Location-aware and mapping applications have gone from a desirable feature to an essential
part of any smart phone. Whether a user is checking into a social network, looking for a
pharmacy in the middle of the night, or located in somewhere and needs help, the key is always
the same: location.
In this project, an Android mapping application is developed. The application is able to display
the map of the whole world while online or, display a pre-downloaded map while offline, track
the user’s location, display a compass to determine north, send the user’s location to others in
case of emergency using SMS, receive and interpret received location from the message, display
it on the map, and notify the user by the reception of the location.
The application was developed using agile methodology. It, met its objectives and successfully
passed 91% of the final system test, recording that some limitations were discovered, the
application needs further testing and can be implemented for particular company or university
using their own maps or editing the maps in OSM (open street maps).
Location sharing and automatic message sender Android ApplicationKavita Sharma
This is the project report of Android Application(Location sharing and Automatic message sender). This report will help users who wants to develop any location based android application.
Location sharing and automatic message sender Android ApplicationKavita Sharma
This is the project report of Android Application(Location sharing and Automatic message sender). This report will help users who wants to develop any location based android application.
Abstract In today’s world time management is a big task. There could be the possibility that we may forget to do some important and urgent jobs which could results in a negative way for us. Also we have a trend of using smart phones supporting different tools and applications which could make our life simple. Today devices and phones run on many different types of operating systems such as IOS, Android etc. The proposed study is based on android based devices such as smart phones and tablets running on the Android operating system, since Android is designed to be an open source OS it gives a wide opportunity to any developer to develop and try different applications on such devices. In the proposed system we will discuss about the application which provides the service of automatic profile changing based on the user’s location from one to other (e.g. from normal to work mode or vice versa). It uses internet connection and GPS services to learn about the user’s current location and accordingly it updates the profile. Keywords—LBS, anroid OS, profile, GPS.
Location Tracking of Android Device Based on SMS.iCreateWorld
If an android user wants to know the location of Android device then user has to send SMS to designated device. So that he can locate device either by making it ring or gets actual location of device using GPS or network provider.
DESIGN AN AR APPLICATION IN FINDING PREFERRED DINING PLACE WITH SOCIAL NETWOR...acijjournal
Location Based Service (LBS) application help people in finding places or point of interest. However, spatial information in LBS is presented as a map in a small mobile device screen which makes the user difficult to understand and to find the location they need. It is possible that user might have disorientation in finding the place although they are presented with correct map. ARAFEPs (Augmented Reality Assistant to Finding Preferred Dining Place) is an Augmented Reality application to support its user to find the nearest and preferred dining place such as restaurant, fast food and food court. It is developed using Layar AR as platform. It presents the user with spatial information in a way that user could aware and understand the places surround them. Additional and relevant information that are presented in AR aids users to decide which dining place fits the needs of the user.
The future of location based services: What you need to knowJohn Whalen
How will we use location aware applications? How are they being used today? Why are they profitable? What do I need to know today to start using them for my b-to-b and b-to-c sales opportunities?
Visually impaired people face many problems in their day to day lives. Among them, outdoor navigation is one of the major concerns. The existing solutions based on Wireless Sensor Networks(WSN) and Global Positioning System (GPS) track ZigBee units or RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags fixed on the navigation system. The issues pertaining to these solutions are as follows: (1) It is suitable only when the
visually impaired person is commuting in a familiar environment; (2) The device provides only a one way communication; (3) Most of these instruments are heavy and sometimes costly. Preferable solution would be to make a system which is easy to carry and cheap.
The objective of this paper is to break down the technological barriers, and to propose a system by developing an Android App which would help a visually impaired person while traveling via the public transport system like Bus. The proposed system uses an inbuilt feature of smart phone such as GPS location tracker to track the location of the user and Text to Speech converter. The system also integrates Google Speech to Text converter for capturing the voice input and converts them to text. This system recommends the requirement of installing a GPS module in buses for real time tracking. With minor
modification, this App can also help older people for independent navigation.
The goal of this project is to provide a location-based alarm system through which users can broadcast their last known
position in emergency situations. The system will be able to send an SMS or an e-mail containing the user’s location coordinates
to the already registered mobile numbers using GCM service. The location information is obtained using GPS
technology and real-time location is shown on the receiver’s application using Google Maps API. In situations where GPS is
not available, the system tracks location using LBS technology
.Keywords: GPS,GCM,LBS Android.
