Offline POI database

[chrabros]

Hello,
first of all: I like this, I like this very much. It seems that Locus might be the first
application I know which could use the additional information from OSM.
Way to go! :-)

Here are some comments:
- the database does work only with vector maps generated by Locus?
I use czech_republic_gcc.map or czech_republic_ee.map but when I put the database file there and renamed them,
it did not work. I had to put it to you czech_republic.osm.map and then it started to work.

- the name of category "sport leisure" sounds strange to me
wouldn't "sports & leisure" be a better sounding name?

- I suppose that in the future the behaviour of POI would be as close to Points as it could be.
I would like to be able to select some of POIs to be displayed on the maps all the time,
so I would welcome check-boxes to select them, filters (so I can display just OMV fuel stations)
and select and display the closest 50 POIs (regardless of their category) for example.

- you add only some tags to the database with a POI?
it seems to me that you are adding just a subset of tags of a POI to the database.
I thought that you will add to the database all the information available with a node/way.
This way the Locus would be able to display all known info about the points
and if some information will be added in the future with some tags not used today,
it would be imported and displayed automatically without the need of asking to
add this info as well.
But at this moment is seems that some info is left out.
For example the inscription tag of the wayside_cross (node 2312962191, Kříž u lip (1898), N 48°59.02080', E 17°1.17953')

Thank you for this.

Dalibor

[Menion]

Hi,
  there will be some good and some bad news ...

"the database does work only with vector maps generated by Locus?"
- question is what you mean by work. There are two ways how to work with these databases.

Firstly you enable vector map, locus automatically load this database and most of visible points on map, because clickable! This anyway mean, that which points are visible on map, depend on theme for vector map and not on database itself (of course, points has to be in database).

Second way is menu > more > points, where at top, should be available all visible points databases so you can choose which you want to use. Here you may display points on map, that will remain on map, no matter which map you select

"the name of category "sport leisure" sounds strange to me"
- agree, I'll improve it

"I suppose that in the future the behaviour of POI would be as close to Points as it could be"
- I hope not , these databases has to remain as simple, as possible, so do not expect any complicated filtering, sorting etc, it's not planned

"you add only some tags to the database with a POI"
- yes. Points contain many many nonsences and it's important to keep database small. Huge database with many data will start to be slow, so I have own list of supported tags that are in database

[chrabros]

"the database does work only with vector maps generated by Locus?"
Well, i meant that when I have introduced the db file renamed to czech_republic_gcc or czech_republic_ee it simply would not load.
I loaded only after I "paired" it with Locus czech_republic.
But it doesn't really matter as it is loaded now. I just wanted to point this out.


"I suppose that in the future the behaviour of POI would be as close to Points as it could be"
- I hope not , these databases has to remain as simple, as possible, so do not expect any complicated filtering, sorting etc, it's not planned
Hmm, that is quite sad. But maybe in the future...


"you add only some tags to the database with a POI"
- yes. Points contain many many nonsences and it's important to keep database small. Huge database with many data will start to be slow, so I have own list of supported tags that are in database
This is very disappointing. You will never be able to keep up pace with new tags introduced in OSM to be added to Locus as well.
There will be something missing always.
I thought that negative filtering (filter out only some unnecessary tags and include the rest) would be better.
Do you have some estimate what would be the size difference if you would include all tags?
I suppose that it would not be much as the additional info tags are sparse
(the most important reason being that there is no way how to display those in real life apps).

Also I have noticed that you do not have caves (and mine_shaft and adit) in the database. Could you consider adding those?

 Dalibor

[michaelbechtold]

Did some testing with Germany now. Real pain - very long wait times, even on a Galaxy Note. But I do not understand why. If POI type and location were DB keys, or even location alone, then selecting POIs around current location (and this is what Locus shows) should be like a blink of the eye.
Then re. handling : if I finally get the selected POIs in a list, pick one, show it on map, do not like it, want to see the next, I have to start all over again and wait and wait. You obviously build an initial list based on distance, which is only extended when scrolling way to the bottom. Would it be feasible to keep this INITIAL list as is so people can go back instantly?

