Menu

Show posts

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.

Show posts Menu

Messages - karlchick

#31
Since the new releases of Locus Map 4.15.1 and Locus Classic 3.66.1, both editions are now text wrapping "long" names.

For really long names this is good, but the algorithm is going g a poor job of wrapping also not very long names. Also the wrapping seems to be left justified, and the placement of symbols "below" are not to the bottom/right.

Seems to be only v4 maps affected.

In the past this would occur rare and then stop, e.g. if change maps or restart. But, I've tried restarting and it seems be permanent now.

Attached is an example.

Worst is the Nottingham Hill. Having a single character word wrapped also looks bad.

Can the text wrapping be made a setting? Or improved to of wrap on non-alpha chars?
The following users thanked this post: Tapio, Andrew Heard
#32
Other features / Re: LoMaps + MapsForge V4
March 03, 2023, 14:51:45
@voldapet

Thank you for raising the PR.

Regarding: Point 5

John's JohnThorn maps are raster maps, so there is no theming possible within the LocusMap app...

the OAM maps now include (for UK maps) an additional tag:

<!-- OS_OpenData -->
<osm-tag key='os_open_data' value='crags' zoom-appear='13' />

which renders the OS crag data, so from a theme point of view it is very simple to include... but of course there (presumably) was some considerable scripting effort for the map generation to merge in the OS open data.

Attached is an example of using OAM maps before and after OS crags were included.
The following users thanked this post: LocusUser#1
#33
Other features / Re: LoMaps + MapsForge V4
March 02, 2023, 11:36:21
Some initial thoughts from me:

Point 1:

I see bicycle=designated is added.

Could we include the following?
   - bicycle=no|yes|designated|permissive
   - foot=no|yes|designated|permissive
   - horse=no|yes|designated|permissive


Point 2:

In the UK we have footpaths and bridleways that are legally protected and signed along their routes - these are known as Public Rights of Way (PROW).

OSM has inluded tagging for these ways (designation):

   https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Key:designation

and has the following guidance for usage:

   https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Access_provisions_in_the_United_Kingdom

Would it be possible to include this designation tag in LoMap maps?

For the UK, the following values would be useful: public_footpath, public_bridleway, restricted_byway, byway_open_to_all_traffic.
The following values are also used in Isle of Man: access_land, public_cycleway, green_lane.
The following values are also used in Scotland: core_path.

This would provide a massive improvement to be able to indicate footpaths that are of interest to hikers, cyclists and horse riders:
   - bridleways can often be part of a highway=track + designation=public_bridleway - these are currently not displayed in LocusMap but are quite common.
   - bridleways (in the UK at least) are also legally accessible for cyclists - some are sealed and useful to road-bikes but some not and need off-road bicycles.
   - many footpaths in OSM are foot=designated but only because there is a general (Cycle|Foot) signage used by the councils to indicate a shared space footway - these are publicly accessible paths, usually pavements, cyceways, side_walks, combined cycle lanes and footpaths - most are in/around towns. They are not PROW but if rendered as "footpaths" clutter the map with many "additional" paths, resulting in a "can't see the wood for the trees" situation for the walker...


Point 3:

Car parking amenities seem to be growing in OSM over the last year, to the point that the maps are starting to be cluttered with many additional parking=side_street.

Could you include the parking=* tag to help identify which car parking amenties are dedicated off-street parking from the many on-street packing, see:

https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Key:parking

This tag is also useful for being able to indicate multi-storey and underground car parks.

When combined with access tag, it allows to identify those car parks that are publicly accessible and likely destinations for people arriving somewhere to park.


Point 4:

I see that many of the appear-zoom levels have been tweaked, some appearing much later...

I noticed when we went from v3 to v4 for OAM that there is a difference in visual scaling between LoMap and v4 maps of the same zoom level.
e.g. zoom=16 in LoMap appears similar in scale to zoom=15 in v4 maps.
This has the effect (for the user) that symbols/ways seem appear much later in v4 maps. When you zoom out in v4 maps you seem to get less information compared to when you switch to LoMap.
...so I was a little surprised to see some appear-zoom levels being increased for some tags...


Point 5:

The OAM maps have recently added OS crag data available from  OS open data. I think Christian did some magic scripting behind the scenes to make this possible for OAM and it is a massive improvement for UK maps.
Is this something that might be considered for LoMap v4?


Point 6:
In OAM maps the map tagging separates out common tag values, e.g. foot=yes and bicycle=yes are transformed into foot=ft_yes and bicycle_bic_yes.
I'm wondering if this is something that is desirable for LoMap v4 maps?
I'm not 100% sure why this was done, but is does mean that you can OR together many tags and check for specific instances of common values like ft_yes or bic_yes.
Perhaps this is now resolved with the bugfix to the double tag issue mentioned earlier?
The following users thanked this post: LocusUser#1
#34
@menion, no hurry. It would be good if theme creators could access an early beta release of the tag mapping and an example/test map - so we have time to update our themes and provide the user base with working themes as soon as the new lomaps go live...
The following users thanked this post: Andrew Heard
#35
Hi J,

Yes, I have noticed. I have added the new OS Crag tag to the new version of the theme I'm slowly working on. It's close to ready for v4/v5 maps. But the v3 of the OS Map theme is in need of major updates to support lomap maps and keep the latest look/feel in line with v4/v5 theme...

