Komoot launches Trail View – a unique proprietary technology that brings maps to life

• AI-powered, image recognition technology brings komoot maps to life with user-sourced photos of trails
• Komoot leverages the power of its community’s visual content with technology that ‘pays it back’ – over 15 million images from komoot’s 28 Million users have been scanned to launch Trail View to its community
• Trail View helps the outdoor community to make better-informed decisions as to whether a specific trail is suitable for their sport and experience level

Komoot launches Trail View, a unique technology that brings komoot maps to life with user-contributed photographs of paths and trails. An image recognition technology that uses artificial intelligence to curate images, Trail View has been born out of komoot’s desire to provide its community with the most information-rich portrayal of the trail ahead – through images.

Jonas Spengler, CTO at komoot commented

“Product development at komoot is geared towards leveraging the power of our outdoor collective out on the trails and finding innovative ways to enhance their outdoor experience by connecting everyone’s knowledge. And Trail View is such a great example of how innovation and AI intersect to empower people to plan better tours with confidence.”

Trail View is available for all komoot users via the komoot web platform, try it here, by selecting the Trail View map layer: https://www.komoot.com/plan

Where real-life imagery meets maps

Showing up as green dots on the Trail View map layer in komoot, when clicked – images that have been contributed  by other komoot users who have been on that trail already, and have taken and uploaded a photo of it to komoot, are presented.

But not every image that is taken by users will pass the Trail View test. Trail View scans all uploaded images and shows only those with paths and trails. It eliminates images that do not fit the criteria (ie. images that include faces, animals, landscapes, buildings etc.). To launch Trail View, over 15 Million images uploaded to komoot by its community have been automatically scanned to identify approx. 1 Million that show trails and paths. And it will only get better as the community contributes more informative images of trails to help others to visualise their adventure before setting out.

Rob Hermans, Product Manager Maps and Navigation at komoot, comments

“It’s super exciting to bring a new technology to life, especially one that will improve our community’s experiences in the outdoors as directly as Trail View. This new piece of komoot tech gives you a real life picture of the one that you might have painted in your head, so you’re left with less doubts of what lies ahead of you! We are in a privileged position to be able to leverage such an amazing volume of user generated content to return a tangible benefit to the entire community”.

Next-level adventure planning

Trail View adds an additional dimension to route planning, enabling users to verify what the trail looks like so they can make informed decisions about whether a specific trail is suitable for their sport or level of experience. Clear information about the condition and composition of the trail will help mountain bikers choose the right equipment, hiking  families and groups to reduce risk, gravel cyclists to avoid paths with rocks – increasing the likelihood of Type 1 fun all-round. It also provides a reason to get excited as komoot users can now visualise what awaits them on their adventures.

According to Lael Wilcox, ultra-endurance cyclist and komoot ambassador,

“With Trail View, I can easily see if a trail is something for me or not. I can see if it’s rideable or if there are photos of obstacles that somebody took recently. It also means I can scout a whole area that I am not familiar with and get a feeling for the trails and roads I’m going to be riding.”

Trail View is available for all komoot users via the komoot web platform, try it here, by selecting the Trail View map layer: https://www.komoot.com/plan