Offline OpenStreetMap implemented through route-me on the iPhone.

Since I implemented a map view in my iPhone application I stand before the decision which framework to use.

Of course the first choice is to use Apple’s MKMapView implementation. Though very convenient to use, I realised its limitations pretty soon.

For example, I need to provide an offline solution of the map in case the network service is down. This is not possible with Apple’s solution, so i searched for alternatives.

The one I am using today is “route-me”. It is an open source framework and supports a number of different map sources for online and offline use. One of the most important is Openstreetmap, which is provided as open data in wiki style.

With this solution it was not only possible to add a 80MB (low detailed) offline map of Japan to my application but I am also able to switch to the online source for a more detailed version when the network service is available again.

It also gives you a wider range on available customisation for your needs, you can even write your own features and maybe later its implemented so everyone can use it.

Since many applications are already using the route-me framework there is a big active community of developers who always have a look on the ~500 member google group for bugs to fix. As it happened I also encountered a bug which I reported and a bug-fix was introduced after 2 days by a member of this group.

Sometimes its good to encounter certain limitations so you are widening your horizon for new possibilities you never sought before.