App: Offline routing (GraphHopper)

Certainly one of the features Kurviger fans are yearning for. So it’s worth to be mentioned here in the new forum. There’re people (like me) who use a seperate smartphone just for navigation purposes, which doesn’t have it’s own SIM card for a data connection. And of course there’re always areas where you temporarily don’t have any connection (most of the times exactly there you’re dependent on navigation).

So full offline routing would for sure be a great thing.

Have fun and ride safe!
Mario

To clarify the terms and avoid misconceptions, it’s about offline routing.

Navigation is already offline and does not require any internet to work.

Better we change the title here! :slightly_smiling_face:

In fact there’s no (changeable) navigation without being able to calculate a new route before. :wink: I think in the understanding of most poeple (not being concerned with programming navigation solutions) it’s simply the same.

But to be exactly I changed title and text.

Navigation vs Routing are certainly 2 different features. :slightly_smiling_face:

Website and Free app have both (online) routing feature.

But only the Pro app has also the (offline) navigation.

From that point of view you’re of course absolutely right. :slightly_smiling_face:

I can agree that this would be a great feature if the app itself can re-route (re-calculate the route) without internet access.

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Hello,
this would be really great! I made some quite good expieriences with KurvigerPro for as long as an Internet Conection is available. But as leaving the original planned route is happening quite often (road closed, traffic situation, missed a turn and do not want to go back, …) rerouting is an essential feature of a navigaton system.
If I do have a decent internet connection this does work quite reliable for me with KurvigerPro.
Unfortunately there are situation when Internet is either not available or very slow.

  • in rural areas it is not uncommon to either have no internet or fall back to edge. Rerouting is thus impossible or very slow.
  • even in some cities rerouting is very often too slow (which I do assume is caused by the latencies of mobile networks). Fortunately I do try to avoid bigger cities anyhow, but in this case, for me Kurviger was mostly useless there.
  • Last but not least: “Switzerland” Fortunately I do live close enough so going there is not uncommon, but unfortunatley my mobile service provider (The red one) does not offer any decently priced ways for internet access. So in essence the combination Switzerland/Kurviger does not work at all for myself.

One comment to “slow rerouting”. I was seeing this happening quite often in situations where a lot of turns are close to each other (mostly in cities). Then rerouting is too slow. I would assume a clever onboard rerouting (that does not try to re-route the whole trip, but only a smaller path in front) could be much faster and solve this issue.

For my next tour in Switzerland I will now test calimoto, as they can do offline rerouting. But the routes chosen seem to be a bit (not by far) worse than the ones from kurviger. I would like to be able to use Kurviger everywhere!

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I am currently on a 4 days trip mainly in Switzerland and I am definitely missing the offline navigation.

As long as you are well prepared and have your route stored as kurviger file locally you can cover lot of situations.

I did by mistake add a new waypoint in offline mode and suddenly my whole route disappeared with a short hint offline routing isn’t possible.

Maybe a situation kurviger app can avoid and don’t let the user set a new waypoint or move an existing one while in offline mode. Not all users will have the kurviger file with them.

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I understand that making a complete offline standalone app seems to be rather difficult… Muybe because you use the routines form google ?
I now have to give up with kurviger, which is really a pity beacise it was a really good software… But places I go have no internet or useless/too slow; And when SHTF, bettre have an apk and all maps already on a back up sd card. it’s a rather extreme situation and I’m aware that it will concern maybe 1% of riders. Sadly i’m in this this 1 %… :frowning: Rerouting on the way is another pb, as motorbike fast moving creates more route changes, especially in / around towns. and again, travelling, murphy’s law is still the same : no more 3 or 4g credit when needed, and good luck to find some providers, when you are in Kadikoy or Yaroslav at end afternoon…
Hope you will do a true offline version ASAP. Still convinced that you have a market for advriders, maybe not one million guys but sure enough ready to pay good price for your solution…

Best !
Fabrice

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Some technical notes:

  • Offline maps have nothing to do with offline routing.

  • Offline maps use our Mapsforge Binary Map File Format and are designed for offline map rendering.

  • Offline routing could be handled via offline routing GraphHopper graphs.

Currently routing in Kurviger is performed online via its own server (powered by GraphHopper online implementation).

But if want to test offline (fastest) routing can try Cruiser platform.
Create offline routing graphs in desktop Cruiser with data from Geofabrik, load the graph and route offline.

Perhaps a preview for the future… :slightly_smiling_face:

Just tested it (created a graph for my homebase and working office area and opened it in the Cruiser app). Offline routing works perfect on my old Moto G (3rd Gen). :+1:

Would be a great thing to see that (based on the GraphHopper graphs) in the Kurviger app (even if it would be necessary to create my own graphs using a desktop app like Cruiser for the beginning).

