HEMA Explorer North America

[shane4x4]

I guess I am kind of old school....yeah I have paper of course, everyone should have paper & compass (and actually know how to use the compass with a map)
But on the tech side of things I mean I am old school in that my netbook works great with OziExplorer and Delorme Topo.
I run both at that same time off a usb GPS puck and Franson GPSGate (to split the incoming signal).
I get auto routes, searching and easy highway stuff on Delorme with good topo, and killer USGS raster old style paper with Ozi.
The only thing I use every once in a while is TerraGo toolbar to run the historic maps with a GPS dot on them. Really nice in the southwest for making the scans of 100 plus year old paper maps come alive.

Of course I am always interested in something better, just watching and waiting to see if this is that better thing.

Anyone looked in HEMA and their Baja coverage?

Hi Lance, thanks for your initial feedback, as always
First, it's expected that the Hema Explorer may not be the perfect tool for a very specific use-case, such as yours. You clearly have your system dialed in and are happy with it. With that being said, get with me offline & I can show you what we're going for a little more in-depth.

Right now our Mexico/Baja coverage is limited to worldwide layers with HERE & Thunderforest Outdoors. It is not likely to remain that way, but we have to launch with something.

Plenty more great stuff coming!

 

[shane4x4]

The actual HEMA map quite literally looks like a paper Rand McNally road atlas under a magnifying glass. The only reason I can see it's inclusion in the app is because it's the only thing they can grasp onto and say is actually theirs.

They don't use their own mapping, but to be totally fair, few companies do, nor is it a bad thing. There are probably only a handful of companies that actually do the cartography, aside from government agencies. What they have done is get licensed to use other mapping, namely HERE, USGS, and something called Thunderforest.

You can usually find the same mapping online to view:

https://maps.here.com/
http://www.thunderforest.com/maps/outdoors/
http://ngmdb.usgs.gov/maps/topoview/viewer

Anyone expecting HEMA to have more, better, or different mapping than already available is probably expecting too much. What HEMA is doing is trying to provide a user interface for other companies mapping, which doesn't sound as impressive, but is actually still a difficult task.



On a separate note, has anyone been able to sync cloud data from the app in the last week? Mine won't. (Has anyone figured that feature out and tried?)

Hi Airmapper, first, thanks for being an early adopter and helping us push for a much better system.

Also, for full disclosure....I've been working with Hema for the last 18 months to help get the Hema Explorer app launched for North America. While it will certainly never be everything to every one, we're really going for a useful system for 4x4/overland enthusiasts to plan, track, document, and share their vehicle based adventures. AFAIK this is the only system dedicated to our chosen hobby, and our overall goal is to provide THE global platform for vehicle based adventure.

Right now the only updated Hema product for NA is the Road Atlas, so that's why it's included in the app with easy to download sections, suitable for offline use without jumping through hoops.

When Hema created the Explorer Map for Australia (https://www.hemamaps.com/en/News/Introducing-the-Hema-Explorer-Map), it took over 3 years for their cartographers to build a true multi-scale map that's useful for many user groups. Hema ops in NA have been going for just over a week, so believe me, a similar system is on the roadmap

Our goal right now is to show the NA market what's possible for the vehicle based adventurer, and while we can't meet every exact user case, we're committed to providing an amazing system for our chosen hobby. The Map Patrol is already hard at working mapping the Continental Divide Route for 4x4/overland enthusiasts, and that's just the beginning!

For those curious, you can follow the adventure at http://www.hemaexplorer.com (once the trip reports start coming in).

If anyone has any specific feedback, PM me or e-mail shane@hemamaps.com

 

[1Louder]

AFAIK this is the only system dedicated to our chosen hobby, and our overall goal is to provide THE global platform for vehicle based adventure.

I don't think an app has to be dedicated to offroading/overlanding to be useful. We can agree to disagree of course. GAIA has served many of us well for a long time.

What is lacking in both GAIA and Hema (at the moment) is an easy to use repository of tracks. I know Hema says they are dedicated to changing this but they will need to start from scratch on the cloud component to make it useful. I am now a contributor for TrailsOffroad.com it is well on its way to being a great resource for folks whether they want to use an app or paper. For me the most important thing is to have a well rounded app that is not proprietary in its track format (GAIA, Hema, Orux, etc all support this), allow people to source content from anywhere, and provide a wide variety of map sources.

The routing feature looks promising. I know GAIA is going to implement that as well. The first few times I used it it did not work. However, I was successful getting directions to a waypoint including forest roads on my iPad. What I didn't like was I could not tell the app what the starting point should be. So since I am currently in CA it created a 700 mile route. You should be able to pick a waypoint for the starting and ending point and then have the app build the route.

My intentions are not to bash any app. I just think people need to understand that there are variety of great apps out there with different price points and features. What Hema is currently presenting is not a game changer.

 

[shane4x4]

I don't think an app has to be dedicated to offroading/overlanding to be useful. We can agree to disagree of course. GAIA has served many of us well for a long time.

What is lacking in both GAIA and Hema (at the moment) is an easy to use repository of tracks. I know Hema says they are dedicated to changing this but they will need to start from scratch on the cloud component to make it useful. I am now a contributor for TrailsOffroad.com it is well on its way to being a great resource for folks whether they want to use an app or paper. For me the most important thing is to have a well rounded app that is not proprietary in its track format (GAIA, Hema, Orux, etc all support this), allow people to source content from anywhere, and provide a wide variety of map sources.

The routing feature looks promising. I know GAIA is going to implement that as well. The first few times I used it it did not work. However, I was successful getting directions to a waypoint including forest roads on my iPad. What I didn't like was I could not tell the app what the starting point should be. So since I am currently in CA it created a 700 mile route. You should be able to pick a waypoint for the starting and ending point and then have the app build the route.

