Messages

[lidar2map]

Hi all,

A sibling to the gpxsolar tool I posted here recently — same idea, different data.

lidar2map is a free open-source tool (GPLv3) that turns high-resolution LiDAR into shaded-relief map overlays you can load in Locus Map. It downloads the elevation data, builds the relief, and tiles it for you.

What it produces: multidirectional hillshade and Sky-View Factor (SVF) relief — the kind of visualization that reveals micro-terrain you can't see on satellite or standard maps (old paths, terraces, earthworks, drainage). Useful for hiking route-finding and terrain reading.



Same place: satellite, OpenStreetMap, then the LiDAR relief (SVF) — the relief reveals what the other two don't show.

And loaded as an overlay inside Locus Map:



Heads-up on coverage: the built-in data source is the French national LiDAR HD (IGN), so out of the box it covers France only. The processing itself is generic — if you have your own LiDAR tiles for another region, the relief pipeline works on those too.

How to use it in Locus Map:
[list=1]

• Generate an MBTiles or SQLiteDB output (the SQLiteDB uses the RMaps schema Locus reads natively).
• Load it as a map overlay (Settings → Maps → overlay), or as a standalone map.
• Stack it under your usual map at reduced opacity to combine relief with your base layer.

Outputs: MBTiles (universal), SQLiteDB (RMaps schema — Locus / OsmAnd), Mapsforge .map, RMAP (CompeGPS / TwoNav). Runs on Windows / Linux / macOS, GUI or CLI.

Repo (code, build, docs): https://github.com/nico579/lidar2map

Hobby project — feedback welcome, especially on the Locus loading side.

[gpxsolar]

Hi all,

freischneider kindly pointed me here from the ideas site — this is the right board for it.

I made gpxsolar, a free open-source tool (GPLv3) that computes where sun and shadow fall along a GPX track at a given date and time, using elevation data and the terrain horizon. It exports a map overlay you can load directly in Locus Map.

Why it's useful on the trail: on a summer hike you want to know which sections will be in shade at 2 p.m.; in winter, where the sun still reaches; for photography, where the light hits. The overlay shows it at a glance.



Same track, three times of day — the cast shadow moves across the terrain.

How to use it in Locus Map:
[list=1]

• Load the generated MBTiles as a map overlay (Settings → Maps → overlay).
• Import the colored track KML as a regular track (the overlay is a raster, so the track comes separately).
• Keep the overlay opacity at 100%. The semi-transparency is already baked into the tiles — if you lower Locus's layer opacity, Locus re-composites the tiles and faint seams appear between them. At 100% it's seamless.

Outputs: KMZ (Google Earth), MBTiles (Locus / OsmAnd overlay), colored track KML. Input is a GPX + a date/time. Runs on Windows / Linux / macOS, GUI or CLI.

Repo (code, build, docs): https://github.com/nico579/gpxsolar

It's a hobby project — feedback very welcome, especially from people who load custom overlays in Locus.