GMDE Lite
Education
Free · Designed for iPad. Not verified for macOS.
GMDE Lite has been designed from the ground up with small phone-sized screens in mind although it also works very well on iPads and spectacularly on iPads with an Apple Pencil. We borrow the best from both GMDE Mobile and Stereonet Mobile and present that functionality in a clean, simple, map-centric interface. Data can be exchanged between GMDE Lite and Desktop, and imported from Stereonet Mobile, GIS programs, as well as uploaded or downloaded to/from StraboSpot.
Some things GMDE Lite can do:
• Set a point of interest (POI) at your current location or anywhere on the map which is immediately tagged with location time and date and to which you can attach a photo and an extended description. You can email a POI, complete with photo, to a field partner, Advisor, etc.
• Annotate photos or make digital sketches attached to points of interest.
• Enter an orientation by any of six methods: (1) using the device orientation, (2) tapping 3 points on the map and having the device calculate the orientation, (3) sighting along the contact plane either in the strike or dip direction, (4) best fit plane to selected vertices on a path, or (5) type typing in the orientation at the location that you specify. You can project a contact temporarily as a check on the validity of the orientation; the projected contact can be converted to a regular contact.
• Read in and display POIs, orientations, and contacts on the map data from Stereonet Mobile or GMDE Desktop. Use copy and paste between devices registered to the same Apple ID using Apple HandOff technology.
• Enter contacts by tapping and dragging a path, by recording a GPS track, or by projecting a planar orientation across the landscape. Edit contacts by lassoing and deleting vertices or tapping and dragging individual vertices (works way better on an iPad with Apple Pencil than it does with your finger on a relatively tiny iPhone screen).
• Use the device camera/orientation as a rangefinder and plot a point of interest at the sighted location. Rapidly use the rangefinder to determine azimuth, inclination, slope, horizontal, and vertical distance to the sighted location.
• Display orientation data on an equal area, lower hemisphere projection which can be filtered by data type. Mean vectors, cylindrical best fits, poles to planes, and rose diagrams can be displayed.
• If you have a data connection, GMDE Lite can display your data on Apple Maps within the program as well as get point elevations from an online server.
• Use a variety of icons and colors to represent different types of data.
• Access all of your data on your device from, and upload to and download from, the Files app on the device. Upload to and download from StraboSpot. Copy and paste between GMDE Lite and Stereonet Mobile.
Skills you need to take full advantage of GMDE Lite:
GMDE Lite can be used "right out of the box" with a cellular data connection using an online satellite or road base map, and online elevation server, in 2D to measure and collect strikes and dips, plot contacts, do 3-pt problems, etc. To experience the full power of GMDE Lite, and for complete offline operation (essential in remote field areas), you will need to know how to do the following:
• Produce base maps from whatever source you want in MBTiles format. Because you are producing your own base maps you can use whatever you want (existing geologic maps, USGS Topo Maps, LiDAR hill shade images, etc.) and not just the few option available from online mapping companies. Maps can be produced with my free desktop program MBTileMakerViewer.
• Download and format digital elevation models (DEMs) in GridFloat or BIL format. Having a DEM on the device is what allows GMDE Lite to perform its magic such as calculating an orientation from three points. DEMs can be produced with my free program DEM Masher (requires GDAL).
• Know enough about your digital devices to understand how to move files onto or off the device from/to your desktop computer.
more v. 8.0.0 -- 6 August 2026 (Finally...)
• NEW -- GMDE can now download (when you have an internet connection) and cache permanently on your device map tiles from the USGS and from the Open Topo Map project. The app will automatically store the tiles in an MBTiles database. USGS Topo and Imagery map tiles are only available in the United States but Open Topo Map tiles (with 10 m contours based on the 30 m SRTM DEM) can be downloaded for anywhere in the world. To download map tiles go to the Settings Screen and toggle on "Download Map Tiles". A message box will appear asking you the source you want to use for map tiles. When you tap the source, you will be taken to the Map or the Online Satellite screen. Adjust the view by pinching and dragging until the area for which you want to download tiles fills the screen. I suggest zooming out no more than level 12 to avoid downloading a huge number of tiles all at once (please do not abuse these free sources of map tiles!). Then, tap the name of the data source in the Map Button menu (e.g., for USGS Topo Map tiles tap "USGS Topo Cache") and your download will start automatically. All zoom levels between your starting zoom level (e.g., 12) and zoom level 16 (2 m/pixel, the highest zoom for which USGS tiles are available) will be downloaded to your device. You can pan the map once tiles have been downloaded to start new downloads of adjacent areas. When you are finished downloading, eith tap the "Stop Download" button that appears during downloading, go to the Settings Screen and toggle off "Download Map Tiles" or switch to any other map using the Map Button menu.
• NEW -- GMDE Lite will not allow you to zoom in one level higher than the maximum level in your map tiles database. For example, If you have downloaded USGS Imagery Tiles to the maximum of level 16 (2 m/pixel), when viewing those times, you will be able to zoom to level 17 (1 m/pixel). This may help to separate closely spaced measurements.
• NEW -- When you export your data as a KMZ file, that file will now include any photos. Thumbnails of the photos will be displayed automatically in Google earth.
v. 7.3.0 -- 26 June 2026
• NEW -- All of the toolbar buttons now have popup menus rather than message boxes for making your selection. These menus are faster and more elegant than the previous way of doing things.
• NEW -- Pause and resume an activity such as collecting a GPS track or sketching on a map. The functionality has been enabled by the new menu interface: e.g., tap the measure tool and choose Record GPS track from the menu. The toolbar measure button starts flashing. when you need to pause a track, tap the flashing toolbar button. The resulting menu now shows Pause and End. Tap pause. When you're ready to resume tap the toolbar button and the menu will now say Resume and End. Tap resume to continue collecting your track. To end the track, tap the button and choose End from the menu.
• NEW -- From the Add Orientation menu (accessed from the Orientation button on the toolbar), you can now go directly to collecting and orientation by Device Orientation (when you want to put your phone on the plane to be measured) or directly to the sighting an orientation screen. When you go to the sighting screen, as soon as you tap the display when there is a valid measurement the screen will close and you will see the orientation in the Orientation Details screen. Both device orientation and sighting were, and still are, available from buttons in the toolbar for the Orientation Details screen. The just gives you a little fast way of collecting those measurements.
