# Any Offline Aires Search Apps ??



## DavyS (Jan 10, 2009)

I have just discovered the ArchiesCamping app £1.69 and it is superb - allows offline searching and info providing you select the OpenStreetMap option as the base map - is a better map than Google anyway cos shops footpaths and more facilities. Before you go offline you have to overview the area where you are intending to travel and it downloads the mapping data to cache. Has 31,000 campsites so is the biggest database available for campsites.

But I am struggling to find an Android app which allows offline viewing of aires. Anyone found one?


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## Morphology (Jul 23, 2010)

A ferw of us have been experimenting with the app from these people:

http://www.campercontact.com/

Plus points are it can be used offline, and has photos for a number of aires.

Downside is that the offline map is pretty low resolution, and their coverage is not as great as, say, CampingCar-Infos.

Morph


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## DavyS (Jan 10, 2009)

Morphology said:


> A ferw of us have been experimenting with the app from these people:
> 
> http://www.campercontact.com/
> 
> ...


Thanks for the link Morph. I tried it but found that:
- the app is described as 'in progress' so dont know how you got an app?
- cannot search offline
- has only a fraction of the sites on campingcar-infos

Apart from that it was easy to use online.


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## Morphology (Jul 23, 2010)

I'm not going to defend it to the hilt, but:

- yes, it is available on the Google Play store >>here<<
- Yes, you can search offline (and display the photos offline and an offline [low resolution] map)
- You get more Aires and More photos in the paid-for version (About £5)

It certainly doesn't have as many Aires as CCInfos nor does it have as many campsites as Archies. I think we all agree that those are the most comprehensive databases but there is undoubted value in having some of them available offline with photos.

More Aires are being added. I've tried the app for a few days and updated it every day to see what would happen and each time it downloaded some more Aires / Photos.

Personally speaking, it is just one of several different apps that I'm carrying around on my Android tablet. I've invested the whopping sum of about £20 in various apps each of which has features I like and some features I don't, with the result that I'm no longer tied to an Internet connection whilst researching where to go next, and don't bother with a paper map. I'm still carrying a SatNav, but that s probably the next piece of kit to get left at home.

Osmand+ has the best offline mapping (IMHO) to which I've imported CCInfos Aires and Archies Campings database as POIs.

POIs on Osmand+ are searchable in terms of distance from your current location (or a point on the map), though you can't search on facilities or proximity to amenities.

Morph


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## DavyS (Jan 10, 2009)

Morph, thanks for that.
Well it is strange; the FAQs of the campercontact.com website says that the app is under contruction.
I followed your link to Google Play and yes the app is there but called All Motorhome Parkings !! 
The free version of the app displays only a fraction of the sites in the database (which is a bit sparse) so I decided to buy the £6 version. But nowhere can I find a link to it; not on the campercontacts.com web nor on Google Play where if I click the drop down arrow beside 'Free', no paid option can be found.

I assume that the paid for app allows you to use full resolution maps. 

On a slightly different subject, each paid for app seems to want you to download Google maps of Europe - about 40Mb. Would be nice if you only had to download Google maps data once for all applications!!


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## peejay (May 10, 2005)

I don't know about the android version but with the ipod one you download the free version first, then upgrade via that to the paid version via the 'info' tab.

Pete


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## DavyS (Jan 10, 2009)

peejay said:


> I don't know about the android version but with the ipod one you download the free version first, then upgrade via that to the paid version via the 'info' tab.
> 
> Pete


Pete, I'll give that a try.


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## Telbell (May 1, 2005)

Pete is correct-you need to download freebie first & you'll get option to but the posh one :wink:


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## DavyS (Jan 10, 2009)

I am a bit surprised that no one has suggestion the obvious off-line guide to aires - books!

Either 'All the Aires France' with 2700 aires or 'Aires de Services Camping Car' 8500 aires across Europe.


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## Morphology (Jul 23, 2010)

DavyS said:


> I am a bit surprised that no one has suggestion the obvious off-line guide to aires - books!


