Rockd
Education
Free · Designed for iPad. Not verified for macOS.
Explore, learn about, and document your geologic surroundings! Whether you are a professional geoscientist or curious about the rocks around you and the stories they tell, Rockd allows you to explore and learn about the geologic record, contribute your own observations, and log your journey through the geologic record.
Features:
- Instant access to geologic and geographic summaries of your current location via a Dashboard
- Interactive global access to more than 290 geologic maps, with more being added weekly
- Explore the landscape with a dynamic, 3D virtual globe
- Save maps for use in the field with a built-in map caching system
- See your past location and explore paleogeographic maps from C.R. Scotese and GPlates
- View Macrostrat stratigraphic columns where available (beta)
- Explore published literature containing mentions of mapped geologic units (when available) via xDD (formerly, GeoDeepDive)
- Elevation data for most points on Earth from digital elevation models (DEMs)
- Add your own field observations even offline; tag features from Macrostrat and the Paleobiology Database
- Record strike/dip or trend/plunge for geologic features, using your phone's compass
- Track your progress through the geologic record privately, or share it with others
- See the public activity of other users and share your own and other public checkins using unique URLs
Rockd is produced by the Macrostrat lab in the Department of Geoscience at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. Support provided by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Dept. of Geoscience.
Experiencing issues? Send an email to contact@rockd.org and we will do our best to help you resolve it.
more Really great app, using it a lot during my field trips. The only issue I faced is that it is not possible to make public your private check-in: the button opens simply nothing.
Really great app, using it a lot during my field trips. The only issue I faced is that it is not possible to make public your private check-in: the button opens simply nothing.
- Fix a bug with syncing photos on checkin updates
- Internal bug fixes and improvements
4.1.3 21 Feb
- Improvements for Macrostrat stratigraphic columns
- Checkin feed page now uses infinite scroll
- Fixes to checkin upload workflow
- Internal upgrades, stability improvements, and bug fixes
4.1.2 1 Jan
- Removed automatic "go to location"
- Improved map interactions for performance and usability
- New "What's New" modal on app launch after update
- Various bug fixes and performance improvements
4.0.7 25/08/2025
Improvements:
- Add paper "snippets" via xDD
- Improve display of long outcrop descriptions
- Synchronize privacy policy with website
Bug fixes:
- Fix map caching system
- Fix photo and camera roll access
- Improve login experience
- Fix private checkin toggling
- Fix checkin updates from EXIF data
- Allow more trips to be loaded
3.4.0 19/08/2024
- Updated Privacy Policy and Terms of Service to include information about account deletion
3.3.4 27/02/2024
- Use Mapbox GL's built-in geolocation control for a better user experience
- Internal fixes and improvements
- Update build system for automated deployment
3.3.3 13/12/2023
- Major updates to Google account authentication flows
- Fix a bug that made the checkin system unresponsive with certain partially-synced checkins
- Fix an issue that prevents the map from loading in some situations
3.2.6 03/09/2022
This is the first update to Rockd since 2019. It reworks and modernizes the foundations of the app to set the stage for future development. Most functionality is the same, but internal data handling and storage have been simplified to provide a more stable user experience.
- Many bugs with state management and navigation have been addressed
- Functionality on newer devices (e.g., camera support) have been fixed
- Apple ID login has been added
The map system has been substantially improved for speed and expressiveness:
- A virtual globe and 3D terrain have been added, allowing new ways to explore the world’s geology atop its landscape.
- The map now makes maximal use of screen space on small devices
- The cache system has been totally replaced by a quicker and more standard implementation.
- Map code is now shared with Macrostrat’s web interface (https://macrostrat.org/map), allowing the quality of both to be improved.
WARNING: Due to changes to the internal storage framework of the app, unsynced checkins saved on the device are not retained through this update. Photos and other raw material should remain accessible, and it is possible, though tedious, to reconstruct lost data if needed. Please contact us (contact@rockd.org) if you are affected by this breaking change.
We thank Justin Janisch for his hard work to improve the app and are excited for many updates to come in the Version 3 series.
3.2.3 21/08/2022
2.6.0
+ Curious what kind of fossils are nearby? New taxa summary on the dashboard provides insight using the Paleobiology Database
+ Bug fixes
2.6.0 29/01/2019
2.5.1 - Robert Dott Edition - In Memory of Prof. R.H. Dott
+ Trips - organize checkins into stops that you can share and download
+ Data export - from your profile settings, download all of your checkins as a Google Earth-compatible KMZ file and/or as raw data"
+ Improvements to map
+ Bug fixes
2.5.1 06/11/2018
2.5.0 - Robert Dott Edition - In Memory of Prof. R.H. Dott
+ Trips - organize checkins into stops that you can share and download
+ Data export - from your profile settings, download all of your checkins as a Google Earth-compatible KMZ file and/or as raw data"
+ Improvements to map
+ Bug fixes
2.5.0 16/10/2018
2.4.2 - Schott Edition - In Memory of Ron Schott
+ Offline maps! Cache maps and map data, including satellite base map, for use offline
+ Physiographic region maps - view maps of nearby physiographic regions
+ Mineral reference - quickly access mineral data from the dashboard, link to Mindat.org
+ Paleogeographic map slider - no need to click through a menu to view your paleographic context at different time intervals
+ Dashboard predictions vastly improved
+ Improved display of checkins, including zoomable images
+ Layout improvements
+ Bug fixes
2.4.2 16/06/2018
2.4.1 - Schott Edition - In Memory of Ron Schott
+ Offline maps! Cache maps and map data, including satellite base map, for use offline
+ Physiographic region maps - view maps of nearby physiographic regions
+ Mineral reference - quickly access mineral data from the dashboard, link to Mindat.org
+ Paleogeographic map slider - no need to click through a menu to view your paleographic context at different time intervals
+ Dashboard predictions vastly improved
+ Improved display of checkins, including zoomable images
+ Layout improvements
+ Bug fixes
2.4.1 13/06/2018
2.4.0 - Schott Edition - In Memory of Ron Schott
+ Offline maps! Cache maps and map data, including satellite base map, for use offline
+ Physiographic region maps - view maps of nearby physiographic regions
+ Mineral reference - quickly access mineral data from the dashboard, link to Mindat.org
+ Paleogeographic map slider - no need to click through a menu to view your paleographic context at different time intervals
+ Dashboard predictions vastly improved
+ Improved display of checkins, including zoomable images
+ Layout improvements
+ Bug fixes
2.4.0 09/06/2018
Better handling of photo metadata makes adding checkins from previous trips a breeze!
