ArxSilex MapTools

Author:

ArxSilex

License:

Proprietary (free;in-app purchases)

Platform:

Android

Status:

Active

Version:

2.80.3 (2026-09-29)

Languages:

Czech, German, English, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Swedish, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Simplified Chinese

Website:

https://www.arxsilex.de/app/maptools/

Install:

Google Play

Programming language:

Kotlin

Local-first Android map and geodata toolkit for OSM-based online maps, user-provided offline data, OGC web services, GPS tracking, routing and field work.

Features

Feature	Value
Map Display
Display map	yes
Map data	raster;vector
Source	online;cache;offline
Rotate map	yes
3D view	no
Shows website	yes
Shows phone number	yes
Shows operation hours	yes
Routing
Routing	yes
Create route manually	yes
Calculate route	yes
Create route via Waypoints	yes
Routing profiles	?
Turn restrictions	no
Calculate route without Internet (Offline routing)	yes
Routing providers	?
Avoid traffic	no
Traffic Provider	?
Navigating
Navigate	yes
Find location	no
Find nearby POIs	yes
Navigate to point	yes
Navigation with voice / Voice guidance	no
Keep on road	no
Lane guidance	no
Works without GPS	yes
Navigate along predefined route	yes
Tracking
Make track	yes
Customizable log interval	yes
Track formats	gpx;kml;geojson;csv
Geotagging	note;photo;audio
Fast POI buttons	yes
Upload GPX to OSM	no
Monitoring
Monitoring	yes
Show current track	yes
Open existing track	yes
Altitude diagram	yes
Show POD value	no
Satellite view	yes
Show live NMEA data	no
Show speed	yes
Send current position	yes
Editing
Add POIs	no
Edit / Delete POIs	no
Add way	no
Edit geometries	no
Edit arbitrary tags of existing OSM objects	no
Edit relations	no
View notes	no
Create notes	no
Edit notes	no
Work offline	?
Support imagery offset DB	no
Upload to OSM	no
Rendering ?
Accessibility
Accessibility support	?
Complete non graphics text output	no
Braille interface	no
Exploration modus	no
Public Transport mode	no
Danger Warnings	no
Screenreader	?
Screenreader languages	?

ArxSilex MapTools is an Android application for field work with maps, GPS positions and geodata. It combines OpenStreetMap-based online maps, user-configured map and feature services, user-provided offline data and local project objects.

The application is a local map workspace rather than an OpenStreetMap editor. Markers, POI, tracks, routes, areas, circles, bearings, distances, search grids and view-range results created in MapTools belong to a local project. The app does not edit or upload objects, notes or GPS traces to the OpenStreetMap database.

External services and datasets are selected or imported by the user. They may have their own attribution, licence, registration, fee, caching and usage requirements and are not automatically included for free.