IJRET : International Journal of Research in Engineering and Technology is an international peer reviewed, online journal published by eSAT Publishing House for the enhancement of research in various disciplines of Engineering and Technology. The aim and scope of the journal is to provide an academic medium and an important reference for the advancement and dissemination of research results that support high-level learning, teaching and research in the fields of Engineering and Technology. We bring together Scientists, Academician, Field Engineers, Scholars and Students of related fields of Engineering and Technology
Abstract In today’s world time management is a big task. There could be the possibility that we may forget to do some important and urgent jobs which could results in a negative way for us. Also we have a trend of using smart phones supporting different tools and applications which could make our life simple. Today devices and phones run on many different types of operating systems such as IOS, Android etc. The proposed study is based on android based devices such as smart phones and tablets running on the Android operating system, since Android is designed to be an open source OS it gives a wide opportunity to any developer to develop and try different applications on such devices. In the proposed system we will discuss about the application which provides the service of automatic profile changing based on the user’s location from one to other (e.g. from normal to work mode or vice versa). It uses internet connection and GPS services to learn about the user’s current location and accordingly it updates the profile. Keywords—LBS, anroid OS, profile, GPS.
Location Tracking of Android Device Based on SMS.iCreateWorld
If an android user wants to know the location of Android device then user has to send SMS to designated device. So that he can locate device either by making it ring or gets actual location of device using GPS or network provider.
DESIGN AN AR APPLICATION IN FINDING PREFERRED DINING PLACE WITH SOCIAL NETWOR...acijjournal
Location Based Service (LBS) application help people in finding places or point of interest. However, spatial information in LBS is presented as a map in a small mobile device screen which makes the user difficult to understand and to find the location they need. It is possible that user might have disorientation in finding the place although they are presented with correct map. ARAFEPs (Augmented Reality Assistant to Finding Preferred Dining Place) is an Augmented Reality application to support its user to find the nearest and preferred dining place such as restaurant, fast food and food court. It is developed using Layar AR as platform. It presents the user with spatial information in a way that user could aware and understand the places surround them. Additional and relevant information that are presented in AR aids users to decide which dining place fits the needs of the user.
The future of location based services: What you need to knowJohn Whalen
How will we use location aware applications? How are they being used today? Why are they profitable? What do I need to know today to start using them for my b-to-b and b-to-c sales opportunities?
Visually impaired people face many problems in their day to day lives. Among them, outdoor navigation is one of the major concerns. The existing solutions based on Wireless Sensor Networks(WSN) and Global Positioning System (GPS) track ZigBee units or RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags fixed on the navigation system. The issues pertaining to these solutions are as follows: (1) It is suitable only when the
visually impaired person is commuting in a familiar environment; (2) The device provides only a one way communication; (3) Most of these instruments are heavy and sometimes costly. Preferable solution would be to make a system which is easy to carry and cheap.
The objective of this paper is to break down the technological barriers, and to propose a system by developing an Android App which would help a visually impaired person while traveling via the public transport system like Bus. The proposed system uses an inbuilt feature of smart phone such as GPS location tracker to track the location of the user and Text to Speech converter. The system also integrates Google Speech to Text converter for capturing the voice input and converts them to text. This system recommends the requirement of installing a GPS module in buses for real time tracking. With minor
modification, this App can also help older people for independent navigation.
The goal of this project is to provide a location-based alarm system through which users can broadcast their last known
position in emergency situations. The system will be able to send an SMS or an e-mail containing the user’s location coordinates
to the already registered mobile numbers using GCM service. The location information is obtained using GPS
technology and real-time location is shown on the receiver’s application using Google Maps API. In situations where GPS is
not available, the system tracks location using LBS technology
.Keywords: GPS,GCM,LBS Android.
IJRET : International Journal of Research in Engineering and Technology is an international peer reviewed, online journal published by eSAT Publishing House for the enhancement of research in various disciplines of Engineering and Technology. The aim and scope of the journal is to provide an academic medium and an important reference for the advancement and dissemination of research results that support high-level learning, teaching and research in the fields of Engineering and Technology. We bring together Scientists, Academician, Field Engineers, Scholars and Students of related fields of Engineering and Technology
Comparative study of user experience on mobile pedestrian navigation between ...IJECEIAES
Fast-paced mobile technology development has permitted augmented reality experiences to be delivered on mobile pedestrian navigation context. The fact that the more prevalent of this technology commonly will substituting the digital map visualization to present the geo-location information is still debatable. This paper comprises a report on a field study comparing about user experience when interacting with different modes of mobile electronic assistance in the context of pedestrian navigation interfaces which utilize location-based augmented reality (AR) and two-dimensional digital map to visualize the points of interest (POIs) location in the vicinity of the user. The study was conducted with two subsequent experiments in the Zhongli District, Taoyuan City, Taiwan. The study involved 10 participants aged between 22 and 28 years with different experiences in using smartphones and navigation systems. Navigation performance was measured based on a usability approach on pragmatic quality and hedonic quality like effectiveness (success rate of task completion), efficiency (task completion time) and satisfaction in real outdoor conditions. The evaluation findings have been cross-checked with the user’s personal comments. We aim at eliciting knowledge about user requirements related to mobile pedestrian interfaces and evaluating user experience from pragmatic and hedonic viewpoints. Results show that in the context of pedestrian navigation, digital map interfaces lead to significantly better navigation performance in pragmatic attributes in comparison to AR interfaces. Nevertheless, the study also reveals that location-based AR is more valued by participants in hedonic qualities and overall performance.
