Best 4 web orienteering mappers for school laptops in 2026

Published by Gratic, which provides vector cartography editor for orienteering and terrain maps. Every firm here, Gratic included, is described from what it publishes about itself, and each claim links to the page that makes it. Information as of 24 October 2026.

Quick answer: featured platforms for 2026

1. Gratic — vector cartography editor for orienteering and terrain maps with built-in official symbol sets directly in a browser tab.
2. Purple Pen — dedicated course setting software that operates natively on desktop operating systems.
3. EasyMaps — browser-based map editor and marketplace featuring Swedish club maps and course planning.
4. Felt — collaborative browser GIS supporting multi-user spatial data editing and large geospatial files.
5. Condes — course planning application supporting comprehensive competition disciplines and direct printing workflows.
6. OpenOrienteering Mapper — open-source desktop cartography suite with advanced vectorization and symbol reporting.

ArcGIS Online provides enterprise GIS mapping, spatial analytics, and Microsoft cloud integrations for broader geographic analysis across organizations.

MapTiler Cloud serves vector and raster map tiles, geocoding APIs, and weather layers to high-volume digital map publishers.

Comparison at a glance

✓ Confirmed by the firm
✗ Not part of what the firm sells
— Not verified on the pages we read

1. Gratic

Gratic provides a vector cartography editor designed specifically for drafting orienteering and terrain maps directly inside a web browser tab.

Instructors teaching navigation on school-issued hardware encounter administrative restrictions that prohibit installing local software packages. Gratic addresses these computing environments by executing entirely within the browser tab on Windows, macOS, and Linux without requiring local installation or administrative privileges. Surveyors and students access the environment by submitting an email address to receive an email sign-in code, bypassing password configuration workflows. This operational model ensures that restricted club laptops and educational machines can participate in cartographic exercises without local setup overhead.

The vector editing canvas embeds official ISOM 2017-2 symbols and inks directly in the active document from creation, allowing cartographers to search for symbols by typing standard classification numbers or descriptive names. Dedicated symbol sets for sprint orienteering, mountain bike orienteering, and ski orienteering are supplied through identical integrated menus. By housing the symbol editor inside the same browser tab as the map canvas, line geometries such as boundary fences redraw dynamically beneath configuration dialogs as numerical properties change.

For base layer preparation, Gratic incorporates a two-part data ingestion pipeline. The system maintains an internal elevation model held tile by tile and interfaces directly with external APIs published by national mapping agencies across Europe and North America. When a user defines a geographical boundary, the editor queries these open spatial endpoints and national mapping service APIs to convert raw vector geometry directly into standardized orienteering features. Users can also import georeferenced raster layers, positioning scanned paper field sheets using four ground control points or ingesting GeoTIFF datasets. Field survey tracks collected via GPS devices import as native line vectors to assist feature alignment.

Collaboration within Gratic functions concurrently across remote devices. Because the vector workspace operates in the cloud, two cartographers can edit the identical document simultaneously from separate computers without emailing interchange files. The system implements active object-locking to prevent simultaneous edits on identical geometric entities. For interoperability with established desktop production workflows, Gratic imports files from OCAD and OpenOrienteering Mapper while validating recognized symbols during ingestion, and exports vector files that open cleanly in OCAD and OpenOrienteering Mapper.

Pros

• Embeds official ISOM 2017-2 symbols and inks alongside sprint, mountain bike, and ski orienteering symbol sets directly inside the browser tab document window.
• Runs in a browser tab on Windows, macOS, Linux, and restricted club laptops with nothing to license and nothing to install locally.
• Converts open spatial data and national mapping service APIs directly into standardized orienteering symbols based on user-defined boundary outlines.
• Supports simultaneous multi-user vector editing across different computers using active object-locking to prevent edit collisions.
• Ingests GeoTIFF files, GPS field tracks, and scanned survey sheets placed by four ground points, exporting files that open directly in OCAD.

Cons

• Gratic fits less well for general-purpose GIS and municipal mapping departments.
• Gratic fits less well for commercial web and navigation map developers.
• Gratic requires nothing to install, functioning as an in-browser vector editor rather than a standalone offline desktop application.

2. Purple Pen

Purple Pen is a dedicated course planning application engineered to design orienteering courses visually over established digital maps.

