The prolonged drought affecting Europe has become a serious problem for hikers and cyclists. Mapped water sources and fountains no longer always have water. The Swiss-based droply app offers a solution to this problem with its new Navigator feature. The app examines existing routes and shows water sources along the way, as well as long waterless sections.

The app's launch coincided with an exceptionally dry summer in Europe. According to European Environment Agency data, in the last ten days of July 2026, approximately 35 percent of the total area of 38 member and cooperating countries was affected by drought. Drought conditions were recorded in 37 countries. Copernicus data showed that Austria and Czechia experienced their driest spring since measurements began.

Over 800,000 water points in the database

droply Navigator processes routes in GPX format. It compares the route with its database, which contains over 800,000 water points worldwide. Information is provided through user reports and various data sources.

Users can see the location, distance, and deviation to the next water point on their planned route. The app also indicates areas without water points over long distances.

Routes can be downloaded before the journey. This makes information available offline in areas without mobile connectivity.

Up-to-date information comes from the user community

The main challenge for the system is keeping water point information up-to-date. The situation, especially at springs and small water points, changes rapidly during long periods of drought. For this reason, droply relies on user contributions. Users check in at water points to verify the status, upload photos, and rate the reliability of the source.

In return for these contributions, the platform awards points to users. The goal is to go beyond static map information and continuously update the real conditions along the route.

Micha, co-founder and software engineer at droply, said, "When a source dries up, the missing water is only half the story. The other half is that the map might still say there's water there. We developed Navigator so hikers know what's actually ahead of them, not just what was there in the past."

Not a new route planner

Navigator does not aim to compete with classic route planning apps. The system is based on the user's chosen route. It provides additional information about water sources along this route.

Nathalie, co-founder and product designer at droply, stated, "We didn't want to develop another route planner. We wanted to know what water sources were available on a route we already had. This year, that question is more important than ever."

Navigator offered as part of droply PRO

droply Navigator, available for iOS and Android, is part of the new paid droply PRO package. The package includes Navigator as well as offline maps.

Payment options for droply PRO include a one-time fee of 29 euros or an annual fee of 9.80 euros. There is no monthly subscription. Users who collect at least 100 droply points through check-ins and photo contributions can use the PRO version for one year free of charge.

The basic map showing water points, the check-in feature, and community notifications continue to be offered free of charge. Image: © AI-generated image