• NEW -- You can now enter an orientation in the orientation details screen by tapping and dragging in the stereonet at the bottom of the screen.
• NEW -- The Rangefinder can now be used to measure the azimuth and inclination by sighting through your device camera.
8.0.0 7 Aug
v. 7.3.0 -- 26 June 2026
• NEW -- All of the toolbar buttons now have popup menus rather than message boxes for making your selection. These menus are faster and more elegant than the previous way of doing things.
• NEW -- Pause and resume an activity such as collecting a GPS track or sketching on a map. The functionality has been enabled by the new menu interface: e.g., tap the measure tool and choose Record GPS track from the menu. The toolbar measure button starts flashing. when you need to pause a track, tap the flashing toolbar button. The resulting menu now shows Pause and End. Tap pause. When you're ready to resume tap the toolbar button and the menu will now say Resume and End. Tap resume to continue collecting your track. To end the track, tap the button and choose End from the menu.
• NEW -- From the Add Orientation menu (accessed from the Orientation button on the toolbar), you can now go directly to collecting and orientation by Device Orientation (when you want to put your phone on the plane to be measured) or directly to the sighting an orientation screen. When you go to the sighting screen, as soon as you tap the display when there is a valid measurement the screen will close and you will see the orientation in the Orientation Details screen. Both device orientation and sighting were, and still are, available from buttons in the toolbar for the Orientation Details screen. The just gives you a little fast way of collecting those measurements.
• NEW -- You can now enter an orientation in the orientation details screen by tapping and dragging in the stereonet at the bottom of the screen.
• NEW -- The Rangefinder can now be used to measure the azimuth and inclination by sighting through your device camera.
v. 7.2.0 -- 2 June 2026
• NEW -- The rangefinder now has an option to measure vertical angles only. If you know your horizontal distance to the outcrop, the app can calculate thickness of horizontal units in a cliff face (or measure the height of a treen, etc.). Just set the lower angle to the base of the unit and the upper angle to the top of the unit. There are lots of other potential uses for this function.
• NEW -- When measuring a strike and dip with the device orientation, a green line will appear from topo to bottom on the stereonet face when the long axis of the phone is horizontal. An arrowhead on one end of the line shows the physical direction of the given strike direction. Explanation: Because the app measured the pole to the plane directly, you can place the phone on the bedding surface in any orientation. But, sometimes, you want to know where the strike line is (e.g., when collecting and marking an oriented sample). This allows you to find the actually strike line in the plane as well as determine which direction you should mark the sample so that it coincides with the measured strike line.
• FIXED -- Switching between base maps now works more smoothly without showing a blank white screen.
v. 7.1.0 -- 11 May 2026
• NEW -- Subsampling and smoothing contacts are now undoable.
• NEW -- Additional database integrity checks are now in place. The checks are carried out every time you open a database. If corruption is found, the problematic rows are reported.
• NEW -- If the app experiences a hard crash (with no error message), the next time you start up the app, it will warn you of an abnormal exit and will inform you that it is starting up without opening up the last database used (just in case).
V.7.0.2 -- 13 April 2026
• NEW -- Correction for camera bump on the back of modern phones.
7.3.0 27 Jun
v. 7.2.0 -- 2 June 2026
• NEW -- The rangefinder now has an option to measure vertical angles only. If you know your horizontal distance to the outcrop, the app can calculate thickness of horizontal units in a cliff face (or measure the height of a treen, etc.). Just set the lower angle to the base of the unit and the upper angle to the top of the unit. There are lots of other potential uses for this function.
• NEW -- When measuring a strike and dip with the device orientation, a green line will appear from topo to bottom on the stereonet face when the long axis of the phone is horizontal. An arrowhead on one end of the line shows the physical direction of the given strike direction. Explanation: Because the app measured the pole to the plane directly, you can place the phone on the bedding surface in any orientation. But, sometimes, you want to know where the strike line is (e.g., when collecting and marking an oriented sample). This allows you to find the actually strike line in the plane as well as determine which direction you should mark the sample so that it coincides with the measured strike line.
• FIXED -- Switching between base maps now works more smoothly without showing a blank white screen.
v. 7.1.0 -- 11 May 2026
• NEW -- Subsampling and smoothing contacts are now undoable. Just give your device a shake within 2 minutes of applying the subsampling or smoothing, and the old contact will be restored. Subsampling now uses the Ramer-Douglas-Peucker (RDP) algorithm for better results. The degree of subsampling can now be set with a slider control. As you move the slider, the number of vertices to be deleted will appear above the slider.
• NEW -- Additional database integrity checks are now in place. The checks are carried out every time you open a database. If corruption is found, the problematic rows are reported.
• NEW -- If the app experiences a hard crash (with no error message), the next time you start up the app, it will warn you of an abnormal exit and will inform you that it is starting up without opening up the last database used (just in case). You’ll need to open the database by going to the settings screen and tapping Open Project. With the new database integrity check, if the DB causes the problem, you will be informed when you try to open it. If the problem is with the tiny resume file, that will be rewritten when you open the database. This way, the app will remain operable, and you can troubleshoot the problem more effectively rather than continuing to crash repeatedly with no message and no recourse.
V.7.0.2 -- 13 April 2026
• NEW -- Correction for camera bump on the back of modern phones. Modern iPhones and iPads have bumps or plateaus on the back to accommodate more powerful cameras, and rugged cases can make the back of the phone even more irregular. This means the back is no longer flat, which can impact measuring of strikes and dips by placing the device on the bedding or fault surface. This version can correct for that non-planarity: Go to the Settings Screen (gear icon) and tap the new option "Correction for Camera bump." You will be taken to a new screen entitled Camera Bump Correction. Follow the instructions on the screen to set the correction factors. You can also use this screen to reset the correction factors to zero. Once set, these corrections will be applied whenever you measure the orientation by placing your device on the outcrop and will remain active even when you change projects. An incorrectly applied correction (e.g., not following the instructions) can thoroughly mess up your measurements!! You'll see from the displayed pitch and roll angles that the corrections are typically small, but more accurate is always better!
• IMPROVED -- Outline text has been made more legible by a slight increase in the spacing between letters.