Gps enabled android application for buseSAT Journals
Abstract Nowadays in this fast life where everyone in is hurry to reach their destinations. Waiting for bus is a hectic and even many of us are unaware of the bus timings, hence to overcome this difficulty we have come up with the system of GPS Enabled Android Application For Bus Schedule System is considered in this study. The major feature included in the Android Application is user can know all the Nasik City Bus timings. This includes the various ways to find out the Bus available, by giving the appropriate bus number, by providing the source and destination or by providing the bus stop. Second module consisting of capturing the current latitude, longitude and location of the current position of the user using the GPS facility available in mobile Third module includes the facility of security call, if user feels unsecure or any disaster occur, just by pressing a single button user can notify to its closed ones with its current position. Then the Android and Java platforms are used to develop the application using eclipse tool. Keywords: GPS, Google Android, Android SDK, Google API.
Mobile Device Application to locate an Interest Point using Google MapsEditor IJCATR
Location-based service is a service mechanism that generates geographical location information. This service will certainly
give much benefit as there are many people who would like to find public facilities quickly and easily. The needs to know the
existence of public facilities quickly and easily is of great demands in the society. Based on the above problems, it is necessary to
develop an application that can get any access to the geographical location in mobile phones. Information from this application is
expected to help searching for such public facilities. This Searching for interest point information was read using the Location API in
Xcode IOS 4.2. The resulting information was displayed on the application of the iPhone. From the test results, the information of the
position was influenced by the availability of the information service provider, carrier signal strength, and mobile phone capabilities.
Android and iOS Hybrid Applications for Surabaya Public Transportation Route Editor IJCATR
This study is conducted to address the lack of route information of public transportation in Surabaya by creating an online guide that can be accessed by passengers to get complete information on maps and travel routes for public transportation. This guide is made interactive, simple, accessible and appropriate for transport adapted to the conditions in the city of Surabaya. This research will develop an Android and iOS applications that can be used on smartphones and tablets using Android and iOS operating systems. Maps and routes are obtained from the Department of Transportation of Surabaya. A survey was done by distributing questionnaires to determine the passengers’ need for public transportation. Maps and route are developed using OpenStreetMap, Ajax, Javascript, XML, OpenLayer, PostgreSQL, and PostGIS. The hybrid application is compiled using PhoneGap. Passengers simply point to the destination of their journey, such as the name of the street or landmarks and public places. The system will automatically choose the alternative lyn of bemo they should choose, including the routes to reach the destination. The information includes the connecting line of a public minibus (called bemo in Indonesian) if the route needs to be connected by more than one bemo line. The information also includes the fare to be paid. From the test results, both the Android and iOS applications can adapt to a wide range of smartphones with a variety of screen sizes, from 3.5 inch to 5 inch smartphones and 7 inch tablets
Android and iOS Hybrid Applications for Surabaya Public Transportation RouteEditor IJCATR
This study is conducted to address the lack of route information of public transportation in Surabaya by creating an online
guide that can be accessed by passengers to get complete information on maps and travel routes for public transportation. This guide
is made interactive, simple, accessible and appropriate for transport adapted to the conditions in the city of Surabaya. This research
will develop an Android and iOS applications that can be used on smartphones and tablets using Android and iOS operating systems.