The application focuses specifically on the spatial layout of course legs, control circles, start triangles, and finish banners rather than drawing base cartographic landforms. Purple Pen loads existing map files generated across several formats, including OCAD files spanning versions 6 through 12, OpenOrienteering Mapper documents, PDF vector maps, and raster bitmap files formatted as JPG, GIF, PNG, TIFF, or BMP. Planners view the underlying cartography on screen and place course controls directly against topographic features.

Purple Pen automates the mechanical calculations required during course planning. As legs are constructed between controls, the software calculates course lengths automatically and compiles structured control description sheets. These descriptions adhere to official IOF 2004 and 2018 Control Description Standards, allowing planners to print symbolic sheets, textual descriptions, or combined layouts. The program prints maps with course overprints directly onto office printers without requiring an OCAD installation, or exports formatted PDF files suitable for commercial print shops.

For digital event management, Purple Pen transfers course geometry into event management and electronic punching software by exporting IOF standard XML in version 2 or version 3 formats. Planners can also export completed course overlays back into OCAD or OpenOrienteering Mapper for final cartographic adjustments, or download designated control coordinates directly to handheld GPS devices. Purple Pen 4 runs natively on Windows, Mac, and Linux desktop platforms without requiring operating system emulation environments.

Pros

• Complies fully with IOF 2004 and 2018 Control Description Standards, producing formatted symbolic and textual description sheets.
• Loads base cartography directly from OCAD versions 6–12, OpenOrienteering Mapper, and vector PDF files.
• Calculates leg distances and total course lengths automatically as controls are placed across the canvas.
• Exports competition data to electronic punching and event management systems via standard IOF XML versions 2 and 3.
• Runs natively across desktop environments including Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Cons

• Browser-based execution without local software installation — EasyMaps and Felt spell this out in more detail.

3. EasyMaps

EasyMaps operates as an integrated web-based mapping editor and digital marketplace for orienteering clubs.

The software runs entirely within modern web browsers, eliminating local software installations and per-computer software management. Users create accounts using an email address and a one-time code without configuring passwords. The application targets clubs seeking to create, modify, and distribute orienteering maps from a unified web interface, enabling administrators to manage club members, access permissions, and financial payouts in one location.

Cartographers drafting in EasyMaps can initialize map projects using an auto-generated draft populated with Lantmäteriet contour lines. The vector editor provides drafting tools to draw maps conforming to international mapping specifications, including ISOM and ISSprOM. Users draw point, line, and area symbols with exact-scale geometry and standard curves directly inside the browser window. In addition to terrain drafting, course planning functionality is built into the identical map view, enabling organizers to place start locations, control markers, and finish points alongside corresponding control descriptions.

Once maps and courses are finalized, users export exact-scale PDF files with the course overprinted, selecting paper size, scale factor, and crop boundaries at checkout. EasyMaps also incorporates a marketplace module where clubs across Sweden sell digital downloads or order printed copies delivered to physical mailboxes, processing payments through credit cards and Swish.

Pros

• Operates entirely inside the web browser with no local installation or per-computer licences.
• Ingests official Lantmäteriet contours into auto-generated drafts to accelerate terrain baseline creation.
• Implements standard ISOM and ISSprOM symbol specifications for vector drafting.
• Combines terrain cartography drafting and course setting workflows within the same map document.
• Exports exact-scale PDFs with customized paper sizes, crops, and course overprints.

4. Felt

Felt is an in-browser spatial analysis and mapping platform designed for team collaboration on geospatial datasets.

Operating entirely within a web browser, Felt delivers spatial analytics, SQL querying, and vector editing capabilities without requiring local software installations. The architecture accommodates massive geospatial datasets, supporting individual spatial files up to 100 GB each. Supported file formats include Shapefiles, GeoJSON, GeoPackages, KML, File Geodatabases, and GeoTIFF raster imagery. Organizations can connect external data warehouses, cloud storage buckets, and relational databases directly into the web interface.

Felt incorporates collaborative sketching and visualization tools that allow multiple team members to mark up and edit maps simultaneously on a shared canvas. Users can deploy interactive dashboards featuring charts, attribute tables, and spatial filters without writing code, or stream and analyze raster imagery at full sensor resolution. The platform provides a field application capable of offline data collection on site, alongside an API and SDK for bespoke map application development. Data security adheres to SOC 2 Type 2 standards and GDPR compliance, maintaining private maps until shared.