• FIXED -- A bug that prevented the reading of some newly saved newly saved contact type characteristics. Other bugs fixed as well.
7.2.0 2 Jun
v. 7.1.0 -- 11 May 2026
• NEW -- Subsampling and smoothing contacts are now undoable. Just give your device a shake within 2 minutes of applying the subsampling or smoothing, and the old contact will be restored. Subsampling now uses the Ramer-Douglas-Peucker (RDP) algorithm for better results. The degree of subsampling can now be set with a slider control. As you move the slider, the number of vertices to be deleted will appear above the slider.
• NEW -- Additional database integrity checks are now in place. The checks are carried out every time you open a database. If corruption is found, the problematic rows are reported.
• NEW -- If the app experiences a hard crash (with no error message), the next time you start up the app, it will warn you of an abnormal exit and will inform you that it is starting up without opening up the last database used (just in case). You’ll need to open the database by going to the settings screen and tapping Open Project. With the new database integrity check, if the DB causes the problem, you will be informed when you try to open it. If the problem is with the tiny resume file, that will be rewritten when you open the database. This way, the app will remain operable, and you can troubleshoot the problem more effectively rather than continuing to crash repeatedly with no message and no recourse.
V.7.0.2 -- 13 April 2026
• NEW -- Correction for camera bump on the back of modern phones. Modern iPhones and iPads have bumps or plateaus on the back to accommodate more powerful cameras, and rugged cases can make the back of the phone even more irregular. This means the back is no longer flat, which can impact measuring of strikes and dips by placing the device on the bedding or fault surface. This version can correct for that non-planarity: Go to the Settings Screen (gear icon) and tap the new option "Correction for Camera bump." You will be taken to a new screen entitled Camera Bump Correction. Follow the instructions on the screen to set the correction factors. You can also use this screen to reset the correction factors to zero. Once set, these corrections will be applied whenever you measure the orientation by placing your device on the outcrop and will remain active even when you change projects. An incorrectly applied correction (e.g., not following the instructions) can thoroughly mess up your measurements!! You'll see from the displayed pitch and roll angles that the corrections are typically small, but more accurate is always better!
• IMPROVED -- Outline text has been made more legible by a slight increase in the spacing between letters.
• FIXED -- A bug that prevented the reading of some newly saved newly saved contact type characteristics. Other bugs fixed as well.
7.1.0 12 May
V.7.0.2 -- 13 April 2026
• NEW -- Correction for camera bump on the back of modern phones. Modern iPhones and iPads have bumps or plateaus on the back to accommodate more powerful cameras, and rugged cases can make the back of the phone even more irregular. This means the back is no longer flat, which can impact measuring of strikes and dips by placing the device on the bedding or fault surface. This version can correct for that non-planarity: Go to the Settings Screen (gear icon) and tap the new option "Correction for Camera bump." You will be taken to a new screen entitled Camera Bump Correction. Follow the instructions on the screen to set the correction factors. You can also use this screen to reset the correction factors to zero. Once set, these corrections will be applied whenever you measure the orientation by placing your device on the outcrop and will remain active even when you change projects. An incorrectly applied correction (e.g., not following the instructions) can thoroughly mess up your measurements!! You'll see from the displayed pitch and roll angles that the corrections are typically small, but more accurate is always better!
• IMPROVED -- Outline text has been made more legible by a slight increase in the spacing between letters.
• FIXED -- A bug that prevented the reading of some newly saved newly saved contact type characteristics. Other bugs fixed as well.
V. 7.0.1 --24 March 2026
• FIXED -- A bug that would cause crashing immediately after install of v. 7.0.0 in some unusual circumstances.
• FIXED -- A bug that would cause the map overlay transparency slider on the Map Screen to disappear when it was set to 100% transparency and the user temporarily left the Map Screen (e.g., when entering an orientation or POI. The slide will now be there when you go back to the Map Screen.
v. 7.0.0 -- 21 March 2026
• NEW -- Calculate the slip magnitude on a fault given the orientation of the slip vector (from slickensides, mylonitic lineations, etc.) and any two points on a planar contact that has been offset by the fault. For the calculation to be accurate, it requires that the offset plane have the same orientation on either side of the fault. To do this calculation, first measure the lineation on the fault plane. Tap the lineation and then select "Displ. from Separation". You will then need to type in the orientation of the offset plane. Then tap on the contact on the map on one side of the fault, and then again on the same contact on the other side of the fault. As you tap and drag along the 2nd contact, the slip is displayed next to the pointer hotpoint. When you lift the pointer, the slip will be displayed in a message box and it will also be written to the notes field of the lineation on the fault plane. Interestingly enough, entering the strike and dip of the fault plane is not necessary for this calculation! Also, the intersection of the fault plane with the contact does not need to be exposed anywhere.
NEW -- You can now specify the font size by observation type so, for example, the labels for fossil sample POIs can be a different size than formation type POIs, etc. The same is true for orientation and contact types. You set the font size by going to the Settings Screen (gear icon), tap Edit Data Types & Tags, select the POI, Orientation, or Contact type to Edit, then tap the Edit button and in the Edit Type screen, enter the Font Size. Following the same path, you can use the switch next to the Font Size label to toggle on or off whether labels are shown on the map for that type. Thus, you can opt to show contact names for stratigraphic type contacts but not for, say, access roads.
FIXED -- A few more, mostly minor bugs were squashed.
7.0.2 14 Apr
V. 7.0.1 --24 March 2026
• FIXED -- A bug that would cause crashing immediately after install of v. 7.0.0 in some unusual circumstances.
• FIXED -- A bug that would cause the map overlay transparency slider on the Map Screen to disappear when it was set to 100% transparency and the user temporarily left the Map Screen (e.g., when entering an orientation or POI. The slide will now be there when you go back to the Map Screen.
v. 7.0.0 -- 21 March 2026
• NEW -- Calculate the slip magnitude on a fault given the orientation of the slip vector (from slickensides, mylonitic lineations, etc.) and any two points on a planar contact that has been offset by the fault. For the calculation to be accurate, it requires that the offset plane have the same orientation on either side of the fault. To do this calculation, first measure the lineation on the fault plane. Tap the lineation and then select "Displ. from Separation". You will then need to type in the orientation of the offset plane. Then tap on the contact on the map on one side of the fault, and then again on the same contact on the other side of the fault. As you tap and drag along the 2nd contact, the slip is displayed next to the pointer hotpoint. When you lift the pointer, the slip will be displayed in a message box and it will also be written to the notes field of the lineation on the fault plane. Interestingly enough, entering the strike and dip of the fault plane is not necessary for this calculation! Also, the intersection of the fault plane with the contact does not need to be exposed anywhere.
