*TrackMe* GPS/CellID Tracking tool for Google Earth & Google Maps *UPDATED 09/28/08*

[staryon]

DOWNLOAD
Click here to download the latest version (http://www.luisespinosa.com/bin/trackme/TrackMe.CAB)

REQUIREMENTS
Devices running Windows Mobile 5 or 6 (no Windows Mobile for Smartphones)

Microsoft Compact Framework 3.5 Download from here (http://luisespinosa.com/bin/trackme/NETCFv35.wm.armv4i.cab)
SQL Server Mobile 3.5 Download from here (http://luisespinosa.com/bin/trackme/sqlce.ppc.wce5.armv4i.CAB)



ICON SETS
Just unzip it and copy files to the Icons folder.
Classic (http://www.luisespinosa.com/bin/trackme/icons/iconsclassic.zip)
Modern (http://www.luisespinosa.com/bin/trackme/icons/iconsmodern.zip)


FAQ
Click here to see the FAQ (http://www.luisespinosa.com/trackme_eng.html#S5)

DOCUMENTATION AND QUICK START GUIDE
Tutorial (http://luisespinosa.com/trackme_eng.html)

HOW TO USE YOUR OWN SERVER
Click here for instructions (http://www.luisespinosa.com/trackme_eng.html#S10)



LATEST UPDATES

09/28/08
- Trip selection has been rearranged in the Configuration window. Bigger buttons added for easier access.
- Added option to use Cell ID if minimum required satellites is not reached.
- Notification on Demand. Added option to keep tracking when a event is triggered.

09/09/08
- Fixed (one more time) problem with default CellID databases
not showing up when updating.
- Added icon 'Upload offline data' in main window.
- Other minor fixes.

09/07/08
- Some Parameters from the PHP requests have been renamed and
they are now shorter.
- Added 2 new Cell ID providers: CellDB and OpenCellID (thanks xdaradar)
In order to use them you need to add them manually. They are called:
'celldb' and 'opencellid' (without quotes)
- New offline mode. Now you can decide when to upload your positions. With this new mode
you will be able to store some positions locally and be uploaded later.
- Fixed problem with new installations a CellID databases. No databases were shown when
the program was installed for the first time.

09/03/08
- Some minor fixes related with non English regional settings

09/01/08
- Added option to start TrackMe when Windows starts

08/27/08
- On Demand notification. IMSI value is used instead of phone number
for this feature from now on.

08/26/08
- On Demand notification. Now you can send an email/sms if TrackMe
detects that your SIM card has changed.
- Manage Trips. Fixed error when browsing trips. The summary was not updated.

08/20/08
- This new version will check for new updates manually/automatically when
the program starts.

08/17/08
- Added option 'Notification on demand'
TrackMe will send an email/SMS with your current position
if a SMS is received containing some specific text pattern. (Anti-theft feature)
- Improved performance for Cell id tracking.
- Ability to add Custom Databases for Cell ID tracking
(right click on Available databases)

08/13/08
- This is the last version that will delete your offline positions and geofence
data when updating. From now on the data will be kept.
- Fixed problem 'FormatException' when using Cell ID for non English PDAs
- Some minor fixes for Cell ID tracking
- Configuration window has been modified slightly

08/11/08
- Previous version introduced a bug when storing offline position.
This should be fixed now.

08/09/08
- Cell ID tracking!! (Thanks lrossouw for his help)
Now TrackMe can use the cellid from your phone to locate you.
It will use either Google or Trackme's community database to translate that cellid
to a valid lat/long position.
- Geofence. When clicked 'Assign current position' the position was not stored
correctly in the database.



08/04/08
-Geofence.
1. You can decide if you want to include your current location in the body of the message.
2. Added option in configuration to Reset notifications when tracking is started.
- Manage Trips.
1. There was a bug when downloading a summary that contains comments with an space.
2. New column 'Start date'
3. Ability to sort by column
4. The total distance could be wrong in some cases. This has been fixed (thanks xdaradar)
- Database access has been improved and everything should be more faster including the Web viewer.
4. Fixed problem when showing location on the map. It could return a wrong position in some cases (thanks xdaradar)

07/14/08
Fixed problem with Trip Summary and non English versions.

06/29/08
- Local mode is no longer supported
- Added Trip summary

06/25/08
- Positions are now exported in reverse order. Some people were
complaining that the 'Play Tour' feature wasn't working in Google Earth
because of that.
- Some code cleaning and minor fixes.

06/14/08
- Added option to LOCK THE DEVICE when Screen Off is clicked.
- Now you can Delete Positions and Export Positions from the Manage Trip window.
- Some icons have been reallocated.

05/17/08
Bug fixes:
- GeoFence and Find closest Buddy functions were not working when
Regional settings were not English.
New:
- Minimum upload interval time has been reduced to 5 seconds
- Added new speeds for GPS connection.

05/04/08
- Offline pictures upload. EXIF GPS information is now used for matching with
exisiting data.

