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[Announce] Snuggle : Geolocation using CellID and Google APIs
The Snuggle application (http://maemo.org/packages/view/snuggle/) uses the cell tower information to locate the geolocation coordinates.
It captures the CellID parameters (available from the connected GSM network) and by using Google APIs translates those to locate your position in a map. In detail:
Usage description: The user interface shows four buttons;
When I get some time will create a wiki to give additional information on the usage, settings and implications. The application is in extras-devel at the moment. Feel free to post comments and ideas for additions Future Plans: Primary objective was to give a quick access at the location present. In my opinion this has been accomplished in the version at extras-testing. Next version (which is running on my device and needs some more work to be ready for upload) has in addition a daemon in the background logging silently the cells the device connects continuously. This part is ready and has been running for more than 2 weeks in my device without any significant power consumption. All data are stored in a SQL DB. A configurable tracker will be available that grabs from a Google API the geolocation data for the Cell IDs recorded and updates the DB automatically on selected network connections and date/time settings. An additional panel allows the user to grab from another Google API the locations between two dates and creates a KML file that can be directly uploaded in google maps and show the path/places visited. This part is missing the date/time selector but the rest of the code is ready. |
Re: [Announce] Geolocation using CellID and Google APIs
testing right now and nothing happens when i press "Coordinates"
"CellID" worked fine. How long does it take normally? |
Re: [Announce] Geolocation using CellID and Google APIs
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Do you have a network connection active? If yes, can you run it from xterm and pm me with the messages you get? Code:
/opt/locatefromcell/Locate_From_Cell |
Re: [Announce] Geolocation using CellID and Google APIs
Tesing it, and it all seems to work fine for me.
Thanks! Screeny: http://img821.imageshack.us/img821/2...1042512443.png |
Re: [Announce] Geolocation using CellID and Google APIs
Code:
$ /opt/locatefromcell/Locate_From_Cell |
Re: [Announce] Geolocation using CellID and Google APIs
Works really great and fast as ****. Thanks a lot, although there are some bugs. No portrait mode.
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just go to settings>phone>network and change network mode by GSM and it worked for me! it did not work for me on 3G mode!!!!! |
Re: [Announce] Geolocation using CellID and Google APIs
Uploaded a new version (1.2-1) with better info and some small new features.
Changelog:
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Maybe I need to add some padding for cases like this in the code but I don't know really what is needed yet. Thanks for the fail case. |
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Yes it's fast (especially if the network is wifi) since the data are not much. Including the image grabbed, it is still < 100 kB. About the portrait mode, The application responds to the movement of the device (check the About window that works nicely). For the main window I haven't found any info on how to instruct the Qt Designer to produce a layout that works on both modes. my question is similar to that made here for example: http://maemo.org/community/maemo-dev...bfae7bae1bae1/ Any help appreciated. |
Re: [Announce] Geolocation using CellID and Google APIs
OK! I found a (fancy) name that I like better and re-uploaded:
http://maemo.org/packages/view/snuggle/ Remove the old application with the following (to cleanup all traces): Code:
sudo gainroot |
Re: [Announce] Snuggle : Geolocation using CellID and Google APIs
2 Attachment(s)
Uploaded new version 1.6-1
Changes:
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Re: [Announce] Snuggle : Geolocation using CellID and Google APIs
Latest update does not acquire coords although cell info is present. Only tested while in one place - ie no cell changes.
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In general: Haven't announced yet the new devel version (1.8-1) - didn't have much time really. :) It's kind of a rewrite in logic and functionality. I'm not gonna work on it more for the next couple of weeks but uploaded for those interested on where I'm heading. My ambitious plan is to make a daemon and a small DB to store the cell and location info on every change of the cell tower connection. The impact in battery will be minimal since I managed to make use of the DBus triggers (already in this version). The UI will be to view live the info, extract data between two points in time (for example in kml format) and plot them in a map. I have thought of many end uses but my favourite is to have a tracklog of all the places I visited during a trip and check where I've been last week Saturday night! All these are not quite possible now (that is using the GPS) without a heavy impact in the battery. |
Re: [Announce] Snuggle : Geolocation using CellID and Google APIs
Brilliant stuff - something I would love to have cos as you write, a GPS app doing the same would hammer the battery.