NEW -- You can now specify the font size by observation type so, for example, the labels for fossil sample POIs can be a different size than formation type POIs, etc. The same is true for orientation and contact types. You set the font size by going to the Settings Screen (gear icon), tap Edit Data Types & Tags, select the POI, Orientation, or Contact type to Edit, then tap the Edit button and in the Edit Type screen, enter the Font Size. Following the same path, you can use the switch next to the Font Size label to toggle on or off whether labels are shown on the map for that type. Thus, you can opt to show contact names for stratigraphic type contacts but not for, say, access roads.
FIXED -- A few more, mostly minor bugs were squashed.
v. 6.9.6 -- 23 February 2026
• IMPROVED: This version is all about optimizations and making things speedier, including when tapping to select features on the map, drawing features on the map, using Show All in the data list screen, etc. It is unlikely that you will notice the difference if your project has just a few hundred features, but with large and complex projects, you will notice significant speed up.
• IMPROVED: You can now hide a selected contact right from the map screen with the new Hide choice in the popup menu you get when you tap on a contact.
• IMPROVED: Some annoying but non-critical behaviors in the base and overlay map manager screen.
• FIXED: A change in how iOS 26 works caused it to be impossible to pan a photo by tapping and dragging it to the right in the Photo Details Screen. This has now been fixed. Also, panning photos has been made much smoother and less frustrating than in previous versions.
7.0.1 24 Mar
v. 7.0.0 -- 21 March 2026
• NEW -- Calculate the slip magnitude on a fault given the orientation of the slip vector (from slickensides, mylonitic lineations, etc.) and any two points on a planar contact that has been offset by the fault. For the calculation to be accurate, it requires that the offset plane have the same orientation on either side of the fault. To do this calculation, first measure the lineation on the fault plane. Tap the lineation and then select "Displ. from Separation". You will then need to type in the orientation of the offset plane. Then tap on the contact on the map on one side of the fault, and then again on the same contact on the other side of the fault. As you tap and drag along the 2nd contact, the slip is displayed next to the pointer hotpoint. When you lift the pointer, the slip will be displayed in a message box and it will also be written to the notes field of the lineation on the fault plane. Interestingly enough, entering the strike and dip of the fault plane is not necessary for this calculation! Also, the intersection of the fault plane with the contact does not need to be exposed anywhere.
NEW -- You can now specify the font size by observation type so, for example, the labels for fossil sample POIs can be a different size than formation type POIs, etc. The same is true for orientation and contact types. You set the font size by going to the Settings Screen (gear icon), tap Edit Data Types & Tags, select the POI, Orientation, or Contact type to Edit, then tap the Edit button and in the Edit Type screen, enter the Font Size. Following the same path, you can use the switch next to the Font Size label to toggle on or off whether labels are shown on the map for that type. Thus, you can opt to show contact names for stratigraphic type contacts but not for, say, access roads.
FIXED -- A few more, mostly minor bugs were squashed.
v. 6.9.6 -- 23 February 2026
• IMPROVED: This version is all about optimizations and making things speedier, including when tapping to select features on the map, drawing features on the map, using Show All in the data list screen, etc. It is unlikely that you will notice the difference if your project has just a few hundred features, but with large and complex projects, you will notice significant speed up.
• IMPROVED: You can now hide a selected contact right from the map screen with the new Hide choice in the popup menu you get when you tap on a contact.
• IMPROVED: Some annoying but non-critical behaviors in the base and overlay map manager screen.
• FIXED: A change in how iOS 26 works caused it to be impossible to pan a photo by tapping and dragging it to the right in the Photo Details Screen. This has now been fixed. Also, panning photos has been made much smoother and less frustrating than in previous versions.
7.0.0 22 Mar
v. 6.9.6 -- 23 February 2026
• IMPROVED: This version is all about optimizations and making things speedier, including when tapping to select features on the map, drawing features on the map, using Show All in the data list screen, etc. It is unlikely that you will notice the difference if your project has just a few hundred features, but with large and complex projects, you will notice significant speed up.
• IMPROVED: You can now hide a selected contact right from the map screen with the new Hide choice in the popup menu you get when you tap on a contact.
• IMPROVED: Some annoying but non-critical behaviors in the base and overlay map manager screen.
• FIXED: A change in how iOS 26 works caused it to be impossible to pan a photo by tapping and dragging it to the right in the Photo Details Screen. This has now been fixed. Also, panning photos has been made much smoother and less frustrating than in previous versions.
6.9.6 24 Feb
v. 6.9.5 -- 19 February 2026
• Label your contacts with text on the contact path.
• You can now select to display text on the map screen either with a translucent rectangle behind it (as in previous versions) or using outline text for a less cluttered look
• The Settings screen has been reorganized. All of the options to show or hide data types, as well as setting their scale is now done by tapping "Data to Show on Map" which is found in the projects section. This will show a new screen where you can toggle on or off POIs, Orientations, and Contacts as well as two new display options: "Labels Use Outline Text" and "Contact Names on Path". These are both saved in your project database.
• A bug related to symbol scaling has been fixed along with another rare crashing bug.
6.9.5 20 Feb
v. 6.9.0 -- 13 September 2025
• NEW: You can now attach up to four photos or sketches to any point of interest. The first one can be added directly from the map screen whereas the other three can be added from the toolbar of the POI details screen. The project database will be updated automatically to accommodate the additional photos/sketches. When you send a POI by email, all of the photos will attached to the email.
• FIXED: Changing the prediction distance for contacts was broken in the previous version. This has now been fixed.
6.9.0 15/09/2025
v. 6.8.1 & 6.8.2 -- 10, 17 March 2025
• NEW -- now uses the iOS color picker in the Edit Symbols and Contacts screen, rather than the three custom sliders in previous versions.
• IMPROVED -- Key board in the Type and Tag picker screen now has a done button to dismiss it.
