Ed's Blog

Ed Parsons, CTO at Ordnance Survey, has a great blog at www.edparsons.com covering all sorts of activity within and thoughts about both professional and consumer mapping and the issues surrounding it.

We were delighted to get a mention in his post on the Outdoors Show including his comment

But “Best of Show” for me was some real innovation from a small Cambridge
company, Viewranger.

Thanks Ed!

Phew - back from the show!

Well, luckily I don't need to use my voice to post this blog. Let's just say that it is suffering slightly after 3 days of non-stop activity showing ViewRanger 2 to loads of people at the Outdoors Show at the NEC where we had the opportunity to meet people from all types of outdoor activity - walkers, mountain bikers, fellrunners, kayakers, etc.

Many thanks to everyone who stopped by to see us - both existing ViewRanger users and all the new people we met. The response to ViewRanger was tremendous. It's clear that Nokia phones are very very popular (not really a surprise as Nokia have around 55% of the smart mobile device market!).

I think the most common reaction to ViewRanger was as a great alternative to a dedicated GPS device but, of course, with the addition of full colour Ordnance Survey mapping and the Panoramic Viewpoint display all on the one device that you are always going to carry - the mobile phone.

I know a lot of people were making a note of the model numbers of Nokia handsets so that they could request the right model when upgrading their existing handset. You can find the latest phone list at www.viewranger.com/phones

Finally a big thank you must go to Ray and his guys and girls at Memory-Map who hosted us on their stand. (We're looking forward to seeing Nikki in her french beret next time...)

ViewRanger 2 unveiled

Sat-Nav Heads For The Hills on Nokia Smartphones at Ordnance Survey Outdoors Show

Augmentra’s Smartphone GPS Navigation Software Targets Outdoor Activity and Leisure Users
Cambridge, UK – 16 March 2006 – Augmentra has unveiled ViewRanger 2, its new software for Nokia smartphones that provides mapping, navigation and information on location for walkers, mountain bikers, tourists and other outdoor activity enthusiasts. Augmentra will be showcasing ViewRanger 2 in partnership with Memory-Map, the leading UK outdoor recreation software supplier, at the Ordnance Survey Outdoors Show taking place at the NEC 17th-19th March 2006.


ViewRanger makes Ordnance Survey Landranger (1:50,000 scale) and Explorer (1:25,000 scale) maps available on Nokia smartphones for the first time. OS LandRanger maps provide detailed topographic map information including hill contours, tourist information, camping and caravan sites, picnic areas and viewpoints, and Rights of Way information for England and Wales.

In addition to the familiar LandRanger and Explorer maps, ViewRanger includes Augmentra’s Panoramic Viewpoint technology. This unique immersive map places the user in the centre of a panoramic 3D display where all the main landscape features are labelled. Hills are named, woodland and lakes identified, and villages, towns and prominent landmarks are shown. With Panoramic Viewpoint a user can quickly and easily identify all kinds of features in the landscape.

For users who want to share their outdoor experiences, ViewRanger’s Information Exchange enables users to publish photos and notes by associating them with locations and features in the landscape. Accessed through an online server over a mobile network internet connection, the Information Exchange opens up many possibilities for storing, sharing and accessing fun information or facts and records.

The recent boom in satellite navigation products has been concentrated on vehicle navigation leaving hill walkers and off-road navigators behind. Dedicated GPS receivers are typically expensive and offer only basic map display and limited connectivity. ViewRanger is the first solution to combine high quality topographic maps, off-road GPS navigation, and panoramic viewpoint maps in an integrated, simple to use application running on smartphones.

With a Bluetooth GPS receiver connected, ViewRanger transforms a Nokia smartphone into a fully featured trail navigation system. Features in ViewRanger 2 include:

Locate: Clear and detailed Ordnance Survey mapping

Identify: Unique annotated Panoramic Viewpoint display with thousands of features-of-interest including woodland, water features, towns, villages and hills.

Navigate: GPS tracking and trail route navigation

Exchange: Swap points of interest (POI), tracks, and routes with popular sat-nav and mapping software

Manage: Data manager for routes, tracks, waymarks, POI, maps and bookmarks

Connect: Attach photos, notes and information to features-of-interest in the landscape and share with other users

ViewRanger is available with UK map data. ViewRanger 2 will be available from www.viewranger.com in April.

Come and see us at the Ordnance Survey Outdoors Show

At this weekends Ordnance Survey Outdoors Show (held at the NEC) we'll be unveiling ViewRanger2, our latest smartphone gps navigation software.

ViewRanger2 adds OS LandRanger maps, gps tracking, route following, and the capbility to swap tracks, routes and POI with other sat-nav and pc map software, to ViewRanger's unique Panoramic Viewpoint and Information Exchange functions.

We're previewing ViewRanger2 in partnership with the Memory-Map team - so come and see us on the Memory-Map booth. We'd be delighted to meet you.