Maps and routes are obtained from the Department of Transportation of Surabaya. A survey was done by distributing questionnaires to
determine the passengers’ need for public transportation. Maps and route are developed using OpenStreetMap, Ajax, Javascript, XML,
OpenLayer, PostgreSQL, and PostGIS. The hybrid application is compiled using PhoneGap. Passengers simply point to the destination
of their journey, such as the name of the street or landmarks and public places. The system will automatically choose the alternative
lyn of bemo they should choose, including the routes to reach the destination. The information includes the connecting line of a public
minibus (called bemo in Indonesian) if the route needs to be connected by more than one bemo line. The information also includes the
fare to be paid. From the test results, both the Android and iOS applications can adapt to a wide range of smartphones with a variety of
screen sizes, from 3.5 inch to 5 inch smartphones and 7 inch tablets
PRO-VAS: utilizing AR and VSLAM for mobile apps development in visualizing ob...TELKOMNIKA JOURNAL
The development of mobile apps with augmented reality (AR) would enhance the capability in visualizing the scene or environment. Any apps supported by computer aided design versions with 3D models makes the design more realistic, such as in the form of websites or mobile apps. However, the current features for online platforms for shopping are quite limited and lack 3D visualization features. This paper presents the development of a mobile application, pro-visualizer app called PRO-VAS, that utilizes AR for scanning and visualizing the environment. PRO-VAS acts as a product visualizer that applies visual simultaneous localization and mapping (VSLAM) for localization of the product in AR based systems.
The main components of PRO-VAS are ARCore from Google for interactive purposes, and the depth mapping from red green blue depth (RGB-D) phone camera with point plane generator and markerless tracking method. The last component of the app is the set of objects from the unity store, which can be chosen in PRO-VAS for the scanned scene area. The app was tested in various environments involving different objects and has shown competitive results. In the future, more features and products can be added to the apps.
CommutEaze is a mobile application that intends to make people’s experience of
commuting in buses easier and richer.
Everyday, thousands of people use public bus transport systems in the towns and cities
of India. And everyday, the commute gets a little more tiresome, the buses a little more
crowded and a sense of general well being in the commuters, a little more faded.
We board buses not knowing if we would get a place to sit at any point on the long journey
home, or to work, or on our way to see our loved ones.
CommutEaze aims to help the everyday commuters who battle all odds in order to
transverse distances, great or small, to their destinations.This app will provide commuters
and transport providers with details of bus vacancies and track their positions en route in
real time.
“Bus Tracking Application” is an application for Smart phones that works on Android Operating system. This application uses the GPS function. This application at a specific pickup point will send the current location of the bus to students when they request. This app generate predictions of bus arrivals at stops along the route. This application uses a variety of technologies to track the locations of buses in real time
Geo location based augmented reality applicationeSAT Journals
Abstract As the inception of mobile app development began, various applications of Augmented Reality that was once only restricted under the avenue of personal computers extended its domain to mobile applications and currently is used in the wide fields of gaming, education, navigation and so on. The exceptional data processing abilities which is possessed by smartphones in concert with its various services such as Global Positioning System (GPS), wireless networks, and compass have authorized Augmented Reality to find a very fruitful proposition in the wide spectrum of navigation based apps. The objective of the proposed work is to structure and design Geo based Augmented Reality application using GART toolkit. The paper initiates with explaining the various components used in a Geo AR app, exploring and explaining the various structure and features of the app and providing a spotlight on the deficiencies and future scope of the targeted developed app [1]. Keywords: Augmented Reality, Global Positioning System, Wireless Network, GART, Geo AR app
Builder.ai Founder Sachin Dev Duggal's Strategic Approach to Create an Innova...Ramesh Iyer
In today's fast-changing business world, Companies that adapt and embrace new ideas often need help to keep up with the competition. However, fostering a culture of innovation takes much work. It takes vision, leadership and willingness to take risks in the right proportion. Sachin Dev Duggal, co-founder of Builder.ai, has perfected the art of this balance, creating a company culture where creativity and growth are nurtured at each stage.
Neuro-symbolic is not enough, we need neuro-*semantic*Frank van Harmelen
Neuro-symbolic (NeSy) AI is on the rise. However, simply machine learning on just any symbolic structure is not sufficient to really harvest the gains of NeSy. These will only be gained when the symbolic structures have an actual semantics. I give an operational definition of semantics as “predictable inference”.
All of this illustrated with link prediction over knowledge graphs, but the argument is general.
Connector Corner: Automate dynamic content and events by pushing a buttonDianaGray10
Here is something new! In our next Connector Corner webinar, we will demonstrate how you can use a single workflow to:
Create a campaign using Mailchimp with merge tags/fields
Send an interactive Slack channel message (using buttons)
Have the message received by managers and peers along with a test email for review
But there’s more:
In a second workflow supporting the same use case, you’ll see:
Your campaign sent to target colleagues for approval
If the “Approve” button is clicked, a Jira/Zendesk ticket is created for the marketing design team
But—if the “Reject” button is pushed, colleagues will be alerted via Slack message
Join us to learn more about this new, human-in-the-loop capability, brought to you by Integration Service connectors.
And...
Speakers:
Akshay Agnihotri, Product Manager
Charlie Greenberg, Host
Key Trends Shaping the Future of Infrastructure.pdfCheryl Hung
Keynote at DIGIT West Expo, Glasgow on 29 May 2024.