• FIXED -- v. 6.8.2 fixes a bug where tags were not being imported properly.
v. 6.8.0 -- 7 March 2025
• Contact smoothing -- You may have noticed that if you set the contact sample interval for a small number (say, 2 m) and you drew a contact while zoomed out (e.g., zoom level 13), the resulting contacts were very jagged. This happens because the pixel size (in meters) is large compared to the sample interval. v. 6.8 adds both automatic and manual contact smoothing. Automatic smoothing is turned on by default, but you can turn it off in the Track sample interval section of the Settings Screen. Auto-smoothing is applied to both drawn paths and to GPS tracks that you collect.
• You can choose to manually smooth any contact by tapping the new Smooth button on the toolbar of the Contact Details Screen. Note that contact smoothing, either manual or automatic, will shorten the reported length of the contact. Smoothing functions by running the contact polygon through a 3 or 5-vertex running average filter. The number of vertices used depends on the average spacing between vertices and is not user-controllable.
• The sample interval for tracks and drawn paths is now displayed in the section title in Settings, with the max and min of the slider range displayed below.
• Updated users manual.
6.8.2 18/03/2025
v. 6.8.1 -- 10 March 2025
• NEW -- now uses the iOS color picker in the Edit Symbols and Contacts screen, rather than the three custom sliders in previous versions.
• IMPROVED -- Key board in the Type and Tag picker screen now has a done button to dismiss it.
v. 6.8.0 -- 7 March 2025
• Contact smoothing -- You may have noticed that if you set the contact sample interval for a small number (say, 2 m) and you drew a contact while zoomed out (e.g., zoom level 13), the resulting contacts were very jagged. This happens because the pixel size (in meters) is large compared to the sample interval. v. 6.8 adds both automatic and manual contact smoothing. Automatic smoothing is turned on by default, but you can turn it off in the Track sample interval section of the Settings Screen. Auto-smoothing is applied to both drawn paths and to GPS tracks that you collect.
• You can choose to manually smooth any contact by tapping the new Smooth button on the toolbar of the Contact Details Screen. Note that contact smoothing, either manual or automatic, will shorten the reported length of the contact. Smoothing functions by running the contact polygon through a 3 or 5-vertex running average filter. The number of vertices used depends on the average spacing between vertices and is not user-controllable.
• The sample interval for tracks and drawn paths is now displayed in the section title in Settings, with the max and min of the slider range displayed below.
• Updated users manual.
6.8.1 11/03/2025
v. 6.8.0 -- 7 March 2025
• Contact smoothing -- You may have noticed that if you set the contact sample interval for a small number (say, 2 m) and you drew a contact while zoomed out (e.g., zoom level 13), the resulting contacts were very jagged. This happens because the pixel size (in meters) is large compared to the sample interval. v. 6.8 adds both automatic and manual contact smoothing. Automatic smoothing is turned on by default, but you can turn it off in the Track sample interval section of the Settings Screen. Auto-smoothing is applied to both drawn paths and to GPS tracks that you collect.
• You can choose to manually smooth any contact by tapping the new Smooth button on the toolbar of the Contact Details Screen. Note that contact smoothing, either manual or automatic, will shorten the reported length of the contact. Smoothing functions by running the contact polygon through a 3 or 5-vertex running average filter. The number of vertices used depends on the average spacing between vertices and is not user-controllable.
• The sample interval for tracks and drawn paths is now displayed in the section title in Settings, with the max and min of the slider range displayed below.
• Updated users manual.
6.8.0 08/03/2025
v. 6.7.0, 6.7.1 -- 18 January 2025
• NEW: Overlay Maps. If your project has more than one MBTiles map in the project folder, you can identify one map as the base map and the second as a semitransparent overlay. A slide on the main screen controls the degree of transparency from 0 1o 100%. This is a great way to switch seamlessly back and forth between, say, a geologic map and a shaded relief map, or between topo and satellite imagery. The base and overlay manager is accessed by tapping the map icon on the right hand side of the toolbar.
• NEW: Set font size for POIs and orientations on a type by type basis. You can change the font sizes by going to Settiings>Edit Data Types & Tags selecting the POI or Orientation type and Tapping the Edit button. In the Edit Type Screen, type in the font size that you want.
• NEW: A link to my GMDE sample downloads page. Once there you can download any of the sample projects, then return to GMDE Lite, go to the Settings Screen and choose Open Project. Select the zip archive that you just downloaded (look first under Recents and/or Downloads) and GMDE LIte will do the rest. Most of the sample projects have a DEM and two or more MBTiles base maps so you can try the cool overlays feature.
• FIXED: v. 6.7.1 fixes a bug where the transparency slide for overlay maps was remained on the screen even when switching to a project that did not have an overlay map.
6.7.1 19/01/2025
v. 6.7.0 -- 7 January 2025
• NEW: Overlay Maps. If your project has more than one MBTiles map in the project folder, you can identify one map as the base map and the second as a semitransparent overlay. A slide on the main screen controls the degree of transparency from 0 1o 100%. This is a great way to switch seamlessly back and forth between, say, a geologic map and a shaded relief map, or between topo and satellite imagery. The base and overlay manager is accessed by tapping the map icon on the right hand side of the toolbar.
• NEW: Set font size for POIs and orientations on a type by type basis. You can change the font sizes by going to Settiings>Edit Data Types & Tags selecting the POI or Orientation type and Tapping the Edit button. In the Edit Type Screen, type in the font size that you want.
• NEW: A link to my GMDE sample downloads page. Once there you can download any of the sample projects, then return to GMDE Lite, go to the Settings Screen and choose Open Project. Select the zip archive that you just downloaded (look first under Recents and/or Downloads) and GMDE LIte will do the rest. Most of the sample projects have a DEM and two or more MBTiles base maps so you can try the cool overlays feature.
6.7.0 08/01/2025
v. 6.6.5 -- 3 January 2025
IMPROVED -- GMDE Lite now saves the photos that you have taken in the app to your Photos Library (if you have granted permission to do so) with location EXIF data embedded.
FIXED -- A rare bug that would cause recorded GPS tracks not to be saved after you had collected them in under some uncommon conditions.
v. 6.6.4 -- 31 October 2024
NEW -- In the Stereonet Screen, you can now color by type, by tag, or show all with a single highly visible color
IMPROVED -- The New/Modify project screen interface has be updated
IMPROVED -- The export entire project as a .zip file now give you the option of whether or not to include the user collected data. You might just want to export the map(s) and DEM(s) if, for example, you were sending the project to a student's device and you wanted them to collect their own data.
