[APP] - version 1.5.x

[svartbjorn]

Some test results of 1.5.2.1:

- new guiding icon upper left corner when guiding is enabled: great! Very useful to have quick access to these commands during guiding. Before you had to tap the track, and that was ok too, but you have to hit it. So I think this new icon is great!
- POI alert:
       Fixed: continues to play while moving closer to POI. Great.
       Issue: no quick way to stop it. Have to go through the POI alert menu, tap edit, uncheck the Play sound box. That is a long process. The POI alert menu should include a "Stop" command. When alert is enabled today, the menu has two commands: Edit and Cancel. Should have a 3rd one: "Stop". Cancel doesn't stop the playing today, and also Cancel is a different thing - that is to disable the POI alert function. Would a "POI alert" icon in upper left corner similar to the Guiding icon be useful?
- elevation: when driving to work today, I turned on track recording on Locus and on MyTracks. They showed very close results, so it seems your vertical information is correct (not doubled as someone indicated).
- point on track: great new feature! Works great!
- sorting choice is not remembered. I choose "sort by create date" and then "reverse order". When I restart Locus, the sorting criterias are not remembered, and I have to redo both to get my latest track on top of the track list. Also, I would think most people would like to see the latest track on the top so they do not have to scroll down to the bottom of the track list, so default "sort by create date" should have latest on top, not at the bottom as it is today.
- Compass button back on the GPS menu: thank you very much!!!

[Menion]

Hi Menion,

it's great that you continue, after the maps problem! With google ... I wonder about other android programs, who also show GoogleMaps. I was using Maverick a lot before Locus came out and they also offer a lot of maps to choose from. However there's no possibility to download the maps directly from there (it only caches the visited tiles). That's why I like Locus! It still would be great if you could show GoogleMaps (legally), which probably means that you disallow downloading maps from there, but just showing. Maverick is out for quite some time, so if they can then you also might me able, right?

There exist one component called MapView in Google Android API. Some programs use this to show some data on google maps (like c:geo, some smaller apps). But all bigger and more complex map apps use own system. Same with Locus. So you say that Maveric can use ... but I'm saying, they CAN'T! Same with other softs like Orux, RMaps etc ... they all use Google maps and others ILLEGAL! And that's what I don't want to do. Unfortunately as I see, there is no chance for developer like me, to use custom map system in own application. Really weird mainly from "Free for all" Google ... grr

[Menion]

...

Excellent report as usually! So try new version. All you wrote about fixed or improved

[tipichris]

Hi Menion

Thanks for the great work. There seems to be a small problem with the quadkeys (type 5). Locus is adding an additional leading 0 to the key. For example, for a tile not far from my house, the quadkey should be 031313101123333, in central England. But Locus is generating 0031313101123333. Which is somewhere in the Arctic Ocean! This is using 1.5.2.2

[Menion]

hmm cannot be problem in your provider.xml file? Check it, if you do not find problem, PM me and I'll look at it ...

[svartbjorn]

Hi Menion!
Always a pleasure to test new Locus versions!
Thank you for a great test version 1.5.2.2. I have used it a lot, both by car and as hiking. Test results:
- POI: now fantastic! Works perfectly in all respects. I love your new red STOP button that pops up on the screen when the alert triggers. Perfect! Also great menu choice: Play once, or Play until stop.
- sorting criteria: now remembered correctly and survice a Locus restart. I notice new tracks are visible at the top of the list. Perfect!
- uphill/downhill accumulated elevation: there is definitely something wrong here. I had a 3 hour hike today in a not very hilly area. But still the track status reports 2130m uphill over distance 6500m. About same for downhill. That is completely impossible. Min altitude was 1246m, max altitude 1503m. I think I have an idea why this goes so wrong: when I look at the chart, I notice the altitude is very "noisy". I am pretty sure this is due to the inaccuracy in the GPS vertical position. Hence Locus is adding up uphill/downhill changes all the time, while there are no altitude changes in the reality. I think you need to add some sort of smoothness filter. The day after tomorrow I am going on an extremely tough hike to a very high peak. I will then compare the results of Locus and MyTracks.
- I found an issue with creating tracks: even though I have selected offline maps, Locus requires internet connection. I have posted this separately under "Troubles and questions"

[Menion]

hmm excellent report as usually. Thanks. Shame on other without any response!

I'll add here today some new version with improvements so please test it on your hike ...

[svartbjorn]

Regarding the accumulated uphill/downhill elevation error: One important detail to add: For the reported example, I used Settings/GPS/"Time between GPS locations" = 60 to save battery while hiking. So I guess this caused the inaccuracy in vertical position (elevation) to be higher than if this parameter =0 (GPS receiver is tracking continuously). A track from driving by car and GPS on continuously, has a much smoother chart. I can see this is a challenge for Locus when GPS is turned on with intervals and how to smoothen the calculated elevation. Maybe accumulated uphill/downhill only will make sense with GPS receiver continuously on to get sufficient vertical accuracy?

[Menion]

I added some simple filter on GPS altitude, so maybe this will help, we'll see ...
(discuss about it rather in new v1.6.0 topic)

[eserim]

Hi - many thanks for an excellent app - since google removed the api to edit user maps this has proved excellent for field data capture, where accuracy isn't crucial (nearest 5 metres)

I'm very interested to see you have listed ArcGIS in the most recent version - I've stuck at 1.5.1 for obvious reasons for now,  could you please enlighten me what formats these are?  Are they for user maps (shapefiles/rasters) stored on the SD card or support for ArcGIS map services?

One feature I'd love, is WMS support - that way I could ditch using google maps and feed our field guys our much more detailed maps and aerials.

Many thanks for the app (again)

Eserim

[Menion]

hi,
  test new version 1.6.1.1.
interesting for you
- My Maps viewer and editor enabled
- BETA support for WMS (I was working on it last few days)

about adding ArcGIS maps. You can ad it as custom provider. "Manual" for this is here.

[eserim]

Cool - I'll look at 1.6.1.1 when I return to work next week and get my hands back on our test phone - WMS support will move this from a useful app to one I can really sell to my boss.