Other Field Mapping Apps¶

HOT's tools work alongside these open source field apps. This overview covers their strengths; follow the official docs for details.

App	Platforms	Best for	Data goes to
ODK Collect	Android	Structured surveys with forms	ODK Central (or OSM via Field-TM)
KoboToolbox	Android, web	Surveys, with free hosting for humanitarian orgs	KoboToolbox server
QField	Android, iOS, desktop	Full GIS editing in the field, based on QGIS	QGIS project / QFieldCloud
Every Door	Android, iOS	Quickly adding and updating shops and amenities	OpenStreetMap
StreetComplete	Android	Answering simple questions to complete OSM data	OpenStreetMap
CoMaps	Android, iOS	Offline navigation, with simple OSM edits	OpenStreetMap
Sketch Map Tool	Web + paper	Participatory mapping with no phones in the field	GeoJSON / GeoTIFF download
Panoramax	Android, web, 360 cameras	Street-level photos to map from later	A Panoramax instance (open)
DHIS2 Capture	Android	Health programme data for a national DHIS2 system	DHIS2 server (Ministry of Health)

ODK¶

What it does: a suite for collecting structured data with forms. Forms are written as spreadsheets (XLSForm), filled in on phones with the ODK Collect app, and submissions are managed on an ODK Central server.
Good at: surveys with many questions, validation rules and skip logic; working offline and syncing later; capturing points, lines, polygons, photos and audio.
With HOT tools: Field-TM can set up ODK forms and assign mapping tasks, and can send the collected data to OSM or keep it outside OSM.
Docs: docs.getodk.org and the form reference at xlsform.org.

What it does: a survey platform built on the same form standard as ODK (XLSForm). Collect data with the KoboCollect app or in the browser.
Good at: organisations that want a hosted server without running their own; the forms are largely interchangeable with ODK.
With HOT tools: see the Field-TM FAQ on how Field-TM and Kobo relate.
Docs: support.kobotoolbox.org.

What it does: a mobile GIS app built on QGIS. Prepare projects on desktop, then edit them in the field.
Good at: editing many layers with full attribute forms, drawing detailed geometries, offline work, and using external GNSS receivers for higher accuracy. QFieldCloud can sync projects between QGIS and phones.
With HOT tools: Field-TM supports QField as an alternative to ODK for teams that need more GIS features.
Docs: docs.qfield.org.

What it does: adds and updates OpenStreetMap points of interest, such as shops, amenities and building entrances, as you walk.
Good at: fast, detailed OSM surveys of businesses and amenities by individuals or small groups.
Not for: coordinated team projects or data that must stay out of OSM (use Field-TM or ChatMap).
Docs: every-door.app.

What it does: an Android app with "quests": simple questions about nearby features (e.g. "Is this road lit?"). Answers update OpenStreetMap.
Good at: beginners improving OSM data with no mapping knowledge.
Not for: adding many new features or collecting data outside OSM.
Docs: streetcomplete.app.

What it does: an offline maps and navigation app using OpenStreetMap data. Download a country, then search and get walking, cycling or driving directions offline. You can also add or correct places in OSM from the app.
Good at: getting field teams to survey locations offline, and quick fixes to OSM (a missing shop, wrong opening hours).
Why CoMaps? Organic Maps forked from Maps.me; CoMaps forked from Organic Maps in 2025. We recommend CoMaps because it is run as an open, community-governed project (Apache 2.0 licence, developed on Codeberg). The fork came after contributors raised concerns about Organic Maps' governance and transparency. Maps.me is now a commercial app with ads and tracking.
Not for: structured surveys or team projects (use Field-TM).
Docs: comaps.app.

What it does: turns hand-drawn paper maps into digital data. Print a map of your area from the website (OSM or satellite imagery, including OpenAerialMap). People draw on it with coloured pens, then you photograph or scan it and upload it. The tool georeferences the image and detects the drawings automatically.
Good at: community and participatory mapping where people don't have smartphones, or where talking around a paper map works better (risk mapping, evacuation routes, local knowledge). Only printing and uploading need internet.
Output: GeoJSON (the drawn areas) and GeoTIFF (the georeferenced map), ready for QGIS or uMap.
Docs: sketch-map-tool.heigit.org, made by HeiGIT (Heidelberg University).

What it does: an open alternative to Google Street View and Mapillary for street-level photos. Capture photo sequences with a phone or a 360° camera while walking or driving, then upload them. Faces and number plates are blurred automatically.
Good at: collecting imagery once in the field so remote mappers can later add details that satellite or drone imagery can't show: shop names, building use, road surface, signs. The iD and JOSM editors can show Panoramax photos while mapping.
Open by design: it is federated, so anyone (for example a national OSM community) can host an instance. Photos on the OpenStreetMap France instance are CC BY-SA 4.0, with permission to derive OSM data from them.
Docs: panoramax.fr, started by the French mapping agency (IGN) and OpenStreetMap France.

What it does: a health management information system run by Ministries of Health in over 70 countries, especially across Africa and Asia. Health workers report through the DHIS2 Capture Android app (works offline) or the web, and the national server provides dashboards and maps. Built by the HISP Centre at the University of Oslo, BSD licence.
Not a general mapping app: it is built around health programmes and facility reporting, not open-ended field surveys or OSM.
For health ministry work: facility and population data probably already live in DHIS2. Match your field data (e.g. facilities mapped with Field-TM) to its facility list instead of creating a new one.
With HOT tools: we are exploring integrations, see Field-TM issue #3134.
Docs: dhis2.org and docs.dhis2.org.