04/28/08
- Added new option to start the program minimized (Stealth mode). This option is available
under Config->General (Advanced settings)

04/09/08
-When GPS powersave was on, and a new position was skipped because of the distance,
the GPS was not turning off.

02/24/08
- Now the KML shows the orientation (bearings). You can enable/disable this option when
exporting data or when using Live Tracking.

02/02/08
- Pictures upload. If not EXIF data found, it will use the file properties.
- Pictures upload. When a picture is uploaded using this method, the icon
called 'Camera' will be used.
- Added icon 'Force update' in the main window
- Force Update form is emptied after uploading a position.
- Manage trips window now supports landscape layout.

01/29/08
- Now you can upload offline pictures. TrackMe will extract creation date information from the pictures and it
will try to match it with the existing GPS positions. If the time difference is less than X for a certain position
it will upload that picture to the server and it will assign to that position.



[older updates have been deleted]





DESCRIPTION
Hi all,

I have been trying for a while to find some GPS/CellID tracking programs that work fine but most of them are buggy and not very accurate. That's why I decided to write my own!

Features:

- Ability to generate KML and GPX files that can be opened with any tool that supports that type of file.
- Realtime tracking with Google Earth or Google Maps.
- You can create and manage your own trips
- No internet connection is needed when using TrackMe (Offline mode)
- Ability to display your current position on your PDA
- Geofence with SMS and email notifications
- You can send your current position by email or sms to other person
- Ability to upload pictures. TrackMe will extract the GPS information/Creation date (if any)
from the pictures and it will match it with your existing GPS data
- Search for closest user based on your last uploaded position
- GPS powersave mode available
- You can use your own server instead of my free server
- Stealth mode
- You can force updates with your own custom icon and comments.

http://luisespinosa.com/images/trackme/comb1.jpg

Google Earth:

http://luisespinosa.com/images/trackme/gecomb.jpg

Google Maps:

http://luisespinosa.com/images/trackme/gm1.jpg

Web browser viewer
By mcross (http://forum.xda-developers.com/member.php?u=803370) and jcleek (http://forum.xda-developers.com/member.php?u=289612)

http://luisespinosa.com/images/trackme/jcleek1.jpg


If you guys are interested in this program I will keep it updated, otherwise this will be probably one of the last versions!

Please leave your comments, suggestions and ideas here.

Have fun!

Regards


You can Donate (https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_xclick&business=paypal%40luisespinosa%2ecom&item_name=Donation%20to%20Staryon&no_shipping=1&tax=0&currency_code=USD&lc=US&bn=PP%2dDonationsBF&charset=UTF%2d8) if you like my tools. That's always a good motivation for future developments!! Thanks a lot!

[kireol]

that's pretty dope! Where does it upload the data to? Any chance of sharing the source code and people could add to it? maybe open source it?

[staryon]

Thanks kireol.

Right now it's uploading the information to the mysql database that I have with my web hosting.

Regarding the source code... I think it could be a good idea. Maybe once the program is completely stable I may do it. Thanks for your suggestion.

[kireol]

for sure man, you did a great job! And I for one would love to get involved. I was a programmer at Ford for 15 years(C++/PHP/Perl/Java) until those jobs went to India and forced me to throw away my college degree. I've been dieing to get back into programming (5 years now). This last weekend I snagged MS visual studio .net and the wm6 sdk and started compiling. This might b a good transition for me to get back into thinking that way, if you decide you'd like to OS it that is :)

[ishkatar]

Great tool!!!
Just one question, how do we create an account?
Thanks

Iskatar

[taguapire]

Congrats,

Very nice stuff!!!

Regards,

Taguapire.

[staryon]

Great tool!!!
Just one question, how do we create an account?
Thanks

Iskatar

Thanks ishkatar.

You just need to go to Config, and enter there a username and password.
The account is created automatically as soon as you start uploading GPS data.

If for any reason the username already exists or there is any other error, you will be notified.

[athanaso77]

We always approve such moves!!!! Go on and keep up the good work!!!

[laakness]

Very cool.

Maybe you could release the table structure and a way for people to host their own data...like a personal web app.

[ishkatar]

Thanks ishkatar.

You just need to go to Config, and enter there a username and password.
The account is created automatically as soon as you start uploading GPS data.

If for any reason the username already exists or there is any other error, you will be notified.
Wow ... works perfectly!!! I just did a test walk around my office and it mapped it perfectly!!! Good work Staryon. I'm really eager to see how you did it.

[staryon]

Thanks a lot for all your comments. That really encourages me to keep updating the software.

laakness, at this moment the data is inserted into the mysql tables by using HTTP calls. My website gets the HTTP call and depending on the command it will do the specified task. That means that what you mention it would work if they have a website with PHP and a mysql database. A nice feature that I could add in the future is to make the inserts directly to the database instead of using HTTP calls.
However this is something that may not work for many web hostings because they usually don't allow access to mysql from external applications (which is my case by the way)


For the KML files (Google Earth's files) I used a structure that I liked in one of the tools that I found that does something similar to this. I made some modifications though.

[staryon]

I edited my previous post. Obviously where I said URL calls I meant HTTP calls.

