Topo Reader vs Scenic Map Usage & Stats
Download all available USGS topographic maps and import Geospatial PDF maps for off-line use at full undistorted resolution.
Topo Reader is designed for road trips, camping, hiking, exploration and geographical history. Map images are accurately center aligned regardless of datum and placed on top of Apple's map kit for easy referencing and intuitive touch navigation.
This software utilizes the latest capabilities of IOS with a fast start up, map rotating, unbeatable full detail resolution. Map downloads dispatch in the background so you can continue using the app.
Topo Reader can install for use 422,664 U.S. Geological Survey current and historical topographical maps describing the topography of every region and island territories of the United States of America. Historical versions date as far back as year 1879. Install a map quad by pressing and holding a point on the reference map and discover the maps available at that location and the unique names given to every quad by the cartographers.
Import geospatial PDF maps from the web, AirDrop, Finder, iTunes and email. Even at trailheads there are QRCode for maps that copy and install onto this app! Local and national park services offer PDF maps from their web sites. Even aeronautical sectional maps with embedded geospatial metadata that you can download in installed into Topo Reader.
Easy see all your installed maps by zooming out and they all become a colorful violet and partially transparent so you can spot your map. Installed maps are managed in a table format which can be sorted by name, distance, and scale. Multiple versions of the same map can be stacked on top of one another and made visible or hidden using two finger swipes.
Planning a hike somewhere and want to know the distance of your jaunt. Download the map and use the dual mode ruler to measure the path distance. Select the create Route option and draw and record your planned route.
Purchase a subscription for unlimited map downloading. A subscription stops ads and doesn't auto-renew. The first few map download are complementary.‡
Features:
• No need for cellular service to use
• Use the GPS on downloaded topo maps while offline*
• Dual mode ruler with orthographic line and path measuring
• Waypoints with Augmented Reality finder
• Routes path creation
• Tracks/bread-crumb GPS location recording*
• Full app usability while maps download in the background
• Displays footprint grid and quad names
• Aligns map datums to WGS84 (GPS) coordinates
• Dynamic map stitching
• Cropping of map margins for one big map grid
• Automatic USGS topographic map download for your current location
• Uses GPS location service to identify your location on a topo map*
• Miles, Feet, Kilometers, Meters, Nautical Miles units
• MGRS, UTM, and geodetic latitude and longitude coordinates
• Import geospatial PDF maps downloaded from the USGS and other sources in zip or regular file formats
• Enter coordinates in decimal, minutes and second formats
• Map rotation and orients map to follow your heading
• Imports GPX file formats waypoints
• Email, AirDrop and SMS text waypoints, tracks and routes as GPX files (one subscription purchase required to permanently enable).
Not currently supported: Geo TIFF; OCG layer selection used in current USTopo USGS maps.
Not all geospatial metadata formats and datums are supported for imported PDF maps.
Limited KML features supported.
* Not preloaded with maps. WiFi recommended. Downloading queue does cap at around 36 maps.
** Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life. Location feature may not function on iPod and wifi-only iPad devices without GPS hardware.
‡ After a subscription period expires, advertisement may resume from usage of the import features.
- Apple App Store
- Free
- Navigation
Store Rank
- -
A 3D topo map with coverage of the entire world. The map is streamed directly from Apple's servers and cached on your device for use when there is no cell coverage. Use Scenic Map in a car, a boat, a plane or while hiking. It is like having the entire Earth in your pocket. Satellite image overlays add breathtaking detail and realism to the maps (tap preset 2 or 4). You can use them as you travel to see what is hidden from view at ground level. This takes moving maps to a whole new level.
To get started, tap the arrow button in the toolbar to begin GPS tracking and center the map at your current location. The spinner in the status bar shows that the map is being loaded. The spinner stops when the map is fully cached at that location. You can scroll around the map or tilt the map with a two finger vertical swipe to see it in 3D.
Use the two finger vertical swipe gesture to tilt the map for a 3D view. Scroll like a map or fly like a flight simulator. Enable Joystick Gestures in the Settings menu and then fly around the terrain using a virtual joystick. Prefer only 2D maps? Enable the 2D Map option in the Settings menu.
Scenic Map is simply the best 3D topo map available for a mobile device. You will see incredible detail while scrolling, rotating and zooming perfectly smoothly. You will see every road even if you zoom out to the altitude of a satellite. As you zoom in, you will see every small bump and hollow of the Earth and terrain features as small as ten meters. Unlike old fashioned topo maps, Scenic Map’s roads and trails are up to date thanks to OpenStreetMap.org. It contains polygons for urban areas, shopping malls, an ever growing number of buildings and many other features, The best lake, pond, stream and rivers from the USGS and Canadian public databases are also included.
Your tracks can be replayed with video like controls to speed up, slow down, pause, restart or skip to the end. You can display existing tracks while recording another if you want to retrace your route. When online, you can automatically create a route from your current GPS location to any other point on the map. Tracks can be received from or sent to other apps in GPX format. GPS recording stops automatically after you have remained stationary for some time or you can choose to manually stop tracking by tapping on the top track in the Tracks view.
Never before have maps been this customizable. For example, you can turn on or off the roads. You can change the lighting direction or remove terrain shading entirely. You can display contour lines even over satellite images. There are five presets which let you quickly switch between map styles. Use Metric, English or Nautical units and choose one of four different coordinate displays including UTM.
Want to learn more about a map feature? Tap the target icon and center the feature under the compass rose to display its name, type, urban area, county, state, elevation and coordinates. You will also see a bearing line back to your current GPS location or from your location to a selected waypoint. The status bar shows the bearing direction and distance along with the map and GPS elevation, the track length, and your current speed and direction of travel.
In-app documentation is provided in the Help section at the top of the Settings menu. Links are provided in the documentation to detailed coverage maps, tutorial videos, installation guide and blog at ScenicMap.com
Map data © OpenStreetMap and contributors under the Open Database License
Scenic Map supports GPS tracking while the app is in the background.
Caution: Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.
- Apple App Store
- Free
- Navigation
Store Rank
- -
Topo Reader VS. 
Scenic MapDecember 23, 2024