e-canalmapps

[NB Willawaw]

Are any of you using these electronic canal maps for smart phones ?

 

I've started experimenting with them and wondered what others thought ?

[sueb]

Sorry we use paper maps. The data signal isn't reliable as I found out when I got lost in the camper without my sat Nav

[Martin Megson]

I haven't tried them yet as I have a full set of Nicholson. However, I'm getting frustrated with the amount of out of date info even in the recent reprints. I would apprciate your views on the emaps system.

[fudd]

Hello Mark. We used them when we went to Oxford last year. Can't fault them. We had good signal. They are only a fiver for each area. We needed two. We want to do the middle levels this year and wouldn't hesitate to buy the appropriate map.

Steve P

[jelunga]

I haven't tried them yet as I have a full set of Nicholson. However, I'm getting frustrated with the amount of out of date info even in the recent reprints. I would apprciate your views on the emaps system.

I use the PC version Water-Way from Euroeauweb at Braunston. It is regularly updated. Users like me email in corrections all the time and Mike Kelly who runs ht issues updates every so often, about 3 or 4 times a year. Very useful as a planning took, and to see what is around when you get there. Covers much of the country but I believe concentrates on area around navigable waterwags. Much wider than Nicolsons. Lists shops, chippies, pubs, launderettes in great detail.

[NB Willawaw]

Is anybody using them with GPS to show boat position and movement?

 

Specifically, is anybody using them with an external GPS feeding their display device?

 

I'm using a wifi non 3G iPad and external Bluetooth GPS and was interested to learn if anybody has a similar arrangement for the e-canal mapps.

 

The Eureauweb Waterways product is a different product and much more expensive. The canalmapps are more in line price wise with books like Nicholsons.

Edited February 16, 2013 by NB Willawaw

[Kiwidad]

We use them, and have found them great.

 

On my tablet, wifes tablet and smartphone, all android.

 

We have a Huawei broadband device, so all connected via 3g.

 

Unfortunately, it shows us at Barrow Deep lock.....again/still

[dor]

Surely once the app is installed you don't need a 3G connection.. You should be able to get a GPS fix anywhere.

[Biggles]

Where can you get these maps? Are there any European ones ?

[bigste]

I would love to try them but unfortunately they don't work on my android. Mike Kelly is working on it an hopefully it will work one day. Reports I've had are very good apart from not working on some android phones.

[Kiwidad]

Surely once the app is installed you don't need a 3G connection.. You should be able to get a GPS fix anywhere.

Correct.

[fudd]

Surely once the app is installed you don't need a 3G connection.. You should be able to get a GPS fix anywhere.

I use it on my iPhone and it works like sat nav

[liberty.viner]

Where can you get these maps? Are there any European ones ?

 

We use http://www.noorderso...13/index-en.htm when on the continent Now in our 8th year. Would not be without it.

[john6767]

I am an RCR member and took up the offer of one of the e-canal maps for free (Midlands in my case), on iPhone.

 

Not used it on the boat yet but as far as I can tell the map is loaded on the phone so it does not need a network connection in use. I don't know if it is a limitation of the underlying maps but you can not zoom in enough for me though and it is very hard to make out much detail. It is also very limiting in that it only allows the display of 3 categories of POI at the same time, seems an unnecessary limitation to me. It also does not remember the selected POI categories so you have to select them each time. For some reason touching the POI and bridges etc is a bit hit an miss too. There are also a lot of POI missing, local pubs that I know are there near to the canal are not shown, so the Midlands one at least is not very complete. I could be wrong on this one, but I have a feeling that distances from your current location are measured in a straight line, and not along the route of the canal.

 

So all in all I don't really think in the present form for they are good enough to add that much. If you could zoom more and there was more information on them, I can see the use.

[NB Lola]

We use them, since the first update, no problems. The proof will be updating changes at regular intervals but you don't get this with paper so it should be fine.

[Loggo]

I am an RCR member and took up the offer of one of the e-canal maps for free (Midlands in my case), on iPhone.

 

Not used it on the boat yet but as far as I can tell the map is loaded on the phone so it does not need a network connection in use. I don't know if it is a limitation of the underlying maps but you can not zoom in enough for me though and it is very hard to make out much detail. It is also very limiting in that it only allows the display of 3 categories of POI at the same time, seems an unnecessary limitation to me. It also does not remember the selected POI categories so you have to select them each time. For some reason touching the POI and bridges etc is a bit hit an miss too. There are also a lot of POI missing, local pubs that I know are there near to the canal are not shown, so the Midlands one at least is not very complete. I could be wrong on this one, but I have a feeling that distances from your current location are measured in a straight line, and not along the route of the canal.

 

So all in all I don't really think in the present form for they are good enough to add that much. If you could zoom more and there was more information on them, I can see the use.