Sorry for the confusion!

[XDAII]

I have not yet installed it but it looks really cool from the screen shots. I have been using 3DTracking (free) but it is not without its problems and does not look as comprehensive as this. Does it carry on logging position after you power-down (standby) the Kaiser? 3DTracking does and its a real pain as it means you have to keep the screen on all the time!!

[laakness]

Thanks for the info.

I actually do host my own site using PHP/Apache/Mysql which is why I was asking :)

[laakness]

I have not yet installed it but it looks really cool from the screen shots. I have been using 3DTracking (free) but it is not without its problems and does not look as comprehensive as this. Does it carry on logging position after you power-down (standby) the Kaiser? 3DTracking does and its a real pain as it means you have to keep the screen on all the time!!

This app lets you shut the screen off which is great. This app also alows you to set your upload and update intervals. They are great and needed options.

[staryon]

Thanks for the info.

I actually do host my own site using PHP/Apache/Mysql which is why I was asking :)

Very good. In that case I can provide everything that you need to use your website.

However, I will have to make it some changes in my code because at this moment the HTTP calls are hardcoded to my website. Once I have this done I will post it here.

[laakness]

Very good. In that case I can provide everything that you need to use your website.

However, I will have to make it some changes in my code because at this moment the HTTP calls are hardcoded to my website. Once I have this done I will post it here.

Very cool, thanks a lot. Your work is much appreciated.

[apbtlvr]

Very cool indeed…
We must be neighbors of a sort. I work in Herndon (Worldgate) and was pretty surprised to a bird’s eye view of my office. Hope you aren’t getting stuck doing that toll road shuffle for an am commute – lol.

[JorSlz]

I installed it on my Wing, but it is not responding.

first error I got. unable to open port 4

I changed to port 1 and what I get is - waiting for gps respond.

not working for me.

Do I have to be outside the house for this or online?

[staryon]

Very cool indeed…
We must be neighbors of a sort. I work in Herndon (Worldgate) and was pretty surprised to a bird’s eye view of my office. Hope you aren’t getting stuck doing that toll road shuffle for an am commute – lol.

lol... don't tell me. That toll road has become a nightmare every day and it's getting worse and worse...

[staryon]

I installed it on my Wing, but it is not responding.

first error I got. unable to open port 4

I changed to port 1 and what I get is - waiting for gps respond.

not working for me.

Do I have to be outside the house for this or online?

If you get that is because you are not selecting the right port of your GPS.
Try to check what com port your GPS is using (maybe with other programs that you use for your GPS) and set that com port in TrackMe.


As soon as TrackMe gets an answer from the GPS, you should see a message saying 'Searching for satellites...'
You should get that message even if you are indoors.

[ghale]

Mmmhh...
I tap on Start
Status is connected.
Satellistes: 08

But...
I see: No lat/long info: $GPGGA,220436.0

and similar.

What's wrong with my GPS?

I use other GPS software and all it's ok.

Someone can help me, please?

BTW: the application is very good!

[staryon]

Mmmhh...
I tap on Start
Status is connected.
Satellistes: 08

But...
I see: No lat/long info: $GPGGA,220436.0

and similar.

What's wrong with my GPS?

I use other GPS software and all it's ok.

Someone can help me, please?

BTW: the application is very good!

ghale, could you please try the attached version?
I just made a change that will create 2 log files called gpsdata.dat and gpserror.dat as soon as you start getting data from the GPS.
(the files will be located in your Program Files\TrackMe folder on your PDA)

Please try the program until you start getting those errors for a while.
After that please post a message attaching the files.

That info will help me to debug why is not working on yours.

Thanks

[ghale]

Done.

Posted the two files.

I'll wait for a response.

Thanks,
ghale.

[staryon]

ghale,

Sorry to bother you again. Could you please download the previous attached file again? As soon as I uploaded it, I noticed that I forgot to include something and I uploaded again. However, it seems that you got the previous version.

Please try it again and if you can, send me also the file trackme.dat , just in case is a problem with the configuration values.

I think it will be easy to fix, as soon as I find out what is causing the problem.

If you want to, you can use my email: emluisREMOVETHIS@gmail.com

Thanks a lot!

[tariq_niazi]

I run my own web server. Is it possible to have the kml sent to my webserver? If not, what do I need to make it happen?

- TKN

[surur]

Great software. Keep up the development.

Surur

[staryon]

I run my own web server. Is it possible to have the kml sent to my webserver? If not, what do I need to make it happen?

- TKN

It's the server the one that generates the KML file.

I will provide soon a version where you can upload the information to your own server and I will also include the php files that you need to copy to your server. (it should be very simple to setup)

[ghale]

I've sent the files to you gmail account.

Let me know, and thanks very much for a such application!

[while(!(linux)){wm}]

Staryon,

Your program looks very promising!

Personally, all i would need your program to do is make an HTML call with the information in the URL. I could write my own script to receive the call and generate the KML file. Could you possibly allow a custom server configuration? I could take care of the rest i think.

