Article: 91015 of sci.geo.satellite-nav Newsgroups: sci.geo.satellite-nav,comp.windows.x Subject: call for volunteers -- GPL mapping program for GPS's Mime-Version: 1.0 (generated by tm-edit 7.106) Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII From: Wolfgang Rupprecht Message-ID: Organization: W S Rupprecht Computer Consulting, Fremont CA Lines: 80 X-Newsreader: Gnus v5.6.45/Emacs 19.34 Date: Sat, 06 Feb 1999 00:48:49 GMT NNTP-Posting-Host: 24.1.65.208 X-Complaints-To: abuse@home.net X-Trace: news.rdc1.sfba.home.com 918262129 24.1.65.208 (Fri, 05 Feb 1999 16:48:49 PDT) NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 05 Feb 1999 16:48:49 PDT Path: news1.meer.net!news3.best.com!news2.best.com!news.maxwell.syr.edu!nntp.abs.net!newshub2.home.com!newshub1.home.com!news.home.com!news.rdc1.sfba.home.com.POSTED!not-for-mail Xref: news1.meer.net sci.geo.satellite-nav:91015 comp.windows.x:36046 A good friend of mine, (optionally mention Kevin here if he doesn't object), has hacked together a X11-based GPS mapping program. For a while I was hacking on it too and added NMEA tracklogs and gpstrans format tracklog and waypoint reading. The base maps themselves are Tiger/XX where XX seems to be increasing faster than the other changes to the program. There in lies the problem. This program been sitting around half finished for the longest of times. I think its time to open it up under GPL and get the ball rolling again. What works: displays tiger maps reads and displays nmea tracklogs reads and displays gpstrans tracklogs reads and displays gpstrans waypoints locates and highlights streets locates and highlights address displays street names displays waypoint names zooms and pans on map incremental redraw after scrolling maps are cross architecture clean (same maps work on x86 and suns) What doesn't work yet: window doesn't center on current position I don't know much about X11. Don't know how to programmatically scroll a viewport widget. can't expand basemap to arbitrary size The whole map has to fit into < 6000 pixels. The program uses a viewport. Needs to be fixed to clip the data itself. can't zoom on a rubber-banded area. The whole map expands and one has to pan there. Related to the scrolling problem in bug #1. I have full tiger maps for California but nothing for the rest of the US. There are no restrictions of copying the 6 tiger cd's. I just haven't tripped across anyone that could make me a DAT tape (or could put them up for ftp). no flooded color. The map background is white with different colored lines for the borders of things. lines for streets. The streets at maximum scaling are still lines. For some reason cartographers don't like this at all. automatic map selection from lat/lon database. You have to tell it which background map to display. not hard, just not done. no map combining. One can't yet display the union of two maps. again not hard, just not done. build environment is grotty and needs to be cleaned up. This program works enough that if you grit your teeth, you can use it to view your tracklogs and waypoints from day hikes, camping trips, road trips, boat rides etc. I've used it that way for 4 years now. Thats also the problem. The program hasn't gone anywhere in 4 years. Its time for that to change. What I'd like to do is get a group together to fix at least the first 3 bugs, then release an alpha version for general playing. comments and volunteers to: xmap(atsign)wsrcc.com p-wolfgang ps. My apologies to folks sending email from ISP's that don't kick of spammers. Your mail to "wolfgang" will unfortunately bounce until I introduce you to my mailer. I encourage you to fill out the form at http://www.wsrcc.com/spam/unblock-user.html . BTW. the "xmap" address above is much more lenient with what it filters. -- Wolfgang Rupprecht http://www.wsrcc.com/wolfgang/ Get DGPS signals over IP. http://www.wsrcc.com/wolfgang/gps/dgps-ip.html