FIXED -- A number of bugs in the POI Details screen that were introduced in a recent version have been fixed.
v. 6.6.3 -- 17 October 2024
NEW -- Overlapping POI labels at a particular zoom level are suppressed resulting in a (somewhat) cleaner look when you have a lot of labels in a small space. You can still tap on a POI that has a suppressed label and get its details, etc.
CHANGED -- Tag types that are hidden will not be hidden regardless of whether you have color by type or by tag selected in Settings. Previously, they would only be hidden if you had Color by Tag selected.
FIXED -- Two finger scrolling of the map while in creating a new Path from Existing Segments now works. It was broken before.
V. 6.6.2 -- 19 September 2024
• Navigate to -- Tap any point on the map and get driving (or walking) directions to that point, from your current location or from a starting point that you tap, in Apple Maps. Once you arrive, you can easily switch back to GMDE Lite to start mapping.
• Rock units have been renamed "Tags" reflecting the fact that you can use them for stuff other than rock units (e.g., you could assign a locality tag to every contact, orientation, and POI in a particular area). The most recently selected Tag is applied automatically to all subsequent observations so, for example, if you are making a number of observations in the Twin Creek Formation or at field station 5, you only have to select the tag for the first observation. Note that tags differ from "types" because types are defined for a particular observation -- "cleavage" can only be applied to orientations, not contacts or POIs -- whereas taps can be applied to any type of observation. Thus, for instance, you can have cleavage measured at different localities and at a single locality you can have a cleavage measurements, and intrusive contact, and several photo POIs.
v. 6.6.1 -- 2 September 2024
• FIXED: a bug in the previous version that would prevent the saving of points of interest (POIs) with attached photos to the database. All users should update to this version.
v. 6.6.0 --29 August 2024
• NEW: You can now assign a rock unit to any POI, Orientation, or Contact. Rock units can be set up in Settings>Edit Types and Rock Units or you can define them on the fly when you tap the Set Types button in the upper right toolbar. Your data on the map can now be plotted using either type color OR the rock unit color. You set this preference in the Settings Screen. Rock units are specific to individual projects. To make sure that your team/students etc. use the same types and units, set up a blank project at the start of your field campaign and then share it with all users.
• NEW: Display planes using the Dip Azimuth and Dip format. This make this choice in the Settings Screen.
• IMPROVED: Piercing points can now be set by selecting either a planar or a linear orientation (previously they only worked, correctly, if you chose a strike and dip). If you select an linear orientation, then you will need to tap and drag to locate the plane to be pierced.
6.6.5 04/01/2025
v. 6.6.4 -- 31 October 2024
NEW -- In the Stereonet Screen, you can now color by type, by tag, or show all with a single highly visible color
IMPROVED -- The New/Modify project screen interface has be updated
IMPROVED -- The export entire project as a .zip file now give you the option of whether or not to include the user collected data. You might just want to export the map(s) and DEM(s) if, for example, you were sending the project to a student's device and you wanted them to collect their own data.
FIXED -- A number of bugs in the POI Details screen that were introduced in a recent version have been fixed.
v. 6.6.3 -- 17 October 2024
NEW -- Overlapping POI labels at a particular zoom level are suppressed resulting in a (somewhat) cleaner look when you have a lot of labels in a small space. You can still tap on a POI that has a suppressed label and get its details, etc.
CHANGED -- Tag types that are hidden will not be hidden regardless of whether you have color by type or by tag selected in Settings. Previously, they would only be hidden if you had Color by Tag selected.
FIXED -- Two finger scrolling of the map while in creating a new Path from Existing Segments now works. It was broken before.
V. 6.6.2 -- 19 September 2024
• Navigate to -- Tap any point on the map and get driving (or walking) directions to that point, from your current location or from a starting point that you tap, in Apple Maps. Once you arrive, you can easily switch back to GMDE Lite to start mapping.
• Rock units have been renamed "Tags" reflecting the fact that you can use them for stuff other than rock units (e.g., you could assign a locality tag to every contact, orientation, and POI in a particular area). The most recently selected Tag is applied automatically to all subsequent observations so, for example, if you are making a number of observations in the Twin Creek Formation or at field station 5, you only have to select the tag for the first observation. Note that tags differ from "types" because types are defined for a particular observation -- "cleavage" can only be applied to orientations, not contacts or POIs -- whereas taps can be applied to any type of observation. Thus, for instance, you can have cleavage measured at different localities and at a single locality you can have a cleavage measurements, and intrusive contact, and several photo POIs.
v. 6.6.1 -- 2 September 2024
• FIXED: a bug in the previous version that would prevent the saving of points of interest (POIs) with attached photos to the database. All users should update to this version.
v. 6.6.0 --29 August 2024
• NEW: You can now assign a rock unit to any POI, Orientation, or Contact. Rock units can be set up in Settings>Edit Types and Rock Units or you can define them on the fly when you tap the Set Types button in the upper right toolbar. Your data on the map can now be plotted using either type color OR the rock unit color. You set this preference in the Settings Screen. Rock units are specific to individual projects. To make sure that your team/students etc. use the same types and units, set up a blank project at the start of your field campaign and then share it with all users.
• NEW: Display planes using the Dip Azimuth and Dip format. This make this choice in the Settings Screen.
• NEW: Redesigned set type (and rock unit) and edit type (and rock unit) screens.
• IMPROVED: Piercing points can now be set by selecting either a planar or a linear orientation (previously they only worked, correctly, if you chose a strike and dip). If you select an linear orientation, then you will need to tap and drag to locate the plane to be pierced.
• FIXED: More bugs....
6.6.4 31/10/2024
v. 6.6.3 -- 17 October 2024
NEW -- Overlapping POI labels at a particular zoom level are suppressed resulting in a (somewhat) cleaner look when you have a lot of labels in a small space. You can still tap on a POI that has a suppressed label and get its details, etc.
CHANGED -- Tag types that are hidden will not be hidden regardless of whether you have color by type or by tag selected in Settings. Previously, they would only be hidden if you had Color by Tag selected.