Map and geodata features

Maps and layers

Four map slots can keep different combinations of map sources and layers ready for switching in the field.
Online map display includes a built-in OpenStreetMap tile source with visible attribution.
Google Roadmap, Hybrid, Satellite and Terrain views can be used through the Google Maps SDK when Google connections are enabled and the service is available.
User-configured HTTPS sources support XYZ, OSGeo TMS, WMTS 1.0.0, WMS 1.1.1/1.3.0, compatible OGC API Tiles collections and eligible OGC API Maps resources. A raster service can be used as a base map or overlay.
Compatible WMS, WMTS and OGC raster layers can be selected together, ordered, previewed and stored. Supported TIFF/GeoTIFF image responses can be decoded in addition to common web raster formats. Attribution from active sources is combined on the map.
User-configured raster and vector service layers can also be displayed over supported Google Roadmap, Hybrid, Satellite and Terrain views. The same service authentication, caching, attribution and coordinate-transformation rules apply.
WMS and compatible WMTS layers can provide feature-information queries. OGC API Features and WFS services can be added as queryable and searchable vector feature layers in both the MapTools renderer and supported Google map views. This can include compatible cadastral datasets such as ALKIS where a selected provider exposes them under suitable access and licence terms; MapTools does not supply the dataset.
User-provided offline maps and layers can include Mapsforge maps, raster MBTiles, native read-only GeoPackage content, GeoTIFF overlays, vector layers, Mapsforge POI databases and render themes. GeoPackage feature tables are read from their source file and loaded for the visible map extent. Georeferenced orthophotos, historical maps and plans can be used as transparent raster overlays when supplied in a compatible format. Mapsforge render themes can be imported and managed separately from their maps.
Offline terrain data can be supplied as HGT/SRTM, DEM GeoTIFF, ASC or DTED for point elevations, elevation profiles, barometer context, hillshade, contours, terrain-based view-range calculations and optional Sun/Moon terrain-shadow analysis. Missing elevation values are distinguished from a valid elevation of 0 m, and NoData sentinel values are not displayed as real elevations. Where several enabled elevation sources overlap, finer spatial resolution takes priority; NoData can fall back to the next source, and hillshade can fill gaps from coarser sources without double-darkening valid areas.
A shared coordinate transformation layer is used for coordinate input and supported ArcGIS/Esri JSON, GeoTIFF, WMS, WMTS, OGC API Tiles/Maps, OGC API Features and WFS data. Web Mercator is displayed directly; other supported coordinate reference systems can be transformed locally.
A scale bar, InfoTap mode and a screen-fixed crosshair assist map work. The crosshair can position markers as well as points for small areas and routes and the centre of a circle while showing preferred coordinate formats and available information from active map or feature layers. Direct placement on the map remains available. InfoTap results can be copied or saved as TXT or PDF reports.

Local objects and measurements

Local project objects include markers, imported POI, tracks, routes, areas, circles, bearings, distances, view ranges and search grids.
Marker coordinates can be determined from a series of GNSS fixes and, in the Pro edition, combined with later measurement sessions. Accuracy and observation information remain attached to the result.
Distance and bearing tools include elevation profiles, guided cross-bearing and intersection calculations. Bearings can be taken from map points, the compass or the camera-based AR view, subject to available sensors.
Distance and bearing lines use a transient zoom-dependent 1/2/5 measurement scale. Major ticks show cumulative distance from the start while minor ticks remain unlabelled; the scale is calculated only for the visible part of the line and is not stored with the object.
Areas show edge lengths and angles. Area-based calculations can estimate fence length and post quantities; availability and object-size limits depend on the edition.
Search grids support separate cell-size and physical search-width settings, visited-cell tracking and fixed or accuracy-aware coverage strips along recorded movement. Changes to a linked area or circle are previewed before the boundary and coverage state are replaced.
Object alarms can monitor distance conditions for markers, circles, areas and routes. Full geometry is evaluated while the app is visible; markers and circles can additionally use Android system geofences in the background after explicit opt-in. Android timing, battery and location restrictions still apply.
Coordinate tools support decimal degrees, degrees/minutes/seconds, degrees and decimal minutes, UTM, MGRS, Plus Codes, Maidenhead Locator and a curated set of projected CRS definitions.

