App of the Moment: OS Maps

So, this might seem like a strange app to talk about when it comes to living sustainability, but as spending time outside in nature is know to have beneficial affects on us anything that helps make it easier is always a good thing.

Once you have downloaded the app and registered you can then use the menu on the left to work your way around it.  When you buy an OS Map it now has a scratch off section which gives you a unique code in connection with your map.  When you click on 'Redeem a map' you can add this code in and then download the map onto your device which you can then see on 'Maps'.  This section gives you the list of all the maps you have brought and which ones are available for you to use immediately (which depends on how much storage you have on your device).

To find out where you are on the map you've opened you just click on the sites symbol at the bottom left. It then produces a little red arrow at the most accurate location it can (you'll need your GPS on for this).  Clicking on the stacked papers symbol on the bottom right gives you different types of maps to help you find your way around.

I've only ever used the usual Ordinance Survey map or the satellite map to help me work out where I am, but the night map is definitely something I want to try out at some point.

One of the other features I've found useful is being able to hold you finger down on a spot to get the GPS coordinates.  This is good for finding your location to give to other or to plot a route from where you are to that location.

There's also a section in the menu to plot a route before you've even left the house or to record a route you are walking to keep for later reference.  I haven't really used these parts of the app yet, but I do want to look at them in the future.

So how do I use this app.  For me there are two ways that I use it.  The first is to have a wonderful around an area just having an explore.  Once it's time to go home I use the app to find out where I am and how I can get back home again.  I only do this in a location I know is relatively safe and there aren't any cliffs to accidentally walk off in a fog.  The other is when I'm actually going for a proper walk, such as when I'm walking in the Cairngorms.  In this case I've already worked out my route on the paper maps at home and then I use the app while I'm walking to make sure I'm on the right track, to help locate the right path, and to help when visibility isn't great.  Having it on my phone does make it a lot easier than pulling out the large, flapping paper map.  However I still keep the paper map in my bag with a compass for safety.

Do you use the OS Map app? If so what do you like about?  If not do you have a similar app that you use and prefer? Let me know.