While Felt provides vector editing and geospatial analysis in a browser tab, it is structured as an analytical GIS environment rather than an orienteering-specific cartography tool. Consequently, standard orienteering specifications such as ISOM 2017-2 or ISSprOM 2019 are not preloaded as built-in symbol libraries.

Pros

• Executes spatial analysis, SQL queries, and vector editing entirely inside modern web browsers.
• Supports collaborative editing on a shared canvas alongside no-code dashboard components.
• Ingests large spatial datasets up to 100 GB per file, including Shapefiles, GeoTIFFs, and GeoPackages.
• Incorporates an offline field collection application alongside developer APIs and SDKs.
• Meets enterprise compliance requirements through SOC 2 Type 2 certification and GDPR alignment.

Fees

Felt offers a Free plan at $0 per month supporting 3 seats and 25 viewers. The Team plan is priced at $199 per month ($249 billed monthly) including 3 seats and 25 viewers, with additional seats at $49 to $59 per month. The Business plan starts at $599 per month ($749 billed monthly) covering 5 seats and 100 viewers. Enterprise plans start from $1,250 per month on annual billing, supporting 10 seats and unlimited viewers.

5. Condes

Condes is a specialized desktop application for orienteering course planning, event management reporting, and map overprinting.

The software functions as a dedicated graphical editor where course planners draw courses on top of digital base maps displayed on screen. Condes supports base maps in multiple digital formats, including OCAD files from versions 6 through 12 and OCAD 2018, Windows metafiles (EMF/WMF), and bitmap graphics (BMP, JPG, GIF, PNG, TIF). When using bitmap files, the application reads embedded georeferencing from GeoTIFF files or processes external World Files containing reference coordinates for the top-left image corner. Users assign coordinate systems using UTM zones, WGS84 parameters, or specific EPSG codes to enable geographic distance and coordinate tracking.

Condes does not allow modification of the underlying base map, focusing exclusively on course geometry. Planners construct courses across multiple orienteering disciplines, including Foot-O, Ski-O, Mountain-Bike-O, and Trail-O, as well as relays and Score-O formats. For complex relay planning, Condes supports butterfly and diamond loop variations. The application manages course data in a proprietary .WCD event file holding up to five distinct canvases. When a shared control point is moved on the canvas, Condes automatically updates all courses utilizing that control.

For competition output, Condes prints courses and maps directly to colour desktop printers or overprints courses onto existing offset-printed base sheets. It handles multi-map layouts on single printed sheets and exports geo-referenced PDF and EPS files for commercial print shops. In accordance with competition rules, Condes can merge course overprints beneath top map colour layers. For post-event analysis, Condes exports georeferenced course data in KMZ, GPX, SVG, and KML formats compatible with GPS tracking platforms including LiveLox, O-Track, GPS Orienteering, and MapRun, with direct event and course uploads supported for LiveLox.

Pros

• Accommodates specialized orienteering disciplines including Foot-O, Ski-O, Mountain-Bike-O, and Trail-O.
• Supports advanced relay course planning, including automated butterfly and diamond loop distribution.
• Automatically synchronizes shared control modifications across all affected courses in the event document.
• Directly loads georeferenced base maps from OCAD versions 6–12 and 2018, GeoTIFFs, and World File bitmaps.
• Exports georeferenced tracking files directly to LiveLox, O-Track, MapRun, and GPS Orienteering platforms.

Cons

• Browser-based execution without local software installation — EasyMaps and Felt spell this out in more detail.

Best for

• Smaller clubs requiring a limited club license to organize local events.
• Orienteering clubs and professional event organizers managing regional, national, or multi-discipline competitions.
• Commercial event organizers and print shops requiring high-volume professional offset and digital map printing.

6. OpenOrienteering Mapper

OpenOrienteering Mapper is an open-source desktop cartography application created specifically for drafting and editing orienteering maps.

The application provides an independent alternative to proprietary desktop mapping software, maintaining dedicated tools designed around International Orienteering Federation cartographic conventions. The software includes built-in symbol sets matching international standards, including preliminary ISSprOM 2019 sprint symbol sets. Cartographers can inspect and audit symbol configurations using an integrated symbol set report tool and analyze palette distribution with a colour editor that displays ink usage per symbol.

To assist with digitizing terrain from scanned basemaps or elevation curves, OpenOrienteering Mapper features CoVe, a specialized contour line vectorization tool for raster templates. The canvas provides specialized navigation controls including a box zoom tool and a map information utility. When preparing geospatial data for external systems, the software allows users to select geospatial vector export formats explicitly rather than relying on filename extensions. It restores and maintains direct vector PDF export capabilities and exports course geometry in standard IOF XML formats.