Routes can be drawn freely, edited point by point or calculated along ways in a compatible Mapsforge vector map. The routing source is selected separately from the visible base map, so an offline Mapsforge map can provide the route while another map is displayed. Calculated segments work offline. The editor opens without an implicitly selected point and clearly highlights a deliberately selected point. A new point can be placed anywhere on the map; only the adjacent connections are recalculated as a cancellable preview, while the saved geometry remains visible as a faded reference. A direct connection is retained when no suitable routed connection is available. Undo and redo allow several edits or deletions without a confirmation dialog for every point. A selected section can be replanned between two points. In the Pro edition, planned routes can also be split into named stages and merged in a reviewed order. When saving an edited route, the user explicitly chooses whether to update it or create a named route with its own identifier while keeping the original unchanged; drafts and final writes are stored atomically and verified.
Route following can start in the middle of a route and provides information, directional guidance or a route-monitoring mode with corridor and deviation warnings, pause/resume and an offline daylight forecast. Navigation can be suspended safely and continued later from the stored point. The remaining-time estimate sums the slope-aware times of the remaining route segments. Reliable personal performance for ascent, level ground and descent gains influence gradually with elapsed time and distance; inaccurate fixes, off-route periods and unreliable progress assignments are excluded from learning. Routes can show calculated transitions between daylight, twilight and night with estimated time, distance, local time and time-zone changes. The app does not provide traffic-aware, lane or spoken turn-by-turn routing.
GPS tracks can be recorded with speed- and power-aware automatic profiles or a user-selected time or distance interval. Track recording separates the position used for map display from internal GNSS processing and checks suspicious fix sequences within strict limits. Pauses and confirmed reception gaps remain separate segments in map display, statistics, navigation and GPX, KML, GeoJSON and CSV exports. Track statistics suppress isolated maximum-speed spikes by checking neighbouring movement sections instead of accepting a single implausible position jump as the maximum.
Live and final ascent and descent use the same distance- and segment-based profile filtering. Unreliable elevations and unresolved gaps do not create artificial elevation gain; the changing live value is marked as an estimate.
Recorded tracks can be inspected and cleaned point by point or by section. Suspicious jumps are suggestions only. Saving creates a corrected copy while preserving the original track, timestamps and genuine segment boundaries.
Planned routes and completed tracks have separate summary views. Planned routes show a slope-aware static time estimate, distance, planned speed and breaks, while recorded tracks show available actual timing, pause, average-speed, pace, elevation and quality information. Route summaries load a compact OpenStreetMap preview when online and show an explicit neutral fallback when the map cannot be loaded.
In the Pro edition, route and track summaries can be saved or shared as publication-ready PNG images. Layout choices place the map beside the statistics, above the statistics or in a separate image; no title block is forced into the output. The map can be panned, zoomed and rotated inside a fixed frame or kept north-up, while a fine route line and an elevation profile with labelled axes and major and minor grid lines preserve map detail. Web-size and larger output options use 2,000 or 3,000 pixels, and the last presentation settings are retained without a preset manager. Files are written to a location chosen through Android's system picker.
Summary PNGs can use OpenStreetMap Standard with attribution or no background map and can include eligible visible project objects and local vector layers from the current slot. After opening the export area, the view scrolls automatically to the preview. Unsupported or licence-restricted content is identified by source or category instead of only being counted; Google Maps imagery and sources with unclear export rights are never copied into the file. Summary views with their maps and statistics, as well as available planned-route elevation profiles, remain available in the Free edition; PNG export and recorded-track elevation profiles in the summary are Pro functions. Separate elevation-profile PDF reports elsewhere in the app are not summary-card exports.
Tapping a route that is already visible does not change the map extent or zoom, while opening it from the object browser fits the complete route. Object, POI and point information sheets can be collapsed while the map remains pannable and zoomable. Route distances use the complete stored geometry.
Quick photo, text-memo and audio actions can create geolocated markers during field work. Track details can group these media markers with files captured during the track's time range.
Local images, PDF documents and audio notes can be attached to supported project objects or to a project. Images have an internal viewer and gallery; attachment metadata can be inspected and selected attachments can be included in a project export.
The compass can use supported device sensors and display magnetic or geographic north. GNSS views report fix and satellite information; compatible externally supplied RTK quality data can be recorded, but MapTools does not itself provide an RTK correction service.
Target navigation, terrain-based view-range analysis and optional AR/LiveView overlays provide additional field orientation for markers, bearings and supported map objects. View-range results can be kept as project objects and exported as images.