I could release just the v4/v5 map theme if people want something for Andromaps now....
The following users thanked this post: Andrew Heard, Jethro10
#36
Hi Jeff,

You are correct, the European tag mapping file defines which information from OSM is in the OAM maps and at which zoom level they can first appear. Some of the tags are renamed for various reasons too.

If there are multiple points/nodes to display then they drawn based on the display and priority options, or the order they appear in the theme file. Order is quite important, and sometimes a compromise has to be made, often transparent fills are used to deal with hidden/layerred items, but this is difficult when emulating the OS map theme.

You can request additional items via the OAM forum;

https://www.openandromaps.org/en/oam-forums/forum/maps

You'll see I've requested some things, but not all requests will be accepted, especially if they do not meet the purpose of OAM maps, which is primarily for walking/cycling. Also there is a 15 tags limit per osm item (node/way/area) which if violated causes the whole tile to not be drawn.

If there are any items in the tag mapping that are not in my theme, please let me know and I'll do my best to include them in a future release.

I am planning to rework the summits in a similar fashion to the OutdoorV5 theme which makes summits visible based on their prominence and zoom level. But first I have to formalise all the v5 and tidal features improvements I have prototyped...

Note, some background info: I have two master theme files, one for locusmap/v3 maps and one for OAM v4/5 maps. Each defines both the night and day themes, to make it easier to work on both at the same.e time, but are very large and hence slow to use. So when I release a theme I have a script that splits the day and night parts into separate theme files. Resulting in the four theme files you are looking at.
The following users thanked this post: Jethro10
#37
Generally I am trying to emulate the look and feel of OS maps with this theme. It will be impossible to exactly match OS maps, since not all features of OS maps are supported by either the source data (OpenStreetMap) or the map creators (e.g. LoMap and OpenAndroMaps).

There is also a difference in how map features are used by the map creators, this is defined by a tag-mapping file. Only the tags in the tag-mapping files can be drawn...

OSM maps include a lot more content than OS maps, and I have added options in the theme to allow displaying addition non-OS content, e.g. Post boxes, hedges etc.

In general I have tried to create similar icons and symbology for non-OS content that are hopefully in keeping with the style of the original OS maps.

I'll take a look at Saddles too. Thanks for the feedback, it is always appreciated. I am working on a massive improvement to the rendering, starting with the v4 theme that mainly supports OAM maps, including v5 maps now.  I'll then be looking to update the LM/v3 map theme...
The following users thanked this post: Andrew Heard, Jethro10
#38
Quote from: twoten on January 17, 2022, 11:32:37
If I use the dynamic setting the beer glass symbol displays as I wanted but when zooming ok the map doesn't display the "PH" abbreviation. If I set the map to just 1:50k the PH displays when zoomed in but again, not, when zoomed out to1:50k.

Yes, this is because all elements in the map only appear at a predefined zoom level and not before. This will depend on the map creator and the settings they used. For example with the latest OAM v5 maps bars and pubs appear at zoom level 17. They will disappear at zoom level 16 and lower, regardless of what the theme is defined to do.

You can usually find a file called tagmapping.xml where you download your maps from and this defines the "rules" for when certain items will be visible. The theme can also restrict when they appear too. Here is the entries for OAM v5 tagmapping.xml that affect the pub symbols in OS map theme:
   <osm-tag key='amenity' value='pub' zoom-appear='17' />
   <osm-tag key='amenity' value='bar' zoom-appear='17' />

For OS-Dynamic, the map theme uses the following zoom levels for both styles:
   - OS-50k for Z15 and below
   - OS-25K for Z16 and above

So what you have observed seems correct, if a bit annoying.
Personally I would like pubs to be visible much earlier. They appear at Z16 in LoMaps...
Hope that helps.
The following users thanked this post: twoten, TeresaMiller
#39
Cursors / Icons / Voices / [CURSORS] Circle cursors
January 05, 2022, 12:52:38
I created this cursor and having been using it for many years. I thought perhaps others might like to use it, so here it is.

the symbols used are:
  - empty red circle when stationary and your position is based on network signal.
  - red circle with small inner circle when stationary and your GPS position is locked.
  - red circle with rotating arrow when you are moving.
  - red cross when you scroll away from your position.
  - simple red/white compass symbol.
  - darkened/smoked field of view overlay is used for the show view option.

See attached preview (note blue dashed outlines are not displayed, just the size/edges of the images).
The following users thanked this post: Magellan, Andrew Heard
#40
Oh, I see, you mean accessing a legend in a zipped theme...

