Locus Maps App: Finder of Lost Phones and Great for Surveys Too

Have you ever ever misplaced one thing and by no means discovered it once more? I simply typically want that all the pieces ought to have some type of a GPS gadget connected to it in order that we all know its location at all times. May sound fairly impractical however then simply think about, I might have discovered my favourite jacket that was left behind on a connecting flight or the Bluetooth headphones that went lacking on a bumpy bus journey and even an umbrella that was forgotten in a rainforest. However I’m not right here to provide you an account of misplaced umbrellas; reasonably, I hope that my expertise will assist you to find what you’re searching for.

My work with consultancies and analysis organizations entails conducting wildlife and forest surveys. These entail touring to distant places to doc various habitats and the species they help. A significant a part of my work entails mapping these habitats to grasp the examine space and what species to search for there. I take pleasure in each little bit of the expertise, being open air, assembly individuals and watching their amused faces, after I ask if they’ve noticed a “chamgadar” or bats. It additionally feels somewhat like a detective, following leads, attempting to uncover the secrets and techniques of nature.

After I first began doing these surveys, I used to be utilizing a devoted GPS gadget, one which precisely triangulated my place to about three-meter accuracy. I used to be utilizing a Garmin eTrex 20 (sarcastically, I believe I misplaced a type of too—a tool meant to seek out locations), which is a rugged piece of {hardware} for the sector. Nonetheless, when you already know that all the pieces from little toys to fridges have contact screens now, a tool with out one begins feeling virtually prehistoric.

To my amusement, I’ve discovered myself tapping on its display on a couple of event. The gadget additionally did not have any map within the background as a base map. Think about Google Maps to be only a clean display with an arrow displaying your place. Attempting to determine methods so as to add a base map to the GPS additionally appeared like an excessive amount of work.

So, after just a few trials, I started researching Android apps that might serve the identical goal. Factors collected utilizing the GPS are considered utilizing the desktop-based Google Earth software program, however there was no Google Earth for android again then. Enter Locus Maps Free.

Locus Maps is exclusive, for its capability to help numerous file codecs which are utilized in completely different desktop mapping software program. It additionally acknowledges the usual “.gpx” extension information generated by the GPS gadget. With an intuitive interface and a built-in compass, this software program wins you over utterly. To high it off you possibly can select any base map within the background by putting in an add-on app from the Google Playstore. This enables one to load Google imagery as a base map.

Rohit Pansare
Photograph Credit score: Locus Maps seems quite a bit like Google Maps however you possibly can import GPS knowledge

So now, earlier than I start my field-work, I switch all the information layers just like the examine space, forest or protected space boundaries, settlements, and water our bodies to my android gadget after which load them onto Locus Maps. This manner I do know the place I’ve to go to and might visualize and plan my subsequent survey location primarily based on highway connectivity and time constraints.

Nonetheless, there may be one incident that made Locus Maps everlasting in my app-list. This occurred at a distant location in the midst of a scrub forest (whose location shall stay undisclosed on account of a confidentiality settlement). It might have occurred to anybody. I imply so many people have forgotten our telephones in an autorickshaw or left it on the restaurant desk. Sadly, this time the telephone wasn’t left behind in such a straightforward to entry location.

The entire of that day had been a washout with hardly any sightings. My colleague and I have been on a lookout for raptors or birds of prey like eagles or buzzards. Sightings, though uncommon, have been crucial for our examine as these birds are thought-about crucial. This scrub forest appeared promising however was navigable solely in a four-wheel drive with an skilled driver. So, we had taken our time and scheduled this a part of the survey for the night. Whereas on one among these tracks, I noticed a chook, perched on a small stump. The setting solar was proper behind the chook, which made it unattainable to determine it.

We stopped at a protected distance in order that we do not disturb it. I slowly opened the door, acquired down on all fours, and began crawling in direction of the chook with my digicam swung on to my again. To get near it, I needed to be fast earlier than the solar disappeared behind the horizon however achieve this stealthily. I found that it was an grownup Lengthy-legged Buzzard, a raptor that breeds within the Himalayas and Central Asia and spends winters within the North Indian plains. I rapidly acquired some footage and returned to the automobile. We determined to move again to the lodge after noting down the final survey level.

About half-an-hour into the drive, I spotted my telephone was lacking. I searched calmly on the seat, in my bag and every of the six to eight pockets of my cargo pants. Nothing! Panic-stricken, I instructed the driving force to activate the cabin gentle because it was getting darkish and commenced looking once more. That is when it hit me!

Whereas getting out of the automobile to take that final image, I had acquired down on all fours. Figuring out that I may need to crawl, I had taken my telephone out from my entrance pocket and positioned it—not in my bag, not on my seat, not in any of my seven different pockets, however the small house on the footrest of the automobile. I instructed the driving force to cease and jumped out of the automobile to verify if my telephone had managed to cling to the footrest with its expensive life. After all not, who was I attempting to idiot?

The following issues occurred quick, we turned the automobile round and began heading again in direction of our final location. Reaching there earlier than darkish was crucial. Fortunately, I had introduced one other telephone loaded with Locus Maps, which I had been utilizing for recording the survey factors. I tapped on the final level, that introduced up a small pop-up with particulars like the gap and route from my present location. I tapped on an choice to navigate to the purpose. Identical to Google Maps, Locus Maps began giving me directions at every flip. By the point we entered the scrub forest, it was already darkish. My colleague began calling on my quantity hoping that our ears will be capable to decide up the ringtone because the automobile winded its approach in direction of the final level. A couple of hundred meters from there, my eye caught a dim gentle within the dusty observe beneath. There it was, lined in mud however nonetheless intact. It was a miracle that we hadn’t run over it within the first place, however fortunately, Locus Maps had saved the day!

Rohit is an unbiased environmental advisor, skilled coach and a documentary photographer primarily based in Mumbai. Over the past decade, he has been part of inter-disciplinary analysis and consultancy tasks on local weather change, city biodiversity, environmental schooling, open-source mapping and citizen science initiatives.

When not along with his digicam, he will be discovered tending to crops or preventing author’s block on his Instagram deal with. You can too mail him here.