HikerBot - Crowdsourced AT guidebook app

[hikerbot]

I've been working on a crowdsourced guidebook app and it quickly became popular on the PCT last season. I just added beta support for the AT. You can download the app here:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...m.hikerbot.app

The way it works is:
- App has a database of trails, waypoints (on-trail and in-town) and towns.
- You can download everything to your phone, including topo maps. The app works perfectly fine off-line.
- Anybody can add or edit the data (think wiki). You can edit offline too.
- The app shows photos of waypoints, and hikers can add current reports for things like water sources. You can also easily confirm other people's reports as accurate.
- You can see a feed of edits other people are making.
- The app already contains thousands of waypoints and hundreds of photos, and this will grow quickly.

Let me know what you think! The app is free - I'm just trying to build something useful.
(iOS version is not available yet but will be soon).

[rocketsocks]

This has the potential to be the most useful post/app I've seen in years...way to go! thanks.

[rocketsocks]

No android so can't give a thumbs up yet, thanks again though.

[Engine]

I just installed it and started messing around with features, I already like the elevation profile better than the version on Guthooks app. This has potential, thanks man!

[Greenlight]

Can't wait until you get the iPhone version done. In the meantime, I have a question since you obviously code. I'm trying to get Fitbit to create an AT thru hike challenge. They don't do anything multi-day. Would it be hard to build an app that uses your step count and elevation gain/loss to move you along the AT when you hit the required miles and elevation to move to the next shelter or town? Something like that could really keep some people motivated to stay active. I'd build it myself but know absolutely nothing about building apps.

[dervari]

Every time I change the view I get the spinning thing and have to wait. Guthook is instant. Need to either store data locally or optimize you database code.

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[dervari]

Would also love a total everlasting gain between two points.

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[hikerbot]

Every time I change the view I get the spinning thing and have to wait. Guthook is instant. Need to either store data locally or optimize you database code.

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Thanks for the feedback. Perhaps I should remove the spinner as it isn't informative.
Couple of points:
- You don't have to wait - the track loading doesn't block anything. Everything still works fine.
- All data the app shows is stored locally. During the initial sync while the app is downloading all of it's data, the database is written to heavily. But you can still use the app (though data is read more slowly until the download finished). I see that as a bonus. Guthook doesn't let you use the app at all while downloading data. After HikerBot downloads all of the data, reads will be much faster.
- All of the track data won't fit into a phone's RAM at once. Guthook either shows only one trail section at a time, or it has lower resolution tracks. HikerBot does incremental reads so it shows what you care about and uses minimal RAM at the same time: zoomed out you see the entire trail, zoomed in you see full resolution (25ft spacing between track points).

I'll look into doing away with the spinner, and maybe adding a note about the fact that reads are slower until the app has downloaded it's data. Thanks.

[hikerbot]

Can't wait until you get the iPhone version done. In the meantime, I have a question since you obviously code. I'm trying to get Fitbit to create an AT thru hike challenge. They don't do anything multi-day. Would it be hard to build an app that uses your step count and elevation gain/loss to move you along the AT when you hit the required miles and elevation to move to the next shelter or town? Something like that could really keep some people motivated to stay active. I'd build it myself but know absolutely nothing about building apps.

I don't have a Fitbit so I may not be the right person to ask. Are you looking at something that will use Fitbits step count to estimate your location and feed it into Fitbit's website? I don't know what API their website exposes.

Note that HikerBot uses GPS so you can always see where you are relative to towns/shelters. In HikerBot's seettings you can also choose to share your location with other people and see where others are on a map (those who share with you).

[Furlough]

This is sounding more interesting the more I read. I look forward to when the Android version is ready.

[hikerbot]

Android is ready! (iOS will be soon).
https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...m.hikerbot.app

This is sounding more interesting the more I read. I look forward to when the Android version is ready.

