Flyover Country – offline flight tracking

Flyover Country is an Android app that provides offline maps and GPS tracking for in-flight entertainment, hiking, and road trips. It is a National Science Foundation-funded app that offers interactive geologic maps, fossil localities, and Wikipedia articles. The app analyzes the flight path and caches relevant map data and points of interest (POI) to display during the flight without in-flight wifi. By downloading only the necessary data, the app offers a robust experience without an internet connection.

The app provides GPS tracking, revealing the locations of fossils and georeferenced Wikipedia articles visible from your airplane window seat, road trip, or hiking trail vista. However, GPS functionality is only possible from the window seat, and GPS reception quality varies by device and conditions. Overall, Flyover Country is an excellent app for geoscience outreach and data discovery, and it is ideal for outdoor activities such as field trips and geologic fieldwork.