My intentions are not to bash any app. I just think people need to understand that there are variety of great apps out there with different price points and features. What Hema is currently presenting is not a game changer.

Trust me, we're on the same page as far as the cloud goes. Priorities for our developers were to get the iOS & Android apps shipping, clean up any major issues (they're already working on some), and then move focus to the cloud.

I understand your issue with the routing function. It's generally meant to guide you to your destination when you're already in the area, not usually for further distances. It's interesting that it generated a 700mile route for you though. I'm glad that worked (ish).

Thanks everyone for the great feedback so far! It's so much better to have a conversation then try to 'fix' 1-star reviews when people have no clue what they're doing =)

 

[carbon60]

A key feature that would blow everything else out of the water is an easy way to import very large datasets like massive Shapefiles, sets of GeoTIFF tiles, etc.

I find myself using non-shareable data a lot.

 

[OregonLC]

For $20 figured I'd try it. Seems to download tiles much faster than MotionX. Running it on a trip this weekend, will report back.

Anyone know how to change the units from m/km to feet/miles? Can't find it in the settings.

 

[destructomatt]

I downloaded last night. Will be using it for a 2 week run around the PNW and across into Montana. I'll try and drop some updates on down days when I have reception. If you guys don't here from me assume that route guidance sucks and I ran out of gas somewhere in Northern Idaho. :sombrero:

 

[PabloM]

Wow, great info guys. Thanks and seems like I'm sticking to Motion X by the moment and move on to HEMA when they have the final product and offer real advantages over the competition.

 

[PabloM]

When Hema created the Explorer Map for Australia (https://www.hemamaps.com/en/News/Introducing-the-Hema-Explorer-Map), it took over 3 years for their cartographers to build a true multi-scale map that's useful for many user groups. Hema ops in NA have been going for just over a week, so believe me, a similar system is on the roadmap

Our goal right now is to show the NA market what's possible for the vehicle based adventurer, and while we can't meet every exact user case, we're committed to providing an amazing system for our chosen hobby. The Map Patrol is already hard at working mapping the Continental Divide Route for 4x4/overland enthusiasts, and that's just the beginning!

[/EMAIL]

Shane, thanks for all the feedback as far as where the product is heading. It sounds like I will be one of your customers soon. I'll write you an email about some questions for the Mexico area.

 

[1Louder]

For $20 figured I'd try it. Seems to download tiles much faster than MotionX. Running it on a trip this weekend, will report back.

Anyone know how to change the units from m/km to feet/miles? Can't find it in the settings.

It's under Settings and then Units. Yes, GAIA and Hema are much faster at downloading than MotionX.

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

Gaia downloading is MUCH faster late at night and very early in the AM. Was introduced to HEMA at EXPO and it has Gaia written all over it. Actually showed the Hema rep a how to do Gaia trick using his platform.

Long time user of IOS Gaia trying to switch to android version to be able to use SD cards as my root folder but so far no luck, anyone?

 

[1Louder]

Gaia downloading is MUCH faster late at night and very early in the AM. Was introduced to HEMA at EXPO and it has Gaia written all over it. Actually showed the Hema rep a how to do Gaia trick using his platform.

Long time user of IOS Gaia trying to switch to android version to be able to use SD cards as my root folder but so far no luck, anyone?

Answered on CSC!

https://help.gaiagps.com/hc/en-us/a...s-Root-Folder-is-Located-For-SD-Card-Storage-

 

[OregonLC]

Answered on CSC!

https://help.gaiagps.com/hc/en-us/a...s-Root-Folder-is-Located-For-SD-Card-Storage-

But it's still not fixed! You can change the directory and the tiles indeed save to the SD card but the displayed path doesn't reflect this change causing users to repeat the action. This should have been an easy bug to fix. I spent the better part of an hour yesterday proving to myself that the tile folder actually changed to the sdcard. I shouldn't have to do feature validation as a user on a $20 app!

It's under Settings and then Units.

The only option in the current Android version 1.0.0 under Settings>Units is to change the lat/long coordinate units.

Another unanticipated behavior: every time you launch the app it starts downloading the default Hema road maps. This was a complaint other users posted up on the Google Play store reviews. Annoying, time consuming, and it's consuming my data! I've seen it load the same dataset a dozen times since I bought the app yesterday.

I think there's good promise in the App. From limited experience it has a good UI on Android. Not as slick as the Motion X UI on IOS, but I'll gladly take the improved tile download speed. I do have two complaints though: 1) it's not ready for prime time. If Hema is going to advertise it all over the forums and facebook feeds they should have done their homework to ensure its completely bug free and sorted out. It's no coincidence that the reviews are at 2.8/5 on Google Play. 2) be up front that it's Gaia with a Hema wrapper. I was expecting a new product for my $20 not new packaging.

Heading out onto the trail for four days starting tomorrow. Will be running in parallel with MotionX to see how she performs in the wild.

 

[Airmapper]

Send seems to be disabled for taking user data and "send to email"

You can work around it by saving as draft then going into the mail app and finishing it, but that is annoying.....

 

[Kerensky97]

When Hema created the Explorer Map for Australia (https://www.hemamaps.com/en/News/Introducing-the-Hema-Explorer-Map), it took over 3 years for their cartographers to build a true multi-scale map that's useful for many user groups. Hema ops in NA have been going for just over a week, so believe me, a similar system is on the roadmap

This is exactly what I'm waiting for. Trailsillustrated, BLM, and NFS have pretty good upto date maps showing where backcountry trails are but they often don't differentiate between ATV and full-size vehicle trails.
I like exploring side trails and it's frustrating when you get through a bunch of gnarly obstacles to get stuck with a fullsize truck in an area that is only wide enough for an ATV.