# Mapboard GIS — Draw your field maps into GIS

> iPad app for drawing field maps with Apple Pencil, integrating pen-and-paper ease with GIS precision. (iPhone/iPad app by Daven Quinn.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mapboard-gis/id1446188315 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Daven Quinn](https://appshunter.io/developer/1388611117)
- Category: Productivity, Graphics & Design
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.50/5 from 2 App Store ratings · 1 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 16.1 · 69 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2021-03-22
- Data updated: 2026-08-08
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mapboard-gis/id1446188315/reviews.md

## What is Mapboard GIS?

Mapboard GIS is an iPad app for drawing maps with an Apple Pencil. Mapboard combines the intuitive workflow of pen-and-paper mapping with the precision, flexibility, and scale-independence of geospatial information systems (GIS). Its forward-looking design helps beginner and expert mappers produce multiscale, topologically consistent geologic maps.

MOTIVATION AND DESIGN

Mapboard GIS was born out of frustration with both paper– and GIS-based mapping workflows. It is primarily designed for geologists but is potentially useful in many situations demanding interpretive mapping. Mapboard attempts to bring digital mapping closer to the intuitive experience provided by paper. A sophisticated open-source spatial engine drives simple tools for drawing, erasing, and reshaping features. Outputs are natively compatible with common GIS software. Mapboard allows mapping time to be spent refining interpretations
instead of fighting with technical tools.

KEY FEATURES

- Editing tools geared towards pen-based mapping
- Powerful and intuitive reshaping, snapping, and erasing
- Iterative topology solver to fill map units
- Sophisticated onboard Spatialite GIS engine
- Project files natively readable by standard GIS software (QGIS, ArcGIS, etc.)
- User-configurable data types for line and polygon features
- Tether to remote PostGIS for work across large datasets and real-time collaboration
- Interoperable with standard formats (mbtiles, Spatialite, PostGIS) and open-source + commercial software

OTHER FEATURES

- Load MBTiles basemaps
- Satellite, streets, and topographic basemaps
- Dark mode support
- Geologic line types

TERMS OF USE: https://mapboard-gis.app/terms-of-service
PRIVACY POLICY: https://mapboard-gis.app/privacy
CHANGELOG: https://mapboard-gis.app/docs/ios/releases

## Key features

- Pen-based editing tools
- Intuitive reshaping and snapping
- Iterative topology solver
- Onboard Spatialite GIS engine
- Native GIS software compatibility
- User-configurable data types
- Tether to remote PostGIS

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Full Version | $29.99 | per year |


## Recent user reviews (1 of 1)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mapboard-gis/id1446188315/reviews.md

### 4/5 — Best potential for replacing paper mapping

*2021-06-07*

This app looks like it could become the best chance of replacing paper mapping I have seen. Being able to import mbtiles and having a spatialite database in the backend makes this a real contender. There are some bugs but it is the first public release so no surprise there. Works smoothly and easy to draw geology and structures.

## Frequently asked questions about Mapboard GIS

### What is Mapboard GIS?

Mapboard GIS is an iPad application designed for drawing field maps with an Apple Pencil. It merges the simplicity of pen-and-paper with the advanced capabilities of geospatial information systems (GIS).

### Who is Mapboard GIS designed for?

While primarily developed for geologists, Mapboard GIS is useful for anyone needing to create interpretive maps with precision. It aims to simplify the mapping process for both beginners and experts.

### What devices does Mapboard GIS support?

Mapboard GIS is exclusively available for iPad devices, leveraging the Apple Pencil for an intuitive drawing experience.

### How does Mapboard GIS handle data interoperability?

Project files created in Mapboard GIS are natively readable by standard GIS software like QGIS and ArcGIS. It also supports interoperability with formats such as mbtiles, Spatialite, and PostGIS.

### Does Mapboard GIS have ads?

No, Mapboard GIS does not contain advertisements, ensuring an uninterrupted mapping experience for its users.

### What is the pricing for Mapboard GIS?

Mapboard GIS is free to download and use. There is an optional 'Full Version' available as a subscription for $29.99 per year, unlocking advanced features.

### How often is Mapboard GIS updated?

The app was last updated on November 3, 2024, indicating active development and regular maintenance. The latest version is 4.3.0.

