Discussion: smart phone O map apps

Have others used O map apps to market the sport?
GHO has an idea to do this with our local maps and have entered a contest to get that app made for free from a Hamilton based apps company.

Only one vote per computer:
http://weeverapps.com/contest-entry/012/

Interested what others have done and if you have time to click on the link above that would be great as well.

For a few of the 'Hood Hunts, I've set up the scoring through the SCVNGR app, which includes a GPS-enabled Google Map of checkpoints. The event-specific map (which could conceivably be any map, including an O map) is available as a PDF download.

Here are some other apps that may have some orienteering application:
SCVNGR
Lavahound
Mobile Adventure Walks
Geo Rally
Maplets
Virtual Orienteering

(I've played around with almost all of these apps, and I'll provide more info later)

SCVNGR
Devices: iPhone, Android
Cost: Free
Maps: GPS-enabled Google Map, showing your location.
Scoring System: Yes, score-o style, untimed.
Game Building: Within SCVNGR.com, account required, checkpoint and trek limits
Game Playing: Within app.

Pro: Free, able to build and play, available on two platforms, large audience, shareable
Con: Checkpoint and trek limits for builders, untimed scoring

Lavahound
Devices: iPhone
Cost: Free
Maps: GPS-enabled Google Map, showing your location.
Scoring System: Yes, multiple score-o styles, timed
Game Building: No longer a public feature?
Game Playing: Within app.

Pro: Free, mulltiple gaming styles.
Con: Can't build games anymore, iPhone only

Mobile Adventure Walks
Devices: iPhone
Cost:Free
Maps: GPS-enabled Google Map, showing your location.
Scoring System: Yes, point-to-point, timed.
Game Building: Within app, at checkpoint locations.
Game Playing: Within app.

Pro: Free, timed point-to-point courses, shareable
Con: Can only build games while at checkpoint locations, iPhone only

Geo Rally
Devices: iPhone
Cost: $0.99
Maps: GPS-enabled Google Map, showing your location, without checkpoint locations shown.
Scoring System: Yes, point-to-point, timed.
Game Building: Within app.
Game Playing: Within app.

Pro: Timed point to point courses.
Con: Not free, checkpoint locations not shown, iPhone only

Maplets
Devices: iPhone
Cost: $2.99
Maps:Any map you want, showing your location when GPS is enabled and map is georeferenced.
Scoring System: No
Game Building: Upload maps within mobilemaplets.com, account required.
Game Playing: No game play.

Pro: Geo-referenced user-uploaded maps, large audience
Con: Not free, no game play, iPhone only

V Orienteering
Devices:Android, Windows Phone
Cost: Free
Maps: GPS-enabled Google Map, showing your location.
Scoring System: Yes, point-to-point, timed.
Game Building: Within vorienteering.com, account required.
Game Playing: Within app.

Pro: Free, timed point to point courses, available on multiple Platforms, shareable
Con: Not on iPhone. Despite the name, no orienteering maps.

For tomorrow's 'Hood Hunt, I uploaded the course map into Maplets and georeferenced it. This means, as far as I know, it's the first orienteering map* in the Maplets system (now with 8000+ maps worldwide).

I tried the GPS navigation on my iPhone last night and it worked pretty well, despite the fact that the basemap is 100 years old and slightly distorted.

For this one, I just uploaded a .JPEG file (up to 7000x7000, no other file extensions supported). The builder also allows you to designate "spots" on the georeferenced map, with more information pertaining to exact locations. If I do upload another 'Hood Hunt in the future, I may try building the checkpoint questions and answer choices into the "spot" features, instead of attaching the question sheet to the bottom (or south, in this case) of the course map.

Maplets is a pretty slick app to build and use. If you have a GPS-enabled iPhone or iPad and Maplets installed, you can either search for the 'Hood Hunt map within the app, or you can download the map directly from this page.

My account allows me to upload 20 different "places", and at each of those places, you can upload individual maps, as well as create events. On each individual map, you can create spots. Basically, for $3, I can download as many maps as I want, and I can upload a fair amount, too.

That said, there's no scoring or timing mechanisms within the app. Basically, Maplets allows GPS integration with any map, but that's about. Conversely, SCVNGR has a scoring mechanism, VOrienteering has a timing mechanism, but their GPS integrations are limited to Google Maps only. If only Maplets and VOrienteering could be combined...


* Ok, so it's not ISOM or ISSOM. Whatever. But it's a map with marked checkpoints on it for the purposes of urban orienteering.