How to do free satnav (ish)

[Guest Paul (MVP)]

I was using Google Maps to plan a trip today, and I suddenly realised that it would theoretically be possible to use it to do free satnav (ish).

I came to this decision in the following steps...

- MoDaCo CamerAware has a ready and waiting GPS engine for projects such as this

- Google Maps lets you plan routes

- Google API lets you look addresses up using the geocoding functions, converting them to a lat/long

- Google Maps lets you plan a trip from lat/long to lat/long and get the 'steps' returned as a KML file (a variant of XML), with a description and a lat/long of each step

- You could then display the step on the screen, use the GPS to show a direction and distance countdown to the step, and hey presto, free basic satnav!

An example...

Look at this route from Norwich to Ipswich...

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&hl=e...p;om=1&z=10

Now look at the simple version...

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&hl=e...amp;output=html

Imagine each of those steps as a step being displayed on your device, and with a distance / direction to each. Do you think you can follow it? If so, look, we can get the lat / long of each point in KML (XML):

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&hl=e...&output=kml

Piece of cake!

Thoughts?

P

[Guest w411y]

MoDaCo SatNavAware :rolleyes: ?

[Guest Pondrew]

Go Paul! :rolleyes:

[Guest chillpete]

Super cool.

:rolleyes:

[Guest Paul (MVP)]

:rolleyes:

:(

P

[Guest JamieDow]

Sweet. Paul you never fail to amaze! :rolleyes:

[Guest travisb]

Careful Paul, Google may get interested and make you an offer you can't refuse :rolleyes:

[Guest mcwarre]

Look at this route from Norwich to Ipswich...

Cool. You're a Yokle and you don't know?? :rolleyes: :(

[Guest Dr_StrangeTrick]

Hey Paul, following a 'real' route instead of a TomTom has to be better and you can cache the information from Google so you don't need an active Internet connection while driving.

Only problem is what happens if you make a wrong turn or hit a diversion :rolleyes:

[Guest Paul (MVP)]

Yes, the wrong turn / diversion scenario is tricky... but remember since you always know your current lat / long, you could hit a button and just recalculate a new route from the current location as opposed to your original starting point.

P

[Guest nickcornaglia]

/me following topic closely! :rolleyes:

[Guest Paul (MVP)]

One thing worth finding out would be whether there are any free Text-to-Speech engines on Pocket PC.

Otherwise, it's either going to be beep then you look at the screen (not ideal), or prerecorded WAVs for direction elements (also not ideal).

Hmmm.

The more I think about the other aspects however, the more I think it's possible.

Shame the Google API / Licence doesn't allow for download of static map tiles :rolleyes:

P

[Guest dr_nick]

nice one paul

i have been trying to think of some way of doing this, but clearly lack the programming/ know-how to manage it.

i am gonna download camerAware RIGHT NOW and watch this space..

:)

dr_nick

[Guest jcostantino]

Mapopolis uses "pSpeak" which is some kind of Palm text to speech program. It's a 2 meg file (pspeak.tts) and I suppose that Mapopolis hooks into it like a DLL. It speaks reasonably clearly and I much prefer it to canned .wavs in my other (TTM) SatNav program.

A much better approach is the speach DLL in Microsoft Voice Command but I've never seen another program hook into it so I doubt it's available for tinkering (legally).

By the way, is there any way to get coordinates from a list of addresses turned into lat/long to import into a satnav program? The POIs for North America are garbage and I would like to update my own but I've never found an easy way to batch translate addresses to coordinates.

One thing worth finding out would be whether there are any free Text-to-Speech engines on Pocket PC.

Otherwise, it's either going to be beep then you look at the screen (not ideal), or prerecorded WAVs for direction elements (also not ideal).

Hmmm.

The more I think about the other aspects however, the more I think it's possible.

Shame the Google API / Licence doesn't allow for download of static map tiles :)

P

[Guest Rob.P]

One thing worth finding out would be whether there are any free Text-to-Speech engines on Pocket PC.

Otherwise, it's either going to be beep then you look at the screen (not ideal), or prerecorded WAVs for direction elements (also not ideal).

Hmmm.

The more I think about the other aspects however, the more I think it's possible.

Shame the Google API / Licence doesn't allow for download of static map tiles :D

P

Also easy to get somewhere to record, equipment and a voice artist :)

[Guest Paul (MVP)]

True, but there are quite a few different WAVs to record in that instance.

I've mailed a few TTS (text to speech) providers, to see what possibilities there are in that area.

I might try and get a demo of how the app might work (where you can choose a start and a destination, and view the directions onscreen) up in the next few days...

P

[Guest Dr_StrangeTrick]

There may be an alternative to Google maps...

http://www.openstreetmap.org/

OpenStreetMap is a project aimed squarely at creating and providing free geographic data such as street maps to anyone who wants them. The project was started because most maps you think of as free actually have legal or technical restrictions on their use, holding back people from using them in creative, productive or unexpected ways

Patchy coverage but it can only get better?