Data management and exchange

The Data Center groups active and available maps, layers, terrain, POI and imported files. Smart Import inventories selected files or ZIP archives before anything is activated. Supported archives can expose multiple GPX, KML/KMZ, GeoJSON and LOC files as individually selectable layers. Offline packages with a maptools-package.json manifest are checked by path, size and SHA-256, while older supported packages remain recognizable. The automatic import entry points in the Data Center and MapBrowser use the same large-file-safe selection path. Large map, raster and elevation files are inspected and prepared without blocking the interface; the actual import can then copy and analyse the selected content in the background.
Projects and collections keep related map objects together. The Free edition uses one current project; the Pro edition provides a project library and multi-project workflows.
Supported import or exchange formats include ArxSilex project files, GPX, KML/KMZ, GeoJSON, ArcGIS/Esri JSON, LOC, CSV/TSV/TXT, compatible Shapefile ZIP packages, GeoPackage feature data and Mapsforge POI databases, depending on the data and edition. Native GeoJSON import/export preserves supported geometry and properties for a later round trip.
Selected objects can be exchanged through QR codes without an Internet service, within the size and edition limits.
Data folders can be linked through Android's Storage Access Framework for app-wide or project-specific access and can be opened directly from the MapBrowser. Files are imported or managed only after an explicit user action.
App backups can include selected projects, settings, map presets and offline resources and can optionally be password-encrypted. Restore can create a new project, replace or merge data or import selected content. Credentials for online services are not exported in plain text.

Local live functions

Nearby group members can exchange positions, status, short messages and map-marker events through Bluetooth Low Energy without an Internet service. Group information can be exchanged by QR code. The Free edition can join a group; group creation is a Pro function.
Public Direct Remote ID broadcasts in supported Open Drone ID/ASTM F3411, ASD-STAN/EU and compatible DJI variants can be received through Bluetooth Low Energy, Wi-Fi Aware/NAN and Wi-Fi Beacon and shown relative to the user's position. Optional local history can be exported as KML, GeoJSON or CSV in the Pro edition. MapTools only receives broadcasts and does not connect to or control a drone. Device support, Android permissions and radio conditions affect reception.

Interface profiles and outdoor use

Standard and Hiking interface profiles change the visible controls without replacing the current maps, layers, projects or recordings. The Hiking profile gives direct access to markers, tracks, routes and telemetry.
Map presets are separate from interface profiles. A preset can restore the complete four-slot setup, including slot order, disabled slots, the active slot, map sources, styles, layers, terrain, raster overlays, hillshade or contours, POI layers and object visibility. Unsaved changes are protected when switching; custom preset limits depend on the edition.
High contrast, adjustable application and map-label text sizes, glove mode, increased screen brightness and a red night display are available for outdoor use.
Map controls and the order of tools inside the main menu groups can be adjusted. Important recording and navigation actions use deliberate confirmation, and closing the app can require confirmation while active work is saved.
A profile-specific guided introduction uses the actual map interface. A separate detailed tutorial explains the complete menu structure. A settings view reports background activities, memory, cache and storage status without starting an additional monitoring service. The same area can show and share a local TXT diagnostic report with MapTools crash records, available Android process-exit information and recent map-lifecycle events. Current permission, notification, background/battery and app-storage state is added when the report is opened or refreshed. Reports are retained locally for a limited period of up to seven days of app use, contain no routes or coordinates and are never uploaded automatically; the user decides whether to share them, with the support address offered only as an e-mail suggestion.
After a process restart, the last opened project is restored, with an active recording taking priority. Following a genuine background recovery, VTM and offline maps are prepared away from the user-interface thread so that the base map can become usable before more expensive supplementary layers.

Local and service-backed geodata search

The shared geodata search can query imported POI data on the device and, when requested, visible, enabled and search-enabled OGC API Features or WFS layers. Users can search only local data, add the services of the active map slot or select individual sources. The visible map extent, a reference point or a selectable radius can restrict the spatial scope; an explicit no-radius option disables the distance filter. Local POI can be filtered by text and category. Remote attribute filters are offered only where the service declares suitable searchable properties.

Local results react while text is entered. Remote requests start only after the user deliberately submits the search. For OGC API Features, MapTools uses declared queryables and CQL2 capabilities. For WFS it uses properties and operators reported through DescribeFeatureType and Filter_Capabilities. Raw CQL2 or FES expressions are not accepted from user input.

Results remain separated by source and layer. Selecting a result focuses and temporarily highlights its point, line or area geometry on the map and opens the feature details already returned by the service. A failed or unavailable remote source does not discard usable local results or results from other sources. Remote sources can be retried separately, and additional result pages can be loaded where the service supports them.

