Access Multiple Map Resources with RMaps for Android

Productivity Sauce

Google's own My Tracks is a fine tracking app for Android, but it does have one serious drawback: it can only use Google Maps as its map source. If you want to be able to access other map resources like OpenStreetMap and its derivatives as well as other map services, you might want to give RMaps a try.

At first glance, this open source app looks rather simplistic, but it does offer a few essential features like compass, GPS tracking, and even support for points of interest. But RMaps' main attraction is its ability to pull maps from different sources. RMaps lets you use Google Maps, Microsoft Maps, OpenStreetMap (both Mapnik and OsmaRender rendering engines are supported), and Yandex Maps -- although the latter is mostly of use for Russian speaking users. In addition to that, RMaps can pull data from cycling maps, which makes it a useful tool for cyclists. Better yet, RMaps can also handle maps stored on an SD card, so you can access maps when you are offline. All in all, if you are looking for a decent map viewer and GPS tracker that supports multiple map sources, RMap deserves a place on our Android device.