Frequently Asked Questions (and some answers)

Also FAQ: _Note: we use "data" as a plural as common in scientific writing, where "data" is plural and "datum" is singular. Yes, people use data as singular, but it feels... strange... to us, so we use the plural form.

Where do your data come from?

Ultreia.me leans heavily on volunteers to contribute data. That's the whole idea behind this app, we aim to become and be a inclusive and open database of the Caminos. In doing so, we use data from OpenStreetMap to find new places to add and to fix missing data from existing places. We also use Nominatim to find accurate addresses where none can be found otherwise. Our OSM data come from Geofabrik, to whom we are ever grateful.

GPX data are recorded by our volunteers using Garmin, Apple Watch, and Polar watches. We merge them in gpx.studio before correcting our own database.

Who are you?

We're volunteers. All of us. There's no company, no profit, no massive infrastructure, just a bunch of gals and guys who walk the Caminos and report changes. The software itself is written by Mikka (Mikka) and Jonas (NaughtyNocturnalist), two physicians who met on the Camino San Salvador in 2015 and have been walking since 2000 and 2003 annually respectively. Since they met, they've walked every year, often more than one route, and thought they might as well do something good with all those walks. You can join us easily: just submit a correction or addition, and, BAM, you're Ultreia. It's that easy.

How is this app financed?

We pay for the servers and our trips ourselves. There is a way to buy us a coffee. The great news is that, God forbid, something happened to Jonas and Mikka or we ran out of money, all the data are safe and public with OpenStreetMap. If the app disappeared tomorrow, its data would live on.

Who are your heroes?

We'd be remiss not to mention Andy, the Camino Ninja. We were friends before his passing, and in fact the events after his death, how his app came to be with a new maintainer, and how it changed, was one of the main reasons Ultreia.me was started. We took inspiration and lots of guidance from Veggiekarte when we decided to make Ultreia.me a progressive web app (PWA) instead of an App Store app. The hospitaler@s who provide excellent services to pilgrims, the pilgrims we met on the way, and all our volunteers, virtual or in person.