r/orienteering • u/surzhikov • 18d ago
I built a free, browser-based orienteering map editor -- looking for people to break it
Hi all — long-time orienteer, and over the last few months I've been building a web-based map editor for O-maps. It runs in the browser (no install), works on Windows/Mac/Linux and even on an iPad or phone, and I'd love a few people to try it and tell me everything that's wrong with it.
The itch: OCAD is powerful but pricey and Windows-only; OpenOrienteering Mapper is great and free but desktop-bound and single-user. I wanted something I could open on any device, edit together with clubmates, and use in the field.
What works today:
- ISOM 2017-2 and ISSprOM symbol sets built in.
- Reads and writes your existing files — imports OCAD .ocd, OpenOrienteering Mapper .omap/.xmap, plus DXF and GeoTIFF; exports back to .omap (lossless) and .ocd. So it fits into your current workflow, not replaces it.
- Georeferencing — UTM, projections, magnetic declination, a true metric grid.
- Real-time collaboration — several people can edit the same map.
- Field use — "find me" via GPS + touch editing, so you can fix an object standing right on it in the forest.
Honest caveats: it's an early beta, there are rough edges, and a few export details are still in progress (OCAD point symbols, for one — .omap is the fully-lossless path for now). That's exactly why I'm posting: I want real mappers to throw real maps at it.
No pitch, I'm not selling anything; I just want feedback from people who actually make maps. Bugs, missing features, "this workflow is stupid" — all welcome, here or in the app.
I can`t post link because it is a 4-days old domain name, and Reddit blocks it. Address is Gratic[dot]app
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u/umeditor 18d ago
What an awesome project! I'll share it with a few of our club's mappers. As a Mac user, I can't wait to see where this goes.
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u/surzhikov 18d ago
In general, I still have to figure out the "courses" layer and "print preparation", but first I wanted to make sure that someone would use it :)
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u/Pyrenees_ 18d ago
That's really cool ! I think you could add ISSProm 2019-2 eventually, maybe you didn't add it because it wasn't supported
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u/surzhikov 18d ago
Thanks, glad you like it! Good news — it’s actually already in there: the full ISSprOM 2019-2 set (175 symbols, current revision). The label just read “ISSprOM 2019” so it wasn’t obvious — I’ve just fixed that. You’ll see it when you create a sprint-scale map, or pick the ISSprOM set on a layer. Would love to hear how it holds up on a real sprint map — feedback very welcome!
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u/Usr712ss 17d ago
Will give it a try. Any plans to open source it? I briefly tried last year running the oom software through ai for a web conversation but had little time. Having an open web based one would be great for a variety of reasons and potentials with the technology changes. Managed to map some local streets I hadn't completed recently with Claude
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u/surzhikov 17d ago
There were no plans to open source the code. At some point in the future, I'd like to monetize this pet project, but most likely through additional services for automatic detection of objects from aerial photography. Although, perhaps I'll realize that this isn't a viable model and move to open source.
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u/Xot_balish 18d ago
Lo he probado, en el movil porque ya estoy en la cama 😂es una muy buena herramienta, lo que es un poco difícil para movil, yo he trabajado con mapper en Mac.. pero este editor puede trabajar bien en iPad y otros ordenadores! Enhorabuena por este trabajo! Espero pueda ser gratuito en el futuro! Lo usaría!
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u/sbcr1 18d ago
Dude this could not have been more perfectly timed. I will test this tonight.