maemo.org - Talk - Maemo Mapper v0.2 Released

maemo.org - Talk (https://talk.maemo.org/index.php)

- Applications (https://talk.maemo.org/forumdisplay.php?f=41)

- - Maemo Mapper v0.2 Released (https://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=2049)

tiny hack to make 'Download Area' easy to use (in v0.2.1)

I added a few lines of code to maemo-mapper v0.2.1 to make 'Download Maps by Area' easy to use:

The coordinates of the current and previous View Center are automatically filled into the fields for Top-Left and Bottom-Right Latitude and Longitude in the 'Download Maps by Area' window.

Thus, to download an area, just tap two opposite corners of an imaginary rectangle on the current map, and then go to the menu 'Maps' -> 'Download Area...'. The corresponding values will have been filled in. Of cause you still can edit them. Now the only thing that remains to be done manually by you is to select the Zoom levels on the second tab of the window. (Being at it, I also fixed a bug in the new download confirmation dialog.)

Please consider my tiny change as a proposal to implement item 12 on Guite's TODO list for future versions of Maemo Mapper:

Quote:

12. Allow "mouse selection" in the "Download by Area" functionality.

My change is only 26 lines of Gnuite's v0.2.1 source. A source code patch can be found here: http://armin-warda.de/maemo-mapper-0.2.1-aw-0.1.patch For testing, a package with this patch applied can be downloaded here: http://armin-warda.de/maemo-mapper_0.2.1-aw-0.1_arm.deb.

Quote:

Originally Posted by oh6ps

Gnuite,

Maemo-mapper now seems to work even if my Globalstar BT is in static navigation mode.

There's a 'gps data valid' flag available in many of the nmea sentences. Why not use it instead of figuring out the validity of the fix by our self?

Please see this page for more: http://www.werple.net.au/~gnb/gps/nmea.html

Pekka

Maemo Mapper does use the "gps data valid" flag - that's what determines whether the mark is blue (valid) or gray (invalid). The "Invalid NMEA input" message pops up if the receiver sends an invalid (i.e. not conforming to the spec) NMEA sentence.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mk500

I'm having a strange problem using my Socket BT GPS with Maemo Mapper. When I use it with Maemo Mapper, it seems to leave the "Establishing GPS fix" window up forever, and the bar appears empty. It does put the dot at my correct location on the map, but it won't move from there.

I got equal result with Socket GPS device (looks like yours). Just after installing version 0.2.1 I was able to get position once, but not after that. Couple of times "Establishing GPS fix" showed some progress, but stopped forever. GPS device is not mine, so I do not have any other program or device to test it, just Maemo Mapper.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gnuite

Maemo Mapper v0.2.1 has been released to the masses!

Device-Installable .DEB File
Source Code

New Features:
* Added support for satellite map data.
* Added support to save last center location.
* Added support to specify announcement advance notice in Settings.
* Added estimate for number of maps to download with Download By Area.

Bugfixes:
* Force creation of the map cache directory (including parents).
* Fixed some locale-related bugs.
* Made the flite call safer, and the path is specifiable in Settings.
* Changed the look of the HildonControlbars in Settings a tad.
* Changed the way routes are followed to better support single-point, "point-of-interest"-style routes.
* Fixed bug in route-drawing.
* Fixed some bugs in download-by-route functionality.
* Trying some fixes for when the bluetooth connection mysteriously drops.
* Added some error-handling to NMEA parsing.
* Fixed some other minor, workaround-able bugs.
* Added some more comment documentation to the code.

The current priority-ordered TODO list, targeted for a future version of Maemo Mapper:
1. Support multiple map repositories between which you can dynamically switch. (If you need something like this now, take a look at mgedmin's repository-switcher scripts if you are reasonably command-line savvy.
2. Support for two new modes of GPS receiver connection: GPSD, and direct RFCOMM (via the Maemo Bluetooth Plugin).
3. Publicize subversion repository (it's current private to my LAN - if you would like to hack at the code now, PM me and we'll talk; I might be able to set you up with an account on my box that would allow you to access the repo for writing).
4. Add temporal data to track export.
5. Incorporate the GPX Driving Directions web service code directly into Maemo Mapper.
6. Make all drawing colors (circles and lines) configurable.
7. Localization (I'll need input from native speakers - volunteers?).
8. Add optional textual information (location, speed, heading, etc.) in upper-left corner of map.
9. Integrate with the dbus-based flite (if it actually works).
10. Integration with Maemo's Connectivity API's to auto-connect to the internet as necessary (like the web browser does).
11. Create official user documentation.
12. Allow "mouse selection" in the "Download by Area" functionality.
13. Replace the "Approaching Waypoint" prefix with a loud chime of some sort.

