Map GB 2

It has a proper postcode search. You get every postcode in Britain (1.7 million of them). These are stored in the app's database on your device.

You get every street in Britain (800,000 of them), these are also stored in the app's database.

The postcode and street data is sourced from the Ordnance Survey and is updated every two months.

The map, postcode data and street data are free to download.

This is a very simple map app. It's aimed at professional delivery drivers and as such is quick and reliable. You get the search screen with one tap from the map screen. You can enter postcodes with or without the space. The screens are uncluttered. The map screen has optional zoom buttons and scale bar, so you can set it with nothing at all showing over the map screen.

Because it works offline it is very quick. When you hit the search button you get taken straight to the map.

The app doesn't have navigation but it can show your location.

It doesn't have Point of Interest or "Where is the nearest..." searches, such as you would find on map apps aimed at tourists. This helps to keep it very simple and easy to use.

Map data is from Open Street Map. It is very detailed in places, showing buildings and house numbers. It uses the Mapsforge mapping engine which produces high quality vector map views.

Having the whole of Britain at every zoom level, every postcode in Britain and every street in Britain requires some storage space. The app on its own is 3MB. The app including the postcode and street data is about 160MB. The map is about 500MB, and can be stored on a SD card.

You can download the map on it's own and browse it or view your GPS location on it without downloading the postcodes and streets data. Equally you can download just the map and postcode data or just the map and streets data if space is a concern for you.

Written For Delivery Drivers by a Delivery Driver!

Whilst developing this app I was working as a delivery driver to supplement my income. I was delivering sushi on a scooter in Central London. I used an online map but it drove me nuts when I didn't have an internet connection or the server was busy and I couldn't perform the simplest of tasks, searching for an address. So I had a look on Google Play for an offline map app with a proper postcode search and couldn't find anything suitable, so I decided to write my own! Hence this app. I used this app as my only map app when doing my deliveries, so it's been developed in the field in a real life situation. I also showed it to my colleagues and listened to any feedback they had.

The map covers Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales). I wasn't able to make a UK map as the Ordnance Survey doesn't provide postcode or street data for Northern Ireland.

Installation Instructions

1. Install the app
2. Download the map
3. Download the postcodes
4. Download the streets

Install the app. From within the app menu download the map. At this point you can browse the map and see your GPS location on it. You can also move the map onto a SD card if you wish, using your device's file manager.

You can't search the map at this point because there's no data in the database. You need to download the data for the postcodes and/or the streets. You do this from the app menu. You can download just the postcodes or just the streets, or both. You can now search the map.

The map, postcodes and streets are provided separately from the app. This is so they can be updated without needing to update the app.