EO Traveller question

Hi Cuppa,

Great question — and you're not alone in noticing this. It might seem odd at first when features appear or disappear as you zoom in or out, but it’s actually a deliberate and necessary part of how the EOTopo map works.

EOTopo is a custom-designed, high-resolution vector map built by us (I.T. Beyond Pty Ltd. ) using 260 unique datasets. This includes roads, tracks, terrain, water features, infrastructure, and much more — all layered and managed through a bespoke stylesheet that’s unlike anything used in other mapping products.

While many mainstream vector maps rely on standard stylesheets (often hiding minor 4WD tracks like the Canning Stock Route until you zoom right in), EOTopo has been carefully designed to reveal important off-road minor remote area detail like this much earlier — often from as low as Zoom Level 4, thanks to our unique Trek system and mapping rules.

To keep the map usable and clutter-free, we use a system of layer hierarchies that determine what’s shown at each zoom level. As you zoom in, more detail is revealed. From around Zoom Level 12 onwards, the full dataset is available — however, the exact display can vary slightly between devices due to automatic adjustments based on your screen size, resolution, and content density. This ensures optimal readability and prevents overlapping labels or symbols.

For example, a small phone might suppress some labels at a given zoom level to avoid clutter, whereas a tablet or larger screen can show more — even at the same zoom. You may also notice that urban and remote areas are styled differently, allowing finer infrastructure details (like paths and buildings) to display clearly in populated areas, while remote zones are kept clean and simple.

And remember — if you have the Places overlay turned off, key POIs like camps and caravan parks will still appear as base labels (built into the map file), but this data only updates when you install a new EOTopo edition. When you turn Places on, that layer dynamically syncs with the ExplorOz database for the most up-to-date content, so you can explore with the latest info live or offline.

So in short — it’s not a glitch, and it’s not just how “all vector maps” work. This is a purpose-built, Australian-designed system that dynamically delivers just the right amount of information for your context — whether you’re zoomed out to plan your route or right in close checking track conditions.

Hope that clears it up!
Michelle

PS: just check that you are using defaults initially - if you change to use oversize fonts/buttons etc this may cause unexpected results in the output that the stylesheet cannot adjust.

Looking forward to a time when we can open a second EOTraveller so we can zoom in with one and out with the other taking advantage of the iPads bigger screen like several native apple apps .

When I show EOT to others and recommend it, I note this as one of its limitations. My solution is to switch to the Memory Maps for All app with HEMA maps. I can usually find a map with the right level of detail. And therein likes the weakness of that combo - there are a lot of maps and you're often switching between them. Plus the fact that you can't zoom in to for really fine detail, which is one of EOT's strengths. I regard the two apps as complimentary rather than competitors, as nothing is perfect, not even paper maps.

You may want to experiment with the cluster separation setting, although I don't think that will change the behaviour that you're observing.