The next version of Maemo Mapper will be version 1.0 and will be the first version targeted for the new 2006 Operating System. If time permits, I will also release a backported v0.3 that will contain most of the same new features as v1.0 but will work with the old 2005 OS. If the new 2006 OS takes too long, it is possible that v0.3 will be released before v1.0.

Feel free to provide feedback and/or bug reports in this thread or via private message. If you like Maemo Mapper and would like to see it improve and/or show your appreciation, you can help me by providing suggestions for version 1.0 (in this forum) or by donating via credit card or PayPal (see the Maemo Mapper website for details).

Thanks to everyone who has contributed with bug reports, suggestions, and donations. Maemo Mapper is greatly improved because of you all, and I am confident that that trend will continue.

Thank you for the constant support! I do have 1 suggestion. Is it possible to add a feature that tells you how many miles you have left to your destination (for route)? That would be great. Thanks!

I also have another suggestion for the textual info add on. Would it be possible for maemomapper to take your average MPH and mileage left enroute and then give you an estimated time left to destination? That would be very cool. Thanks!

After having problems with disconnections from my bluetooth GPS receiver, and maemomapper v 0.1 and v0.2 lockups, I found the following:

I had been using the Bluetooth connection program from the Maemo wiki apps site to initialize connection to the GPS receiver prior to running MaemoMapper. Then, maemomapper would successfully find the receiver, but when either a power down from the display settings timout occurred, or just about anything else happened on the 770, Maemomapper would either lose connection to the receiver, or the program would lock up.
So, I just power cycled the 770 and started Maemomapper without invoking the Bluetooth program first, and everything works just fine!
Now, before I first ran the Bluetooth program, Maemomapper could not find the GPS, so I assume the bluetooth program did something to store pairing information which is subsequently used by Maemomapper.

Anyone else see this?

Quote:

Originally Posted by j.pickens

That's weird. I don't even use the Maemo Bluetooth Plugin, and Maemo Mapper finds my GPS receiver fine. Using Maemo Mapper in conjunction with the plugin may produce strange effects (unless you don't pair the receiver with the plugin). This should improve with the next version, which will hopefully work with the bluetooth plugin.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gnuite

I've released Maemo Mapper v0.2.1 to address the "Invalid NMEA input from receiver!" message.

Gunite-

Thanks for the update, it works much better for me. But I'm still seeing the same behaviour as with v0.1, that is eventual hang from 2 to 30 minutes after the program starts.

I've left the program hung to see if it will recover, but what I've noticed now is that after the screen blanks, all I see is a totally white screen (sometimes an empty info box is shown too).

I can disable the gps (at least until the screen blanks) but when I try to re-enable the gps all I get is a "searching" message. The only way to restore functionality is to reboot the 770.

Not sure if it's related, but twice I've seen hangs when I'd think reception could be a problem (a short tunnel and heavily wooded areas). Just wanted to mention it.

I've also added the "hciconfig reset" to sudoers, just in case. No difference.

Sorry to be stupid, but previously you mention using wget to fetch data from gpsd. I read the man page and I can't see how to have wget to attach to an arbitrary socket - am I missing something?

If this was a typical linux box I could telnet to the gpsd port but that doesn't seem possible (maybe ssh would work?)

Brad.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gnuite

I guess most people will buy a GPS receiver to use it with Maemo-mapper so it would be helpful to describe on the Maemo-mapper site (and in this thread) how to pair/connect the GPS receiver to the N770. My first attempt was to use the BT wizard to pair but this failed. Then I used the Maemo Bluetooth Plugin which picked it up and dislayed the MAC address. I then had to manually type this address in Maemo-mapper because it was set to 00:00:00:00:00:00 as I was using it without a GPS receiver. Once the MAC address was set, all I do is to start Maemo-mapper and it connects automatically, ie. I don't have to Connect in the Maemo Bluetooth Plugin. Interestingly the BT phone icon at the top changes, showing that a BT "phone" is connected.

It sounds that the previous 00:00:00:00:00:00 value and the presence of the Maemo Bluetooth Plugin confuse the program, probably none of this messing is necessary if Maemo-mapper is ran first time when a GPS receiver is already running.

Most of us here are of the experimenting type but it would be useful to document how to connect the BT receiver. Probably even better, the code might be changed so that it picks up the receiver without any manual intervention.

I am hooked on Maemo-mapper... what a program!