2.3.2 01/12/2017
+ Fixes a bug that prevented adding photos to checkins in iOS 11
+ [New] Comment on checkins and observations
+ [New] Search for checkins
+ [New] Be notified when someone comments on or likes your checkin
+ [New] Start a checkin from the compass
+ [New] View who has liked a checkin
+ [New] Directly link to Wikipedia and Gigapan URLs
+ [Fixed] More robust and transparent handling of the GPS
+ Miscellaneous bug fixes and enhancements
2.3.1 03/10/2017
+ [New] Comment on checkins and observations
+ [New] Search for checkins
+ [New] Be notified when someone comments on or likes your checkin
+ [New] Start a checkin from the compass
+ [New] View who has liked a checkin
+ [New] Directly link to Wikipedia and Gigapan URLs
+ [Fixed] More robust and transparent handling of the GPS
+ Miscellaneous bug fixes and enhancements
2.3.0 28/09/2017
+ Major reorganization of the dashboard - you can now access information about physiographic regions, paleographic maps, and geologic map descriptions of your current location right from the dashboard. Additionally, added quick access to the strike/dip compass.
+ All new checkin syncing process that allows you to see the upload progress and resume network-aborted uploads later.
+ The feed now allows you to easily access unsynced checkins
+ Revised photo-focused primary checkin views
+ Better organization of profile page
+ Attribute tagging now includes "recently used" tags within each checkin
+ Better handling of limited connectivity, including offline
+ Many bug fixes and UI enhancements
2.2.0 29/08/2017
+ [NEW] Use your device to take strike and dip measurements
+ [NEW] More prominent map on the checkin page ensures locational accuracy
+ [NEW] Toggle the satellite basemap on and off
+ [NEW] Easily get a URL for checkins and photos
+ [NEW] More flexible syncing of checkins
+ Add basic zooming of photos
+ More frequent refreshing of GPS coordinates
+ Fix bug that would sometimes result in heavy map use crashing the app
+ Fix bug that prevented clicking on the bars of the GeoTime summary
+ Better error handling, especially with intermittent connectivity
+ Bug fixes and interface tweaks
2.1.0 23/06/2017
If you are having problems with Rockd, please delete the app and reinstall it.
+ Fixed bug that indicated the user was offline while using the map
+ Fixed bug that resulted in crash when a profile was viewed from a checkin
+ Fixed bug that did not update observation suggestions after the location of the checkin was edited
+ Fixed bug that made the EXIF map display improperly
+ Fixed bug that made editing observation notes difficult
2.0.1 04/05/2017
The experience you love, reengineered from the ground up.
+ Bug fixes
+ Performance enhancements
2.0.0 28/04/2017
+ Fixed bug that resulted in the app crashing when large images were selected
+ Fixed bug that resulted in the app crashing when non-JPG images were selected
+ Autosave checkin as data is entered
1.2.5 31/03/2017
+ Fixed bug that prevented all lithologies from being shown
+ Add the ability to add an affiliation and ORCiD to your profile
+ Fixed the updating of offline terms
+ Fixed a bug that sometimes resulted in pictures being rotated
+ Fixed a bug that that prevented nearby features from being updated after adding a picture with a known location
+ Show experience summary when syncing a checkin from the feed
+ Fixed bug that prevented experience being shown on checkins
+ Other bug fixes and minor style tweaks
1.2.4 06/03/2017
+ Add the ability to import location and date data from photos
+ Increase support for numerous offline checkins
+ Better handling of observation sub-locations when not in the field
+ Display estimated ages for observations with map unit and stratigraphic name tags
+ Show total XP on checkin page, and click to see details
+ Show age estimate while tagging an interval when a map unit or name is tagged
+ Disable shake-to-undo
+ Improve place searching to include parks
+ Update tutorial images
+ Fix scrolling of long lists
+ Fixed a bug that would sometimes result in the app getting stuck on the splash screen and necessitate a reinstall
+ Fix an issue that prevented the photos of unsynced checkins from displaying properly after an app restart
1.2.2 30/01/2017
Minor bug fixes, including:
+ Better lithology attribute tagging
+ Ability to remove tagged map units
+ Show all checkins related to a time interval
+ Other small tweaks
1.2.1 04/01/2017
- Fix a bug with syncing photos on checkin updates
- Internal bug fixes and improvements
more Version 4.1.3 21 Feb
Data Not Linked to You The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:
Location Contact Info User Content 