It would seem that making the path relative to the theme's xml file would make sense. Is the zipped theme unzipped in a local cache somewhere when in use?
The following users thanked this post: Tapio
#41
Themes - Vector maps / Re: [Theme] Voluntary UK
September 14, 2021, 11:01:08
Quote from: tapio on September 11, 2021, 17:35:30
Yes exactly, only at ZL14, and in nature areas.
My screen res. is 1080x2244.
Other themes are also doing it. Elevate... Very bad in OSMap.

Hi Tapio,

In the OSMap theme there is an option "emphasise access land" which allows you to switch off the purple/gold outlines. I suspect this is caused by an issue with the underlying graphic's engine not being able to draw outlines correctly. It also looks like another element is outlining in black too...

does that help?

best regards,
Karl.
The following users thanked this post: Tapio
#42
New release now available v20210216.

i have updated the first post with the latest release notes and links. I'm now using google drive to release the theme in a shared folder that contains all the releases and the PDF legends.

In this update I have added support for depicting road surfaces and distinguishing between sealed and unsealed roads/tracks. This is applicable to all highway types (including pedestrian and cycle paths) except for motorways.

The attached is a graphical summary (as presented in the map legend) of the new overlay options:

  • "dash unsealed roads" to give unsealed roads a dashed outline/casing.
  • "road surface/grade textures" to give unsealed roads a textured pattern that represents the type of surface, visible from Z14 onwards.
  • "emphasise road surface/grade textures" to highlight roads surfaces at lower zoom levels, visible from Z12.
The second attachment identifies which "surface" and "tracktype" tag values are mapped to the new surfaces.

not all maps support the "surface" tag, but do support the "tracktype" tag. For this reason, the "tracktype" tag is also used to set the road surfaces, albiet at a lesser level of detail (normal, compacted, gravel, dirt). Note that tracks tagged as trackype=grade1, which are also tagged with surface=asphalt, are now "promoted" to sealed roads (solid casing).

I am conscious that I have highjacked a feature of standard OS maps on which they use dashed road casings to represent unfenced roads (in fact a road can be solid one side and dashed the other to show fenced/walled/constrained on just one wide). However, since OAM/LM maps do not (currently) support a tag for fenced roads it seemed a good idea to use the same symbology for sealed/unsealed roads...

These new options are not enabled by default, as the default overlay options are for classic/standard OS map look/feel, and of course OS maps do not have such features.
The following users thanked this post: Andrew Heard
#43
FYI: Here is an example of unsealed trunk and classified roads in Botswana (both are listed as compacted surface), see attached, rendered with the new road surfaces/grades option I'm working on.

I checked on google maps and OSM data base.... all these roads in the map view are actually compacted earth, including the unclassified road shown as sealed. But this is because the map data does not define any surface/grade for it... so the rendered view (as always) is only as good as the data in the map...
The following users thanked this post: Andrew Heard
#44
Quote from: Andrew Heard on February 12, 2021, 01:46:57
Hi Karl, I notice your theme doesn't distinguish between sealed & unsealed roads. Unfortunately very few Locus themes do, which seems odd as you'd think cyclists would be quite interested in the road surface. Bernard's Desert theme (www.maiwolf.de) is the best for this - his on LHS compared to yours on RHS. Voluntary is the only other one that shows any difference but it is very hard to discern.

for example in my screen cap: https://www.openstreetmap.org/edit#map=16/-42.5113/147.6427
compares surface=unpaved with surface=Asphalt

Hi Andrew,

Attached is a sneaky peek at the road surfaces/grades overlay option I have prototyped for the OS Map theme.
   - 1st image is the default OS map view
   - 2nd image is road surfaces/grades enabled
   - 3rd image is with the emphasise road surfaces/grades enables too

With the road surfaces/grades option selected, if the road is unsealed it will have a dashed casing and the core will have a texture applied based on the type of surface.

The second attachement shows the current road surface/grades renderings and highlight colours.

It is still very much work in progress. I have to say that I have not yet found a real life example of surface="winter"...
The following users thanked this post: Andrew Heard
#45
Quote from: Andrew Heard on February 14, 2021, 03:09:15
@karlchick on a PC screen the textures are subtle, so in my opinion will be quite hard to distinguish on a smaller Android screen. The "peck marks" used by John with the Voluntary theme are also too subtle (for me). I modified Bernard's Desert theme XML to make unsealed more evident; that is the great thing about XML compared to a binary format.
I've prototyped the road surface textures in the OS map theme and do find it a bit too subtle at low zooms... I am trying different colours and textures and transparency to make them easier to see and differentiate.

At higher zooms it works very well. I am thinking of adding a emphasise road surfaces/grades option to allow easier route planning at low zooms... probably colour coded to the quality of the road surface somehow.

BTW, I am implementing surface textures for cycleways, tracks and all roads except motorways. I have found a few examples of unclassified roads that are compacted/grade2/grade3... might make these into tracks...
The following users thanked this post: Andrew Heard