Notices

Pure Maps is a fork of WhoGo Maps. Its a full-featured map and navigation application allowing you to explore maps, search for addresses and points of interest, as well as assist with navigation.

Releases started from 1.2.0 to indicate continuity of the development of WhoGo Maps code. Release notes for the initial release will be given in a separate post.

Reasons for forking discussed in a separate thread, see post for details.

License: GPLv3
Source code: https://github.com/rinigus/pure-maps
Packaging and screenshots: OpenRepos https://openrepos.net/content/rinigus/pure-maps
Translations: https://www.transifex.com/rinigus/pure-maps

Acknowledgments

• @otsaloma for great map applications - Poor Maps and WhoGo Maps - that this fork is based upon and his great help with my earlier efforts in extending Poor Maps and WhoGo Maps.
• name of the fork: @itdoesntmatt (https://talk.maemo.org/showpost.php?...36&postcount=6)
• icon: @Fellfrosch (https://talk.maemo.org/showpost.php?...3&postcount=58)

The first release (1.2.0) is out and let me go through the new features introduced into WhoGo Maps 1.1 code as a part of this release.

Before I will get into the details, I would like to thank Osmo again. Its an amazing code base, well thought through release process and its documentation. Thanks to that, making this release and setting up transifex page turned out to be faster than I anticipated, thank you Osmo!

For translators, if you are interested, please join the corresponding team. I don't think I can invite you automatically over.

This code was written over the last month and was focused on navigation aspects since I was preparing for rather long drives during vacation.

Map matching

OSM Scout Server provides DBus service that takes consecutive locations and matches them with the road. Obviously, you have to tell whether you are walking, cycling, or driving to match the corresponding road. Since it all works locally, you get the road matched coordinates fast (<100ms for the worst response time on my tests). In addition, you get current speed limit and the street name.

Speed limit and street name are now displayed by Pure Maps while you navigate. For that, enable "snap to road" on navigation page. You could also snap to road while you just walk around, this is done in Preferences. Personally, I am using it while navigating only.

Obvious requirement: installed and setup OSM Scout Server.


GUI styling in accordance with the map

In WhoGo Maps, the dark maps were supported rather poorly. Colors of GUI elements, route and location indicators were not in sufficient contrast with the map. Now, together with each map provider, we can set through its configuration file. This includes route, GUI elements and icons displayed on the map. Think of themes, one per each map. So, we can have separate "darker" themes for OSM Scout Night and Mapbox Traffic Night.

Those with better understanding of color schemes, please feel free to propose other combinations.


Navigation controls and zoom factor

Navigation controls got rearranged with the focus on the data that is relevant in this mode. In particular, you can see large speed indicator, estimated time of arrival, remaining time and distance. To make space, WhoGo Maps regular menu button is hidden during navigation and its functionality is provided by the navigation controls on the bottom of the screen (speed, remaining time and distance).

The arrangement has been made for landscape mode. I think it works quite well in this mode as well and I have driven bit more than a half of my travels with it. So, in addition to portrait, Pure Maps supports landscape as well.

When navigating, you could select now the zoom factor for a map. This zoom factor can be specified for each navigation mode (foot, car, bicycle, transit) separately. Thus, you could account to the difference in the distance between your eyes and the device at different modes. This zoom factor is applied only when you press start in navigation page and overwrites the zoom factor in Preferences. Defaults are 2 for car and bicycle, 1 for foot and transit.


Data shown during navigation

I have tried to reduce the amount of text shown as a part of the navigation instructions. Namely, instead of "Turn right to Street Such and ...", it will show just "Street Such" in big letters. Anyway, we already have an icon showing what to do and its just harder to read smaller text while driving. This is not always possible (sometimes street name is missing), then small text with the maneuver description is shown instead.

In addition, some routers, provide signs that are on the road before maneuver. This could include exit number, exit towards, and such. If this data is available, Pure Maps will show the sign with the corresponding text when you approach the maneuver (but should be well in time). So, this allows you to find the corresponding traffic sign on the road and follow it. Also, when the street is not available, but the sign data is, the sign data will be shown with ⇨ in front of it.

Its important to use a router that supports all these data. Valhalla has a full support by Pure Maps. MapQuest plugin has support for street names, but not signs. As I could see, MapQuest has some sign support, but its different from Valhalla and I haven't worked on it.

Valhalla is a default router of OSM Scout Server, so its users are covered. For online router provider, I have added Stadia Maps which provides routing via Valhalla. Osmo was not sure in their reliability, hence he didn't include it. However, let's test it in practice and see how good they are. So, I would urge all online router users to switch to that provider and use it. Please report back. If all is fine, I will consider setting them as a default due to full support by Pure Maps.


Search along route

OSM Scout Server allows to search along the route. So, when you have route selected, Nearby Venues search has an option "Search along the route" for OSM Scout provider. This allows you to search for POIs that are next to the route (distance specified by "radius" option on that page), like searching for cafes, fuel stations. In addition, you could search not from the start of the route, but from some other location along it (current location, for example). For that, specify relevant location as "Near" and enable "search starting from the reference point"


Misc

I have removed Cartago maps, since Osmo is considering taking it down. All API keys have been replaced with my keys, I should not have missed any. Finally, English Pirate voice instructions are back for Valhalla routers.