Also... could you make a setting that tells the program to turn off the GPS between fixes? That way, i could set it to take a fix every hour or so, and it wouldn't drain my battery in between.

Thanks a lot!

[scottwilkins]

How about just save the kml file off to the PDA, and/or allow e-mailing out? That way an external server is not needed.

[tariq_niazi]

It's the server the one that generates the KML file.

I will provide soon a version where you can upload the information to your own server and I will also include the php files that you need to copy to your server. (it should be very simple to setup)

Thank you very much! I just cannot wait to see how it works on my server. I am using GPSGate.com right now and it is neat using their Google Maps feature. However, there are a lot of mis-trackings too. Also, do you plan on releasing a version for Google Maps (using API) in the future?

- TKN

[sherpa]

How about just save the kml file off to the PDA, and/or allow e-mailing out? That way an external server is not needed.

I was wondering about the same thing. Would it be possible to have an option to save the data to a KML file instead of uploading it to the server? I do not have any data service and would love to use it offline.

[azop]

It's the server the one that generates the KML file.

I will provide soon a version where you can upload the information to your own server and I will also include the php files that you need to copy to your server. (it should be very simple to setup)


This would be awesome. My server is sitting here waiting for the php files :)

[staryon]

Staryon,

Your program looks very promising!

Personally, all i would need your program to do is make an HTML call with the information in the URL. I could write my own script to receive the call and generate the KML file. Could you possibly allow a custom server configuration? I could take care of the rest i think.


Yes, that would be possible. I'm going to add an option where you can specify the server IP instead of being hard-coded to my server. You will just need to listen to port 80 and process the requests.
I will provide more information about the format of the URLs that are sent from the program.



Also... could you make a setting that tells the program to turn off the GPS between fixes? That way, i could set it to take a fix every hour or so, and it wouldn't drain my battery in between.
Thanks a lot!

That's a great idea. I'll try to add that feature as soon as possible.

[staryon]

I've sent the files to you gmail account.

Let me know, and thanks very much for a such application!

Thanks a lot, ghale. I will finish fixing that problem tomorrow... I'm almost falling asleep :)

This problem only affects to PDAs whose regional settings use a comma instead of a dot as a decimal pointer.

[staryon]

How about just save the kml file off to the PDA, and/or allow e-mailing out? That way an external server is not needed.

In that case all the information should be stored in a flat file. I think I could add an option that generates a KML file based on that flat file. I will add it to the to-do list.

Thanks for your suggestions!

[staryon]

Also, do you plan on releasing a version for Google Maps (using API) in the future?

- TKN

I haven't thought about it, but I think it shouldn't be difficult to add. I'll take a look. Thanks!

[staryon]

I was wondering about the same thing. Would it be possible to have an option to save the data to a KML file instead of uploading it to the server? I do not have any data service and would love to use it offline.

Until I add that, you can use do it offline. Just check the option 'If unable to upload position, store in a file for later uploading. Use Tools->'Upload offline positions' for uploading later.'

Later when you get home and you sync your pda, you can upload the positions to the server, by going to Tools->'Upload offline positions'

[tariq_niazi]

Yes, that would be possible. I'm going to add an option where you can specify the server IP instead of being hard-coded to my server. You will just need to listen to port 80 and process the requests.
I will provide more information about the format of the URLs that are sent from the program.




That's a great idea. I'll try to add that feature as soon as possible.


Are you going to have the option to change the port? I am using port 80 strictly for web server.

- TKN

[staryon]

Are you going to have the option to change the port? I am using port 80 strictly for web server.

- TKN

Sure. Not a problem.

[anarche]

strayon:

I'm getting ready to install TrackMe but I made sure to read through the whole thread first. I've used a lot of similar programs and I love the look of yours. I just had a few suggestions (most of which were already suggested)

1.) I think first priority for adding a feature would be having it save a KML file on the phone itself. It will remove the definitive need for a PHP server, and you could have the option of uploading or saving it locally. I personally think this will make your application much more user friendly for the masses :-)

2.) The google maps idea is also great. I own the Pro copy of GE, but using GMaps would be a real nice feature to incorporate. Who knows, do a good enough job who knows, maybe you could sell it to them to add into their GMAPS applications for smartphones etc etc :-)

Just my .02

-AnarchE

[while(!(linux)){wm}]

Yes, that would be possible. I'm going to add an option where you can specify the server IP instead of being hard-coded to my server. You will just need to listen to port 80 and process the requests.
I will provide more information about the format of the URLs that are sent from the program.

It would be most useful for me if you could have it make an HTML call to a URL like this:
http://mydomain.com/somepath/kmlgen.cgi?lat=***&lon=***&otherdata=***&.......


I don't really have need for an SQL at the moment. I can just parse the data coming into a script and store it as text or directly into a kml.

[laakness]

I noticed that on the Tilt/Kaiser if you do Tools->turn off screen it puts it into a suspend mode and causes the GPS to turn off and the program to stop logging.

I think what I'll try tonight is to leave the program running and just lock the screen. Hopefully it doesn't see it as inactivity and suspend the device itself.