I know nothing of cell tech - can one only get mast info from a network on which you are registered? What info do other provider's transmitters send? |
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The extra 'cost' is to get notified and log this change everytime it happens. Using DBus (which is designed/optimised for efficiency) already minimises the impact of the first part of the action needed. Cheers |
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Anyhow, thanks v much |
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e.g. look here: http://www.opencellid.org/api and specifically the "get in area" feature. It's a free service but not as up-to-date as others. |
Re: [Announce] Snuggle : Geolocation using CellID and Google APIs
NOTE: Update in devel (1.9-1) with a small change to improve the UI.
Basically what handaxe reported earlier |
Re: [Announce] Snuggle : Geolocation using CellID and Google APIs
Hi Saturn,
I guess this logs the single cell you're connected. Could it be possible to make it more accurate by calculating a triangulation between the nearest cells, and estimating the radius of uncertainty, like google maps on android uses to do? |
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When I get some time will check if DBus reports anything on the other (the non connected) cells. It seems many to be asking for this. If I find something maybe I can add it as an advanced method in the UI. As I said, for the time being, my objective is to have something very light for the battery so that I can have it always on and logging in the background. Thanks for the suggestion. |
Re: [Announce] Snuggle : Geolocation using CellID and Google APIs
Would be a powerful tool for eg. smscon. (The new version never appeared - hijack alert!!!! so ....:)
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On the delay, it is always more complex when two developers, but mostly because the app is way too complex. We are sitting on the new version for some time now - most probably we'll post something at the end of the month. |
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Re: [Announce] Snuggle : Geolocation using CellID and Google APIs
It is not working for me! I don't get the coordinates when I press "Track on" nor when I check "Get Coordinates". When I activate "Edit mode" and press Image or Browser nothing happens.
Using the terminal to run the program I realize that "Image" and "browser" won't work because there are no values in the coordinates. So what might be happening? |
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Re: [Announce] Snuggle : Geolocation using CellID and Google APIs
@seridyan
The database is not complete (it is estimated to have in the order of 200,000 cells registered) and I have seen also places that the Google API would not return a location. In my case, moving ~100 metres further the new cell ID I got returned a location. Did you try on different locations? |
Re: [Announce] Snuggle : Geolocation using CellID and Google APIs
Well, I suppose the problem is that I live in Venezuela and there are no registered cells.
Btw, there is a little bug regarding the version. I have installed 1.9-1 but in "about" appears as if i have 1.8-1. @handaxe: yes, It recovers all the cell info. |
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but it is possible for your operator. What's your MNC? Quote:
What you get if you do in xterm: Code:
dpkg -l snuggle |
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Could I see coords of other people with this application ?
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What an effective app. It's really fast. Kudos for you!
Just one question: When I press Browser or Image, the result of my location vary by 4 or 5 blocks of distance. What happens? Because the coordinates are the same in the app. |
Re: [Announce] Snuggle : Geolocation using CellID and Google APIs
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My primary objective was to give me a quick access to the place I was at the time. In my opinion this has been accomplished in the version at extras-testing. Next version (which is running on my device only and needs some more work to be ready for upload) has in addition a daemon in the background logging silently the cells the device connects continuously. This part is ready and has been running for more than 2 weeks in my device without any significant power consumption. A new panel allows the user to grab from another api the locations between two dates and creates a KML file that can be directly uploaded in google maps and show the path/places visited. This part is missing the date/time selector but the rest of the code is ready. Quote:
If you like you can send me an example location and I'll try to investigate further. |
Re: [Announce] Snuggle : Geolocation using CellID and Google APIs
Cool idea! Could you cache the returned values, so that in case one doesn't have an internet connection, but is again in a place that he/she has been before, the information can be returned immediately? (not having looked at the data that is sent, this might not be possible, depending on how fine-grained the input data is)
It would be great for this application to create an "offline positioning database" based on all the cell information. Also, can't you just record all the cellIDs while a user is running around in offline mode, then (if the user wants to) geocode all these IDs when the user is online the next time and save all this in the database for later retrieval? |
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In future, I would like to create a db to store all data and maybe add a tracker that updates automatically the geolocation data on selected network connections and date/time settings. My knowledge is limited in the sql database creation and that makes it even more interesting for me. Unfortunately, I haven't found a good tutorial on sql and python yet. If you or anyone else wants to participate feel free to join. |
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Plus, Stack Overflow has an answer to your question: comprehensive beginner's tutorial for python and sqlite? |
Re: [Announce] Snuggle : Geolocation using CellID and Google APIs
Hello there !
any news about using snuggle with smscon ? it could be great if your friends could send you a sms with eg the word "cell" and in return get the picture and/or browser link send by mail/sms |
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