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Poll

Non-cylindrical (Lambert, others?) projection support

A lot of topographic maps use Lambert conic projection, but the current version of tracker-py doesn't know any projection but cylindrical one.

Better map calibration

Tracker can use only two calibration points at the moment, and the current algorithm assumes that the maps are aligned with the WGS84 north. A better algorithm should be possible, using more of the calibration points, and taking rotation into account.

Split UI & Data processes

Currently the UI and the Data model are designed as seperate components, yet they run together in a single process. It would be nice to be able to run the dataprovider/datastorage parts of Tracker in seperation as a daemon. That way, the resource hungry Mapview ui does not always need to be running while the positioning part is running (to record a track or monitor a waypoint). On certain events, a ui process can be started automatically.

Weasley Family clock

See Wikipedia When several phones exchange location data, you could use that data to implement a weasly family clock in the dash view, thus family members can show each-other where they are.

Multiple resolutions

Current v0.20 implementation for S60 is aimed at N95 in portrait mode, meaning it depends on a 240x320 pixel resolution. When used on other S60 phones, this resolution may not be available, or prefereable, so support for different resolutions is desired.

Integrate s60views and wxviews

A lot of code in s60views.py and wxviews.py is identical, probably about 80 to 90 percent of the code can be shared between the two. It would be good to extract the 10-20 percent, and use a single codebase for the rest of these modules.

Use Accelerometer to scroll the map

Scrolling the map can be a pain, especially if zoomed in on a large map. Using the accelerometer would be very handy in this case, simply tilt your phone in the direction you want to scroll.

Exchange of Landmarks

A message format could be defined to send/receive Landmarks over SMS/E-Mail/Bluetooth/Other? When a landmark comes in the user can for instance choose to Display on Map or Save to Landmarks. Similarly it would be nice if a Landmark, Current Position, or Selected Position on the map can be send to others. Perhaps an automatic action could also be defined upon reception of a Landmark. Feature could also be extended to routes/tracks (although tracks could contain large amounts of data) Suggested message formats: NMEA, GPX

Port to Pocket PC

Currently Tracker.py is focussed on symbian S60, and has some support for other (osx/linux/windows) platforms. A fully functional port to Pocket PC would be nice, since a lot of them are also equipped with either a bluetooth or internal GPS.

Stable wxPython version

Tracker.py development has been focussed on symbian S60, but has some support for other (osx/linux/windows) platforms. On osx/linux/windows it uses the wxpython widget library, but currently the port to this platform is incomplete and unstable. A stable version on wxpython would help development efforts enormously.

Localization

Currently Tracker.py is only available in English. It would be nice if all UI messages and texts were localized so that other languages can be easily added.

Auto-save on Low-power

During a recent cycling trip, I found that I lost the entire track which I was recording, simply because the battery ran out. Now tracker already monitors the battery status, it would be a good idea to do an autosave when the battery charge drops below a treshold of say 5% or 10%.

Low-power Tracking

When the GPS, mapview & gauges are active (even with dimmed display) the N95 consumes a lot of power. I estimate that for an average hike day in the mountains, I need 2 full batteries, to be able to track the entire route, and take some photo's along the way. For trips longer than a day or 2, this is undoable, since after day 2 I'll be running out of power... Now I could buy some more batteries, but perhaps it is also possible to implement a sort of 'interval' tracking mode, having tracker only wake up once every 10 minutes or so, wait for a fix, store the trackpoint, and go to sleep again for 10 minutes. When hiking (especially in the mountains), 10 minutes is not a long time, and the track will still be pretty accurate. I'm not sure how much power would be saved this way, but surely it must make a significant difference. Another way to figure out when to power-up the GPS could be to use the cell signal strength/number of different towers passed, to detect movement/ estimate distance.

Calibrate GPS to adjust for known deviations

Some GPS devices can report positions with an average error that you may like to compensate for, e.g. my N95 by default reports altitude about 55 meters higher than most maps. It would be handy if an offset can be configured so that the reported data on the device is more accurate. (suggest: false northing, false easting, false altitude).

Advanced use of Landmarks and Categories

Right now, tracker always shows all landmarks in the waypoint category, thus depending on an other editor to be used for moving waypoints in/out of this category. It would be nice if tracker can create categories, and show a dialog where can be selected which categories/landmarks should be shown. One might want to use a new category per map, or per area.

Direction-up map display

Map-display is done in North-up display, which is natural if you are used to reading paper maps. However, for many people it feels more natural to have a direction-up display, thus rotating the map whenever you change direction.

Route or Track based calibration

Display a route or track on an uncalibrated map, and drag certain points of the route/track to a point on the map, thus calibrating the map. Ideas on how to tackle this:

• Detect sharp corners, and enable dragging these while updating map & track display
• Rotate & scale the track/route, also with continuous screen updates.

Fetch maps from Google/Yahoo/MSN through their API

Google, Yahoo and Microsoft provide API's to access geographical/map data. Tracker could use these to download a map over the network.

Use accelerometer in low-power mode

When GPS is powered off, use the accelerometer to detect strong movements, and thus as an aid to determine when to power-up the GPS to get a position. The accelerometer can also be used to powerdown the screen/gps, e.g. if the device is upside down.

Monitor route/track

Currently it is only possible to monitor a waypoint. Similarly, it should be possible to monitor a route (as series of waypoints), or track. When in monitor track/route mode, an algorithm can be used to determine at which moments the GPS should be powered up/down, depending on the form of the current speed and distance to next corner/route point.

Run external script when specified location is reached

Current waypoint monitoring code only allows for an alarm to be set upon reaching a specified waypoint within a set tolerance distance. It would be nice if an external event could be triggered when a certain location is reached, and it would be especially nice if a user-defined python script could be executed so that anyone can customize the actions according to their wishes.

Others? Please let me know!

If something is holding you back from using this software, please let me know what it is. I can add it to this wishlist, and who knows maybe it will end up on the RoadMap as well. (contact me at mark.hurenkamp

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