dualsportmaps.com - Android App

UPDATE: 07-14-2011 - Motorcycle GPS Navigation App has been RELEASED and is in the Android Market. It is named "Dual Sport Maps"

Dualsportmaps.com is a website I created for us ADVers to upload and shared good quality, verified, dualsport tracks. It has a ton of nifty features and you can read all about them on the website thread. I post all the updates to the website there so it is a good idea to subscribe if you want to know about changes. Nearly 1000 of you guys are already members of the site so you know the score.

What I want to talk about today is a new project I'm working on. I am working on a mobile platform for the site. My desire for it is to take the place of my Zumo on the bars of my WR². It will be able to search the website for all our tracks and show them on the map. It will be able to store maps and tracks for offline use. It will have routing capabilities, but I do NOT have plans presently to use routes generated in Mapsource. Routes will have to be made on the android device, in the near future at least. Waypoints will be available offline, and photos will be available if you have network access.

All the extensive privacy setting built into the website will still work in the App, so if you upload your private map to the site (TAT or TET as examples) you will be the only person (or any other people you specify) able to see them still.

I will be keeping this thread aware of changes to the app and availability going forward. Changes to the site that by extension affect the app will be posted to thread mentioned above.

So without further ado, here is the first demo video.
**UPDATE** Added another video on 01/20/2012
<iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/2pZKam3u20A" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

**UPDATE** Added second video on 07-30-2011
<iframe width="853" height="510" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/kChx_VPYhVI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

**UPDATE** Added second video on 06-18-2011
<iframe width="853" height="510" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/W7kd_hfpVBc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

**UPDATE** Added third video on 06-22-2011 This is of the remote control prototype
<iframe width="853" height="510" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/kmnhFc3-oAI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
**UPDATE** Added third video on 06-04-2011 This is of the remote control prototype's new knob for bearing, zoom, and volume control
<iframe width="853" height="510" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/pVkzpmeWdO0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


<iframe width="640" height="510" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/-YNqyizSYAs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Note the scream crossing waypoint (in blue).

Really excited for this!! Subscribed!

Very cool.
One issue I've had with my Droid is that it does not charge while the GPS is on. When I have used it in the car, while on business travel it will kill the battery in about an hour or less.
My way of working around that is turning on the map, finding the next few turns, memorizing them, and shutting the GPS down. Take off to the next big turn/point of confusion with the power plugged in.

Awesome :) Guess I need a Droid phone!

Count me in!

That is an easy problem to solve. There are a slew little transformers to can get. I am considering an accessory for this that has an externally (and semi-permanently) mounted GPS antenna/charger/remote that will attach to the left bar so you can control the app with you left hand still on the bars and get superior realtime GPS info while you are riding. Plus, you can then make/buy a weather proof case for your phone and still have full access to the app.

The remote control will be built with something like this with something like this stick it in a case with controls something like this.

I have the same/similar issue, except my drain time is about 3 hours. I believe that my phone is charging, but the GPS draw rate is significantly more than the charge rate, so eventually it just kills the phone.

Regardless, I can't wait to see how this goes!

That is sort of exciting news to me. I didn't think I could convince myself to learn embedded programming and GPS design but if the phone can't stay charged with .5A coming with the GPS antenna running then I may have to. The first thing I'll do though is shut off the microwave triangulation stuff and see what the power draw is like. You can do this as well just by putting the phone in Airplane mode. At least where I ride I don't have any cell coverage anyway. My apps solution (if I can find one) will be more convenient than that.

I hope I'm right in what I am saying! haha. I'm not 100% sure that it's correct, but that sure seems to be my understanding, on my phone. Next time I'm in the car with the GPS running for a few hours, I'll do just that and put it in airplane mode. I'll let you know what happens.

The phones typically get a location fix from the on-board GPS chip, but putting maps on the screen depends upon a connection to the cell system data, in order to download the maps from Google. No cell connection, no map. Airplane mode would cause the same problem.

Of course, if this app has the map data already loaded, then no issue.

I'm confused. If you're planning to use an external GPS receiver like the one you linked to on SparkFun, then the GPS receiver in the phone should be turned off, so that portion of the phone battery drain would be near zero. Maybe I'm misunderstanding what you're doing with the external hardware?

Another thing that's a bit strange is that the GPS receiver in the phone should not draw a lot of current. For example, the one you linked to from SparkFun only draws 0.043 amps while tracking. The one in the phone should be similar. The one I'm using in my own project draws only 0.033 amps. I'd be more curious about the power draw associated with the phone display. Displays suck power bigtime. Could it be that the big power draw is really the display, since it's ON all the time while you've got the GPS application on the display?

I writing the app, so I can make it do anything I want really. It will have a feature that will allow you to request it to prefetch map tiles from around tracks of you select. Not all the tiles come from Google either. The Topo maps are USGS scans from ESRI. The app currently renders OSM vector files which are available for nearly the entire planet so offline maps will not be a problem at all. The limitation for offline map tiles will be the storage capacity of your phone, but for a narrow band of a couple hundred miles I think the storage will be adequate. I can always put another sdcard slot in the remote control for more offline storage as well if that seems like its needed.

I am planning to use the GPS from the phone. If for any reason that just wont work, an external antenna is my fallback position. I may build one for myself regardless because I think a weather proof case would be convenient and controlling the phone without a remote will be impossible if its in a case.

As for current draw of the GPS, I've done no studies so I have no reason to believe it is a problem yet. When the software is ready to roll I will start to test it. I got a cradle in the mail today so I can mount it for testing.

If the screen draw turns into a big problem, then I will set it to use the dim "bulb" to reduce power or even shut off the screen until I need it. Where there is a will, there is a way.

Sounds like some great work. Thanks for being so proactive!

If ur app works then would there be any point in getting a Garmin Montana?

Let me just say that my whole reason for going through this process is that Garmin wasn't making a unit like the Montana and while I figured out how to make track like things work on my Zumo I knew that most people would never go through the trouble and expense of doing it. I've really enjoyed my Zumo+ (+ because I made it better than your average Zumo) but I am beating it up and eventually it will die and spending another $500 bucks seemed like a shabby idea when I could make something that is just about perfect for my needs (and by extension many of your needs as well) with something I was carrying anyway.

WANT - subscribed for sure!

Is your phone WATERPROOF?
I just can't get myself to rely on a phone for something as important as navigation, etc is for me. Seems to me like using a map on the back of a Denny's placemat vs 1:2400 Topo map. Get out your crayons!

But having more resources in case one fails...never a problem.