I wanted a map source in my laptop and tab so that I could find older/gravel roads that I couldn't see with my Garmin GPS unit. So I found at kartverket.no that they provided free downloads of Topo maps of Norway. The maps that I downloaded were the highest resolution N50 Kartdata UTM33 for the entire country which were MrSid format. To open these maps in my laptop I used ExpressView which is an addon to Internet Explorer allowing you to view them in your browser. Also I had these maps in my Galaxy tab3, in that I used GeoViewer. By using this app in the tab3, I was able to activate the internal GPS to see where I was on the map. At the time I didn't use the tab3 as a GPS when driving so I can't say for sure if you can track in GeoViewer. I'll have to experiment with it.
In my cell phone I used a few apps there as well as I always have the phone with me. Before travelling to Norway, check with your local data provider to see if they offer a package in the Nordic as data usage in Norway is expensive. With that said, I used another map app which is Norgekart. Again it's another Topo map source which is regularly updated. This is an excellent app.There is another app that is copy to this one but is more focused to each individual municipality which is called Kommunekart. I didn't use it a whole lot but it was installed.
Also I used from time to time Google Maps, it gave a much better picture of the landscape and roads than what my Garmin GPS could do. I have an older Garmin Nuvi 500 which the maps resolutions were not up to the quality of the images in my cell phone with Google Maps. Of course using the built-in location we could see where we were at any time on a scaled map that gave us a better picture of where were.
Another app that was invaluable is NorCamp, this gem of an app which also is map based provides you with a listing of camp sites over the entire country. Using my location it gave us an image of the country side with all the local camp sites closest to us. Clicking on the campsites it provides you with addition information including prices and check-in times.
Opplev Norge is an activities app that keeps you informed of local activities over the entire country. This was excellent for us planning the tourist stuff that we wanted to see and attend.While traveling through Sweden, Rest Areas Sweden is a great app for locating the avail rest areas along the motorways. Most rest areas in Sweden have toilets and running water and ample spots to park over night.
Even with all the apps for maps in Norway we still "winged it" a few days. This was due to us changing our minds and wanted to see something else that was not that far from us and also routes that were closed to vehicle travel, weather there was road construction or gates across the roads. That is one thing that will catch you off guard, the gates over roads that appear to be open to public use. Not all the maps and their information is 100%, so be prepared to turn around or take another route.
