New software + free maps?

brownb2 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Feb 10, 2006 Posts: 8

I'm a software developer who's worked with GIS in the past (~2 years) and having bought a GPS recently have been wondering about creating some software. My skills lie in PC and Pocket PC programming.

What I'd like to know is:
- Is there a free UK map resource (to use with any software I write)?
- What would people like to see in an application and on PC or Pocket PC (as the basic show satellite positions, display your coords type applications already exist)?

My thoughts were to create a simple app that would plot a position on Google Maps for you (pending no free maps) as a navigation aid, which would also store tracklogs for later perusal. The Google map data could be uploaded prior to geocaching etc etc. Obviously I'll have to check the licence agreement on Google's map API to see whether I'm allowed to do this.

Thoughts?

lbendlin · Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2006 7:28 am Post subject:

Google Maps are targeted at road navigation, not necessarily at outdoors activities (they contain no topographic features). This means you would already cut your target audience significantly.

Google do also offer route calculation. So you could create something similar to Wayfinder.

As you mentioned already, better check the Google fine print. Using Google maps (for example) requires a dedicate web server which means you would have to shell out for the hosting and traffic cost because all users of your application would have to hit Google maps through your server.
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brownb2 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Feb 10, 2006 Posts: 8

Hmmmm. Thinking about it, free of otherwise, if I use these online map resources I can't responsibly release the software for public use since it relies on unlicenced third party maps - bummer.

What I'm really looking for is a free uk maps to be included, but I think this is the holy grail of mapping software Sad

lbendlin · Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2006 5:48 pm Post subject:

How about a user collected road network? You could record user journeys (with their consent) and then geocode it on the server and redistribute to users.

Have a look at the Alturion model for map updates - that sounded promising.
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brownb2 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Feb 10, 2006 Posts: 8

I contacted Streetmap UK to try and use UK maps (for the time being) but they flat turned me down. Google requires a user ID (which I'm not allowed to give out for use on a web site only).

User collected POI and road network would require a vast undertaking, and while I could do it would need a large infrastructure - geocoding would take up a large amount of my time since were can roads be broken up? Sure the database can create polylines/polygons, but having to manually look up were one road ends and another starts in a real atlas would take ages.

Unless you have another solution on how to minimise this sort of work?

lbendlin · Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2006 11:29 pm Post subject:

Have you seen www.mgmaps.com ?
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peterc10 · Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2006 12:50 pm Post subject:

I agree that this would take an enormous amount of work. which is probably why the organisations that have already done that work at very large expensive are not willing to give away the fruits of their endeavours for nothing. Smile

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brownb2 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Feb 10, 2006 Posts: 8

That's an interesting program. From what I can tell its violating the map providers' licences and usage agreements. Sure the guy has put reference to the map providers but he does not have their consent to integrate it into a GPS program - he's basically produced a product off the back of other companies unlicenced maps - no wonder its free.

brownb2 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Feb 10, 2006 Posts: 8

I'll have a look for out of copyright maps - any maps are better than no maps.

lbendlin · Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2006 6:14 pm Post subject:

another approach worth looking at is Virtual Earth Mobile. Its usefulness is seriously hampered by the focus on .not (oops, .net) but you can look at the source code and recreate it in a faster language.
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brownb2 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Feb 10, 2006 Posts: 8

I'm seriously confused now. Streetmap.co.uk tells me I can't use their maps via an integrated web browser as part of a publically used product yet others are using this stuff liberally in programs.

Oh and I was going to use .Net 2.0 on the PC as its got a nice SerialPort library and will ease porting to PocketPC (don't get me started on Java on PocketPC...)

lbendlin · Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2006 8:31 pm Post subject:

brownb2 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Feb 10, 2006 Posts: 8

I think this is a moot point for a number of reasons, but primarily:

.Net IL and Java bytecodes are compiled at runtime on modern JITs meaning their performance is analysed and can often be compiled more effectively than static compilation which will do no running analysis. Some people are still of the train of thought that .Net and Java are significantly slower than the likes of C, C++ - this now mostly true only on startup.

.Net 2.0 is at a disadvantage size wise without doubt, so I may consider .Net 1.1 with one of the free serial libraries. .Net 1.1 is integrated into the Windows Mobile 2003 ROM and later and is available for Pocket PC 2002. Realistically progress on the technology front will not halt and I can't see any real benefit in being an upgrade refusenik, akin to keeping a 486 because it can just word process, without seeing benefits like increased speed , less lag, and the ability to run software a 486 never could (think improved usability, speech to text etc etc).

In all honesty if people think the software is worth it they'll donate space (PPC 2002 users if .Net 1.1) to .Net, otherwise they really should consider this not suitable for their needs.

BTW I use a Viewsonic V37 with ~32MB of internal storage and an XDA 1 with a similar amount.

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