Cheryl Hung, ochery.com
Sr Director, Infrastructure Ecosystem, Arm.
The key trends across hardware, cloud and open-source; exploring how these areas are likely to mature and develop over the short and long-term, and then considering how organisations can position themselves to adapt and thrive.
LF Energy Webinar: Electrical Grid Modelling and Simulation Through PowSyBl -...DanBrown980551
Do you want to learn how to model and simulate an electrical network from scratch in under an hour?
Then welcome to this PowSyBl workshop, hosted by Rte, the French Transmission System Operator (TSO)!
During the webinar, you will discover the PowSyBl ecosystem as well as handle and study an electrical network through an interactive Python notebook.
PowSyBl is an open source project hosted by LF Energy, which offers a comprehensive set of features for electrical grid modelling and simulation. Among other advanced features, PowSyBl provides:
- A fully editable and extendable library for grid component modelling;
- Visualization tools to display your network;
- Grid simulation tools, such as power flows, security analyses (with or without remedial actions) and sensitivity analyses;
The framework is mostly written in Java, with a Python binding so that Python developers can access PowSyBl functionalities as well.
What you will learn during the webinar:
- For beginners: discover PowSyBl's functionalities through a quick general presentation and the notebook, without needing any expert coding skills;
- For advanced developers: master the skills to efficiently apply PowSyBl functionalities to your real-world scenarios.
Encryption in Microsoft 365 - ExpertsLive Netherlands 2024Albert Hoitingh
In this session I delve into the encryption technology used in Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Purview. Including the concepts of Customer Key and Double Key Encryption.
Generating a custom Ruby SDK for your web service or Rails API using Smithyg2nightmarescribd
Have you ever wanted a Ruby client API to communicate with your web service? Smithy is a protocol-agnostic language for defining services and SDKs. Smithy Ruby is an implementation of Smithy that generates a Ruby SDK using a Smithy model. In this talk, we will explore Smithy and Smithy Ruby to learn how to generate custom feature-rich SDKs that can communicate with any web service, such as a Rails JSON API.
Transcript: Selling digital books in 2024: Insights from industry leaders - T...BookNet Canada
The publishing industry has been selling digital audiobooks and ebooks for over a decade and has found its groove. What’s changed? What has stayed the same? Where do we go from here? Join a group of leading sales peers from across the industry for a conversation about the lessons learned since the popularization of digital books, best practices, digital book supply chain management, and more.
Link to video recording: https://bnctechforum.ca/sessions/selling-digital-books-in-2024-insights-from-industry-leaders/
Presented by BookNet Canada on May 28, 2024, with support from the Department of Canadian Heritage.
GraphRAG is All You need? LLM & Knowledge GraphGuy Korland
Guy Korland, CEO and Co-founder of FalkorDB, will review two articles on the integration of language models with knowledge graphs.
1. Unifying Large Language Models and Knowledge Graphs: A Roadmap.
https://arxiv.org/abs/2306.08302
2. Microsoft Research's GraphRAG paper and a review paper on various uses of knowledge graphs:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/blog/graphrag-unlocking-llm-discovery-on-narrative-private-data/
Essentials of Automations: Optimizing FME Workflows with ParametersSafe Software
Are you looking to streamline your workflows and boost your projects’ efficiency? Do you find yourself searching for ways to add flexibility and control over your FME workflows? If so, you’re in the right place.
Join us for an insightful dive into the world of FME parameters, a critical element in optimizing workflow efficiency. This webinar marks the beginning of our three-part “Essentials of Automation” series. This first webinar is designed to equip you with the knowledge and skills to utilize parameters effectively: enhancing the flexibility, maintainability, and user control of your FME projects.
Here’s what you’ll gain:
- Essentials of FME Parameters: Understand the pivotal role of parameters, including Reader/Writer, Transformer, User, and FME Flow categories. Discover how they are the key to unlocking automation and optimization within your workflows.
- Practical Applications in FME Form: Delve into key user parameter types including choice, connections, and file URLs. Allow users to control how a workflow runs, making your workflows more reusable. Learn to import values and deliver the best user experience for your workflows while enhancing accuracy.
- Optimization Strategies in FME Flow: Explore the creation and strategic deployment of parameters in FME Flow, including the use of deployment and geometry parameters, to maximize workflow efficiency.
- Pro Tips for Success: Gain insights on parameterizing connections and leveraging new features like Conditional Visibility for clarity and simplicity.
We’ll wrap up with a glimpse into future webinars, followed by a Q&A session to address your specific questions surrounding this topic.