FIXED -- Two finger scrolling of the map while in creating a new Path from Existing Segments now works. It was broken before.
V. 6.6.2 -- 19 September 2024
• Navigate to -- Tap any point on the map and get driving (or walking) directions to that point, from your current location or from a starting point that you tap, in Apple Maps. Once you arrive, you can easily switch back to GMDE Lite to start mapping.
• Rock units have been renamed "Tags" reflecting the fact that you can use them for stuff other than rock units (e.g., you could assign a locality tag to every contact, orientation, and POI in a particular area). The most recently selected Tag is applied automatically to all subsequent observations so, for example, if you are making a number of observations in the Twin Creek Formation or at field station 5, you only have to select the tag for the first observation. Note that tags differ from "types" because types are defined for a particular observation -- "cleavage" can only be applied to orientations, not contacts or POIs -- whereas taps can be applied to any type of observation. Thus, for instance, you can have cleavage measured at different localities and at a single locality you can have a cleavage measurements, and intrusive contact, and several photo POIs.
v. 6.6.1 -- 2 September 2024
• FIXED: a bug in the previous version that would prevent the saving of points of interest (POIs) with attached photos to the database. All users should update to this version.
v. 6.6.0 --29 August 2024
• NEW: You can now assign a rock unit to any POI, Orientation, or Contact. Rock units can be set up in Settings>Edit Types and Rock Units or you can define them on the fly when you tap the Set Types button in the upper right toolbar. Your data on the map can now be plotted using either type color OR the rock unit color. You set this preference in the Settings Screen. Rock units are specific to individual projects. To make sure that your team/students etc. use the same types and units, set up a blank project at the start of your field campaign and then share it with all users.
• NEW: Display planes using the Dip Azimuth and Dip format. This make this choice in the Settings Screen.
• NEW: Redesigned set type (and rock unit) and edit type (and rock unit) screens.
• IMPROVED: Piercing points can now be set by selecting either a planar or a linear orientation (previously they only worked, correctly, if you chose a strike and dip). If you select an linear orientation, then you will need to tap and drag to locate the plane to be pierced.
• FIXED: More bugs....
6.6.3 17/10/2024
V. 6.6.2 -- 19 September 2024
• Navigate to -- Tap any point on the map and get driving (or walking) directions to that point, from your current location or from a starting point that you tap, in Apple Maps. Once you arrive, you can easily switch back to GMDE Lite to start mapping.
• Rock units have been renamed "Tags" reflecting the fact that you can use them for stuff other than rock units (e.g., you could assign a locality tag to every contact, orientation, and POI in a particular area). The most recently selected Tag is applied automatically to all subsequent observations so, for example, if you are making a number of observations in the Twin Creek Formation or at field station 5, you only have to select the tag for the first observation. Note that tags differ from "types" because types are defined for a particular observation -- "cleavage" can only be applied to orientations, not contacts or POIs -- whereas taps can be applied to any type of observation. Thus, for instance, you can have cleavage measured at different localities and at a single locality you can have a cleavage measurements, and intrusive contact, and several photo POIs.
v. 6.6.1 -- 2 September 2024
• FIXED: a bug in the previous version that would prevent the saving of points of interest (POIs) with attached photos to the database. All users should update to this version.
v. 6.6.0 --29 August 2024
• NEW: You can now assign a rock unit to any POI, Orientation, or Contact. Rock units can be set up in Settings>Edit Types and Rock Units or you can define them on the fly when you tap the Set Types button in the upper right toolbar. Your data on the map can now be plotted using either type color OR the rock unit color. You set this preference in the Settings Screen. Rock units are specific to individual projects. To make sure that your team/students etc. use the same types and units, set up a blank project at the start of your field campaign and then share it with all users.
• NEW: Display planes using the Dip Azimuth and Dip format. This make this choice in the Settings Screen.
• NEW: Redesigned set type (and rock unit) and edit type (and rock unit) screens.
• IMPROVED: Piercing points can now be set by selecting either a planar or a linear orientation (previously they only worked, correctly, if you chose a strike and dip). If you select an linear orientation, then you will need to tap and drag to locate the plane to be pierced.
• FIXED: More bugs....
6.6.2 20/09/2024
v. 6.6.1 -- 2 September 2024
• FIXED: a bug in the previous version that would prevent the saving of points of interest (POIs) with attached photos to the database. All users should update to this version.
v. 6.6.0 --29 August 2024
• NEW: You can now assign a rock unit to any POI, Orientation, or Contact. Rock units can be set up in Settings>Edit Types and Rock Units or you can define them on the fly when you tap the Set Types button in the upper right toolbar. Your data on the map can now be plotted using either type color OR the rock unit color. You set this preference in the Settings Screen. Rock units are specific to individual projects. To make sure that your team/students etc. use the same types and units, set up a blank project at the start of your field campaign and then share it with all users.
• NEW: Display planes using the Dip Azimuth and Dip format. This make this choice in the Settings Screen.
• NEW: Redesigned set type (and rock unit) and edit type (and rock unit) screens.
• IMPROVED: Piercing points can now be set by selecting either a planar or a linear orientation (previously they only worked, correctly, if you chose a strike and dip). If you select an linear orientation, then you will need to tap and drag to locate the plane to be pierced.
• FIXED: More bugs....
6.6.1 02/09/2024
v. 6.6.0 --29 August 2024
• NEW: You can now assign a rock unit to any POI, Orientation, or Contact. Rock units can be set up in Settings>Edit Types and Rock Units or you can define them on the fly when you tap the Set Types button in the upper right toolbar. Your data on the map can now be plotted using either type color OR the rock unit color. You set this preference in the Settings Screen. Rock units are specific to individual projects. To make sure that your team/students etc. use the same types and units, set up a blank project at the start of your field campaign and then share it with all users.
• NEW: Display planes using the Dip Azimuth and Dip format. This make this choice in the Settings Screen.
• NEW: Redesigned set type (and rock unit) and edit type (and rock unit) screens.
• IMPROVED: Piercing points can now be set by selecting either a planar or a linear orientation (previously they only worked, correctly, if you chose a strike and dip). If you select an linear orientation, then you will need to tap and drag to locate the plane to be pierced.
• FIXED: More bugs....
