The French IGN mapping site, Geoportail, can be accessed via your iPhone, if you can get a signal.

http://geobar.pureftpd.org/

The devl. seems to be a private initiative that is a portail to the Geoportail site, the DNS info says that the developer is Franck Denis. It uses the Geoportail APIs [confirmed by the link below, if my French is good enough]. If you are in France try the above URL in your iPhone. It will open up a 1:25.000 series IGN map and position you on it using the GPS (if you have one). You have the usual Geoportail functionality so you can also access aerial photos which may be useful given the IGN maps are limited on detail like small cliffs.

Other maps such as administrative plans are also available, this could be very useful for architects, civil engineers and expert-geometre etc as well as walkers, skiers, mountainbikers.

More info in French.

http://www.iphon.fr/post/2009/09/08/Le-GeoPortail-accessible-depuis-un-iPhone-/-iPod-Touch

Nice one, I’ve just tested this in our Geneve office and it works!

the gps is turned off after getting a fix to save on battery, nice feature.

Works on my iPod Touch. No GPS, so no fix, but then I’m also in Wiltshire, UK!

Wonder how the iPhone handles cold conditions? Does the touch screen even work (I’ve heard you have to spit on your gloves to make phone calls… beurg).

Rogier (of Hautes Alpes fame http://www.rogiervanrijn.com/wordpress/) sent me this link

http://www.geolives.com/

which could be of interest to iPhone users.

I dunno about the cold but you have to spit on your gloves to use the screen.