The best OCAD alternative depends on your workflow. Desktop software like OpenOrienteering Mapper offers a free, powerful offline tool. We built Gratic as a browser-based editor to solve different problems: instant startup, no installation, and automatic base map data. It’s for cartographers who want to open a tab and start drawing immediately, creating files that still work with OCAD for final production or collaboration. This approach prioritizes speed from idea to first draft.
Trade-offs between desktop and browser editors
The fundamental trade-off is between the raw processing power of a local machine and the accessibility and data integration of a web application. For decades, cartography software like OCAD has lived on the desktop for good reason. These applications can use the full power of your computer's processor and memory to handle enormous files and complex rendering without the latency of an internet connection. OpenOrienteering Mapper, an excellent open-source alternative, follows this model, providing a feature-rich editing experience that runs locally on Windows, macOS, or Linux. For many mappers, this is the right choice, especially for final, print-ready production of a complex map.
The desktop model, however, comes with inherent friction. It requires installation, manual updates, and, in some cases, license management. The most significant hurdle for us was data acquisition. Before you can even begin to draw, you must find, download, convert, and import all your base data—contours, aerial imagery, existing vector lines—which can be a project in itself. We wanted to build something that sidestepped this entire setup process. Our goal for Gratic was to create an editor where a mapper could go from deciding to map an area to drawing features without a lengthy setup process.
Building a vector cartography editor in a browser presents its own challenges, primarily around performance. But accessibility is significantly improved, as the map is available wherever you can sign in. With Gratic, there is nothing to install. It runs in a browser tab.
You can start your map on a powerful workstation in your office and later make a quick fix on a laptop in the field. The map is saved for you automatically; it is there when you sign in. This model changes the workflow from a series of discrete steps—setup, data prep, drawing—to a single, fluid process of just making the map.
Handling symbol sets and file standards
Adhering to ISOM standards is non-negotiable, but the real test is how an editor manages symbols and ensures files are portable. Any serious tool for orienteering cartography must treat the international specification as its ground truth. The symbols are the language of the map, and consistency is what makes that language readable. In a traditional desktop workflow, the cartographer is often responsible for loading and managing the correct symbol sets for their project. It’s a flexible system, but it also places another technical burden on the mapper before they can start their creative work. It introduces the possibility of errors, like using an outdated symbol set or having incorrect settings for a specific map scale.
When we built Gratic, we chose to integrate the standard symbol sets directly into the editor. This means you do not have to hunt for the right files or worry if your symbols are compliant; they are part of the core tool. The pens and brushes are designed to behave the way a cartographer expects for drawing ISOM features. This approach is about removing variables and letting the mapper focus on the cartography itself. As we wrote in a previous article, if you need to fix a symbol, that change should be simple to apply across the entire map. The editor should handle the tedious parts of symbol management for you.
Equally important is acknowledging the world outside your own editor. OCAD is the dominant tool in the sport, and many clubs, printers, and collaborators have workflows built entirely around it. Creating a walled garden, where files can only be used in one application, does not help mappers. It creates problems.
That is why we made OCAD compatibility a core requirement for Gratic from the very beginning. Any map you create in Gratic can be saved and opened directly in OCAD. This interoperability means you can use Gratic for its strengths—rapid startup, easy data import, browser access—and then pass the file to a colleague for finishing in OCAD if their process requires it.
The source of base map data
A map starts with data, and we built Gratic to automate the collection of that data directly into the editor. The traditional cartography process begins with a hunt for source materials. You need elevation data for contours, vector data for roads and rivers, and perhaps a recent aerial photo for tracing. This often means visiting multiple websites, from national mapping agencies to open data portals, and downloading files in various formats that you then have to process and import into your mapping software. This work is time-consuming and requires a specific technical skillset that is separate from the art of cartography itself.
Our thinking was that the editor should do this work for you. When you start a new map in Gratic, you do not begin with a blank canvas. You begin with a world map. You draw a rectangle over the area you want to map, and Gratic fetches the base layers for you.
It pulls in elevation data we hold to generate contour lines on the fly. It also imports available vector data—like roads, buildings, and water features—from national mapping services. This provides a georeferenced base map with foundational layers, ready for drawing. You can even georeference your own scanned maps to trace over older sources.
This transparency is critical. On our website, we publish a complete list of the open data sources Gratic integrates with. For each provider, we note the license and any restrictions, so you know exactly where your data comes from and how you can use it. This automated approach fundamentally changes the start of a mapping project. Instead of spending hours on data preparation, you can spend that time field-checking and drawing. The goal is to get you closer to the actual terrain and the creative process of representing it, removing as much of the preliminary technical work as possible.
Frequently asked questions
What do I need to install to use Gratic? Nothing. Gratic is a vector cartography editor that runs entirely in your browser. You just sign in with an email code and can start drawing in a new tab.
Can I work with mappers who only use OCAD? Yes. We made sure from the beginning that files created in Gratic can be opened and edited in OCAD. This allows you to use Gratic for its strengths, like quick setup and data import, without breaking your team's existing workflow.
Where does Gratic get its contour and road data? When you select an area for a new map, Gratic automatically pulls in available data. We source elevation data for contours and import vector data like roads and streams from various national mapping services, which we list publicly on our site.
Is there a license fee to worry about? No, there is nothing to license with Gratic. You can open the editor and start drawing without needing a software key or managing a subscription.