[staryon]

I noticed that on the Tilt/Kaiser if you do Tools->turn off screen it puts it into a suspend mode and causes the GPS to turn off and the program to stop logging.

I think what I'll try tonight is to leave the program running and just lock the screen. Hopefully it doesn't see it as inactivity and suspend the device itself.

laakness, if you are running TrackMe and you have clicked on the START button, I disable the suspend mode (otherwise it will stop logging). After that, if you click on Turn off screen, it will just turn it off, but you should still getting data.

Keep in mind that if you click on Turn off screen but you haven't pressed the START button, I don't disable the suspend mode.

All the test have been made on my tilt and works fine.

[warmkiwi99]

Great app!

Is there any way to delete a Trip? assume this would have to delete it on your server. Tried Delete Contents on GE but it came back again as I guess it retrieved the data from your web site

[ghale]

Hi Staryon,
any (good I hope) news for the problem on non english devices?

[xmoo]

You the man!

[staryon]

It would be most useful for me if you could have it make an HTML call to a URL like this:
http://mydomain.com/somepath/kmlgen.cgi?lat=***&lon=***&otherdata=***&.......


I don't really have need for an SQL at the moment. I can just parse the data coming into a script and store it as text or directly into a kml.

This is what I'm sending right now:

http://luisespinosa.com/trackme/requests.php?action=upload&username=USER&password=PASS&lat=20.2482086166667&long=28.2732949&dateadded=2007-10-30 9:57:10&dateoccurred=2007-10-30 9:57:10&tripname=

[staryon]

Great app!

Is there any way to delete a Trip? assume this would have to delete it on your server. Tried Delete Contents on GE but it came back again as I guess it retrieved the data from your web site

Not yet. You can delete the data associate with a trip, but not the trip name. I will add it soon.

[staryon]

Hi Staryon,
any (good I hope) news for the problem on non english devices?

Almost done. I'm testing it right now.

[dbaser]

staryon...

Check PM.

-db

[warmkiwi99]

How do you delete the data associated with the trip?

[ghale]

I'm here waiting for you!!

[hellejoep]

This works excellent!
I will try this later today on a longer trip.
Keep up the good work!
Cheers,

HJ

[staryon]

I'm here waiting for you!!

It's ready man

[staryon]

New version available


LATEST UPDATE:
- Support for PDAs with non english regional settings (decimal point is a comma instead of a point)
- Now you can specify a server name and a port number.


With this new version your current configuration values will be erased!
Sorry about that. I will try to repair that for a future version.

[staryon]

How do you delete the data associated with the trip?

You need to go to Tools->Update Google Earth now.

Once you are there, you select the range and click on 'Delete Selected data'


I think it's hard to reach there. I will try to change it to a different place.

[MrByte]

Great App! Excellent work :)

[ghale]

Now I can officially confirm that TrackME is a very good program!!

Thanks,
ghale.

PS: When you are ready, we can start to work to translation.

[laakness]

Are you going to post the web code/database structure or define the format it is being sent as?

Edit* - I see the data in the formated URL string. I guess it'd be cool if you posted your code to see how it's handling it and generating the kml file.

[staryon]

Now I can officially confirm that TrackME is a very good program!!

Thanks,
ghale.

PS: When you are ready, we can start to work to translation.

Thanks a lot. I'll let you know. At this moment all text is hardcoded, so I will have to make some modifications.

[staryon]

Are you going to post the web code/database structure or define the format it is being sent as?

Yes, but since I'm still making changes to the program and to the database I prefer to wait until I have a more stable version. I hope it's ok for you.

[Sane]

Yes!!! Is there a way to install this to my girlfriends phone with out her knowing?





NOOOO, just kidding!!!

[staryon]

Yes!!! Is there a way to install this to my girlfriends phone with out her knowing?





NOOOO, just kidding!!!

I would lie If I tell you that I haven't thought about that ;)

[Sane]

Hahaha... I decided its safer to keep her still chained to the bed...

[ishkatar]

Yes, but since I'm still making changes to the program and to the database I prefer to wait until I have a more stable version. I hope it's ok for you.
Hi:
Is there a way you can make the call to the web page generic enough so that we could decide what page gets called? I'm asking because I would like to use ASP instead of PHP to capture the call.
Thanks!!

[staryon]

Hi:
Is there a way you can make the call to the web page generic enough so that we could decide what page gets called? I'm asking because I would like to use ASP instead of PHP to capture the call.
Thanks!!

If the format of the URL is exactly the same (only changing the extension from .php to .asp) it should be easy. I can add a parameter in the configuration where you specify the extension of the pages being called.

[laakness]

Yes, but since I'm still making changes to the program and to the database I prefer to wait until I have a more stable version. I hope it's ok for you.

Yep, that is perfectly fine.

[ishkatar]

If the format of the URL is exactly the same (only changing the extension from .php to .asp) it should be easy. I can add a parameter in the configuration where you specify the extension of the pages being called.
Great!!! :-) .. Thanks Stayron ... that would be perfect!!