[michaelbechtold]

Hello Menion, I am going to the Republic of South Africa soon. If you found some time to generate the resp. DB, I'll have a chance to gain real life expereince. Thank you in advance.

[Menion]

@chrabros: point of this system is to give quickly access to interesting points around you. So there is no need for some complex sorting etc ... if you need to display specific points at certain zoom level, you may in the end, create your own theme for vector maps

  And sorry no, I'll not use "negative filter". I'll gladly improve and add missing and interesting tags into databases, but there is so much incorrect values, bugs, nonsenses, that it will really slow down database also for people that do not care for these values. So I want to keep list of tags that will be included in these databases.

@michael: yes Germany is a problem. With more then 1.500.000 points, every request is slow. But agree that this is way too much. Help here is separating of Germany into specific areas. Anyway this is still a beta, so I hope, we'll speed up at least little bit

and south africa is in preparation

[michaelbechtold]

@chrabros: point of this system is to give quickly access to interesting points around you. So there is no need for some complex sorting etc ... if you need to display specific points at certain zoom level, you may in the end, create your own theme for vector maps

  And sorry no, I'll not use "negative filter". I'll gladly improve and add missing and interesting tags into databases, but there is so much incorrect values, bugs, nonsenses, that it will really slow down database also for people that do not care for these values. So I want to keep list of tags that will be included in these databases.

@michael: yes Germany is a problem. With more then 1.500.000 points, every request is slow. But agree that this is way too much. Help here is separating of Germany into specific areas. Anyway this is still a beta, so I hope, we'll speed up at least little bit

and south africa is in preparation

TXs a lot, Menion, for the South Africa POIs - works like a charm!

[michaelbechtold]

@chrabros: point of this system is to give quickly access to interesting points around you. So there is no need for some complex sorting etc ... if you need to display specific points at certain zoom level, you may in the end, create your own theme for vector maps

  And sorry no, I'll not use "negative filter". I'll gladly improve and add missing and interesting tags into databases, but there is so much incorrect values, bugs, nonsenses, that it will really slow down database also for people that do not care for these values. So I want to keep list of tags that will be included in these databases.

@michael: yes Germany is a problem. With more then 1.500.000 points, every request is slow. But agree that this is way too much. Help here is separating of Germany into specific areas. Anyway this is still a beta, so I hope, we'll speed up at least little bit

and south africa is in preparation

One more re. the 1.5m This sounds much, but for an area around the map center it may be some douzen, or some hundred candidates- or you simply can restrict to a resp. perimeter. Then the task is to search a range defined by Latidude/Longitude - and I suppose the POI db employs a b-tree for both. Why would this be slow with even 10m rows ? The type of POI is only the filter criteria in this approach. If the primary search key would be POI type, though, then the b-tree degenerates and things get slooooow.

[eldron]

Has this feature left its beta status already? I didn't see any mentioning of it in the release note of yesterday's public release, but I can now use it in the normal locus version (I have also got the last locus beta installed).

[Menion]

hi,
  nono it's still beta and will remain for at least one or two months. If you anyway added shortcut button to this feature to any panel, it will be visible also in public version. I discovered this yesterday also, but it's more bug then intent

[lid]

Cool! Could you please generate dbs for Sri Lanka, UAE, and Oman?

Thanks!

[silber1]

POI  are gone in the newest version.??
I do not see a shortcut anymoe?
What do I miss?

[gynta]

POI  are gone in the newest version.??

right.
POI DB was currently "beta"

[silber1]

Menion said, if you have set a shortcut, you can use it.
How can I set it?

[gynta]

..as Menion wrote

If you anyway added shortcut button to this feature to any panel, it will be visible also in public version.

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