Don’t miss this opportunity to elevate your FME expertise and drive your projects to new heights of efficiency.
Slack (or Teams) Automation for Bonterra Impact Management (fka Social Soluti...Jeffrey Haguewood
Sidekick Solutions uses Bonterra Impact Management (fka Social Solutions Apricot) and automation solutions to integrate data for business workflows.
We believe integration and automation are essential to user experience and the promise of efficient work through technology. Automation is the critical ingredient to realizing that full vision. We develop integration products and services for Bonterra Case Management software to support the deployment of automations for a variety of use cases.
This video focuses on the notifications, alerts, and approval requests using Slack for Bonterra Impact Management. The solutions covered in this webinar can also be deployed for Microsoft Teams.
Interested in deploying notification automations for Bonterra Impact Management? Contact us at sales@sidekicksolutionsllc.com to discuss next steps.
Dev Dives: Train smarter, not harder – active learning and UiPath LLMs for do...UiPathCommunity
💥 Speed, accuracy, and scaling – discover the superpowers of GenAI in action with UiPath Document Understanding and Communications Mining™:
See how to accelerate model training and optimize model performance with active learning
Learn about the latest enhancements to out-of-the-box document processing – with little to no training required
Get an exclusive demo of the new family of UiPath LLMs – GenAI models specialized for processing different types of documents and messages
This is a hands-on session specifically designed for automation developers and AI enthusiasts seeking to enhance their knowledge in leveraging the latest intelligent document processing capabilities offered by UiPath.
Speakers:
👨🏫 Andras Palfi, Senior Product Manager, UiPath
👩🏫 Lenka Dulovicova, Product Program Manager, UiPath
2. 12 Computer Science & Information Technology (CS & IT)
believe that the reader is already familiar with those applications. Instead this paper describes the
development of such an application, its phases and problems encountered, in the hope that it will
help anyone developing a similar application.
The original purpose to develop this application was to provide a custom mapping application for
the University of Khartoum middle complex. The goal was to allow visitors, students and staff of
the University to navigate in the complex using their smart-phones. However, after starting the
research and development of the application, it was found that it is better to provide a general
solution that will be interesting and useful for any user (not just for the University of Khartoum)
to increase its market value.
2. APPLICATION FINAL SPECIFICATION
The application:
1. Displays a detailed map of the University of Khartoum, since the application was originally
developed for the University of Khartoum.
2. Detects and displays the user’s location on the map.
3. Enables the user to zoom the map in and out.
4. Allows the user to choose between two modes: an online mode displaying the map of the
whole world and an offline mode displaying a pre-downloaded or auto-cached map that does
not need an Internet connection.
5. Tracks the user location online and offline (without using the Internet).
6. Provides a compass that shows the direction towards north even in areas where signal is
missing.
7. Provides a scale bar showing the relation between distances in the map and real distances.
8. Can send the user location to saved emergency numbers.
9. Receives the location sent by another user and displays it on the map.
10. Alerts the user of the reception of a message that contains location sent by another user.
11. Allows registering and edit of emergency numbers.
3. METHODOLOGY
Being the first time an Android application and maybe the first mobile application ever to be
developed at the University of Khartoum it was not possible to foresee and plan for the whole
application development life cycle. Therefore an agile software development methodology was
adopted, tacking a small piece of requirement (only one or two new features), implementing and
testing them separately from the application and then integrate them with the application, testing
the application and repeating this sequence for the next feature.
Any mapping application includes two main features: displaying a map and determining the user's
location.
A. Display a map
The application should display a map that is detailed enough to allow the user to find a particular
place of interest.
The map is displayed from a map server. It can be displayed directly from the server or stored in
the handset for offline use. Displaying the map directly from the server has the disadvantage that
the loading of the map tiles will be dependent on the availability and speed of the Internet
3. Computer Science & Information Technology (CS & IT) 13
connection i.e. in some places there is no signal, and in others there is signal but the data rate is
very small.
The level of details of the map displayed by the application will depend on the quality of the map
on the server. Maps qualities vary greatly from one server to another, and even for the same
server the level of detail varies for different regions.
Many map servers allow the community of users to edit maps and contribute additional details,
and then they review the edits and display them in the server. After that the developers can access
them by the application or download them.
To display maps from a particular server, developers use the application programing interface
(API) provided by the server that provides classes needed to access the maps located in the server.
B. Determine user location
To help users find a destination, or pinpoint their locations, mapping applications include the
ability to determine the user's location. The required accuracy depends on the purpose of the
application, but for most applications the degree of accuracy is sufficient if the application can
determine the location accurate enough for the user to be able to know what street or building he
is in, this degree of accuracy will be fine.