### What kind of basemaps can I use with Mapboard GIS?

Mapboard GIS supports loading MBTiles basemaps and offers built-in satellite, streets, and topographic basemaps for your mapping projects.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 4.3.0 — 2024-11-03

Map layer con­trols

- Im­prove the user in­ter­face for show­ing and hid­ing map lay­ers
- Add an op­tion to show only one map layer at a time, dras­ti­cally in­creas­ing per­for­mance for large, mul­ti­layer datasets

Bug fixes and in­ter­nal im­prove­ments

- Fix pro­ject file share sheet
- Prop­erly up­grade pro­jects from older ver­sions on app startup
- More ef­fi­cient han­dling of app ini­tial­iza­tion and pro­ject load­ing
- Im­prove mes­sage pass­ing at the top lev­els of the app
- Up­date the un­der­ly­ing data­base frame­work to work with iOS 18

### 4.2.1 — 2024-06-27

- Fix a high-im­pact bug in cre­at­ing new pro­jects

- A new sys­tem for work­ing with re­mote (Post­GIS) pro­jects housed in the Map­board Plat­form ap­pli­ca­tion.
- User in­ter­face im­prove­ments for more stan­dard­ized com­po­nents and nav­i­ga­tion pat­terns.
- Stream­lined of­fline pur­chase han­dling
- Much quicker topol­ogy pro­cess­ing
- More ef­fec­tive pri­or­i­ti­za­tion of edit­ing op­er­a­tions over topol­ogy main­te­nance tasks
- More con­trol over how map lay­ers are dis­played

### 4.2.0 — 2024-05-08

- A new sys­tem for work­ing with re­mote (Post­GIS) pro­jects housed in the Map­board Plat­form ap­pli­ca­tion.
- User in­ter­face im­prove­ments for more stan­dard­ized com­po­nents and nav­i­ga­tion pat­terns.
- Stream­lined of­fline pur­chase han­dling
- Much quicker topol­ogy pro­cess­ing
- More ef­fec­tive pri­or­i­ti­za­tion of edit­ing op­er­a­tions over topol­ogy main­te­nance tasks
- More con­trol over how map lay­ers are dis­played

### 4.1.0 — 2024-02-27

Ad­just­ing map area

- Set the map area for an ex­ist­ing pro­ject
- Switch base layer types for map area se­lec­tion
- Show map area as an ed­itable map layer

Bug fixes and in­ter­nal im­prove­ments

- Fix a ma­jor bug that caused the app to crash when open­ing a pro­ject
- Re­moved po­ten­tial sources of in­sta­bil­ity in app startup rou­tines
- Re­duced du­pli­ca­tion and global state, po­ten­tially im­prov­ing mem­ory man­age­ment and per­for­mance
- Refac­tored app startup code for more ef­fi­cient and in­tu­itive de­vel­op­ment
- Up­dated to Ap­ple’s StoreKit 2 for sub­scrip­tion man­age­ment

### 4.0.0 — 2023-12-17

LAYER-BASED EDITING

Editing by map layer is extremely useful for capturing overlapping map features
(for instance, "bedrock geology" and "surficial geology" layers).
But it can be used to separate any features that you want to edit
independently.

- Separate layers of mapping that can be independently edited
- Snapping improvements for individual map layers
- Layer reordering

Going forward, this feature will underpin a handling of more complex types of
map data (e.g., notes, point-based sample data, etc.) atop the current topological map.

NEW PROJECT-CREATION WORKFLOW

- New control to set map area
- Suggests the best projection (UTM zones or WGS84 lat lon) for your mapping area

USER INTERFACE IMPROVEMENTS

- New controls: Zoom to map area, Reload map
- First steps towards reworking Projects page
- New selection functions: Change layer

PERFORMANCE AND INTERNAL FIXES

- Fixes to topology engine to not delete straight lines
- Fixed CPU leak from map event handlers
- More modern internal map server
- Slightly more efficient map queries
- Improved server-linked mapping mode
- Internal handling of point data sources
- Fixes for several bugs with MBTiles layers

## Apps similar to Mapboard GIS

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| [GIS Lite](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gis-lite/id1548266173) | — | Free | Productivity |
| [GIS Cloud Map Viewer](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gis-cloud-map-viewer/id1059431691) | 4.0 (10) | Free | Productivity |
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| [GEO5 Data Collector](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/geo5-data-collector/id6446826835) | 5.0 (1) | Free | Productivity |
| [FieldMove](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fieldmove/id968405777) | 4.2 (6) | Free | Productivity |
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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-08.*