[hellejoep]

staryon,

I have one problem, I can see my plotted route in Google Earth, but I would like to be able to play this route in Google Earth; but that does not seem to work.
Further, If my internet connection goes down the waypoints are not uploaded afterwards in the same route, but as freestanding waypoints....
Any suggestions?
Anyway, I really love this application!

Cheers,

HJ

[vmarchais]

good job
as we need to have gprs data connexion
is not possible to utilize wifi connexion ?
anyway very good job
vincent from france

[staryon]

staryon,

I have one problem, I can see my plotted route in Google Earth, but I would like to be able to play this route in Google Earth; but that does not seem to work.
Further, If my internet connection goes down the waypoints are not uploaded afterwards in the same route, but as freestanding waypoints....
Any suggestions?
Anyway, I really love this application!

Cheers,

HJ

Hi hellejoep,

Did you activate the option 'Generate KML files automatically'? You also need to go to Google Earth and check the option 'Fly to position on refresh' (something like that). I wrote a small help file that explains that inside TrackMe. Click on File->Help just in case it helps.

For the second problem, I will check it out. I think I tested it, but maybe I'm missing something.

Regards

[staryon]

good job
as we need to have gprs data connexion
is not possible to utilize wifi connexion ?
anyway very good job
vincent from france

It doesn't matter. You can use any internet connection to upload your positions to the server.

[SmartphoneHTC]

Wow it's a great program continue your work.
Thanks

[powerppc]

Staryon, Great job on the software. I have tested other software such as Mologogo, Accutracking, Reperion, 3DTracking, Navizon, among others that I have tested and a lot of them are Bloatware. Meaning they are bloated with crap that is not needed except to do simple things such as sending the location to the server and the ability to have anyone view your location publicly and viewable via the PDA.

The only non-bloatware software out there that are so perfect, bug free, reliable, accurate, fast GPS connection with HOT GPS is Accutracking. The problem with accutracking is that it's not free. Reperion is great too, free as well, a little slower than accutracking and is not as fast as getting the GPS Signal. Reperion requires .NET Compact Framework and it's a resource hog. Then there is Mologogo. Mologogo is fine if you're going to use it with your friends, but most of the features in there does not work. Such as messaging, and the maps load very slow and it crash a lot. 3DTracking, I didn't even bother with this software, it crashes a lot more than Mologogo. Navizon is also bloatware with information you don't need.

So my point is, yours is as close as it could get with tracking software that is simple to the program, not loading a lot of un-important stuff and it works.

Maybe you can make two version. One that goes in the background all the time and doing simple task, while the other is more complex.

Other than that, I will keep on testing and let you know the result. Keep up the good work.

[staryon]

powerppc,

Thanks a lot for your suggestions. By you having tested so many programs it's great to get some ideas/suggestions from you for this one. You're completely right, my idea was to keep it as simple as possible. I'm going to try to add all the requests that people from this forum have asked me, but I'll do my best to keep it easy to use.

I think it's a good idea that user can select between 'Simple' and 'Advanced' mode. I could hide some options in the 'Simple' mode.

Please don't hesitate in posting new ideas or changes that you would like to see in TrackMe.

Regards

[tariq_niazi]

I was wondering if this program is "only" made for HTC Kaiser? If it is not, then would it be good to move it to the Hacking and Development section of this forum so others will know about this great application to use on other GPS enabled phones?

Moderators, just my idea.

- TKN

[staryon]

New version available.


11/01/07
- Added option to disconnect/connect GPS between uploads. (Power saving)
- Configuration loading/saving has been remade (sorry guys, but you will have to reenter all your settings. I promise this is the last time!)

[staryon]

I was wondering if this program is "only" made for HTC Kaiser? If it is not, then would it be good to move it to the Hacking and Development section of this forum so others will know about this great application to use on other GPS enabled phones?

Moderators, just my idea.

- TKN

tariq_niazi,

It should work with any PDA (I haven't tested though) As long as you connect to the PDA using a COM port, it should work fine.
Thanks for your comments!

[tiptoekirk]

New version available.


11/01/07
- Added option to disconnect/connect GPS between uploads. (Power saving)
- Configuration loading/saving has been remade (sorry guys, but you will have to reenter all your settings. I promise this is the last time!)


You live in the DC area it appears... I know that route very well the Greenway.. I plan on testing this software and I will will give you feedback! Thanks!

[peter7]

Hello - is this software also working with google maps ???

Thanks myrin

[staryon]

Not yet. At this moment only with Google Earth.

[powerppc]

I have not yet installed it but it looks really cool from the screen shots. I have been using 3DTracking (free) but it is not without its problems and does not look as comprehensive as this. Does it carry on logging position after you power-down (standby) the Kaiser? 3DTracking does and its a real pain as it means you have to keep the screen on all the time!!

The GPS Turns off if you power down the device. However, with this program, it keeps the light on unless you tell it to shut the screen off. The GPS will still be on with the screen off and sending data.

Staryon did a good job implementing the screen off. I have a button that is remapped to turn the screen off. I have this gps tracking on all the time and it doesn't waste that much more battery since it's set to 15m to not send data.

