Theodolite Reviews

I think the this app app is very well designed. However, it relies on the compass in the iPhone 7 plus to be accurate. That's a big problem! All iPhone 7 plus phones have a worthless compass in them... I can't use the this app app for anything real because all of the data that would need an accurate compass heading is wrong by incredible amounts.
If you Google the compass issue on iPhone 7, you'll see everyone has pretty much the same issue and only Apple can fix it but they don't have much interest!
So... this app is good, maybe on other phones other than 7's... not useful on a 7 plus.

Visually beautiful. Clear on-screen layouts and useful outdoor navigational information in the this app and compass apps. Altimeter…meh, informative but not eye-catching but maybe that’s its point (?). Weather? Yeah, there are hundreds of apps that do that, so it’s not really the selling point of Theodolite . However, I am very disappointed that (1) the bundle does not include the Apple Watch apps and the various datum sets and (2) even more puzzled/peeved that the purchase of the datum for one app in the bundle does not make those datum available for use with the other apps in the set. It doesn’t really seem like a “bundle” especially when there are other apps available from other vendors that do as much but without the “nickel and dime” price escalation every time you open the preferences. In short, I’m pleased with the compass (on the phone) but will likely not find use for the rest of the apps as they each require additional purchases for base map datum($3) and localized maps/state plane coordinates ($25).

This is my favorite app. I most recently used it to find a Forest fire that had gotten within 3.1 miles of us. I took photographs at various places in the burnt area and then plotted the location on a Quadrangle map.

But my main use is to record the location of petroglyphs in remote ( and not so remote sites) in the far west of the U.S. And Canada. Of course in some places satellite connection cannot be made but most of the time it can be. Not only do I get the time and the longitude and latitude and elevation, but also the azimuth. This latter is important because by adding 180 degrees to the reading I can tell what direction the petroglyph is facing. By placing a measuring graphic near the subject the this app photo also displays the size of the petroglyph. The this app record is redundant because I usually take more photographs with
a camera, which includes the time and sometimes the coordinates, but never the azimuth or elevation. This along with iPhone Notebook allows me to travel lighter and scramble in the rocks more safely.

this app does a lot of stuff, more than I've had time to learn about so far. Currently I use it to photograph invasive plants, and can email the photo with coordinates to someone else, or to my own machine at work. One hitch--it worked for a while, but then I stopped receiving the emails. Turns out they were hung up in the iPhone mail outbox. Just select and resend. I look forward to learning about the other features as I get a chance. I haven't checked the coordinates against a handheld GPS yet, but it is accurate enough for my use.

As a major electric utility serving over 15 million residential customers, we have been using this app for several years when setting up helicopter lifts maintaining our infrastructure.
this app has proven to be extremely useful in measuring, imaging, geo-tagging and documenting our site plans all at once. This saves hours in the field and returns that time to lift plan development. In turn, that enables much greater productivity that enhances the return on investment for a dedicated aircraft fleet.

I’m not a professional in any field where this is in constant use, but it has always been the right tool to use in special situations. Whether hiking and wanting a numerically geographic record of the landscape or conducting walking tours in the city and wondering about whether a particular building had a tilt, I always relied on my trusty app to provide the data. With so much information in the screen, it provides a factual and entertaining record that is useful for a long time.

this app is a fantastic tool for avalanche professionals and all backcountry skiers and riders. For the professionals, take a photo of your pit to obtain and record location, altitude, aspect, date and time. Take a side view, tilting to the slope and you have the angle. This shortens the time required to obtain and record data, while increasing accuracy. For backcountry recreational users, use this app to determine aspect (some easy math required) and altitude. A side view shot and you have slope angle. Are you on plan for angle, aspect and elevation?

I have been using Theodolite since it came out and it's probably the best app I have on my iPhone to assist with RF Engineering.

It allows you to document site locations and then export to a .KMZ file which is incredibly effective way to do surveys and map out locations . It also allows you to get approximate azimuth and horizontal alignment information so that when it's time to install the equipment you will have that information ready to go.

I have never had any problems with it and it's with EVERY PENNY.

The this app app is a great tool for those that work and play in the great outdoors. If you are a game warden or in law enforcement this is a perfect work tool as well. I have used the this app app over the the last five years, for work and play. Theodolite encodes all of the necessary info time LAT LONG and well as elevation and compass heading that Theodolite was utilized at. This make it possible for another party to stand in the same location and recreate the same observation made. this app will shoot still photos as well as video with encoded the info into the photograph.

Indispensable. Been using it for years, time to review it. We do storm water and erosion control and always always have it at hand, always showing it to people, best thing for site assessments, continually saves us from having to go back and measure something.
Would you consider an option in Prefs to make the angle readouts announce when they are at zero? Especially the left/right tilt. Hard to see them in New Mexico sunlight sometimes. Or maybe an option to make it bigger when you need to.
Thanks for the great app.

I’m a geologist and I use Theodolite for work. I switched from Solocator because the image overlays look less cluttered and more professional with this app. Solocator has similar features but altogether Theodolite functions better (Solocator is goofy with phone rotation too).

The only thing that would make this app even better would be if there was more control over which data are included in the overlay. For example, I might want to exclude altitude, elevation angle, horizon angle and zoom but retain azimuth, Lat/Lon and date/time in some cases.