Because OpenOrienteering Mapper is built as a compiled desktop package, users install it locally on client machines. This desktop model provides full offline access to local files and system peripherals, but requires administrative privileges on institutional or school laptops to complete setup.

Pros

• Integrates official international symbol libraries, including preliminary ISSprOM 2019 symbol sets.
• Features the CoVe contour line vectorization tool to extract linear elevation geometry from raster templates.
• Provides advanced symbol auditing tools, including a dedicated symbol set reporting utility and ink usage colour analysis.
• Supports explicit geospatial vector export configurations alongside vector PDF output.
• Exports standardized IOF XML course data for timing and event management integration.

Frequently asked questions

What are the software licensing costs across these platforms?

Gratic reports that its editor requires nothing to license and costs nothing while being built. EasyMaps reports it is free to get started. Purple Pen states it is completely free software. MapTiler Cloud provides a free account tier requiring no credit card, alongside a Flex plan at $30 per month. Felt provides a free plan for up to 3 seats, with paid tiers starting at $199, $599, and $1,250 per month. Condes provides a free light version, alongside perpetual single, club, and pro licences that include 3 years of software updates.

Which geographic regions and data sources do these platforms cover?

Gratic reports that it connects to public spatial APIs published by national mapping agencies across Europe and North America. EasyMaps reports hosting maps from clubs across Sweden with digital delivery or physical mail fulfillment. MapTiler Cloud reports its headquarters in Zug, Switzerland, with development teams in Brno, Czechia.

What file sizes and publication volumes do these mapping tools support?

Felt reports support for spatial files up to 100 GB each, including Shapefiles, GeoTIFFs, and GeoPackages. MapTiler Cloud reports that 500 million people view its digital maps each month across customer platforms. Condes reports that more than 100,000 maps are printed with its software annually, with licensing tiers accommodating 5 users on limited tiers up to 60 users on large club tiers.

How quickly are invoices and weather timelines processed?

Condes reports an invoice payment period where users transfer the billed amount within 15 days. MapTiler Cloud reports data layers capable of generating interactive 5-day weather forecast maps.

Choosing the right orienteering partner

• Choose Gratic if you need cadets to draw terrain maps directly in a browser tab using official ISOM orienteering symbols without installing local software.
• Choose Purple Pen if you need a free, native desktop utility to lay out course controls and print IOF-compliant description sheets over OCAD or PDF maps.
• Choose EasyMaps if you want to draft Swedish terrain maps online from Lantmäteriet contours and manage digital map sales.
• Choose Felt if your primary requirement is collaborative web GIS data exploration, SQL analysis, and massive raster file streaming.
• Choose Condes if you require desktop course design supporting complex multi-discipline relay loops and direct GPS tracking exports.
• Choose OpenOrienteering Mapper if you want an open-source desktop cartography suite to vectorize contour templates and maintain full control of local map files.

How we compared

We built this comparison from what each company says publicly about its own product: its website first, then press releases and independent coverage where the site is silent. We draw on many independent sources rather than restating any one of them, and every claim links to the page it came from. Where a firm clearly does not offer something, the table shows ✗. Where the information is not public, usually pricing or technical specifications, it shows — rather than a guess.

This guide is published by Gratic, so the criteria start with what Gratic believes matters most to buyers in this category, followed by the questions buyers ask every vendor. Gratic's own limitations sit alongside everyone else's.

Sources

1. ArcGIS Online: GIS Software for Mapping and Spatial Analytics, Esri & Microsoft

2. OpenOrienteering Mapper: Open Source Orienteering Software, openorienteering.org/about.html

3. EasyMaps: Draw, sell and buy orienteering maps

4. MapTiler Cloud: Maps for developers, Vision, mission, values, team and history, Flexible pricing for maps, data processing & storage, Mapbox Alternative for Companies & SaaS Platforms, Top alternative for Google Maps API

5. Purple Pen: Purple Pen official website

6. Condes: software for course planning, About Condes, Condes 9 works as a Condes 10 license, Condes History, Condes Features

7. Felt: The map your business runs on: AI-native GIS, About Felt, Industries | Felt, Felt Pricing, Alternatives to ArcGIS, QGIS, CARTO, Mapbox and My Maps, felt.com/blog