I did my best with testing this release, but since some changes were introduced recently as a part of the forking effort, there maybe some bonus bug lurking. Let me know and I'll do my best in fixing them.

tested *e-maps so speed motion-map in navigator is a lot improved.
also I do not get speed-limit Icon when I was on navigating the route, I do not know why?
also I do not get the window-emergent than is showing number of exit and name of street, I do not know why?
thanks @rinigus for being a coder supersonic : )

edit:

Very good questions and remark regarding motion of the map.

Let's start with the remark: I have removed animation for moving the map while you navigate. As a result, we should get way smaller swing of position indicator on the display.

Speed limit signs: assuming that its enabled in navigation page (the one where you press Begin) and assuming that you have OSM Scout Server installed, maps downloaded:

this means that the road that you were traveling upon does not have speed limit info in OSM database. In Estonia, we have rather good coverage and these data are usually in the parts of the road where the speed is limited when compared to default. For example, if its 30km/h instead of 50km/h in the city. To fix it, start entering the data into OSM and I will pick it up when the imports are done.

Direction signs: again, its all about missing data in OSM. These are tricky, usually are on highways in the countries with the great coverage. I enjoyed them in Sweden and Denmark. In Estonia, haven't seen any on my routes. Again, start entering the data. See https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/...stination_sign and explore http://k1wiosm.github.io/checkautopista2/

A further question. I have a XperiaX which is comparing it to Jolla1 quite loud. Anyway for some reasons the output of Pure Maps (and also WhoGo Maps) is quite soft-spoken.

I have searched for config files where I can raise the volume but haven't found one. In the config files of Pure Maps and OSM Scout Server there is no option. And for Mimic I haven't found config files in /home/nemo. Any chance to raise the Volume?

Its a frequent complaint. I'll add it into issues and will look into in time. Which language / TTS engine do you use?

Hi rinigus thanxs for tracking this issue! Language is German and TTS engine should be Mimic as far as I remember. Problem is that I have installed mimic and piccots (don't know/remember why both) so as there is no possibility (at least I haven't found a setting) to set wich engine is used, I think I use that which Pure Maps prefer.

Nope, its picoTTS then. Mimic is EN only, unfortunately.

The new features are looking great, I'm looking forward to try Pure Maps for my next trip. Thanks Rinigus.

There are a few things I am missing since Poor Maps, so I'll just list them here as you seem to be full of energy still. Please note that Poor Maps/WhoGo/Pure Maps is still my preferred native navigation application, so these points are fairly minor annoyances and this is only my opinion:

- I've always found the options confusing in the way they are organized. I think they need to be a bit better spatialized, i.e., make it obvious what is a sub-menu and what is a main page, whether the settings toggle are restricted to a sub-application (like Navigating) or the full application, whether they are permanent or just temporary for the current trip, etc. We have the Sailfish page indicator which is usually great and minimalist, but might be insufficient at times for complex applications like Pure Maps.

I don't have any clear suggestion in mind, I just find it hard to step back and clearly know in advance where to find a particular setting. I know the settings are already shown in the pages corresponding to the sub-menus, but I don't know, there is something I can't explain. Maybe it's just because there are many configuration options (which is good), or because items are big (which is good too for a navigation application), or because all items look the same regardless of whether they are settings, recent searches, POI categories, search options, router selection. I just feel it is hard to quickly figure out where is what, is that option on the same level as that one, and so on.

I am not a daily user, which makes it hard to really know the application by heart, but I feel it could be a bit more straightforward and be useful to all those like me that tend to use the application only when they are already panicking because they are going to be late somewhere.

- It is also difficult sometimes to know what does what and whether I should change that or that. I'm not familiar with the routers, and what you explained here for Stadia for instance, I would never have guessed. I don't even know why or if I should use another one in other situations. Same for maps, a keyword and a preview would help greatly, though default maps are clearly identified so I can go back to the "dev's suggestion" easily if I am not sure. Maybe it would be possible to better expose what features are offered by each specific options, and whether there are obvious cons. Restricting the available options depending on whether the map data in use is supplied by OSM Server or not would help too I suppose. Not sure if doable.

- I would love to be able to control OSM Server from the map application, something like:
- Sometimes it would be good to be able to show all POIs next to the current location without any specific preselected category, but instead category icons on the map. Or, at least, having the possibility to preselect several categories. There are so many different keywords for food for instance, you never know if selecting Restaurants will show everything or if what you are looking for would instead be in Food, French Restaurant, Belgian Restaurant, Bagel Shop, Bakery, Breakfast spot, Burger, Café, etc. I know the keywords are inherited from the search service being used (and again here pointers would be helpful to choose one), but they are all cluttered so sometimes selecting several would just be easier, without the fear of missing something. Maybe even allowing the user to save some searches, so that he can do a meta search with all food-related stuff and then just select this meta-type later without bothering with the million keywords from Foursquare again.

Anyway, as I said, it's the best native application in my opinion and I love it. Very excited by the new features you've added too, thanks a lot!

Probably that's the reason, why I have both installed. Is flite supporting german? is it better than picoTTS?