Offline Maps and Routing in Suunto App
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versus online where it is easy to see trails
Suunto Ambit 2 > Suunto 5 > Suunto Race 2
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I do not envy the designers tasked with converting the OSM data bloat into simple, effective, easy-to-use outdoor maps. I think we could all argue that our particular situations demand a specific style, but no particular solution will work across the globe.
@pavel.samokha said in Offline Maps and Routing in Suunto App:
Online and offline data are different, it’s not good to mix neither the style nor navigation with different type of data.
I’m not sure I follow @pavel.samokha’s argument above. I understand that the downloaded maps may have slightly different info than the online ones, but why can’t they share styles? If the issue is the ability to quickly distinguish whether one is using offline or online maps, couldn’t we just have a simple badge in the corner indicating we’re using one or the other?
It’s hard enough to design one good outdoor map. And there are plenty of mapping services in which the downloaded maps are identical to online ones. So why has Suunto decided to have separate styles for online and offline?
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@duffman19 said in Offline Maps and Routing in Suunto App:
why can’t they share styles
Any style is defined for the specific data it shows. Since in our case the data for online and offline are different style can’t be just reused.
But as I said above we will tune the offline styles and they will likely be closer to online in the looks
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@Tomas5 yes, yes, I know and will improve the offline styles
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@sky-runner said in Offline Maps and Routing in Suunto App:
Poor rendering of offline maps at zoomed out levels - it is almost impossible to see the trail system as a whole to make an intelligent routing decision because trails are obscured by contour lines. I really don’t understand why trails get the lowest priority in terms of readability - both on the watch and now on the app offline maps.
Yes, will improve that
Opinions expressed are solely my own and do not express the views or opinions of my employer
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@sky-runner I pointed out the example of ONLINE maps, where it’s clear that the presence of contour lines doesn’t make the map unreadable. I thought this was easy to understand.
So, instead of removing contour lines, inventing unnecessary switches, etc., simply change the display style of map elements slightly in OFFLINE maps. -
@pavel.samokha today in the morning 25!!! Maps updates for my watch. Complete Germany, Austria
Download in Progress 
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@pavel.samokha the decision is sound. However (iOS at least) it makes it impossible to use offline maps in a tablet, for instance, if the watch is paired to the phone (my case), as it is not possible to have it paired to both at the same time (if I am not mistaken). Although the typical case is planning with the app where you have the watch paired, sometimes is easier in the bigger iPad screen. Is there any possible workaround for that?
J
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@Efejota watch needs to be paired, not connected. So I suspect you can pair to both devices, but connect only to one.
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@Efejota I often do route planning in Suunto App running on MacBook laptop that isn’t paired to the watch. That works just fine. I create a route on laptop, then I just force the sync from Suunto App running on my Android phone, and that gets the route to the watch. I never have to copy the route from the laptop to the phone.
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@sky-runner Yes, I do it the same. I just wanted to point out that Offline apparently requires that the watch has been paired (previously?) to the app, even if connected to your account.
I guess that offline makes sense in the paired device (phone, for instance) as, with no connection, it would be impossible for the route to be uploaded to the watch, because you would need internet connection to transfer information from the non-paired device to the server, from the server to the phone and to the watch. But I can imagine situations where someone plans routes in advance with no connection for them to be ready the moment you have it and using a tablet for convenience. Or simply to test the beta, as it was my case. But I agree that this is probably a rare case and would not deserve a lot of effort from developers, if necessary.
Thanks for your replies (@pavel.samokha too).
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@Efejota said in Offline Maps and Routing in Suunto App:
Offline apparently requires that the watch has been paired (previously?)
I just tried this since I was wondering the same thing (I have two phones that I switch between, one running old SA software and one with the new offline map option). So it will work, but the key is to remove the pairing from the watch only (Settings > Connectivity > Paired devices > MobileApp > Forget). This will keep the watch associated with the device you are moving away from and thus keep the offline maps as available option. However, if you remove the watch from the app by using the “Manage connection” option, offline maps disappear. I assume this will work for a tablet running SA as well.