This function is not a general Internet address search and does not query Nominatim or edit OpenStreetMap. External services must first be configured by the user and may impose their own availability, attribution, registration, fees, licences, request limits and privacy terms. Service access is not included with MapTools.

Offline astronomy and daylight planning

The astronomy view calculates Sun and Moon rise, set, upper transit, altitude and azimuth, Moon phase and civil, nautical and astronomical twilight for a selected position, date and time. A monthly overview lists rise and set times, Moon phase and illumination, daylight duration and optional civil twilight for each local day. The overview can be shared as text or saved as CSV and does not require elevation data. The astronomy view also provides altitude, azimuth, events and a mathematical visibility status for five planets, 17 bright stars and the orientation patterns Cassiopeia, the Southern Cross and the Pleiades. The local IANA time zone is resolved from bundled data, so these calculations do not require an online astronomy service.

The map can show labelled Sun and Moon direction lines, their paths and an optional terrain-shadow surface for a selected time. A Moon-phase filter helps distinguish geometric Moon-shadow planning from periods with a small illuminated fraction. A DTM represents bare terrain; buildings and vegetation are included only where the user supplies a suitable DSM. Coverage, surface type, grid spacing, range limits and missing elevation data are reported with the result. Weather, clouds, atmospheric conditions, artificial light and perceived ground brightness are not modelled.

During route preparation and route following, an offline daylight forecast can combine the planned departure time, breaks, route geometry, available elevation information and the same slope-aware remaining-time model. Personal walking performance influences the estimate only after sufficient reliable movement evidence has accumulated. The adaptation remains local and does not start an additional location request, periodic network access, service or wake lock. The forecast estimates the light phase at arrival, the next darker twilight boundary and optional warnings before civil twilight and night. Transition markers can show route distance, local time and time-zone changes. Buildings, forest and weather are not part of this estimate.

Planned routes and recorded tracks can additionally be analysed section by section for direct Sun, terrain shadow, Sun below the horizon and unknown areas. Recorded tracks use their actual timestamps. This terrain-sunlight analysis requires suitable elevation data enabled in the active map slot and preserves unknown coverage instead of treating it as sun.

The Pro edition has an optional astronomy map layer with labelled bearing lines for up to five automatically or manually selected celestial targets. Currently useful targets and, when enabled, targets that become useful later can be shown. The layer is calculated locally and can be used over compatible online or offline maps.

Online maps, caching and offline use

ArxSilex MapTools distinguishes between map tiles retained by the normal cache during interactive viewing and data prepared for offline use. The built-in OpenStreetMap tile source has a bounded cache and does not offer area prefetching or an offline-region download function.

Cache behaviour for a user-configured service depends on its HTTP headers, authentication and the provider information stored for that source. Responses marked as no-store or private are not retained by the persistent online-map cache. The technical availability of a WMS, WMTS, XYZ, TMS, OGC API Tiles/Maps, OGC API Features or WFS endpoint is not treated as permission for bulk downloading or long-term offline use.

The app-wide offline switch prevents new Internet requests initiated by MapTools and pauses online maps, online layers, update checks and billing checks. Imported maps, local data, GNSS, tracking, measurement tools and compatible offline routing remain available. Cached tiles may remain visible where their licence and response headers permit this. The switch does not put Android, other apps or an external browser offline.

Separate switches can disable MapTools' Google connections or the built-in OSM online map without automatically disabling user-configured services. An optional radio-silence setting also stops MapTools Wi-Fi/BLE scanning, Wi-Fi Aware, BLE advertising, Remote ID reception and BLE group mode; it does not disable the device radios or other applications.

For planned offline work, users can import local files or link a folder through Android's Storage Access Framework. The user or data provider remains responsible for the licence, use and redistribution rights of those files.

