M is for Maps and Museums
A-Z Challenge 2016: Apps in April
Maps
There is a wide range of map apps in the both the App store and Google Play store. A few of the varieties are:
-
organisation and institutional maps – includes maps of educational institutions and museums
-
navigation maps – includes Google maps, Open maps, Waze and more specific city and town maps
-
tourist maps – individual place maps with tourist highlights includes parks and hiking and other outdoor activity maps
-
transit maps – bus, train, underground/subway, cycle and parking maps
-
sky maps – star trackers, charts and mobile observatories
- weather maps – weather radar maps from official agencies and a raft of commercial products
Google maps
Some features other than the navigation that I use in the app -
Offline maps – download an area where I expect to be out of reception or network range is poor
Add or fix a place – improve the quality of the online data by editing or adding local information or missing places
Save places – useful for planning ahead for visits to previously unknown locations
Give some places private labels
Some other features of MyMaps are available only through the web version of Google maps but can be viewed through the apps. Sometimes I find it useful to pinch out a map and take a screenshot that I can then annotate and send to others. Download for
iOS or
Android.
***************************************
Museums
There are several companies that specialise in producing museum guides for the app market. Always visit the website of the museum first to see if they have an official guide. Here are some apps from favourite Australian museums.
Australian Museum- Sydney
This museum is based right in the heart of Sydney and a must visit especially for those with children. This app focuses on the natural history of Australia and offers a tour and quizzes. It is regularly updated. This is just one of the seven mobile apps produced by the museum. They are all available for both iOS and Android
Check out their Tyrannosaurs, Frogs field guide, Kids Trailblazers and
other apps on the website.
Powerhouse Museum- Sydney
The Powerhouse Museum Walking Tours app treats the visitor to central Sydney to a tour through time. It includes:
Exploring old Sydney: Sydney Harbour Bridge
Ultimo: charting 150 years of change
Pyrmont: charting 150 years of change
Exploring old Sydney: George street
Exploring old Sydney: The Rocks
Available for both
iOS and
Android
Museum Victoria – Melbourne
This walking tour through 3 historic Melbourne precincts is just one of the many apps produced by Museum Victoria.
The walks include:Spotswood Industrial Heritage Walk, Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens Walk and Melbourne's Golden Mile.
There are over 700 images included from the museum’s collections.
Eight field guide apps to Australia’s unique fauna have also been produced by Museum Victoria in conjunction with the other State museums. All of these apps are free and available for both iOs and Android.
Enjoy exploring these Australian apps from just a few of our museums. Watch out for apps from museums in your local area.
Next up - N Notes on the News
Here’s another graphic design, creative typography and photo editing app to enhance your text or photos. There are standard and custom fonts with some excellent artwork text. Nudge, size, rotate, fade, add shadows, reposition text and choose colours to blend by using the colour picker. Each element of your design has its own layer so can be edited individually.