At the same time the accuracy of the location provided by the application depends on the method
used to determine the location, and the accuracy and the availability of that method in the
particular region where the user is.
Android supports determining the user's location using global position system (GPS) that is built
in the handset, or using information from a nearby transmission tower. Moreover, if the user is
connected to a Wi-Fi network, it can be used to determine the location. It must be mentioned that
all these location providers are unreliable to some extent. For example, GPS signals do not reach
inside buildings [1].
3.1. Application development iterations
3.1.1. Determine how to do it
Like with any project, the first phase was information gathering and analysis, trying to understand
how the project can be done, what the various methods are, together with their respective merits.
Any mapping application involves two parts; a client-side part and a server-side part. The client-
side part provides a user interface and accesses a map server. On the server-side part developers
prepare the maps in a well-defined format and provide an API to access the map located on the
server, then developers can use the API to develop applications that access the maps and use
additional features provided by the API.
Some servers publish their API for public access and use for free, others require an API key, and
some raise a fee for the use of the API.
Therefore the first phase of the project was to study the various APIs available on the Internet,
their functionality, and their merits.
There are so many mapping APIs available, each of which belonging to and accessing a particular
server. Some APIs target indoor mapping, while others target outdoor mapping.
4. 14 Computer Science & Information Technology (CS & IT)
The most famous API is Google's mapping API, but there are many other mapping APIs like
MapQuest, Nutiteq, ArcGIS, Decarta, Guidbee, Mapsfore, OpenLayers, and Osmdroid.
We studied the merits of each one, and even tested some of them by accessing and displaying
maps using them, finally settle for outdoor mapping, because outdoor mapping is more general
and more suitable for the University of Khartoum complex.
In this paper we will not discuss all APIs available, because there are many APIs, and they are
always changing, new APIs are introduced and the available ones are constantly improved. The
first step for anyone trying to develop a similar application is to look and examine the available
APIs, their features and license agreements.
One interesting API is Nutiteq mapping API besides supporting the basic features: showing
interactive online map, and map overlays, it also supports many base maps options
OpenStreetMap, Bing, MapQuest, MapBox, AND, CloudMade, where Google supports only
Google Maps, and aerials.
It also supports online routing, geocoding, and unlike Google's API it supports offline maps and
offline routing [2].
Google's mapping API, has the advantages of wide spread, it is well documented, and easy to use.
We didn't use it because for free license the application must be free and publicly available, also
the number of requests per day is limited, it only access Google maps server, and we couldn't
grantee that if we edit the maps on their server that they will approve it (because of the political
problem with Sudan).
Osmdroid was selected because of its flexible license agreement, and its features: Osmdroid
mapping API is free, and does not even require a mapping API key. It accesses Open street maps
which is a collaborative project to create a free editable map of the world. For these two reasons
we had chosen it. In addition Osmdroid allows developer to change the server of the maps; it can
be used with other APIs to provide routing service, and several other features that we used part of
in the application.
3.1.2. Adding features
The features of the application’s final specification were developed one at a time, with each
development iteration adding a new feature: displaying the map directly from open street maps
server, determining the user’s location, supporting offline mapping, editing open street maps to
add more details about the University of Khartoum middle complex, tracking user location both
online and offline, and arguably the most interesting feature of all: sending the user location in
case of emergency. This last feature is the one we will discuss in a bit more details.
Emergency service:
A user may save up to five numbers to send his or her location to using SMS in case of
emergency by two clicks. When the message is received by the recipient’s mobile the application
receives the message, and extracts the location information from it, then opens displaying the
received location and notifies the user by the reception of the location.
Some screen-shots for the application are displayed in the results section.
5. Computer Science & Information Technology (CS & IT) 15
4. DESIGN
As shown in (Figure 1) there is sex main activities (classes that extend Android activity class
which corresponds and manage one user interface).
“OurMapping” class is responsible for managing the application main window.
“OsmMap” class was written because many activities need to display map, so they all need
common classes like “MapView” which displays maps, “MapController” to control the map. Also
they need “MyLocationOverlay” to display a location overlay on the map, “ScaleBarOverlay” to
display scale bar.
Therefore any other class that needs to display a map will just extends “OsmMap”, no need to
rewrite code, and reduced maintenance overhead.
“SetNumbers” class is responsible for setting the emergency numbers; the class uses a
“SharedPreferences” and “SharedPreferences.Editor” to store the numbers.
“SendMyLocation” is responsible for sending the user location; it uses “LocationManager” to get
the user location, and “SharedPreferences” to get the stored telephone numbers.
Help class displays help information about the application, where “About” class displays
information about the version of the application.