I'm in RCR as well and was going to use the free offer. I Emailed to ask if the Severn was "Midlands" or W of England" but got no reply. Then the Email got lost from my screen. So ..... Nicholsons it is then

[Kiwidad]

I'm in RCR as well and was going to use the free offer. I Emailed to ask if the Severn was "Midlands" or W of England" but got no reply. Then the Email got lost from my screen. So ..... Nicholsons it is then

You could look at their website, it has a coverage section

[NB Willawaw]

Well I've only used them for a little while, but opinion so far.

 

I like them but I've discovered that a tunnel was missing completely. I emailed Mr Kelly and he said it would be corrected.

 

I've also found a few minor errors which I haven't reported yet. I guess it depends on how long it takes to get these corrected. If they are corrected even quarterly then it will be an advantage over Nicholsons.

 

I feel the zoom scaling could be better as I find myself peering at the screen sometimes wishing I could zoom in another level.

 

The interactive POI side of things is good and if you have a data connection you can click on links to access pub websites etc. Only being able to choose to display three types of POI doesn't really cause me a problem.

 

Although trivial, I like the way the boat passes under the bridges rather than over them when you are moving on the map. For some reason there seems to be a software glitch when interfaced to my GPS. I don't get speed shown and I quite like having instantaneous speed over ground displayed. My bluetooth GPS works with all my other iPad apps including my Imray charting though so I don't think it's my Garmin GPS.

 

If you want to look at a different part of the canal from where you are, it's quite difficult to do this as its sometimes hard to get your bearings and the place search isn't as good as it could be.

 

In summary, I like them but they still need some work. I would rather buy these than new Nicholsons but they need to put some effort in. I imagine this is dependent on numbers sold so its a bit chicken and egg.

 

I get the impression that not many people are using them yet.

 

I haven't tried them yet as I have a full set of Nicholson. However, I'm getting frustrated with the amount of out of date info even in the recent reprints. I would apprciate your views on the emaps system.

Edited February 16, 2013 by NB Willawaw

[NB Willawaw]

The other thing that is quite strange is that I thought the Eureauweb Waterways mapping which costs £25 per year for updates, used the same source as the e-canalmapp product (both products come from the same company).

 

My e-canalmapp doesn't show Ellesmere Tunnel at all. Apparently "Water-ways" does show it.

 

Unfortunately, you can't rely on users to correct all your mistakes - by and large, most people can't be bothered

so at best, you will only get some corrections this way.

Edited February 17, 2013 by NB Willawaw

[NB Willawaw]

One thing Ive learnt is that the heading readout on e-canalmapps is literally that. However, on my iThing it comes from the built in compass and depends on how you orientate the tablet.

You have to point it at the bow of your boat, otherwise it makes the boat appear to go sideways down the canal.

 

This was baffling me at first as I assumed wrongly that the app was using course over ground from my problematic GPS.

 

If I point the tablet at the bow, it reads correctly now and the triangle that represents own boat on the map, points the right way.

 

The speed is still wrong though.

Edited February 19, 2013 by NB Willawaw

[ditchcrawler]

One thing Ive learnt is that the heading readout on e-canalmapps is literally that. However, on my iThing it comes from the built in compass and depends on how you orientate the tablet.

You have to point it at the bow of your boat, otherwise it makes the boat appear to go sideways down the canal.

 

This was baffling me at first as I assumed wrongly that the app was using course over ground from my problematic GPS.

 

If I point the tablet at the bow, it reads correctly now and the triangle that represents own boat on the map, points the right way.

 

The speed is still wrong though.

You can do that on Google Maps for free

[john6767]

I'm in RCR as well and was going to use the free offer. I Emailed to ask if the Severn was "Midlands" or W of England" but got no reply. Then the Email got lost from my screen. So ..... Nicholsons it is then

 

From what I can see on my phone, the Midlands map has the Severn between Stourport and Tewksbury, ie. it has the Staffs and Worcester canal and the River Avon and the Severn between them. So basically it does not go all the way to Gloucester. Looking at this has really convinced me how poor the underlying open street maps are at teal on an iphone, I struggle to see much detail and read the text on them.

[Richard Fairhurst]

Unless I'm very much mistaken (which isn't unusual), e-canalmapps doesn't use OpenStreetMap. The screenshots on their website show Ordnance Survey StreetView.

[Ange]

This is something I keep meaning to look into, but I do like a paper map. We've got the full set of Nicholsons and have now started collecting Pearsons.

 

BUT it;s bloody annoying when you arrive at a pub that no longer exists, walk a mile to a village shop that closed down a year ago or arrive for a pump out at what used to be a hire boat firm and is now a private basin.

 

I know there was talk about updates to Nicholsons online at one time, is that still ongoing? I'm wondering if it's only relevant if you have one of the latest books rather than the 2004 version

[john6767]

Unless I'm very much mistaken (which isn't unusual), e-canalmapps doesn't use OpenStreetMap. The screenshots on their website show Ordnance Survey StreetView.

 

It has "© OpenStreetMap" at the bottom of the map screen, and on the about screen it has the following notice

 

All data is copyright e-canal ltd and Eureauweb ltd. e-canalmapps also contains OpenSreetMaps data © OpenStreetMaps 2011.

 

So perhaps they have changed.