Topics for use case for Vertical (Walking / Trekking / Moutaineering... )

Marek Machala

Hey there,

I have Vertical solar and i intend to use it for walking / trekking / mountaineering along with usual life tracking. i hike /walk / trek for more than 20 years.

Here are my suggestions which could help me in outdoors out there:

Currently, the maps app cannot be seriously used for planning. So i use external planner, for example mapy.cz or outdooractive.com. Imported routes and even routes planned with suunto app, final saved route somehow does not reflect the mode i am going to use and it defaults to “Running” mode and speed to 8km/h. In Suunto app there is already “gradient” profile of the route, so determining more realistic speeds related to mode of use (cycling or walking) shouldn’t be a problem. This results to unrealistic ETA estimations. Suggesting to improve planning speeds as per gradient profile and assign proper mode as part of import or manually.
Turn - by turn navigation is customized for cycling or running so for use case of walking / trekking is ridiculous. it says 98 meters before the fork to make turn. and until you walk these 98 meters it gives you another 5 instructions, confusing you completely. Feedback to this is: Take data of current movement stats and make turn announcement at the time when it is relevant. Another feedback is overexcited on turning points. it announces turns at the places where there is no fork, adding up to confusion… So suggestion here is to make Turn-by-turn announcements based on current speed and only at relevant situations (when paths really fork)
Official routes, closures and path colors: In some countries, like Czech republic Poland, Hungary or Slovakia, paths have different colors than red and this is the main orientation tool for hikers. for example, orientation look like: “go 30 minutes on yellow then at the crossing named “xxx” turn right to blue and walk 1 hour” … so your map should color the routes and display names of crossings to improve orientation … For other countries, where everything is in red, orientation is according route number. Please include these important orientation elements into your map and navigation. In addition, in reservations you are not allowed to go off the official paths and in some time periods the paths are closed. Some paths goes through private properties, disallowing trespassing. You can protect your users from fines or lawsuits by marking and avoiding prohibited paths. So, suggestion is to improve orientation in map and navigation by path color and /or path number and do not allow making route and to the places prohibited. Inform user about position in prohibited territory.
Walking, trekking and mountaineering are activities for long time. You are on trek for long time, sometimes for whole day. Locking users to see only selected (although useful) information is not helpful. I want to see other information as well, without looking to my smartphone - how much time it is, without putting glasses on, how many steps i made, what are my missed calls when out of signal range, etc. I suggest you make possible to quit tracking mode without effectively stopping it. For example, with the sw version 2.35.34, when in sports tracking screen, after you long press upper button, it can give you choice of multisport or exit and keep tracking or alternatively after pressing lower button after pausing. In main screen, tracking can be notified by blinking red dot when tracking in progress and Still when tracking paused. Comeback to sports screens can be activated by upper right button.