(Figure 2) shows the five activities that extend “OsmMap”, where each one of them is responsible
for managing one user interface.
(Figure 2) also shows “SMSReceiver” class which is the only class in the application that is not
an activity, it does not need a user interface, it runs in the background that is why it extends
Android “BroadcastReceiver”, which allows it to listen to the reception of new messages and
activate “MessageReceived” class.
6. 16 Computer Science & Information Technology (CS & IT)
Figure 1. Program basic structure part1 using unified modeling language
7. Computer Science & Information Technology (CS & IT) 17
Figure 2. Program basic structure part2 using unified modeling language
8. 18 Computer Science & Information Technology (CS & IT)
5. RESULTS
Here are some screen shots for the application:
Like shown in (Figure 3) when the application starts it displays the main menu, showing four
options: online, offline, help and about, allowing the user to choose any one of them.
Figure 3. Main menu
(Figure 4) shows the application online mode, where the application downloads maps from the
server. The application shows a scale bar, a compass, zoom controls, and online icon is
highlighted in green indicate that this mode is active, while offline and location icons are inactive.
The location icon is highlighted in green if tracking the user location is enabled.
9. Computer Science & Information Technology (CS & IT) 19
Figure 4. Application on the online mode
(Figure 5) shows the application offline mode, where maps are not loaded from the server and
only the maps that were cached or pre-downloaded before are displayed, that why it is noticeable
that when the map is zoomed in no details appeared, just like an image, also it is noticeable that
the offline icon is highlighted in green while the online and location icons are not.
Figure 5. Application on the offline mode
(Figure 6) shows the tracking and displaying of the user’s location on the map, also the location
button is displayed in green which means it is active.
10. 20 Computer Science & Information Technology (CS & IT)
Figure 6. Tracking user location
(Figure 7) Shows the options to register the emergency numbers, to send the user’s location and
to return to the main menu.
Figure 7. Options to set the emergency numbers and send the user’s location
(Figure 8) shows the window to register the emergency numbers, where the user can add and save
up to five numbers.
11. Computer Science & Information Technology (CS & IT) 21
Figure 8. Window to set the emergency number
(Table 1) shows a comparison between the application main features and couple of major android
application that use open street maps.
Table 1. Comparison between our application and other OSM mapping applications [3]
Name Display map Navigate Make track Price
AFTrack GPS-Tracking Yes Yes Yes 3.90€;4.95$;free
AlpineQuest GPS Hiking Yes No Yes 3€
AndNav2 Yes Yes Yes Free
AndRoad Yes Yes Yes Free
Ape@map Yes No Yes Free
ARnav Yes Yes No Free
Our application Yes Yes No ---------
The table shows a couple examples with comparison based on main features only, because this is
not the right place to do a complete, deep comparison between available applications. This paper
is more focused on how similar applications can be developed. However from this comparison we
can see that there are many available applications that can differ in the features they provide.
6. CONCLUSION
The application was successfully developed and achieved its requirements, but it requires more
testing to increase stability, especially the user’s tracking feature. The application needs to be
12. 22 Computer Science & Information Technology (CS & IT)
tested on real physical devices. All the testing of the application was done using emulators due to
the lack of a real handset for testing.
The application can be implemented to any particular company or university by editing the maps
at open street maps. Further research can be done to change the map server to a server specified
by the customer.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Thanks to Allah the Almighty without His help we would not be able to get this project done.
We wish to thanks Wigdan Ahmed lecturer at the University of Khartoum, faculty of engineering
for being our supervisor in this project.
Thanks to everyone who helped us in the development of the project specially Alla Ahmed,
Ahmed Abdallah, Habab Siddig.
Thanks to Elamin Altayeb and Abdallah Ulber for helping us revising the paper.
REFERENCES
[1] (2012) Android developer website. [Online]. Available:
http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/location/index.html.
[2] (2013) Nutiteq website. [Online]. Available: http://www.nutiteq.com/nutiteq-sdk/comparison/
[3] (2013) Open Street Map website. [Online] Available: http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Android
Authors
1. Abdalwhab Bakheet Mohamed
B.Sc. Electrical and electronic engineering (Software Engineering major) Currently: Working as Software
test engineer at Banan IT, Sudan
2. Ahmed Abd Elmahmoud Elhaj Salih.
B.Sc. Electrical and electronic engineering (Telecommunication Engineering major) Currently: Technical
manager at Furgan FM, Sudan
3. Wigdan Ahmed
M.SC. Computer Science and Entrepreneurship CCNP, CCDP, MCSE, ITIL V3 Foundation, CDRE
Currently: Senior Infrastructure Engineer at EBS, Sudan