[Theosus]

I'm trying to get Fitbit to create an AT thru hike challenge. They don't do anything multi-day. Would it be hard to build an app that uses your step count and elevation gain/loss to move you along the AT when you hit the required miles and elevation to move to the next shelter or town? Something like that could really keep some people motivated to stay active. I'd build it myself but know absolutely nothing about building apps.

Do you mean like a virtual AT thru-hike? Like even when you're not hiking, just working or walking around town, at the end of the day when you upload your fitbit data, it moves you say 5 miles down the "trail". So over months you can see how far you've gotten virtually? That sounds like a fun app, if that's what you're talking about.
I wonder how easy it is to get the data off the fitbit, or out of their app?
The thing I truly hate about the fitbit (and why mine is sitting on the desk now) is you have to be internet enabled for it to work right with the app. You can't just open the app and sync it and see how far you went today, if you have no cell service. Sort of a pain in the ass, especially on long hikes. You have to remember to look at the thing (I have the Zip, with the screen) before bed, because after midnight it will reset to 0. I tried doing some work week challenges and weekend challenges with people before. But if you don't upload your data before friday afternoon of before sunday afternoon you dont get credit. They could make it a bit better by giving you more offline control.

Maybe you wouldnt even NEED fitbit. a lot of phones do step counts on their own now. I bet the phone would port out that data a lot easier than fitbit. So just carrying the phone in your pocket, you could do a virtual hike.

[Greenlight]

Do you mean like a virtual AT thru-hike? Like even when you're not hiking, just working or walking around town, at the end of the day when you upload your fitbit data, it moves you say 5 miles down the "trail". So over months you can see how far you've gotten virtually? That sounds like a fun app, if that's what you're talking about.
I wonder how easy it is to get the data off the fitbit, or out of their app?
The thing I truly hate about the fitbit (and why mine is sitting on the desk now) is you have to be internet enabled for it to work right with the app. You can't just open the app and sync it and see how far you went today, if you have no cell service. Sort of a pain in the ass, especially on long hikes. You have to remember to look at the thing (I have the Zip, with the screen) before bed, because after midnight it will reset to 0. I tried doing some work week challenges and weekend challenges with people before. But if you don't upload your data before friday afternoon of before sunday afternoon you dont get credit. They could make it a bit better by giving you more offline control.

Maybe you wouldnt even NEED fitbit. a lot of phones do step counts on their own now. I bet the phone would port out that data a lot easier than fitbit. So just carrying the phone in your pocket, you could do a virtual hike.

That's exactly what I'm talking about. I would love somebody to ddevelop that app!


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[LIhikers]

I can't seem to get the app to download.
Anybody have a suggestion on how to get this app to work on a flip phone ?

[rocketsocks]

I can't seem to get the app to download.
Anybody have a suggestion on how to get this app to work on a flip phone ?

yes, open flip phone and place on curb, apply downward force with heel, walk into 21st century phone store... and like a used car sales man they'll take it from there!

[LIhikers]

yes, open flip phone and place on curb, apply downward force with heel, walk into 21st century phone store... and like a used car sales man they'll take it from there!

Are you telling me that my 1978 VW bus is obsolete ?
Phones, cars, man, I'm livin in the dark ages
Would you be surprised if I told you we heat the house with wood?

[eggymane]

I'll be on the trail on Monday, I'll be sure to keep an eye if it is available for iOS by then, but it sounds like a wonderful idea! Seems like you took the best aspects of Guthook and made them better

[rocketsocks]

Are you telling me that my 1978 VW bus is obsolete ?
Phones, cars, man, I'm livin in the dark ages
Would you be surprised if I told you we heat the house with wood?

Nope, just saying I couldn't wait to throw my flip phone in a lake! I have a family member who up until recently cooked on a wood fires stove...a beautiful old cast iron stove!

[dervari]

Any chance of selecting a start and stop point, and getting trail distance and total elevation gain/descent for that section!

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[Engine]

Any chance of selecting a start and stop point, and getting trail distance and total elevation gain/descent for that section!

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+1 - This would be a killer addition!