To download and use these maps on your device, you will need to buy the
ExplorOz Traveller app first. The app will cost $59.99 and the offline mapset (EOTopo) is an in-app purchase of $49.99.
HOW DOES THE LICENSING WORK?
The Traveller app is a one-time purchase - the app is the software and navigation program and has all the necessary
tools and content but not the high resolution offline mapset - this is sold separately.
The app is designed with the intention that you would need to purchase EOTopo but only for offline use. The Traveller app already has the latest EOTopo maps included for ONLINE use.
We sell the high resolution offline maps separately so people with multiple platforms only need 1 map licence per user. This also means that when NEW maps are produced (such as the 2023 edition) that you can choose if and when you want these and only pay for the map licence instead of buying a whole new App and Map bundle.
The
ExplorOz Traveller app requires you to login, to access the available downloads to setup the device with offline content - the login recognises your map licence and permits downloading of the full set of map packs to that device. The EOTopo licence that you buy permits download of the specific map packs that are released in that edition only. For example, if you have a 2021 licence you cannot access the HiRes downloads for the 2023 map packs unless you purchase the 2023 licence.
I HAVE AN OLDER EOTOPO LICENCE - DO I HAVE TO BUY A NEW LICENCE?
If you have the 2021 mapset then you can keep using them in the latest versions of the Traveller app and future versions for some years yet. Whilst we intend to release new map sets annually from here onwards we intend to support for each edition for up to 4 years. This means you are not obliged to purchase each new edition and can retain use of your maps at no further cost whilst they are supported even if not the current edition. The only EOTopo mapsets that are no longer supported in V8 of the Traveller app are the 2018 and 2019 editions.
WHAT SCALE ARE THE MAPS AND HOW ARE THEY BETTER THAN OTHER MAPS?
The
EOTopo 2023 map set is built using the vector map format. This format produces high quality, high resolution maps that you can zoom and enlarge and they never get blurry. Without getting too technical the vector format also enables us to deliver a lot more detail into the maps without making the maps too large to store on your device. Our maps offer zoom/enlargement that is unmatched by any other digital map of Australia. Compare our maps that offer full high resolution zooming with a map scale of up to 2K, with other non-vector maps that not not offer any additional detail when enlarged, such as Hema's raster map packs most of which contain old and outdated content and only offer a scale of 250K. So map accuracy, detail and scale is the first big difference that sets our maps apart from the every other map.
Another common problem with other maps such as Google maps, WikiCamps and OSM derivates is that they show a mostly white/plain background with no detail or road definitions in regional & outback Australia until you zoom in so close that it becomes unclear and disorientating. EOTopo maps are not like that. We build our maps knowing that people need to see minor tracks at low zoom levels so you will find our maps are clearer & easier to use when you are sitting in your vehicle travelling or using on a small screen like a phone. For example, you can keep the map at a sensible zoom to see the wider area whilst still seeing the road detail. Furthermore, our maps offer 10m contours, which is ideal for hikers, plus lots of terrain and
hill shading and lots of useful features such as man-made
infrastructure (power lines,
conveyor belts, pipelines, silos) and natural landforms and labelling such as roads with special access conditions and our topography data also means you can see the flow direction of creeks, see the exact lineage of sand dunes and their avg height and much more. All these features make
EOTopo 2023 the one map that you can't be without.
But don't just take our word for it, check it out yourself on this webpage where you can preview the map data yourself before purchase. Go to EOTopo Online.
HOW MUCH STORAGE DO I NEED ON MY DEVICE FOR THE MAPS?
If you wish to conserve storage you only need to install the LoRes & HiRes packs and your map will still display at the maximum zoom and scale. The optional packs provide additional shading detail for enhanced representation of land features.
EOTopo 2023 Map Pack storage sizes are:-
- LoRes Pack 85MB
- HiRes Pack 2.9GB
- Contour Pack (Optional) 3.3GB
- Terrain & Hillshade Pack (Optional) 1.8GB
HOW DO I DOWNLOAD THE MAPS TO MY DEVICE?
In the Traveller app, open the Menu - select Data Manager - go to Offline Map Pack Downloads and press the Download button alongside the LoRes map pack, and then HiRes Map Pack and then any more of your choice. The download option for HiRes will not be available until you have purchased an EOTopo licence - just follow the in-app prompts.
HOW TO UPGRADE TO EOTOPO 2023 MAPS
The 2023 product is a totally new product. Purchase of the
EOTopo 2023 mapset can be made direct from us using the
shop on our website or you can use the in-app purchase link within the
ExplorOz Traveller app (only available in Version 8 due for release on Monday 20th March 2023). Please note that when you make an in-app purchase the app store will take a commission from the sale before paying our monthly sales earnings, hence whilst there is no cost difference to you, it makes an enormous difference to us so if you are able, we would greatly appreciate the direct sale.
DO I HAVE TO DELETE MY 2021 MAPS BEFORE DOWNLOADING 2023 MAPS?
No but you can if you prefer. The 2023 mapset is a little larger than the 2021 so you may need to remove the old maps to ensure you have the required storage on your device. We recommend using the Clear Maps option from the Data Manager to do this.
IS THE MAP DATA ACTUALLY NEW OR DIFFERENT TO OTHER MAPS?
Yes very much so. We own the copyright on our map data. The copyright is held in our company name, I.T. Beyond Pty Ltd. See the
About Us page of this website if you'd like to find out more about our business.
Each edition of the EOTopo mapset is completely rebuilt Australia wide with all new data. We manage and source new data via a very complex data conflation process utilising numerous sources including the latest official data sources, our own field research/mapping surveys and data submitted to us by our extensive network of app users. We manage our own GIS mapping databases with 260 data elements covering all the topographic features - the roads layer is just one of these elements. Each data source is independently sourced and managed eg. public
infrastructure data is derived directly from each state source provider, native title from the government, parks/
reserves boundary databases etc. Only a very small portion of our road data layer utilises OSM – but we analyse and conflate open source data against our own data sources to selectively use trusted components. We are also authorised OSM contributors and have extensively contributed to updates this year to make better use of this dataset. The ExplorOz
Treks dataset is also a unique feature on the EOTopo maps. This too has been restyled in the 2023 edition. By treating popular 4WD routes as "Treks" we can display these minor tracks at lower zooms than what the hierarchy would normally present them, making significant but minor 4WD tracks easier to use than on any other map. Check the maps out for yourself free on this page.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN MAKING MAPS?
If you have not been aware of ExplorOz until recently, you may be shocked to learn that we have been curating our own map data for around 20 years. We are not new to the market. In our early years as a digital map producer, our maps were only published online here on this website, however in 2013 when the Australian Government's own public mapping department ceased operation, the downloadable digital maps of the day were outdated. It was due to the pressure of our online audience who already liked our online maps, that we were were encouraged to look at offline map production. The first downloadable version of our mapset was released in 2013 under the branding EOTopo. EO = ExplorOz (our brand) and Topo is the type of map that we produce, a topographic mapset (although it has since become a very sophisticated, enhanced topographic map).
After our first release of EOTopo in 2013, we have completely revised and updated the map producing new editions in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021 and now 2023. The earlier mapsets were RASTER but as of the 2021 mapset the maps are exclusively vector.