6.6.0 29/08/2024
v. 6.5.1 -- 16 August 2024
• Fix for a bug that could cause a crash while entering text in the details screens.
v. 6.5.0 --22 July 2024
• NEW: You can now doing piercing point problems! Select an orientation on the plane of interest and choose piercing pt. Then enter the trend and plunge of the line that pierces the plane and tap and drag on the screen to set the position of the line on the surface. As you drag, the distance from the line to the plane along the trend and plunge and the surface projection of the piercing point is shown interactively. Once you lift the pointer, you'll be given the option to save and plot the line and the piercing point.
• NEW: Make a new path out of segments of existing paths/contacts.
• NEW: Export the entire project as a compressed, .zip archive. This makes it especially easy to move an entire project -- MBTiles basemaps, DEM(s), and any existing observations -- between devices.
• IMPROVED: The handling of segments of topo profiles with no data (e.g., at the edge of a DEM) has been improved.
• UPDATED: The users manual has been updated to v. 6.5 of the app, covering the new functionality, as well as a section on using QGIS to create and save MBTiles files.
• FIXED: various nagging bugs.
6.5.1 17/08/2024
v. 6.5.0 --22 July 2024
• NEW: You can now doing piercing point problems! Select an orientation on the plane of interest and choose piercing pt. Then enter the trend and plunge of the line that pierces the plane and tap and drag on the screen to set the position of the line on the surface. As you drag, the distance from the line to the plane along the trend and plunge and the surface projection of the piercing point is shown interactively. Once you lift the pointer, you'll be given the option to save and plot the line and the piercing point.
• NEW: Make a new path out of segments of existing paths/contacts.
• NEW: Export the entire project as a compressed, .zip archive. This makes it especially easy to move an entire project -- MBTiles basemaps, DEM(s), and any existing observations -- between devices.
• IMPROVED: The handling of segments of topo profiles with no data (e.g., at the edge of a DEM) has been improved.
• UPDATED: The users manual has been updated to v. 6.5 of the app, covering the new functionality, as well as a section on using QGIS to create and save MBTiles files.
• FIXED: various nagging bugs.
6.5.0 23/07/2024
v. 6.0.2 -- 12 March 2024
• A location uncertainty circle is now displayed around the users location when GPS is turned on. If you do not see a circle, that is because your location is more accurate than the size of the location indicator dot on the screen at your chosen zoom level.
• Fixed a subtle cosmetic bug in the calculation of appropriate colors.
6.0.2 12/03/2024
v. 6.0.1 --5 February 2024
• Background GPS track collection -- GMDE Lite can now record GPS tracks in the background when the screen is off or the user switches to another app. The GPS track is limited to a duration of 8 hours in case you forget to stop collecting the track. You must give GMDE Lite permission to access your location always, even in the background in order for background tracking to work. Note that your location is never sent to the programmer and, as long as you use an MBTile base map and have an onboard DEM, your location never leaves your device. If you are displaying a satellite image, your location is sent to Apple to retrieve the appropriate images.
6.0.1 06/02/2024
v. 8.0.0 -- 6 August 2026 (Finally...)
• NEW -- GMDE can now download (when you have an internet connection) and cache permanently on your device map tiles from the USGS and from the Open Topo Map project. The app will automatically store the tiles in an MBTiles database. USGS Topo and Imagery map tiles are only available in the United States but Open Topo Map tiles (with 10 m contours based on the 30 m SRTM DEM) can be downloaded for anywhere in the world. To download map tiles go to the Settings Screen and toggle on "Download Map Tiles". A message box will appear asking you the source you want to use for map tiles. When you tap the source, you will be taken to the Map or the Online Satellite screen. Adjust the view by pinching and dragging until the area for which you want to download tiles fills the screen. I suggest zooming out no more than level 12 to avoid downloading a huge number of tiles all at once (please do not abuse these free sources of map tiles!). Then, tap the name of the data source in the Map Button menu (e.g., for USGS Topo Map tiles tap "USGS Topo Cache") and your download will start automatically. All zoom levels between your starting zoom level (e.g., 12) and zoom level 16 (2 m/pixel, the highest zoom for which USGS tiles are available) will be downloaded to your device. You can pan the map once tiles have been downloaded to start new downloads of adjacent areas. When you are finished downloading, eith tap the "Stop Download" button that appears during downloading, go to the Settings Screen and toggle off "Download Map Tiles" or switch to any other map using the Map Button menu.
• NEW -- GMDE Lite will not allow you to zoom in one level higher than the maximum level in your map tiles database. For example, If you have downloaded USGS Imagery Tiles to the maximum of level 16 (2 m/pixel), when viewing those times, you will be able to zoom to level 17 (1 m/pixel). This may help to separate closely spaced measurements.
• NEW -- When you export your data as a KMZ file, that file will now include any photos. Thumbnails of the photos will be displayed automatically in Google earth.
v. 7.3.0 -- 26 June 2026
• NEW -- All of the toolbar buttons now have popup menus rather than message boxes for making your selection. These menus are faster and more elegant than the previous way of doing things.
• NEW -- Pause and resume an activity such as collecting a GPS track or sketching on a map. The functionality has been enabled by the new menu interface: e.g., tap the measure tool and choose Record GPS track from the menu. The toolbar measure button starts flashing. when you need to pause a track, tap the flashing toolbar button. The resulting menu now shows Pause and End. Tap pause. When you're ready to resume tap the toolbar button and the menu will now say Resume and End. Tap resume to continue collecting your track. To end the track, tap the button and choose End from the menu.
• NEW -- From the Add Orientation menu (accessed from the Orientation button on the toolbar), you can now go directly to collecting and orientation by Device Orientation (when you want to put your phone on the plane to be measured) or directly to the sighting an orientation screen. When you go to the sighting screen, as soon as you tap the display when there is a valid measurement the screen will close and you will see the orientation in the Orientation Details screen. Both device orientation and sighting were, and still are, available from buttons in the toolbar for the Orientation Details screen. The just gives you a little fast way of collecting those measurements.
• NEW -- You can now enter an orientation in the orientation details screen by tapping and dragging in the stereonet at the bottom of the screen.
• NEW -- The Rangefinder can now be used to measure the azimuth and inclination by sighting through your device camera.
more Version 8.0.0 7 Aug
Data Not Collected The developer does not collect any data from this app.