AlpineQuest & OfflineMaps

Hello,

I want to address some points as well as get answer to questions. This app needs improvement, but is quite good.

1.) I want to have the files for the downloaded maps. Where are they? They aren't going to storage? How do I know they EVEN exist? Support said once in a previous forum post that AQ is not a map creator/generator. That is false. When you provided the ability to allow users to download maps, it now became a digital map creator. Downloaded maps are not found in the storage location that is set in settings. SO they are being hidden?

2.) If AQ is not a map creator / generator, the why do you even have a section to view downloads?

3.) Your storage options could not be more confusing. SD card in your app's fileviewer says "Storage not writeable". Yet you have an option to set the "storage location" setting to be the SD card?

4.) Point #3 and point #1: If you aren't going to allow users to see the downloaded maps, then why do you have a storage location for downloads in the first place?

5.) Allow ability to SET the storage location to a PATH - this is so basic! Entry level coding. Allow this ability - this has nothing to do with android compliance (as I read on another forum post)!

5.) Last point - this app is especially attractive to your market for 1 reason: offline maps. Everybody has the ability to use server maps (which are useless in the outback), but not everybody has the ability to use offline maps , nevertheless CREATE them. So AQ is extremely valuable. With that said, you should clarify how downloading maps works and make the UI much SIMPLER on where downloads are and what maps you have.

Thank you

Hi and thank you for your suggestions,

1) There is no secret on where the data is stored. Simply long-press any map, select "Details" and have a look at the "Files" section, where all the files used for the storage of this map are located.
But yes, as previously said, the application is not a map creator. It does however allow users to "Select and save an area". But not to "Create a map". The result of saving an area is having the data usable even offline, but the user is not bored with managing map files. The saved areas can be extended, updated, merged, all this is not possible with static map files.

2) Where do you see downloads?

3) Please have a look at this topic: https://www.alpinequest.net/en/help/v2/ ... _and_above
The Android system does not allow apps (other than file managers) to write on the SD card (and from Android 11 to read most files), but grants a single folder with full rights per application on the SD card. This is the one that can be used as the application folder. The folder path is unique and given by the system, apps cannot choose it.

4) If you refer to the application folder, the application saves there all placemarks created by the user (points, tracks, etc), all stored areas, all stored elevation data, etc.

5) "this has nothing to do with android compliance (as I read on another forum post)!". It actually does, since the Android system only allows to apps one folder in the internal memory, and one folder on the external SD card. Both choices are available in the application settings.

6) Yes it's planned to be able to generate map files from the application in the future. It has already been requested. But what would you do with those maps? What map formats do you expect to get? There are so much formats, this is why right now we put efforts on reading as much as possible formats (GeoTiff recently added) rather than creating them.

Hi,

Thank you for your prompt reply.
In response:

The concept downloading "onboard maps" in AQ was not clear and needs more documentation on general purposes

For "download", your app is caching tiles from the TMS server, but not assembling .AQM after? User wants to manage local files because they now possess them and can manage them. When your app is deleted on accident then bye bye bye to map files. We want possession of large downloaded .aqm so we can back these up and manage.

Thank you for time

Downloaded data is not converted to AQM maps. It's stored in an internal format that can read, write, grow and update.