Hema maps app

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cruiseroutfit

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Expedition Overland runs on sponsorships, take all their recommendations with a grain of salt. They used to be in it for the adverture but it is now a business first and foremos, their job is to be a giant advertisement for expensive and unnecessary gear. I think it was their prep video for the South America trip that they spent 10 minutes talking about how they just had to use $100 duffel bags
Interesting...

We (Expedition Overland) partnered with HEMA as they are the best in the business on a global level. Their Australia products are top notch and I used them personally as Expeditions7 traversed Aus including the famous Canning Stock Route using only their products. I personally have high hopes that their US products will reach that point as time goes on. I don't recall the 10 minute chat on bags so I won't comment there.
 

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So why is Gaia better than google earth? What are the main differences?
IMHO when you can do routing within an app you are using you are better off. Saves time from exporting and importing. You can also route via forest roads, not sure if you can do that in Google Earth. Gaia has many more map layers with more to come for planning purposes. I won't go into all the map layers offered but the USFS are top notch. Hema does. It have them. Plenty of topo map, road and satellites options as well. Pro Version you can get even more things like hunting boundaries, public lands, etc. Visit the Gaia GPS Web site for more details. An entirely new version written from scratch is currently under development. No release date yet.
 

NZ4runner

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Expedition Overland runs on sponsorships, take all their recommendations with a grain of salt. They used to be in it for the adverture but it is now a business first and foremos, their job is to be a giant advertisement for expensive and unnecessary gear. I think it was their prep video for the South America trip that they spent 10 minutes talking about how they just had to use $100 duffel bags
True true... I literally just watched that episode. At least you get to see some of the gear in action though... For someone whos very new to overland or offroad in general i think its a good learning tool. It contributed to my interest in offroading, and i saw alot of things for the first time. Plus its entertaining haha
 

Overlandllama

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Most appealing to me about Hema is the cloud and what that might mean for others to benefit from... hope that's not a bad thing. Reality is that with so many things to fund, mapping software cannot be one of them, for now. I'm stuck with the free stuff and it's not so bad.
 
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boehml

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Interesting...

We (Expedition Overland) partnered with HEMA as they are the best in the business on a global level.
This is true, their mapping is really great. On a software level, Gaia and Hema pretty much look the same, and honestly, they're GPS apps.. they literally function the same. Call a spade a spade, you know. I think it all comes down to your preference, you can't go wrong with either, they'll both allow you to have GPS while on your trips. So, if you're in the market go with what you think is best, they will do the same thing with some minor variations on features.
 
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1Louder

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Most appealing to me about Hema is the cloud and what that might mean for others to benefit from... hope that's not a bad thing. Reality is that with so many things to fund, mapping software cannot be one of them, for now. I'm stuck with the free stuff and it's not so bad.
Gaia has the same cloud service. They don't have specific people promoting specific overlanding routes like those associated with Hema but the cloud app can do the same thing.
 
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1Louder

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This is true, their mapping is really great. On a software level, Gaia and Hema pretty much look the same, and honestly, their GPS apps.. they literally function the same. Call a spade a spade, you know. I think it all comes down to your preference, you can't go wrong with either, they'll both allow you to have GPS while on your trips. So, if you're in the market go with what you think is best, they will do the same thing with some minor variations on features.
We can all go round and round on this but Gaia offers a lot more map options than Hema. If you don't need/want them. Thats fine but the apps offer different capabilities. Gaia charges for some of the map layers in its pro subscription but they are available. Not sure how else I can convey this. I am very well versed on both apps and a number of others. I have personally found the USFS raster maps to be the best for overlanding. Hema to date does not offer that map type. Gaia also has a dedicated team, a good sized one at that, constantly enhancing the app. Hema does not. I know they are working on things at Hema. I have no clue what the development timeframe is because I am not involved with that group. I am on the alpha testing team with Gaia. Competition is always good but you have to make fair comparisons between all of the apps.
 
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boehml

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We can all go round and round on this but Gaia offers a lot more map options than Hema. If you don't need/want them. Thats fine but the apps offer different capabilities. Gaia charges for some of the map layers in its pro subscription but they are available. Not sure how else I can convey this. I am very well versed on both apps and a number of others. I have personally found the USFS raster maps to be the best for overlanding. Hema to date does not offer that map type. Gaia also has a dedicated team, a good sized one at that, constantly enhancing the app. Hema does not. I know they are working on things at Hema. I have no clue what the development timeframe is because I am not involved with that group. I am on the alpha testing team with Gaia. Competition is always good but you have to make fair comparisons between all of the apps.
Both apps use satellites to position you on the globe, which is a fair comparison, unless Gaia has some alien technology we're not aware of. Like I mentioned, call a spade a spade. Both apps will serve an Overlander just fine. Its personal preference on which to use, what makes one better than the other for one person may be the opposite for another, which you demonstrated in your post.
 

