Discover the Best Cartogram Alternatives for Indoor Mapping and Navigation
Cartogram is a powerful tool designed to help users find things indoors, offering searchable indoor maps, a robust indoor search engine, and location-sharing capabilities. Whether you're looking for people in an unfamiliar building, classes on campus, or products at a store, Cartogram provides valuable features. However, depending on your specific needs for indoor navigation, mapping, or location services, you might be seeking a Cartogram alternative. This article explores several excellent options that offer similar or complementary functionalities.
Top Cartogram Alternatives
While Cartogram excels in its niche, a variety of mapping and navigation tools exist, some of which provide robust indoor mapping features, offline capabilities, or a broader range of location-based services. Here are some of the best alternatives to consider for your indoor and outdoor navigation needs.
Google Maps
Google Maps is a comprehensive mapping software and API service that offers satellite imagery, real-time traffic, and panoramic street views, making it a powerful Cartogram alternative. Available on Freemium,Web,Android,iPhone,Blackberry,Chrome OS, Android Tablet,iPad,Apple Watch,Android Wear,KaiOS, it boasts features like offline maps, public transportation, turn-by-turn navigation, and GPS location tracking.
Arcane Maps
Arcane Maps is a privacy-focused mapping tool available for free on the Web. It allows users to find their way, get navigation, traffic, and extended places information, and organize favorite places into custom lists. As a Cartogram alternative, its emphasis on privacy might appeal to users concerned about data sharing.
MapQuest
MapQuest provides GPS and navigation services, including turn-by-turn voice navigation for walking or driving directions. Available on Freemium,Web,Android,iPhone,Windows Phone,Kindle Fire, it's a solid Cartogram alternative with features like driving directions, local weather, points of interest (POI), real-time traffic, and Uber integration.
Google Maps Go
Designed to run smoothly on devices with limited memory and unreliable networks, Google Maps Go is a lightweight, free Android application. It offers a streamlined mapping experience and supports multiple languages, making it a good Cartogram alternative for users with basic smartphone models or inconsistent internet access.
Path Guide
Path Guide is a free Android and Android Tablet app specifically for walking directions in indoor locations. While its features are not explicitly detailed, its focus on indoor directions makes it a potential Cartogram alternative for users primarily interested in navigating inside buildings.
GPS Navigator with Offline Maps
This free Android app provides a powerful professional GPS navigation system with high-quality offline maps. It's an excellent Cartogram alternative for users who need reliable navigation without an internet connection, making it ideal for travel and exploration.
Universal Maps Downloader
Universal Maps Downloader is a commercial Windows tool that helps users obtain small tile images from online maps. While not a direct navigation app, it could serve as a foundational tool for developers or power users looking to build their own mapping solutions, making it an indirect Cartogram alternative for specific use cases.
Mappy
Mappy is a free Web, Android, and iPhone application focused on searching addresses, places, comparing itineraries, and preparing moves, particularly in France. Its public transportation features make it a strong Cartogram alternative for urban navigation and planning.
Offline Maps & Navigation
This free, open-source Android and iPhone app offers GPS navigation and offline maps with additional features like speed camera warnings and traffic information. Its open-source nature and robust offline capabilities make it an excellent Cartogram alternative for users valuing flexibility and independence from constant internet connectivity.
Planet Labs
Planet Labs offers commercial web-based services focused on daily satellite imagery and intelligent analytic feeds. While not a direct end-user navigation app like Cartogram, it serves as a powerful platform for developers and organizations to build advanced location-based applications using high-resolution satellite data.
The landscape of mapping and navigation software is vast and varied. While Cartogram offers unique indoor mapping and search capabilities, the alternatives listed above provide a range of features from comprehensive global navigation to specialized offline or privacy-focused solutions. Consider your primary needs for indoor mapping, outdoor navigation, specific features like offline access or public transport, and your preferred platform to select the best Cartogram alternative for you.