Winter has not been very good for snow sports so far, so all those who like to work out in the fresh air are looking for substitutes. One of them is cycling, especially road cycling, as the fields and forests are now knee-deep in mud. However, getting out on a bike in winter is quite a challenge, not only because of the right choice of clothing but also for safety. January weather fluctuations usually bring poor visibility, fog, and showers. It also gets dark early, so the cyclist has to think first and foremost about being seen. Locus Map is now making a major contribution to this.

Warnings directly on the map display

When riding on a road with car traffic, it is essential that the rider is clear about what is happening behind him. Many road cyclists, hobbyists, and cyclists use the increasingly common bike radar, which is mounted on the seat tube. The most famous of these, the Garmin Varia, can now be linked to Locus and display its outputs and warnings directly on the map screen:

The latest RVR 315, RTL 515, and RCT 715 models are supported and communicate with Locus via Bluetooth. Just connect them using the sensor manager and set the notification method:

If a car approaches you from behind within 140 m, a colored stripe with a vehicle count indicator will light up on the display and an alarm will sound - orange - low threat, red - high threat. Everything works even when the display is switched off - it automatically switches on in the event of a threat. Other Locus functions such as navigation or route recording run as standard, of course.

In addition to the dashboard function, which turns your smartphone into a fancy bike computer, Locus Map also brings another gadget for cycling enthusiasts.

What will the weather be like?

The global weather forecast has been in Locus for years, but the feature has been due to a revamp, and a change of data provider. In fact, the original DarkSky is heading exclusively under Apple's wing and will no longer be available as a standalone service.

After a lot of testing, we finally implemented the open service OpenWeatherMap, which perfectly matches the accuracy and complexity of the original provider. It offers 16 days of long-term forecasts and 6 days of short- and medium-term forecasts in three-hour intervals. It offers both a pictorial forecast and precise data - real and sensed temperature, wind strength and direction, pressure, visibility, relative humidity, and the amount and nature of precipitation. Of course, it also displays the progress of the weather during the day on a graph:

You can view the forecast for any location on Earth, Locus gives you all the options to select the location - place on the map, coordinates, cursor position, etc.:

You can also now view the forecast for LoPoints as well as for caches or your other user points of interest:

Other minor improvements

Of course, the new version also brings a bundle of other minor improvements, such as a more rounded panel design, or the ability to move the sidebar to the center:

So get on your bike and remember to ride safely!

Featured photo by Garmin

Článek New Locus Map 4.14 works with bike radar se nejdříve objevil na Locus Map - mobile outdoor navigation app.

The summer season is slowly coming to an end, but not our work on Locus. That's why we released a new version a few days ago, which brings one major improvement and a lot of other partial ones.

Sensors, sensors, sensors…

Yes, the new version focuses mainly on external sensors that can be connected to Locus - sensors of heart rate, cadence, speed, temperature, external GPS, etc. You can include their data in the route record and in your statistics. We have fundamentally changed the way they are connected and managed. We have also expanded the number of connections and the range of communication protocols.

Sensor manager

Whereas in previous versions Locus connected sensors via individual protocol managers, now everything is concentrated in one central administrator. So you have sensors connected in all places via all available communication channels.

When connecting a new sensor, first select the protocol - you can choose Bluetooth 4+, older Bluetooth 3, ANT + and now also USB.

Once you have selected the appropriate communication protocol, a menu of available sensors will appear, which Locus is able to connect. For Bluetooth 4, most sensors work with the standard format, some we had to add manually. The older BT 3 protocol is used only by external GPSs, some Polars, and Zephyrs.

Power meter

As you may have noticed, a power meter has been added to the list of connectable sensors. Locus Map thus joined the ranks of thoroughbred sports trackers such as Strava or RideWithGPS:

Compared to older versions, you can now have more sensors of the same type, which will be appreciated especially by owners of more bikes. Or vice versa, one sensor with multiple measured parameters. You can link the sensors to the individual profiles of the route log. So, for example, when you get on a bike and start recording with a "bike" profile, Locus automatically activates the appropriate sensors - an HRM, power meter or cadence and you can go to training without undue delay.

Support for GNSS devices connected via USB

Although the Locus Map application is primarily intended for outdoor leisure activities, it is also used by professionals from many scientific, industrial or agricultural fields. They often work with very precise positioning devices that communicate with the mobile device due to large data flows via USB. External GPSs are also used by remote travelers who need to save phone battery.

Share your location on the Locus website

With the new version, you can stick your finger on the map and simply send a link with its location to friends. The link will open on the Locus Map, for absolutely everyone. Even for those who don't know Locus, on a PC and in a mobile browser. And yes, even on Apple devices.

You can also share the location of any LoPoint (point of interest on the map) or point from your own database. For example, "Let’s meet at this geocache."

And finally distance markers!

Such a trifle, and how much work it took, right? Well, we were rather overwhelmed with tasks that "burned" us more, so we only got to the markers now. You can turn on their display on the map in the track/route settings:

The trees are slowly starting to color for us, so update quickly and go out into the forest!

Článek Locus Map 4.4 is easier to connect to external sensors se nejdříve objevil na Locus Map - mobile outdoor navigation app.