Version 7.0 of MotionX-GPS is available now! Check out the new course-up maps and new optimized compass. For the iPhone 3GS we’ve added direction-up maps fully integrated with the embedded magnetometer.

New Features in MotionX-GPS V7:

• New direction-up maps and tracks integrated with the 3GS compass.
• Three new Bing map types with broad worldwide coverage.
• Optimized compass.
• Configurable map overlay (grid, scale, current Lat/Lon and compass rose).
• New cascading map selection menus.
• Streamlined track saving – just start MotionX-GPS and go!
• New Auto compass mode for iPhone 3GS switches automatically between magnetic and satellite mode for optimum performance.

Tony is a hot air balloon pilot, taking flight from scenic sites in Colorado near the Rocky Mountains. He uses MotionX-GPS to create tracks for sharing with clients, and to maintain a logbook of his flights. Using the MotionX’s easy sharing features he can email track stats to clients with a link to view the track in Google Maps, as well as post directly to Facebook to share with friends. He uses the GPX file from the email to create graphic elevation profiles using uTrack and stunning 3D flight profiles in Google Earth.

Tony told us, “I am using Fullpower’s MotionX-GPS app for tracking our pleasure balloon flights in beautiful Colorado. I use the track recorder page to help track fuel usage during the flight. Most of our clients like to know how high we got and how far we traveled on the flight. MotionX-GPS makes it so easy to let them see all of the specifics of the flight they just took. I normally post the flight to my Facebook page before we even have the balloon packed up. If you are looking for an app for any outdoor activity, MotionX-GPS is for you.”

In the picture below, Tony is flying the balloon on the left.

Google Earth Track Profile:

uTrack Elevation Profile:

The Race: 40 miles downwind on the Columbia River from Cascade Locks, Oregon to The Dalles, Oregon.
It is a 40 mile West to East course in an area of typically strong prevailing Westerlies.
This year the wind was 20-40 knots! More about the Double Damned Race

Morgan and his team used MotionX-GPS on his Moore 24 sailboat to track the race. It took the them 3 hours and 50 minutes to finish the race for an average speed of 10.44 knots. View their track in Google Maps

This sequence of pictures shows the boat throwing huge spray and then submerging, followed by a near wipe out. They saved the boat from capsizing but as you can see below, their competition was not so lucky.

Morgan and his team blasting along the Columbia River:

Their track in Google Earth. Mount Hood visible on the top right.

The competition wiping out:

Craig Ellenwood, a Honolulu based photographer, set out on an adventure using MotionX-GPS on his iPhone and his photography equipment to capture the Kilauea lava flow on the Big Island of Hawaii. The lava flow is encroaching on the (mostly abandoned) Royal Gardens subdivision.

Craig heard about a man named Jack Thompson, who remarkably still lives in Royal Gardens and had lava flowing as close as 400 yards from his house. Craig wanted to document Jack’s lifestyle and see what it was like to live so close to an active lava flow.

The only way into the area is by helicopter. The road from Hilo has been cut off by the lava flow. Once on the ground, Jack acquainted Craig with the surroundings and told him that his boots would tell him where to walk. If he couldn’t stand the heat coming through the soles of his boots while walking on the lava field he should move away from that area.

Craig used MotionX-GPS as his sole navigation tool while hiking around the area taking photographs. He set Jack’s house as a waypoint and used the MotionX-Compass to help him back safely. He used the track recorder to tell how far he walked and listened to music with the iPod integration.

“Having MotionX-GPS on my iPhone added a level of security and technology that enabled my expedition to achieve my goals of first, surviving and finding my way out of the lava maze and second, enhancing my journey by keeping track of interesting areas marked as waypoints.” — Craig   www.ellenwoodphotography.com

Jack Thompson’s house surrounded by the lava flow:

How did you use MotionX-GPS during your shoot?

“I was hiking up the mountain towards Pu`u `O`o crater which would require some kind of navigation to get back. The lava snakes around little bits of jungle called kipukas which all look alike after awhile. There are no paths on the lava field and when it’s as active as it was, landmarks can change by the hour. I set Jacks house as a waypoint and noted the elevation which would help me find the correct altitude on my hike out of the lava field. I used the stopwatch to tell how far I’d walked, and listened to some music with the iPod integration. I tested the compass, it was accurate and helpful in a few places, especially in the dark. I as able to find my way back to Jack’s Kipuka and Plumeria St. using MotionX-GPS and the waypoints I set along the way. I marked active lava flows so I could find the breakouts later in the evening. Having MotionX-GPS on my iPhone added a level of security and technology that enabled my expedition to achieve my goals of firstly, surviving and finding my way out of the lava maze and secondly enhancing my journey by keeping track of interesting areas marked as waypoints.” — Craig

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John Stys is a 1st Lieutenant in the Civil Air Patrol (CAP), and he is the Health Services Officer and a Ground Team Leader at Palwaukee Composite Squadron. As a member of CAP and Palwaukee Composite Squadron he has participated heavily in air and ground based emergency services missions, and proudly served Presidential disaster recovery missions related to flooding in Illinois.

This year John participated in the Ground Search and Rescue portion of the National Emergency Services Academy in the Ground Team Leader school. It is an intensive combination of classroom and field training that provides advanced CAP ground team members with the opportunity to complete all requirements for the Ground Team Leader rating. Graduation requires overnights in the field, search operations (ELT and missing person searches), and significant cross-country travel.

Following the training session, John dropped us a note to say,

“MotionX-GPS was an indispensable tool for me during NESA. As part of our classroom and field training we spent a significant part of the academy reviewing and practicing land navigation skills. MotionX’s ability to provide coordinates in DMS, DM, D, UTM, and MGRS was particularly useful as a means to ‘double check’ our map and compass skills in the field. Also crucial to our success was the ability for MotionX to cache map data, as we were in areas of Indiana that had very limited cellular signal. As a self proclaimed gear-head, MotionX provides a value that far exceeds the big-box GPS brands in functionality and portability, not to mention the responsiveness of the developers.”

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