It was probably the word "Apps" in the title of your original post that confused us. 8O

2,700 Aires in the France book is somewhat less than the 8,037*** Aires on CampingCar-Infos or the 3,738*** French aires in the MotorhomeParkings App. plus books do tend to drift out of date to a far greater extent than online sources, which are generally updated in a more timely manner.

Morph

_* Figures correct when going to press_ :wink:


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## drcotts (Feb 23, 2006)

I have used campercontact on my samsumg tab and it works well. I bought the full version

the obvious thing over books is that you cn see where you are using the gps facility in your phone or tab and then search for aires, campsites, service points or all from wherever you are.

Much quicker then books which by theioer nature will never list things in the way everyone wants

Phill


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## Glandwr (Jun 12, 2006)

Bordatlas do a very good one (largely in English once you subscribe) it includes Aires, Stellplatz etc. thoughout Europe searchable by map or town with filters. It shows pictures for many. You subscribe, 3euro per month or 10euro for 12mths by Paypal. Find it in playstore.

Dick


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## DavyS (Jan 10, 2009)

Glandwr said:


> Bordatlas do a very good one (largely in English once you subscribe) it includes Aires, Stellplatz etc. thoughout Europe searchable by map or town with filters. It shows pictures for many. You subscribe, 3euro per month or 10euro for 12mths by Paypal. Find it in playstore.
> 
> Dick


Thanks Dick, I went to Play Store but the description of Bordatlas-Zugriff is in German and so I could not check if it works offline.
I will principally be looking for municipal sites in France.


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## DavyS (Jan 10, 2009)

The story is getting long and sad.
As recommended by many on here, I tried to download the free version of 'All Motorhome Campings/CampingContact' but the app is 36Mb in size so would not download into the 30Mb Google Play Store cache (error 498).
So I temporarily 'rooted' my Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 and ran Cache Fixer to double the size of the cache.
Then could download AMC but it always crashes when I select an item from the menu ('stopped unexpectedly').
To rub salt into the wound, the app downloaded 6000 photos to my limited main memory without offering the option of downloading to my new 32Gb external SD.
Its at times like this that I wonder if it would not have been better to buy an Apple tab and download 'free' apps for a small fee which guarantees that they will at least work with the device. 
So I have just ordered the other 'offline' option, the book 'Le Guide Official Aires de Services Camping-Car' I am confident that that will not crash!


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## Glandwr (Jun 12, 2006)

DavyS said:


> Glandwr said:
> 
> 
> > Bordatlas do a very good one (largely in English once you subscribe) it includes Aires, Stellplatz etc. thoughout Europe searchable by map or town with filters. It shows pictures for many. You subscribe, 3euro per month or 10euro for 12mths by Paypal. Find it in playstore.
> ...


Sorry my mistake, you do need to be online. 

Dick


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## Glandwr (Jun 12, 2006)

Morphology said:


> I'm not going to defend it to the hilt, but:
> 
> - yes, it is available on the Google Play store >>here<<
> - Yes, you can search offline (and display the photos offline and an offline [low resolution] map)
> ...


I'm interested how you import the POIs into Osmand+ Morph. Do you have to go into the guts of it? I've got CCinfos as a TT Ov2 file.

Dick


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## Morphology (Jul 23, 2010)

Glandwr said:


> Morphology said:
> 
> 
> > I'm not going to defend it to the hilt, but:
> ...


Dick, can you PM me your email address and I'll send you a document explaining how to do it.

Morph.


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## ceejayt (Nov 25, 2005)

I have reviewed a few apps Here if it helps


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## Chrisv (Jun 10, 2007)

Hi Morph,
Could I be cheeky and pm you my email address for the osmand poi doc as I would be very interested in this.

Cheers
Chris


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## Morphology (Jul 23, 2010)

Chrisv said:


> Hi Morph,
> Could I be cheeky and pm you my email address for the osmand poi doc as I would be very interested in this.


Yes, no problem, pm me your email address and I'll drop you a copy.


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## Stanner (Aug 17, 2006)

Morphology said:


> Osmand+ has the best offline mapping (IMHO) to which I've imported CCInfos Aires and Archies Campings database as POIs.


