Hi all, I always used to be quite sceptical about mobile mapping applications. Due to the small screen size and lack of a mouse pointer, mobile mapping seemed clumsy and error-prone. For me, collecting data in the field and then adding it on a personal computer with JOSM was the way to go.
However, my mind has changed completely since I discovered Go Map!, an application for iOS written by Bryce Cogswell. Nowadays, I'm doing almost all my mapping in the field straight in Go Map!, and only rarely do I still resort to JOSM. Go Map! is designed with a light-weight UI, making mapping easy and intuitive. In particular, a lot of attention was paid to minimize the chance of user errors. Some examples: - Objects are moved by dragging a handle next to the object, rather than the object itself. This way, you're not obscuring the placement of the object. - When drawing a new line, a subtle animation is shown whenever you're about to connect a node to another node or line. - The application does not permit the manipulation (such as straightening) of objects (partially) outside of the view. I found that entering the results of my surveys straight in Go Map! saves me a lot of time, and additionally improves the quality of my data (since one data manipulation step is cut out, and I can verify results immediately). Of course, even with Go Map!, accidental data errors might be possible. And repetitive actions, or manipulation of large areas with many notes, is perhaps still easier on a desktop computer. But overall, I find Go Map! a large improvement. And an additional bonus: whenever passers-by ask you when this map you're creating can be viewed online, you now can tell them: "in about two minutes". I'd recommend every iOS user to give the application at least a try. The application can be downloaded here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/go-map!!/id592990211?mt=8 -- Matthijs _______________________________________________ talk mailing list talk@openstreetmap.org https://lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/talk