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Both apps use satellites to position you on the globe, which is a fair comparison, unless Gaia has some alien technology we're not aware of. Like I mentioned, call a spade a spade. Both apps will serve an Overlander just fine. Its personal preference on which to use, what makes one better than the other for one person may be the opposite for another, which you demonstrated in your post.
A flip phone and an iPhone are both phones. Now back to you...

They are different apps. They have different capabilities. The same thing applies to Motion X, Hema, Gaia, Backcountry Navigator, Earthmate, Pocket Earth, Maps.Me, Orux, and a dozen others that I have not mentioned. Yes they all can pin you on a map but they are not the same. Many people on here do not have the same experience level on this topic. Those that have the experience chime in and try to help. To each his own. If you don't want to take the advice of someone who has used Gaia for 4 years and GPS apps devices for nearly 20 years that's fine. This is just one area I know a lot about. Plenty others I don't and respect what others have to say. I give up before I get put into time out....
 
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boehml

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A flip phone and an iPhone are both phones. Now back to you...

They are different apps. They have different capabilities. The same thing applies to Motion X, Hema, Gaia, Backcountry Navigator, Earthmate, Pocket Earth, Maps.Me, Orux, and a dozen others that I have not mentioned. Yes they all can pin you on a map but they are not the same. Many people on here do not have the same experience level on this topic. Those that have the experience chime in and try to help. To each his own. If you don't want to take the advice of someone who has used Gaia for 4 years and GPS apps devices for nearly 20 years that's fine. This is just one area I know a lot about. Plenty others I don't and respect what others have to say. I give up before I get put into time out....
Don't get me wrong, I'm not here to disagree with you. After all, this is a community that fosters learning and knowledge. What I am saying, is that both applications are offer a GPS service. Your comparison of phones isn't really relevant given that these two apps are direct competitors. But when it come down to it, each individual will have a personal preference, and each application will serve its purpose, so you can't really go wrong.

I personally bought Hema before I knew what Gaia was all about, because I trusted the brand. I haven't found a need to change, but I wouldn't disagree that Gaia might have some features that Hema doesn't, which for some people may be a deal breaker.
 

Overland 505

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I bought Gaia way before Hema was even announced. When I heard Hema was making an app I couldn't wait for it to come out knowing who it came from. I bought it the day it came out and I was really disappointed when I opened it and there was Gaia in a different color. I spent $20 for an app I already had with half the features. Hema has been updated one time in almost a year. Gaia is updated at least monthly. Yes the both use the cloud and show you where you are on a map and look the same but after that they have nothing in common. I expected more from an overlanding map company than that.


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boehml

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I bought Gaia way before Hema was even announced. When I heard Hema was making an app I couldn't wait for it to come out knowing who it came from. I bought it the day it came out and I was really disappointed when I opened it and there was Gaia in a different color. I spent $20 for an app I already had with half the features. Hema has been updated one time in almost a year. Gaia is updated at least monthly. Yes the both use the cloud and show you where you are on a map and look the same but after that they have nothing in common. I expected more from an overlanding map company than that.


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Whats your favorite feature on Gaia?
 

1Louder

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I bought Gaia way before Hema was even announced. When I heard Hema was making an app I couldn't wait for it to come out knowing who it came from. I bought it the day it came out and I was really disappointed when I opened it and there was Gaia in a different color. I spent $20 for an app I already had with half the features. Hema has been updated one time in almost a year. Gaia is updated at least monthly. Yes the both use the cloud and show you where you are on a map and look the same but after that they have nothing in common. I expected more from an overlanding map company than that.
You are not alone in your feelings and that has been expressed on other message forums. I am sure they will have some sort of a new release right around Expo West time again and folks will lap it up.

I bought the app because I review these types of apps and am always looking for something better. To date nothing has been better than Gaia for me. Avenza PDF Maps was a nice complimentary app but now they charge $29 a year (I think) to give you the ability to import your own PDF maps. Not important enough for me to pay that fee. Once MVUMs get incorporated into Gaia it will really set them a part from other apps. There are some other great map layers in the works with the new release but I will let Gaia speak to that on its blog site when they are ready. http://blog.gaiagps.com/ No guarantees but I expect the new Gaia app to be released in 60-90 days. There is a different Gaia thread and these things should really be discussed there. I consider these posts a caution message to those that are considering the Hema app. One day it may be industry leading but today it is not. Hema's past track record with only a single update in 9 months is not good. I hope that changes because lots of folks bought the app.