Staryon, Is there a way to automatically turn off the screen, to save more battery rather than manually push a button?

Keep up the good work.

[Chainfire]

Absolutely AWESOME app! Thanks!

[staryon]

The GPS Turns off if you power down the device. However, with this program, it keeps the light on unless you tell it to shut the screen off. The GPS will still be on with the screen off and sending data.

Staryon did a good job implementing the screen off. I have a button that is remapped to turn the screen off. I have this gps tracking on all the time and it doesn't waste that much more battery since it's set to 15m to not send data.

Staryon, Is there a way to automatically turn off the screen, to save more battery rather than manually push a button?

Keep up the good work.

Yes, I was planning in adding that too. At this moment I'm working on this special mode where everything is stored locally instead of uploading to a server. As soon as I finish with that, I will implement that function.

Regards

[hendrixus]

Is this program about the same as This (http://www.startmobiel.com/routetracker/RouteTracker.cab)?

It logs your GPS route and export it to Google earth.

http://www.startmobiel.com/routetracker/screenshot.jpg

Tabs "route", "Location", "Settings" and the "info"probely äbout"

This program only works on Pocket PC with build-in GPS like the HTC P3600

[panosha]

Any English version or link ? :)

[hendrixus]

Any English version or link ? :)
nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

[powerppc]

Is this program about the same as This (http://www.startmobiel.com/routetracker/RouteTracker.cab)?

It logs your GPS route and export it to Google earth.

http://www.startmobiel.com/routetracker/screenshot.jpg

Tabs "route", "Location", "Settings" and the "info"probely äbout"

This program only works on Pocket PC with build-in GPS like the HTC P3600

That program looks like it's for off-line tracker and the kml or gpx can be exported to Google Earth for review. I don't think it's real time.

[hendrixus]

That program looks like it's for off-line tracker and the kml or gpx can be exported to Google Earth for review. I don't think it's real time.

Yeah is is offline. I basically don't need realtime since I am not using GPRS. But as I said it isn't still working with seperate GPS-receivers

[Jewcookie]

This app is pretty cool, I tested it when i walked a block around my house when my dad was following me on screen. He opened the door for me when i walked in front of the house. :P

[padawan]

Nice app. Only (bug) maybe is that it cannot connect to your webserver unless i already have made a connection with pie then everything works.

Would be nice to link the kml data to google maps.

I'm out...

[Matt-Helm]

Very good. In that case I can provide everything that you need to use your website.

However, I will have to make it some changes in my code because at this moment the HTTP calls are hardcoded to my website. Once I have this done I will post it here.



I'm looking forward to getting these files as well!

[padawan]

From what I read on google maps you are supposed to be able to access your kml data from maps.google.com in the search box. Would make sense since that is what Google Earth is doing (as it appears).

I tried it and the response was "http://luisespinosa.com:80/... could not be displayed because it contains errors."

Anyone else try this yet?

I'm out...

[staryon]

From what I read on google maps you are supposed to be able to access your kml data from maps.google.com in the search box. Would make sense since that is what Google Earth is doing (as it appears).

I tried it and the response was "http://luisespinosa.com:80/... could not be displayed because it contains errors."

Anyone else try this yet?

I'm out...

Yes, I just tried it and you're right, it doesn't work. I am going to get a KML that works with Google Maps and I will compare it with the one that I generate, just to see if there are some differences.

[staryon]

Updates...

I'm working on a new version that lets you to choose if you want to store your data in a local file or on a remote server.

Also, when you generate KML files you will be able to choose where you want it. (local or remote). So even if you all your data is stored locally, you will be able to place the KML file on a remote server.


By the way.... how do you guys think I should call the data that I get from the GPS? My English is not great and I want to name it in such a way that can be understood by anybody.

Locations? Points? Positions? Fixes?

Thanks

[while(!(linux)){wm}]

"Fixes" makes sense to me. "positions" also works. Maybe "GPS Fixes"? "GPS Position Fixes"?

I haven't looked at this thread for a few days. You're really doing great, Staryon! Thanks for implementing my suggestions. I also would like to specify the extension in the URL. I usually use .cgi

Keep up the great work!

[while(!(linux)){wm}]

Staryon,

Another thing i noticed is that when i put my Kaiser in landscape mode, i can't scroll down in the configuration menu. Would it be possible to add a scroll bar?

[taiseer999]

Am I the only one getting an error message each time I open the program;

Unexpected error has occurred.............

I am using Aku 0.7 cooked rom

[staryon]

uhmm.. I haven't seen that before... Try to uninstall the program.
After that, go to the folder Program Files\TrackMe and delete whatever is left there. Install it again and see what happens.

[staryon]

Staryon,

Another thing i noticed is that when i put my Kaiser in landscape mode, i can't scroll down in the configuration menu. Would it be possible to add a scroll bar?

Sure. It shouldn't be a problem.

[taiseer999]

uhmm.. I haven't seen that before... Try to uninstall the program.
After that, go to the folder Program Files\TrackMe and delete whatever is left there. Install it again and see what happens.

