Modern cartography workflows separate terrain drawing from course overprinting rather than forcing both into desktop course planning suites like Condes. For course planning, dedicated tools like Purple Pen handle courses, descriptions, and leg drawing natively across platforms. For true map editing, sports cartographers replace desktop installations by using Gratic to ingest open elevation tiles, process vector data, and export OCAD-compatible files directly inside a browser tab.
Why do planners look for alternatives to Condes?
Organisers look for alternatives when they need cross-platform workflows, streamlined base map drafting, or lightweight course overprinting that does not require proprietary desktop licensing or complex local installation steps. Condes focuses on course layout rather than deep vector cartography, which complicates live corrections to base terrain maps during event planning.
Orienteering workflows traditionally suffer when course planners try to treat a course setting application as a full map creation environment. In sports cartography, modifying a base map requires strict compliance with International Orienteering Federation (IOF) standards like ISOM 2017-2 or ISSprOM. Dedicated course software manages control codes, descriptions, leg lines, and relay variations well, but it does not provide the vector drawing tools required to survey new single trees, contour re-entrants, or impassable cliffs.
When course planners discover an unmapped fence or an altered forestry track during field checking, desktop course planners cannot redraw the underlying survey vector data cleanly. Cartographers find themselves juggling separate software packages, dealing with machine-bound licence activations, or emailing large proprietary vector files across committee members. At Gratic, we built our vector cartography editor to eliminate this friction by running entirely in a browser tab. Instead of passing licensed desktop installers around club volunteers, organizers can inspect base layers, trace over aerial imagery, and adjust features directly in an open browser session.
- Survey ground or open spatial vector sources
- Draft and correct terrain geometry in vector editor
- Lay out course overprint and control descriptions
- Export combined sheets or separated layers for printing
How do dedicated course planning tools compare to full cartography suites?
Course planners handle control circles, spectator legs, and IOF description sheets, while full cartography engines manage complex vector paths, spot-colour print orders, and raw elevation geometry. Trying to use one tool for the other role creates bottlenecks in map production and event delivery.
For event planners whose sole task is designing competition courses over an existing, finished base map, dedicated course setting software remains essential. Purple Pen serves as a prominent alternative for course setting. According to Purple Pen's project documentation, it runs on Windows, Mac, or Linux natively without emulation, supports IOF 2004, 2018, and 2024 control descriptions, and provides up to 100 levels of undo and redo. It works directly with OCAD files across OCAD versions 6-12, as well as .omap/.xmap files from OpenOrienteering Mapper. It does not, however, function as a vector map editor for drawing the underlying forest contours or boulder fields.
When the task requires creating or correcting base maps, sports cartographers rely on vector cartography software. OpenOrienteering Mapper provides a downloadable open-source desktop editor that runs across Android, Windows, macOS and Linux. Meanwhile, commercial cartographers have historically turned to OCAD for comprehensive desktop map production and print preparation. The modern alternative approach connects these worlds: cartographers draw and maintain terrain layers in Gratic, and then output compatible files for course planners using OCAD or Purple Pen.
| Software model | Primary operational focus | Environment setup | Base vector editing | Underlying data ingestion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dedicated course planning tools | Control codes, courses, IOF descriptions | Local desktop client | Limited to course overprint geometry | Completed map files only |
| Standalone desktop cartography suites | Vector terrain drafting and prepress | Local desktop client with per-machine licensing | Full IOF symbol set editing | Manual local GIS and elevation file imports |
| Open-source desktop mappers | Community-driven cartography | Local desktop client across open operating systems | Standard IOF symbol drafting | Manual local geospatial vector imports |
How does browser-based vector cartography modernise terrain map editing?
Browser-based vector cartography modernises terrain map editing by eliminating local software installations, fetching national survey vector data automatically, and providing direct IOF symbol editing inside a web tab. This approach lets sports cartographers generate accurate base maps rapidly while maintaining complete compatibility with downstream desktop event tools.
Traditional mapping setups demand that every club cartographer install local software, manage operating system libraries, and resolve file version conflicts across different workstations. In contrast, Gratic lets you open in a browser tab on Windows, Linux, or macOS without managing desktop installations. There is nothing to install and nothing to license. A mapper accesses the workspace simply through an email sign-in code, opening their maps on whichever machine they sit down at.
Base data retrieval
- Drag bounding box over terrain
- Pull elevation tiles directly
- Ingest national mapping service vector data
Vector styling and drafting
- Apply ISOM or ISSprOM symbol rules
- Edit line features and spot-colour print order
- Trace survey details over georeferenced aerial sheets
Event handoff
- Export clean vector files compatible with OCAD
- Load base geometry into course planning tools
- Print competition sheets
Our vector pipeline removes the manual chore of locating, clipping, and reprojecting base data. When you drag a rectangle over your survey area in Gratic, the editor pulls in elevation tiles alongside vector data from national mapping service connections. Roads, streams, and contours convert directly into standard orienteering symbols. If a local fence symbol needs an adjusted tick interval, updating the symbol definition updates every corresponding fence on the sheet in real time. Colours act as genuine press inks rather than arbitrary RGB values, allowing you to manage CMYK values and print sequence orders directly within the layer table.
Because Gratic exports files compatible with OCAD, course planners retain total freedom in their course design tools. You can prepare, refine, and update the terrain base map in Gratic, export the vector file, and open it immediately in Condes or Purple Pen to add courses and produce control description sheets.
Frequently asked questions
Can I edit base terrain maps directly inside Condes?
Condes is designed specifically for course setting rather than comprehensive vector cartography. While you can adjust course lines, controls, and canvas cutouts, major terrain revisions like redrawing contours, re-orienting crag symbols, or adding new forest tracks require an actual vector map editor like Gratic, OCAD, or OpenOrienteering Mapper.
How does Gratic connect base map editing with course setting software?
Gratic focuses on creating and editing terrain maps using standard IOF symbol sets such as ISOM 2017-2. Once your terrain features, contours, and paths are drawn, Gratic exports files compatible with OCAD. You can import these exported files directly into course setting applications like Condes or Purple Pen to lay out courses, place controls, and generate IOF description sheets.
Do I need to install local software or manage licences to use Gratic?
No. Gratic runs entirely in a browser tab on any operating system, including Windows, macOS, and Linux. There is nothing to install and nothing to license. You log in via an email sign-in code, pull elevation tiles and vector data directly from supported open sources, and manage your map files without machine-bound seat restrictions.
How does Gratic handle map print colour orders compared to desktop GIS?
Unlike general-purpose GIS packages that treat colours as screen pixels, Gratic manages colours as true print inks. You assign CMYK values, set overprinting options, and adjust their vertical order in the colour table. When you reorder a spot ink, the map redraws to match the exact physical ink layering sequence used by offset and digital printing presses.
Sources
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Mapper | OpenOrienteering — OpenOrienteering