Sync saved data across devices

[penneyft]

I just purchased this app a few hours ago to prepare for an upcoming trip, and I am very excited to try it out.  So far, I’m impressed by the speed and responsiveness of the app.  One or two crashes, but nothing reproducible.  All in all, it’s living up to my expectations.

One request so far would be the ability to sync my pins, bookmarks, routes, etc. across devices.  It’s more convenient to use my iPad to look at a bigger map and explore, but I plan on carrying the iPhone with me during most of the actual traveling.  It would be great to do my planning on the iPad and then sync the information with the iPhone for quick reference while exploring new places.

[GeoMagik]

The synchronization between devices is already on our road-map for one of our next major versions. This will allow you to sync all your favorites (dests/pins/POIs/routes) between your Apple devices via iCloud.

[BuckyE]

Oh, please, please, not only through the cloud! Those of us without FIOS or cable (albeit we’re a minority) hope for local backup. Some way to put the data on a local hard drive/USB stick, etc. and iTunes it? Pretty please? Paid feature for the bandwidth challenged?

[GeoMagik]

Hi BuckyE,

We plan to support iCloud sync for all favorites items, but not including actual map data as it is large and can be easily downloaded from our own servers again. The favorites items alone are extremely small, and won’t waste much bandwidth, even on slower 2G cellular.  iCloud support of course will be optional, and only enabled if the user wants it.

As an alternative, we already support GPX export of all favorites items via Settings > GPX Export, which can be then accessed from iTunes and used in other software.  We are working on a GPX import option for one of our coming updates so that you could then import this data onto another device or otherwise recover your backed up data.

[BuckyE]

Wow, thanks for the two incredibly quick responses!

Exporting and (re)importing GPX files? I’m new to GIS based mapping, although I’ve done some in Illustrator, using MAPublisher years ago, before it got too expensive for a hobbyist. But…

If we can export Pins, what are the possibilities we could use text editors to add to/edit the XML of the GPX? I have a boatload of information gleaned over years of travel research. All for our own private use, on oddball stuff travel guides don’t cover. I’m hoping to use your excellent app to create something like a guidebook for us. As I become more familiar with PocketEarth, do you think I can push it in that kind of direction?

Thanks again for listening.

[GeoMagik]

In fact, we are planning to support export and import in at least GPX and CSV formats.

We have had a lot of requests from users to be able to import their own personal data in the form of Pins, and we are planning to support CSV format for this purpose. CSV is convenient as it is simple to edit in a text editor,  or for example you can collect your data in an Excel spreadsheet and easily save it to CSV for importing into PocketEarth.  This may be the best solution for you.  We hope to have this feature supported in the coming months.

GPX format, on the other hand, is better suited for storing routes or tracks, and many websites allow you to download GPX files for hikes, scenic rides, etc.   Also, PocketEarth is able to function as a GPS Track Recorder, allowing you to record your hikes, bike rides, etc, and then export it via GPX for use in other software and devices, or for example to publish it on a website.

[BuckyE]

Ah, Comma Separated Values. Yes, I can manage a database in FileMaker Pro and export as CSV. The kicker would be making the Pins in the first place. I’d have thousands of them, many with multiple thousands of words of “data” attached. Looking forward to torture testing PocketEarth!

[starfishj]

hi there

I was hoping to use this gpx export feature to add my pins to my ipad (from my iPhone). I did the “export” and received a long name .gpx stating it had been exported. however, I don’t know what to do next. where is the file? I can’t find it on my phone and don’t know how to import it into itunes to use it. can you assist?

thanks

[GeoMagik]

hi starfishj,

PocketEarth currently supports GPX export only, not import, so there is no possibility to transfer your data from one device to another using GPX.   We are working on both GPX import and iCloud sync for one of our coming updates to allow this kind of functionality.  We’ll let you know when support for this has been added.

GPX export allows you to use your data in other applications. In iTunes you can select PocketEarth from your device’s installed Apps list, and you will see the GPX exports and can move them to your computer for use in other software, in Garmin devices, etc.

[danieldp]

a long while since the last post…but….

using the export / import to successfully sync my devices 🙂

however, an inbuilt icloud sync would make life so much easier.

[GeoMagik]

A new update PocketEarth v1.5 is now available! While it does not yet include an automatic iCloud based sync, it does offer a much improved “manual” sync:

This update includes a new Export/Import format called “PocketEarth Archive”. This format can be used to backup, restore, or transfer *all* of your favorites content precisely and without loss of information (unlike GPX, etc). On Import it also intelligently merges the data with your existing data, avoiding the creation of duplicates.

Finally, this update supports the standard iOS “Open In…” functionality, so you can export your data directly to Dropbox and other cloud services via their respective apps for quicker transfer between your devices!

[Author]

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