2 Questions on Osmand

1 - I haven't yet managed to find out how to search on a postcode "Address" takes you straight to <Country> <City> <Street> - is it possible?

2 What is the best way to import POIs as above?


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## rosalan (Aug 24, 2009)

It is at times like this I feel both thick and insecure.
I would love to put the data into my TomTom from the brilliant French Aire de Service Camping Car but after only using my PC for the last 25years, I still struggle with the language and descriptions provided by people more familiar with it than I.
Can anyone please let me know if it is possible to add the Aires from this or any other brilliant sit to my T.T. and if so, to give me a few starting points for doing so.

I have followed this thread with some interest and am still not sure that anyone has pinned down an Offline plan of European Aires and campsites that I could put into my Notebook.

Am I the only one?

Alan


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## drcotts (Feb 23, 2006)

DavyS said:


> Morphology said:
> 
> 
> > A ferw of us have been experimenting with the app from these people:
> ...


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## drcotts (Feb 23, 2006)

rosalan said:


> It is at times like this I feel both thick and insecure.
> I would love to put the data into my TomTom from the brilliant French Aire de Service Camping Car but after only using my PC for the last 25years, I still struggle with the language and descriptions provided by people more familiar with it than I.
> Can anyone please let me know if it is possible to add the Aires from this or any other brilliant sit to my T.T. and if so, to give me a few starting points for doing so.
> 
> ...


Hi Alan
The campercontact app has the gps co oridinates and although you cant enter these into yout TT you can ask the tablet to navigate for you. It wont have the avoidences of the sat nav if you use a truch or MH version though.

You can download the aires from MHF to your TT though which will give you 90+% of what you need.

As long as you know how to do it


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## Morphology (Jul 23, 2010)

Stanner said:


> 1 - I haven't yet managed to find out how to search on a postcode "Address" takes you straight to <Country> <City> <Street> - is it possible?


You just enter the postcode in the 'City' box and, as you hit something that isn't a UK town, a box will come up saying (search villages/postcode).

The problem at present is that the underlying OpenStreetmap doesn't contain a full list of Uk postcodes, so it's no fault of Osmand+ if it cannot find a particular postcode.

For example, it seemed to find the first part of my home post code (ME19 6__) but didn't recognise the full list of potential 2-Alpha extensions (AA, AB, AC etc).

So it needs Open Street Map users to update postcode information.

Yes, there are plenty of UK postcode databases around, though they are all licensed and, therefore, it is unlikely that they could be used in an open-source map such as Open Street Map.

It is possible to set Osmand+ to use an online postcode search, which is more accurate (but needs a data connection), though I can't for the life of me remember how to do it!! It sometimes does it of its own accord without me prompting.

People keep asking me for copies of my doc outlining how to import POI files into Osmand+ so I have attached a PDF copy below.

Feel free to try and follow this and see how you get on.

It works for me, though I tend to write my own scripts to mangle POI files from a particular source into OSM files rather than use GPSBabel.

Good luck one and all.

Morph


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Alan. You can download all the aires for Europe for the Tomtom at www.campingcar-infos.com

I'm sat in Tescos car park on me phone at the moment but will have a look later and write some instructions.

It's fairly easy though. Once you have them downloaded from memory you plug your Tomtom into your pc and use the Tomtom software to copy the downloaded files from your desktop to the device. Sadly my Tomtom was drowned in France by mrs d so I can't give precise instructions on that bit but its fairly self explanatory.

There are about 8 sets if poi you get from cc infos that total 16 files altogether. One poi file and one screen icon. You need to install them one at a time on the new devices.


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Dont know if this will work Alan. Its the latest POI file from CC Infos. Not even sure if I should be uploading them but hey ho!  

Save the attached file to a folder on your desktop, once downloaded right click on the file (its a compressed file containing several POI files) and select extract all.

There are actually 10 sets of POI (not 8 as I said earlier). They dontate different types of stopovers such as Aire de Camping cars, parking only, night time parking, services only, farm sites etc etc.

Once you have these on your computer you will need to plug in the tomtom and start the TomTom home software to then import these into your tomtom.


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