Android maps app with custom points/markers in the cloud

Question

That description used to describe Google Maps perfectly, but lately they've been "upgrading" their web service and apps and I find both pretty unusable.

Is there any other combination of Android app and web service where users can view or create places (i.e. points or markers) in the smartphone or web site, having those places stored in the cloud so both applications can share them?

Similar to the "My maps" feature in Google Maps where you can create sets of places (for example, places to visit in a trip), and they remain stored in the user's personal account.

Example use case:

1. User opens web map application and logs in using personal account
2. Finds a interesting place and creates a marker pointing to that location
3. Later, the user opens the mobile application, logs in using personal account and the previously created marker is there, pointing to the needed location inside the map

Answer 1

While not exactly in the cloud and an Android app, it would facilitate I believe the following would facilitate what you are looking for without giving up control to Google Docs. It would also be accessible to those with iOS or Android.

What one of the organizations I am involved that heavily uses maps we did the following:

1. We setup a basic hosted Wordpress site.
2. We go the program Maps Marker Pro
3. We created plots, overlays, and imported courses and other information from GPX files and did not have to convert anything into Google Earth format.
4. Additionally if you want the maps to be private you can get something like PMPro (which we use) or S2Member to require login and current membership to see the content.

Again, while not an app.. we can from an iPad or Android tablet via the built in browser DURING an event add a new marker directly from our iPad and so participants when they refresh may gain additional information. You can add marker and lookup a location

You can also use the short codes it includes and with add pre-staged / timed posts using word press with additional clues (which if they are also email/Facebook/Twitter subscribers could get notification).

So basically we retained control of all of the map data, increased our tool set, and use public maps to create our own data overlays. The one thing is I do not recall it calculating distance of a course.. but I could just be forgetting.

The one feature it does not directly have (as of v2.1) is Add My Current Location from a web browser on your iOS, Android, or GPS enabled PC device. I use MotionX GPS to get tracks on iOS to do that then import it into Maps Marker Pro which in the field is a bit complicated but once back is very easy, or I use a variety of other GPS apps to just get my current GPS coordinates and then create a marker via the web interface right on my device.

OpenStreetMaps itself does not allow you to put overlays itself on it, and Google Docs does with some constraints but is pretty good for address lookup when importing a bulk number of addresses like from CSV.

Answer 2

If you don't (currently) like Google maps, then the best free alternative is Open Street Map.

So, simply google or search the app store for an app which suits you.

I realize that I ought to recommend one, in order for this to truly answer your question, but:

• I haven't used any
• there are so many to choose from
• in the end, only you will know which one suits you
• IMO, the true answer here is Open Street Map, not a particular app