Free and Pro

The Free edition includes the central map, measurement, navigation, tracking, local search and project workflow, with limits on projects, objects, track duration and points, search grids, offline maps, active layers, overlays, custom services, import/export and active object alarms. Extra offline maps, vector layers and raster overlays remain stored but are kept inactive above the Free active limit. Area point limits depend on the edition, and GeoJSON and ArcGIS/Esri JSON import requires Pro. The Free edition can store one user-configured XYZ, TMS, WMTS or WMS service with one selected map layer and one OGC API Features or WFS service with its selected layers. Eligible layers from that feature service can participate in the shared geodata search. Route and track summaries are available in both editions.

The Pro edition raises or removes these working limits and adds functions such as multiple-project management, additional import/export and backup options, GPS position averaging and later measurement sessions, post/fence estimates, creation of BLE groups and Remote ID export. Free astronomy map directions cover the Sun, Moon and Polaris; Pro provides directions for the other supported celestial objects and the multi-target astronomy layer. It also provides PNG export for route and track summaries, including the recorded-track elevation profile. The current numeric comparison is maintained on the official website. Fees, accounts or registration required by external data providers are independent of the MapTools edition and are not included in the Pro purchase.

Companion desktop converter

The separate ArxSilex MapTools Converter is a portable desktop application for Windows and Linux. It can preview, clip and convert local OpenStreetMap PBF, Mapsforge map and POI files and supported elevation datasets. Depending on the input, it can export Mapsforge map and POI files, a clipped PBF extract or separate HGT, GeoTIFF, ASC or DTED elevation data. Multiple rectangular and circular areas can be selected. Processing takes place locally and the converter does not edit or upload data to OpenStreetMap.

The converter is a separate project with its own versioning and is released as free software under GPL-3.0-only. This licence does not apply to the proprietary Android application or replace the licences and attribution requirements of input and output geodata.

Screenshots

Standard map view showing a route, distance measurement, markers, a circle and an area
Outdoor compass with sensor source, accuracy, fixed bearing and magnetic-field assessment
Route export with elevation data and track information
Online service manager for XYZ/TMS, WMTS, WMS, OGC API and WFS sources
Connected WMTS map with source attribution
Offline twilight and daylight curve with astronomy-layer and bearing-line controls
Offline list of planets and bright stars with altitude, azimuth and rise/set times
Offline astronomy layer with bearings to selected stars

Availability and requirements

ArxSilex MapTools is distributed through Google Play for Android devices. The current production release is version 2.80.3, version code 56, published on 2026-09-29. An Android device with GNSS is recommended. Some functions additionally require sensors, camera access, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or an Internet connection. Current version and release information is maintained in the software infobox and the official changelog.

Typical uses include combining an OSM-based map with local project objects, loading a prepared offline map, displaying an organisation's WMS, WMTS, OGC API Features or WFS service, recording a track, preparing and following a route, estimating daylight along a route, using local astronomical orientation, searching imported POI data and selected remote feature layers and exporting selected project data.

Privacy policy

According to the official privacy information, MapTools follows a local-first approach. Projects, tracks, local map objects, imported maps, POI data, terrain data, attachments and backups generally remain on the device. No ArxSilex account or app-operated cloud synchronisation is required.

Data leaves the device when the user deliberately uses online maps or feature services, sharing, export, QR or nearby group functions, or other external services. An online provider can receive technical request information such as the IP address, requested map area, user agent and connection data.

Searches in imported POI data stay on the device. An OGC API Features or WFS search contacts the selected provider only after deliberate submission. The provider then receives the entered search term and, depending on the selected scope, the map extent, a reference point or a radius. MapTools does not keep a search history by default and does not copy remote results into the local POI search database. The app-wide offline switch and radio-silence mode block these remote search requests.

Credentials for authenticated online services are stored encrypted on the device and excluded from project files, app backups, cache paths and stored capabilities metadata. According to the privacy policy, the app does not use Firebase Analytics, Google Analytics, Crashlytics or AdMob and does not sell personal or sensitive data.

Full privacy information:

Help

For app support, users can contact support@arxsilex.de. Privacy-related requests can be sent to privacy@arxsilex.de.

External links