Gaia GPS Mapping for Mobile Devices (Topos, Aerials, and more)

[BowhunterNJ]

For those of you that are diehard topo and aerial researchers when it comes to hunting, thought I'd pass along a great app that I've used on my in and out of state hunts.

The pro version allows you to overlay layers with transparency, save static images to your phone/device for use when you don't have reception, etc.

Plus if you're a GoogleEarth fan, you can customize your GE view and then export it to KML and load the waypoints into the Gaia GPS app.

Really an all around awesome tool, I highly recommend it!

 

 

Here is their main site:  http://www.gaiagps.com/

You can check out their blog too for some examples of using the app:  http://www.gaiagps.com/blog/

 

 

[jerseyhunter]

Sounds great, now if only I can learn to use my phone or computer. Thank fully I have wife who can help me program the TV,  I still don't know how to use the DVR.

Edited November 12, 2013 by jerseyhunter

[Haskell_Hunter]

interesting app.  I've been taking my Garmin GPSMAPS 60CSx into the woods and then using Google Earth to pull out the tracks/waypoints.  I'll clean up the routes in the Garmin software (crappy software in many regards, but I can delete the beginning few and last few bunch of trackpoints), and then export the new scouting reports out as kmz/kml files and import them back into Google Earth.  I'll see how this app looks, but I rarely use my iPhone in the woods because the battery life sucks (it's over 2 years old at this point).

[Palawman30]

Good Stuff!!!!

[gaiagps]

I should mention we just added a page where you can browse all of the maps in the app online: http://www.gaiagps.com/maps/

 

This includes the Hunting layers we have, we can be shown as overlays.

[BowhunterNJ]

I should mention we just added a page where you can browse all of the maps in the app online: http://www.gaiagps.com/maps/

 

This includes the Hunting layers we have, we can be shown as overlays.

 

Very nice and great info!  Thanks for swinging by and letting us know!

[Haskell_Hunter]

The only issue I have with Smart-(insert device) GPS maps is battery life.  I can go an entire day with my Garmin GPSMAPS 60CSx on two AA batteries.  When those batteries kick, I can replace them in the field in a minute or so.  My iPhone 4s dies in about 4-5 hours in the woods.  Nearly every time I go into the woods with it, it's dead on the way out.  It's probably my phone, but if I'm going into the deep woods to sit for a day, I'm taking my Garmin with me and a spare set of batteries.

 

I'm not knocking the product in this thread at all, it's probably awesome (I haven't tested it out yet), but I am definitely knocking the Smart-(insert device) platform as a whole for having craptacular battery life and non-replaceable batteries.

 

IMHO.

[BowhunterNJ]

Yeah that's a good point, but that's the nature of the beast with smart phones.  I started using external battery packs/cases for my iPhone when I head to the woods for that very reason.  No way I can get a full day out of it, even if I wasn't using Gaia GPS software/app.

[gaiagps]

1) I think battery life is the last good reason to use a Garmin device. The extra GPS precision is totally irrelevant for nearly all recreational and even professional use cases, and you can get the ruggedness of a Garmin with a smartphone case. I think it's universally agreed that the Garmin user interface doesn't match up to any of the good smartphone apps.

 

2) If you are willing to use throwaway AA batteries, you can use a smartphone or Garmin for infinity time. You just need a case: http://www.marco.org/2010/08/20/charging-an-iphone-with-aa-batteries

 

3) One of our users wrote up a guide to using an iPhone for backpacking, which includes a section on battery conservation: http://adventurealan.com/iphone4gps.htm

 

The summary is:

• Adjust the Settings to optimize for battery life.
• Shut down all extraneous apps.
• Don’t use the Tracking or Guide Me features. (just maps and overlays)
• Be EXTRA cautious about leaving the GPS app in the foreground during sleep.
• Check to see if your apps give you control over when the GPS is engaged.
• Beware of Auto-Lock.
• Keep the iPhone warm.

[Haskell_Hunter]

I think the smart phones have better precision in some ways, especially if you have WiFi in the area.  I mainly use mine to know how lost I am and predict how long it's going to take me to get back to the designated meeting area.

 

I bought a couple extra batteries for my iPhone, mostly the lithium-ion ones you can charge from a USB port.  They do the job but drain just as quickly.  If I know I'm going to be out and sitting for a while, I actually have a solar panel that fits in my backpack that will provide the iPhone with a trickle charge.

 

I've been advocating for manufacturers to include a low-drain setting on their devices similar to the power management you get on a laptop.  Yeah, airplane mode is great if you're on a plane, but "natural disaster mode" or "I'm deep in the freakin' woods mode" would also be very beneficial.  Something that puts the device in ultra-low power mode when I click the power button to put it to sleep.

 

I'll definitely grab the app to beat it up a bit, but I reserve the right to hate smart-device battery life until I get "I'm deep in the freakin' woods" power management settings.  

[BowhunterNJ]

I saw the recent GPS/mapping post so thought I'd bump this.  Gaia is awesome!  Definitely check it out for a mobile GPS/mapping solution!

[Buck154]

I have a few friends that have been using it for awhile and love it. They hunt up in the mountains of PA. I just got it not long ago before bear season and it works awesome.