Locus Map is a multi-functional outdoor navigation application, available for Android and iOS devices. Primarily it is designed and used for leisure time outdoor activities like hiking, biking, or geocaching. The app is also used by professionals e.g. by S&R teams or for collecting geospatial data.
The app was developed in 2010 by Czech developer Jiří Mlavec, founder of Asamm Software company, based in Prague, Czech Republic. Locus Map development is carried out in cooperation with the community of its users-contributors and as such is partially crowd-sourced.
The application has registered more than 5 000 000 installations and has been reviewed in professional media Computer Bild.
Features
Track recording - creating statistics and charts, customizable recording profiles, TTS generated audio-coached workouts, support of external
bluetooth and ANT+ sensors
Route planning - available either directly in the app or in the web planner
Points of interest (POI) - creating personal points, search and sorting of OSM based points of interest in an offline database, sound notifications of approaching points
Web library - cloud-based storage of users' routes, tracks and points, synchronized with all devices connected to a user's account
Search of places, addresses, coordinates (including W3W) or phone contacts
Geocaching - Locus Map is one of the official Geocaching.com API partners.
Turn-by-turn navigation and guidance - navigation with voice commands, beeline guidance to a point on map or by compass
Live tracking - real time sharing user's position with other users publicly or in private groups
Cycling computer functions - speedometer, odometer, average speed, maximum speed, elevation, elevation gain, customizable dashboard, digits are displayed above a map, support of external sensors for monitoring heart rate and pedaling cadence
Import/export - importing/exporting points and routes from/to the Internet or from/to other software in a wide range of formats (KML, KMZ, GPX...), exporting workouts to services like Strava, Runkeeper,
GPS - skyplot displaying actual satellite network, GPS status notifications, support of external GPS units
Customization - the app offers a wide range of customization options - menus, screen panels, coordinate systems, or units
Maps
Locus Map displays maps of various providers in online and offline mode:
Online maps
-
World - LoMaps - OpenStreetMap-based hiking/biking map and many other free maps based on OpenStreetMap
-
World - Satellite maps by Here WeGo and Maxar
-
US - USGS Maps, ChartBundle...
-
Europe - IGN France (France), Outdooractive (Germany, Austria), Kapsi (Finland), Turistautak (Hungary), Skoterleder (Sweden), Map1.eu (Europe)
-
other parts of the World - Visicom (Ukraine, Asia, World), GSI maps (Japan), SledMap (World), Navigasi (Indonesia), NzTopoMaps (New Zealand) and others
-
support of WMS and WMTS sources - meteorological maps, NASA maps, cadastral maps...
Most of the online maps can be downloaded for offline use.
Offline maps
-
World - LoMaps - OpenStreetMap-based vector maps with changeable themes - hiking, cycling, skiing, road or city use
-
US - AccuTerra
-
UK - Ordnance Survey
-
France - IGN
-
Germany, Austria - Outdooractive
-
other Europe - Swisstopo maps (Switzerland), SHOCart (Czech Republic and Slovakia), Compass (Poland), CNIG (Spain)
-
support of SQLite, TAR, MBT, GEMF, Orux or RMAP formats
-
support of other OpenStreetMap data or custom map themes
Licence
Locus Map is available in three versions, each with a different licensing:
-
Locus Map 4 - available for Android devices - the basic version is free, has limited features and contains an advertisement banner strip. There are two more Premium plans - Silver and Gold - enabling more features, available for subscription and one-off payments. The main development branch. Available on Google Play.
-
Locus Map 3 Classic - available for Android devices - originally Locus Map Pro, a single payment license with no time or device limits. Its development was terminated in 2021 and the app has been in maintenance mode since then. Planned to be discontinued in 2026. Available on Google Play.
-
Locus Map Lite - available for iOS devices - early version of the app (developed since 2023), only containing basic features like GPS location on the map, track recording and library of user data. Free in its basic version, upgradable to Premium Gold enabling satellite maps and cloud synchronization with web and other devices. Available on App Store.
Locus community
Locus Map has been developed in cooperation with its users who communicate with the app's developers via dedicated forum or general GPS or navigation discussions. The main source of users' contributions is the helpdesk with voting system - users themselves vote for changes and improvements in the app. Despite the app developers operate in the Czech republic, major part of the Locus community is located in Germany.
The application translations are crowd-sourced.
External links
