Do you know of Android freeware that allows you to import a proposed GPX
file hiking track which was perhaps drawn by hand, and then "navigates" it
telling you audibly when you deviate from the track while you're hiking it?

It could speak, for example, "Head East 100 Feet to get Back on Track", or
it could provide some other audible indication of "routing" on an otherwise
featureless hand drawn GPX track (for example, from "Caltopo" web tools).

Currently I import the desired hiking GPX track into any decent custom
geoPDF map reader (such as Avenza, Paper Maps, Offline Maps, Custom Maps,
Pocket Maps, etc.) and then I look at my current location "blue dot"
compared to the desired track (red line) and adjust my steps accordingly.
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.Avenza>
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ca.abbro.androidmap>
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.psyberia.offlinemaps>
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.custommapsapp.android>
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.starcom.pocketmaps>

That works - even with non-custom topo map apps (such as US Topo Maps).
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.atlogis.northamerica.free>

But that visual comparison of current and desired location requires holding
the phone in my hand which is hard to do when navigating on steep mountain
hillsides so what would be best are audible directions to keep me on track.
--
Note for the USA, OSM topographic maps are generally useless for highly
contoured off-trail areas such as those I hike in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

OSMAND

With openstreetmap

"Andy Burnelli" wrote in message news:tb321d$12il$1@gioia.aioe.org...

Do you know of Android freeware that allows you to import a proposed GPX
file hiking track which was perhaps drawn by hand, and then "navigates" it
telling you audibly when you deviate from the track while you're hiking it?

It could speak, for example, "Head East 100 Feet to get Back on Track", or
it could provide some other audible indication of "routing" on an otherwise
featureless hand drawn GPX track (for example, from "Caltopo" web tools).

Currently I import the desired hiking GPX track into any decent custom
geoPDF map reader (such as Avenza, Paper Maps, Offline Maps, Custom Maps,
Pocket Maps, etc.) and then I look at my current location "blue dot"
compared to the desired track (red line) and adjust my steps accordingly.
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.Avenza>
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ca.abbro.androidmap>
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.psyberia.offlinemaps>
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.custommapsapp.android>
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.starcom.pocketmaps>

That works - even with non-custom topo map apps (such as US Topo Maps).
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.atlogis.northamerica.free>

But that visual comparison of current and desired location requires holding
the phone in my hand which is hard to do when navigating on steep mountain
hillsides so what would be best are audible directions to keep me on track.
--
Note for the USA, OSM topographic maps are generally useless for highly
contoured off-trail areas such as those I hike in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

OSMAND

https://osmand.net/

"Andy Burnelli" wrote in message news:tb321d$12il$1@gioia.aioe.org...

Do you know of Android freeware that allows you to import a proposed GPX
file hiking track which was perhaps drawn by hand, and then "navigates" it
telling you audibly when you deviate from the track while you're hiking it?

It could speak, for example, "Head East 100 Feet to get Back on Track", or
it could provide some other audible indication of "routing" on an otherwise
featureless hand drawn GPX track (for example, from "Caltopo" web tools).

Currently I import the desired hiking GPX track into any decent custom
geoPDF map reader (such as Avenza, Paper Maps, Offline Maps, Custom Maps,
Pocket Maps, etc.) and then I look at my current location "blue dot"
compared to the desired track (red line) and adjust my steps accordingly.
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.Avenza>
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ca.abbro.androidmap>
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.psyberia.offlinemaps>
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.custommapsapp.android>
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.starcom.pocketmaps>

That works - even with non-custom topo map apps (such as US Topo Maps).
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.atlogis.northamerica.free>

But that visual comparison of current and desired location requires holding
the phone in my hand which is hard to do when navigating on steep mountain
hillsides so what would be best are audible directions to keep me on track.
--
Note for the USA, OSM topographic maps are generally useless for highly
contoured off-trail areas such as those I hike in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

MJP wrote:

> OSMAND
>
> https://osmand.net/

Thanks for that suggestion of OSMAnd~ which I've had on my phones for years
<https://f-droid.org/en/packages/net.osmand.plus/>

Unfortunately I don't think it does what is being asked for.

There are reasons I can get into but that would be an aside as what I'm
seeking is _off trail_ routing along a given featureless GPX track.

An example of what this proposed track might look like is shown below.
<https://i.postimg.cc/wjHZRyQv/hike01.jpg> Draw track & export GPX

Once the GPX file is imported into the map program, the goal would be
_audible directions_ such as "Go West 100 Feet to Stay On Track".

Optionally, some intelligence might be useful as it would need to know the
direction you're traveling on that track and then it could compute a
forward connecting hypotenuse to get you back on track efficiently without
always rubberbanding exactly to the track.

I don't even know if backcountry routing exiists, so that is my assumption
of how it would work if such a capability does exist.

Does it?

Does _anyone_ on this newsgroup do backcountry off-trail hiking & routing?
If so, what app do you use to keep you on the proposed GPX track?

On Tue, 19th Jul 2022 17:10:40 +0100, Andy Burnelli wrote:

> MJP wrote:
>
>> OSMAND
[...]
> Unfortunately I don't think it does what is being asked for.
[...]
> what I'm seeking is _off trail_ routing along a given featureless
> GPX track.

Exactly, what OsmAnd "Follow track" navigation is meant for:

https://osmand.net/docs/user/navigation/gpx-navigation

F-Up set to sgs-n.

Bernd