Theodolite is both fun and useful. If you ever need to show exactly where something is, or show that you did that job out in the back forty, Theodolite will provide a photo which includes all the information you can possibly imagine- exact latitude and longitude, bearing, altitude, time, date, inclination in 3 dimensions. In principle someone else could very nearly stand in your exact footprints to see the scene, based on the photo.
Another useful function is as a Sight Level. I put some bright tape on a tree or the side of the house at my eye level. Using Theodolite I can move around and if I can see the tape I can tell within an inch or so my elevation relative to the tape. This helps with landscaping my yard, for example.
So if you are a contractor, forester, or investigator, this would do a nice job for you.
I use Theodolite with Boy Scouts, not only for a handy compass bearing, but also for questions like, “If that tree were to fall, would it hit my tent?” (Hint: 45 degree vertical inclination). Or, “How side is that river?” (Classic map & compass exercise.)
I cannot evaluate the accuracy of the measurements (apps are notorious for displaying way more accuracy than they really can achieve), but they seem good for my purposes. If you have a boat with good navcom, check the accuracy and let us know!
I use it a lot and like it a great deal, and yes, it IS a great deal at this price!

I am an ITS and Tolling assessor representing the Colorado Department of Transportation and I use Theodolite daily for tracking project progress. I am constantly taking photos of different job sites and don’t always have time to add them into PlanGrid that second. I used to have problems remembering where the photos were taken or even what they were taken for so to have the information imbedded into the photos is very helpful and very useful. Many of the other construction managers I work with now use this app daily to track progress also. Thanks this app!

I’ve had Theodolite for quite a while and love it. It has a lot of information all brought together in a handy way. I use while hiking using it and my USGS 7.5 minute topo maps (or the Topo Map app). It uses the iPhone camera, so I often take a couple of pictures with it to help orient me when I’m traveling or taking photos in unfamiliar territory. It’s a survey and navigation tool and has a lot of data on each picture, not designed to replace your camera. I have not had any issues with it, and it’s GPS and compass correlate well with the GPS and compass on the iPhone and the Topo Maps app.

I’ve been searching for an app to help me plan photographing the solar eclipse on 10 June 2021. I need an app that will tell me accurate and precisely what the azimuth of various features so I can determine exactly where the Sun will rise. Theodolite does that.

The key to the accuracy is that Theodolite allows you to manually calibrate Theodolite to a known azimuth, such as the sun. And your can turn off the accelerometer and rely upon just the more accurate gyroscope for maintaining accuracy over a short period of time.

The display of Theodolite is remarkable. I am extremely impressed by the work the developer has put into Theodolite and his other apps.

Very sensitive. Better accuracy if placed on a fixed platform or stand. Fine detail measurements. The slightest movement is measured. On each of the scales, compass for example, the reading doesn’t bounce between each degree. Movement slides smoothly between the degrees and angles. I’ve never used a surveyor’s this app. But, I think Theodolite gives you enough features to roughly measure your property. There are additional features you can get that provide even more professional land features. Get this free application. Rate it! Rate it! Rate it! Simply put, I love Theodolite and I’m sure you will appreciate it too.

Really enjoying Theodolite . Uses for me include designing multi-stage geocaches where I need bearing and distance between points for the stages. Also was walking on the beach and was curious how far away a cell tower was, and the A-B feature made it easy to triangulate and see the estimated position on the map. The controls feel really responsive (for example the zoom in/out) and the UI is clear and easy to use. Love the translucent pillar that appears in the viewfinder to show you the location of the current active map point, and how it changes to a planted flag when you get closer. Also super easy to share out coords by copying the text-based log or by generating an email with coords and tagged photo. AR planet layer is neat, and I like how putting crosshairs on a planet causes a name label to appear.

I have had Theodolite for many years. I write very few reviews and this is one of the few I felt compelled to comment upon. This is probably one of the best and most powerful apps I have seen and shows the best of what a smartphone can do.

Many, most may not need or appreciate something like this but I find it remarkable what can be done with a phone in our pocket. If you are reading reviews on Theodolite though, you are probably in the other category.

If you know anything about maps, orienteering, surveying, flying or navigating this is remarkable. Get it. I buy almost no apps but this one I did and still think it is so worth it. To the devs, sincerely thank you. Be very cool if USGS maps could be downloaded and used as some kind of offline overlay or AR, IDK but a thought that occurred to me….

this app Pro is a fascinating application showcasing some of the abilities the iPhone is capable of. Whether playing around and curiously experimenting, or seriously putting your iPhone to work, it's surprising to find quite a few uses limited only by one's imagination.
So far the application has worked flawlessly and been extremely accurate.
Great job!!
Theodolite would be a great gift to a student learning geometry, or an outdoors person with a curious nature, or just someone who likes to experiment. I've seen lots of articles and apps about compasses , levels, protractors , and similar devices. None that I have read about or used can match this app.
Additionally, this app is a well thought out app with a great user manual. I haven't had an issue or crash using this app on a 3GS, 4S, and 6 Plus on their various IOS versions. This is one app that will stay on my device.

Unique survey/camera tool that records lat/long, strike/dip, elevation/distance, time/date and many other geo-data parameters: useful to geologists, foresters, ecologists, cartographers, search & rescue, etc. Internal mapper included and/or can export data to Google Earth etc. If you are lost or injured and need rescue, as long as you’re near enough to a cell tower to pick up your transmission, you can send precise location data to rescuers. You can even send them a satellite photo of where you’re at!