Windows Phone map apps to help you understand your surroundings

We’re creatures of habit and go to the same places over and over again. But sometimes, we find ourselves in unfamiliar surroundings and need a little help.

If you ever find yourself in a different neighbourhood or city, atop a mountain, or simply looking for an interesting and new place around you, one of these Windows Phone apps and your Lumia should help.

Maps (built-in) – Free

As the default location app on any Windows Phone, Maps can be found in the apps list.

With it, you can use the “me” circle icon to see your precise position with or without aerial view, depending on your preference.

You can opt to have Maps show your “favorite places” and “nearby Wi-Fi” hotspots.

The “Scout” option shows what’s nearby, such as restaurants, bookshops, museums, and tourist attractions. Maps can then direct you to one of these destinations or any other you’ve discovered.

Locations can also be shared via SMS or email, should you want someone to meet you there.

Geosense – Free

Sometimes, you may have geographical latitude and longitude coordinates and you’d like to know where they point to on this big ball of rock we call Earth.

Type them into Geosense (you can use different geodetic formats such as decimal degree and mindec) and the app will provide the coordinates’ full address, including street name, town or city, country, and even postal code.

If you prefer a more visual view, tap the map option to see it.

GeoGPS – £5.99/$9.99 with try before you buy

GeoGPS turns your Lumia into a hand-held GPS device. This all-inclusive map app not only gives you one map, but, at last count, 17. Some of the maps available include: Hike & Bike, Finland Topo, Bing Maps, Bing Maps (O.S.GB), and USGS Topo.

It also uses more than 10 coordinate systems and formats (such as geodetic), and you can set waypoints and create routes using the online map.

GeoGPS can measure your altitude (I’m currently sitting at 39 meters above sea level), speed, pace, climb rate, and provides a useful full-screen compass to make sure you stick to the 162 degrees north, or any other degree of course.

JobLens – Free

The main purpose of this app is to help you find a job with its CV-creating assistance and job-market visibility.

JobLens has access to some of the biggest, most respected brands in career services and, by using augmented reality, can overlay those job roles onto your phone’s screen to show you where they are.

For extra interest, JobLens has a neighborhood section that details its demographics, including age, gender and ethnicity, along with total population figures and industry figures, powered by data.gov.uk.

These are just a few ways of you can use maps in different ways for different purposes.

How are you using maps?