And of course, the primary reason for this post - I'd greatly value any feedback that you might have.  After all, if there's anything that you people understand, it's maps :-)

Dan
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