Hello, everyone! I’m thrilled to share that I finally found some time to work on the app and decided to implement several challenging yet highly useful features. Let’s go over the main updates in this release.
OZF Maps
In my opinion, this is the standout feature of the update. While OZF maps may not be as convenient or fast as MBTiles, they offer several significant advantages:
Wide availability: OZF maps are more commonly accessible for free. Many websites provide these maps for various purposes (depth maps, historical maps, topographic maps, etc.).
Improved performance: These maps perform significantly better than similar JPG/PNG maps. Additionally, JPG/PNG maps have file size limitations (around 80-100 MB), whereas OZF maps face no such issue. I tested a 600 MB OZF map with no problems.
Space efficiency: OZF maps take up less space compared to MBTiles.
Advanced users are likely familiar with these maps and know how to use them. For those who don’t, connecting OZF maps is as simple as connecting JPG/PNG maps.
To use an OZF map in the app, you’ll need two files: the map file (e.g., file.ozf2) and a calibration file (e.g., file.map). The map file contains the image displayed as the map, while the calibration file holds information about the map’s projection and how specific points on the OZF map correspond to coordinates. That’s a bit of theory for you. 🙂
Create a folder on your phone for your maps and place both files there. Important: downloaded maps and calibration files must be in the same folder, and you shouldn’t rename them after downloading. If there are issues with recognizing the map or calibration file, it’s possible the files were renamed earlier. In that case, try giving them matching names (e.g., map1.ozf2 and map1.map).
I won’t go into detailed instructions here — there’s a dedicated article on offline maps, which I’ve updated to include information about OZF maps.
Looking ahead, I’d like to mention that the next update will include the ability to download certain map sets directly within the app!
Button “Layers”
After using the app for a while, I realized that this button is indeed necessary. When working with layers, you often need to adjust their transparency, and opening the map menu every time felt inconvenient.
Now, if you’ve added at least one layer to the map, this button appears on the map screen. Pressing it does the same as selecting “Layers” in the map menu. As with most new features, you can disable this button if you find it unnecessary or bothersome:
Settings -> Additional Buttons -> Layers Button.
Additionally, I’ve made improvements to layer functionality. Previously, transparency changes took effect only after closing the dialog window with the layer list. Now, transparency updates in real time as you move the slider.
“App Info” Screen
In the main side menu, I replaced the “Guide” section with a broader “App Info” section. Here, you can view the app’s build number and version. You can also access the guide, visit our website, or go to the Play Store (e.g., to update the app). From this screen, you can also send me an email with a bug report or a suggestion (click on “Support”).
Assign a Group When Saving a Point
This simple yet useful feature was suggested by one of our users in a review. I found the idea quite practical, so I added it. In the future, I plan to make point groups even more functional
For example:
- Display only points from specific groups on the map.
- Assign default shapes and colors to different groups.
If you have more ideas, feel free to email me or leave a review in the Play Store.
I’ve also made numerous minor improvements, which I won’t detail here. You’ll notice them yourself. 🙂
In the next update, I plan to introduce a few highly anticipated features, such as storing all points and tracks in the cloud and downloading certain OZF maps directly from the app.
See you soon!