Naviki is a great idea for cycling and I want to support it. What can I do?

1.  Recommend Naviki to your friends and acquaintances. Link to www.naviki.org.

2.  Use our routing form. After registering, you can go to My Naviki / Routing form and download a source code, then use it to offer a routing service on your own website. More...

3.  Upload your own routes and use them to expand the Naviki network. You'll see that it's great fun to record your cycling activities in this way!

Can I really permanently use Naviki free of charge?

Yes, Naviki will remain free of charge for end users for the long term. Naviki is a non-commercial service offered by the Laboratory for Software Engineering at the Münster University of Applied Sciences.

What is meant by "beta" or "beta version"?

The beta version is a provisional version, not yet completed technically or in terms of design, but nonetheless already available to users. Naviki is also currently at this stage. We are constantly working to expand the scope of our functions and to optimise the system.

What browsers support Naviki?

...We are currently checking the functional capacity on FireFox, Chrome, InternetExplorer and Safari. As irregularities in our experience occur most often with InternetExplorer, we recommend Firefox...

I don't have a GPS receiver. Can I still use Naviki?

Yes, you can use Naviki even without a GPS receiver! You can trace your desired route on the screen and by clicking on "Print view" in the box "Further information" you can call up a specially created printer-friendly view.

When purchasing your next mobile phone, make sure it's compatible with one of the Naviki apps (at present: iPhone and Android).

Does Naviki allow the setting of intermediate destinations when calling up a route?

Yes, Naviki will allow you to give intermediate destinations, to let you design the route you want. When calling up a route, click on the map with the right mouse key, and you will be able to set the places you want to call by. Afterwards, you can put your destinations into the order you want in the "Work out route" box on the right. It's also very simple to set a circular route, using intermediate destinations.

I have had a route worked out for me by Naviki and know that there is a more attractive route for cyclists. What can I do?

Many of the routes considered by Naviki have been drawn up by users and uploaded to Naviki. In addition, Naviki is familiar with many officially designated cycling lanes and paths from OpenStreetMap (OSM). Evidently, the route you know has not yet been taken into account. The best thing to do would be to chart the route with a GPS device and upload it to Naviki.

Does Naviki offer printable route information?

Yes, when Naviki presents you with your routing result, you can call up a specially created printer-friendly view by clicking on "Print view" in the box "Further information".

What is the condition of the track surface on the routes calculated by Naviki?

Naviki does not at present distinguish between different surfaces. This means that information may contain asphalt and gravel as well as unsurfaced tracks. However, we do plan to include a preliminary setting for surfacing in the future, so that users can decided on their (preferred) track surface when routing.

Does Naviki at present plan routes only in Germany?

The extension of routing within Europe is coming very soon.

Will I need a continuous Internet connection to use Naviki apps?

Yes - in order to use the app , you need an Internet connection. There must be contact to the Naviki system on the Internet in order to display routing results. The apps also regularly reload the map sections displayed from the Internet.

...Berechnete Routen und selbst aufgezeichnete Wege werden zunächst auf dem Smartphone gespeichert und dann beim Synchronisieren mit dem Konto auf naviki.org abgeglichen....

The apps do not save even charted routes on the smartphone, but on the relevant user account (which is to say on the web server), so that these can be called up later via www.naviki.org. If an Internet connection is included in your planning from the beginning, this makes using the apps much easier.  We decided to proceed in this way because most smartphone tariffs these days are flat rate and this kind of rate is going to expand considerably further in the future.

What about power supply en route and how long will my battery last?

GPS receivers generally have a battery that will ensure a power supply for many hours and up to several days. It's different for smartphones - if their batteries are used in GPS and net operation, they often run out after only a few hours. There are however many solutions on the market now that you can use to recharge while you are on the move. Power supply options en route...

When working out routes, my iPhone is unable to access the GPS function. What can I do?

Presumably you answered "no" to the iPhone's question as to whether the app can use the GPS. You can reverse this as follows: Settings / General / Local Services / Naviki; reset the I/O switch here. If the app is still running in the background, first press "Home" twice, and a list of active applications will appear. If you press the Naviki symbol for a longer time, the app can be ended (the I/O switch can be reset as described above).

What GPS receivers are compatible with Naviki?

Basically we can claim that Naviki is compatible with all GPS receivers on the market. If you want to use a file created by Naviki for navigation with your device, the file formats GPX, KML and OVL are available for downloading. For uploading routes you have mapped yourself, Naviki will even accept considerably more file formats.

What data formats can I use to upload my own routes to Naviki?

Naviki recognises numerous widespread file formats and it is very probable that it will recognise the format of your GPS receiver. In principle, we aim to make all file formats compatible in which routes are charted. If Naviki does not understand the format of your GPS receiver, we'd be happy if you would let us know.

Are there no Naviki apps for Nokia/Symbian, Windows Mobile, Blackberry, Palm or other platforms?

It is a fact that we currently offer apps only for Android and iPhone. Our limited manageable capacities mean that we are unfortunately not in a position to operate with all platforms. But we are of course monitoring the smartphone market and will be offering further apps in future when the opportunity arises. Unfortunately we are unable to say at the moment when this will be for what system.

In the meantime, you can use Naviki with any GPS-capable smartphone as follows: work out routes here at www.naviki.org , download the corresponding GPS files and then use with the navigation software of your choice on the smartphone.

What is the difference between Naviki and OpenStreetMap (OSM)?

OpenStreetMap (OSM) is a project that with the help of its users collects free editable geographic data that can be used for creating maps. Naviki fully supports the OSM project. OSM has been in existence since 2004 and since then has collected an impressive volume of data. In many areas OSM is more precise than official maps. Naviki also includes OSM data and from its contents makes use of the routes suitable for bikes. In contrast to OSM, Naviki focuses on user-friendly services (e.g. routing), easy operation and optimised navigation for cyclists. Naviki automatically integrates self-mapped routes into the map database, whereas OSM requires specialist knowledge to do so.
More about OSM...

Am I allowed to enter Naviki routes on OpenStreetMap (OSM)?

Yes, you are definitely allowed and also permitted by licensing rights to process Naviki data on OSM. This option helps Naviki to contribute to the further improvement of OSM. OSM mappers who want to use Naviki routes should at present proceed as follows: register at Naviki and then at "My Naviki" select and download the desired routes in the "Latest routes on Naviki" portlet .

How can I contribute to the continuing improvement of OSM?

On the page OpenStreetBugs it is very easy to mark positions on the OSM map that show errors. We recommend that you describe the errors in a way that's easy to understand and as exactly as possible. Once an OSM mapper has viewed the matter and made the corresponding correction, the correction will shortly afterwards also take effect in Naviki. 

How often does Naviki update the current status of OSM?

Naviki initiates updating with new OSM data every two weeks, after which it takes a few days for the current OSM data to be in use at Naviki. If Naviki therefore does not immediately take a change at OSM into account, this will most probably be the reason.

What OSM routes or tags does Naviki include?

Naviki only includes those OSM tracks in routing that are suitable for cyclists. In this process, Naviki does not treat the OSM data in a uniform manner, but gives preference to routes that are especially attractive to cyclists. We show the actual OSM tags concerned on our site via Naviki in the OSM Wiki.