Concerning Cruiser I have a question: what purpose is this app meant for? Why do you offer two different apps with some significant differences?

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Note that Cruiser currently provides the regular fastest & shortest routing with available vehicles car, foot, bike, motorcycle, etc.
It does not contain any Kurviger algorithms.

Regarding Cruiser platform, I created it some time ago to support Mapsforge and VTM vector map libraries and their community.

There are 2 different apps for each vector map engine separately.
Kurviger is based on newer Cruiser GL using internally OpenGL.

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Forword:

During my last long trip I tested once again my own behaviour of digital navigation.
And again I noticed, that I still combine Kurviger with (a) GMaps and (b) HERE.
Want to discuss both reasons here and in another topic.

In this topic: HERE.

Explanation:

For me any kind of offline navigation is still a crucial question for Kurviger - and obviously for others as well…

See the screenshot below I took on my last trip:

I was in a hurry, but had to leave Kurviger’s route because of a detour in a small town.

So I got a bit desorientated, because

  • no more turn instruction, also after some minutes,
  • but indication of “H” data mobile net, so I thought internet connection would still work,
  • no hint at all why Kurviger did not recalculate route, although Recalculation was activated (see 2nd screenshot). :roll_eyes::weary:

Lost in space … :joy:

As an experienced user I could imagine, that connection to Kurviger’s server was lost.

So I (had to and did( stop,
started HERE in offline mode
and found back to a route to my destination, which I then reached without Kurviger. :grin:

Questions:

a) (Easier) Is it possible to implement a CLEAR and IMMEDIATE hint in all situations where Kurviger is not able to (re-) calculate a route and therefor has to stop navigation?

b) (More complicated, I guess) Is there ANY chance to make it possible to implement any comparable feature to Kurviger, to create a route in offline situation?

Because in those situations first aim it “to find out” of the “desert” (before following a nice, scenic and curvy route) it would be completely sufficient to realize that only for the “Fastest” option.

I KNOW, usually it is much easier to prpose then to program: But, if HERE is able to do that, could not Kurviger a similar alogorithm jaut for these “emergency cases of lost in space”?

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Always far easier to say than do… Anyone knows the power behind HERE app or other major offline navigators? Hint: behind Kurviger app there is just 1 person. :wink:

For the record, Cruiser platform (where Kurviger is based) is perfectly capable to do offline routing (process explained above).

Seems GraphHopper (used by Kurviger) has its limits in offline large scale routing, so would need to check also other solutions, like BRouter discussed here.

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  1. Please don’t mix navigation with routing
    See your own docu :wink: - Kurviger app can do offline navigation!

  2. In your screenshot I miss the “warning triangle” which should AFAIK appear if you are off route.
    So we are talking about an issue, not about missing offline routing.

  3. From my perspective it would be sufficient to have only one routing profile for a limited distance available in offline mode. Just enough to get you back to the route. No need for a full featured “curvy algorithm”.
    And yes easy to say hard to do.

Coming back to your screenshot.

Looks like a similar issue I have posted in the other thread
Have you tried to:
a) stop start navigation?
b) stop start Kurviger app?

Manfred

Agree, but having a recalculated route is condition for an continued navigation, what exactly I did not have in this case. So indeed NAVIGATION was stopped.

Hmmm, that’s true - could be the case.
(But effect on the road is the same …)

Ecaxtly, that’s my suggestion - an “emergency offline fast route out of the nirvana”.

I am aware of this parallel topic - but HERE in my focus was (and is still) indeed the “emergency offline fast route out of the nirvana”.

a) Yes - did not help.
b) No, not in THIS case - was in a hurry, impatient car drivers following me and I could not stop to operate the device without traffic risk.

Please everyone let’s keep discussion here strictly for offline routing.

Any other app cases should be better discussed in their own topics. :slightly_smiling_face:

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How true. And you absolutely deserve RESPECT for that fact! :+1:

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And we all (I hope) KNOW THAT!!!

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for offline routing term, I understand your technical point of view. But on the "road’ as explained, all work done preparing a routing vanishes at the first pb. Unexpected road work, river out of bed, stones, accidents, etc… hundred of cases that sadly I had to stand even in Hungary, which is not the road of bones… If this function can’t be implemented, sorry to say that we can just make any twisty routing on a pc online and import gpx (directly or converted) in osmand, maps me magic earth, navigator, galileo, Locus, etc… Life is not a printed picture when on the way… I’m glad to have bought the pro version, even if this cheap amount will not help you pay taxes… But I don’t use no more Kurviger on smartphones and it makes me sad , because it could be just THE software ! I understand that a one person joib is nearly impossible mission, and more if all the software dvpmt and routines came in one direction which doesn’t allow a light offline routing algorythm inside smartphones. But I’m french so time to time, I come back asking hahahahaha “L’espoir meurt en dernier”