Thanks for your reply;
Did that already, same stupid error message is coming up, is it due to the rom installed "Another Hybrid Rom Build 18533.0.7.0 with CE OS 5.2.1921 (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=340909)" ??

Edit1
PS..

Your other app FFF is runinng fine

[Jewcookie]

Updates...

I'm working on a new version that lets you to choose if you want to store your data in a local file or on a remote server.

Also, when you generate KML files you will be able to choose where you want it. (local or remote). So even if you all your data is stored locally, you will be able to place the KML file on a remote server.


By the way.... how do you guys think I should call the data that I get from the GPS? My English is not great and I want to name it in such a way that can be understood by anybody.

Locations? Points? Positions? Fixes?

Thanks

You're doing a great job man. Waiting for the server thingy so i can put it on my server 2. But I'm a server noob so hope it comes with a clear readme ;)
About the position name, I think you should name it GPS positions. Is best to understand for most people I think.

[powerppc]

Staryon,

Could you put an option to auto start the search of satellite. So when I start the program, i don't have to click on the start button. :)

Thanks.

I tried the automatic gps turn on/off after each download. It works fine if it's more than 10 seconds of upload time, but when I set it to 10s, it seems like the GPS is refreshing too much, looks like it's working too hard. No big deal, but maybe the automatic gps turn on/off shouldn't be enabled if the user chooses 10s? Just a suggestion.

Also, aren't you getting too much ping when the upload is 10s? I use 10s while using the program Reperion, but I know Reperion is for industrial use and they get a lot of hits with no or little effect on their server.

[staryon]

Thanks for your reply;
Did that already, same stupid error message is coming up, is it due to the rom installed "Another Hybrid Rom Build 18533.0.7.0 with CE OS 5.2.1921 (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=340909)" ??

Edit1
PS..

Your other app FFF is runinng fine

Not sure man. I haven't tried that rom.
Just in case, could you double check that you have the Microsoft's Compact Framework installed? I think you can see that from the 'Remove programs' list.

[staryon]

Staryon,

Could you put an option to auto start the search of satellite. So when I start the program, i don't have to click on the start button. :)



Not a problem.


I tried the automatic gps turn on/off after each download. It works fine if it's more than 10 seconds of upload time, but when I set it to 10s, it seems like the GPS is refreshing too much, looks like it's working too hard. No big deal, but maybe the automatic gps turn on/off shouldn't be enabled if the user chooses 10s? Just a suggestion.

Also, aren't you getting too much ping when the upload is 10s? I use 10s while using the program Reperion, but I know Reperion is for industrial use and they get a lot of hits with no or little effect on their server.

I don't think it's worth it to turn off/on the GPS every 10s. Keep in mind that when you turn it off, and you turn it on again it will have to get a new fix, and this may take a while. I basically added that option when you plan to upload data like every 30 minutes or even more, so your GPS is not on all the time.

On the other hand,yes, my webserver is kind of slow. Actually I have my connection timeout set to 20s because it fails sometimes.

[taiseer999]

Not sure man. I haven't tried that rom.
Just in case, could you double check that you have the Microsoft's Compact Framework installed? I think you can see that from the 'Remove programs' list.


This is the version preload by default 2.0.7045.0

[staryon]

This is the version preload by default 2.0.7045.0

sorry mate. I'm not sure what to tell you. That version that you have should be ok. I hope somebody else can help you.

Regards

[GpsPasSion]

Nice app, thanks. I've been using FindU/Reperion for years and I don't think it's a fair comparison since the web part of Reperion is much more advanced.

One suggestion, could you add a "forced position" update and display it with a different color in GE ? Would be handy if you're uploading every 30 minutes. Ideally adding a brief comment maybe.

Good idea to turn the GPS on/off, first time I've seen that.

[sarab99]

great job man, many thanks

[staryon]

One suggestion, could you add a "forced position" update and display it with a different color in GE ? Would be handy if you're uploading every 30 minutes. Ideally adding a brief comment maybe.


Thanks for the suggestion. Added to the to-do list.

[tariq_niazi]

Is it possible to some how use GPSGate with the server? What I mean is that in GPSGate, you can have TCP transfer so basically you send the coordinates to the server that in turn makes the kml file? Just an idea.

- TKN

[DoughtCom]

I figured I would help out with the project so I made a ASP.Net page that would basically scrape staryon's kml file and then set the mime-type which seemed to help a bit with the google maps. There's still a few errors (something to do with the style) but it at least works in google maps now.

when referencing the kml file in maps.google.com

Put the following in the "Search Map" textbox:
http://www.thedoughtcom.com/trackmehelper/default.aspx?kmlfile=#####.kml

Where ##### is your kml filename setup in the trackme program.

You can also put in the following:
http://www.thedoughtcom.com/trackmehelper/default.aspx?site=#####

Where ##### is your full URL to the kml file.

I tested it a bit this morning and it works like a charm! I take no credit/responsability for this amazing program, just figured I would help until staryon can get google maps working!

Peace
-Shawn

[warmkiwi99]

can't get this to work. can you give a real example of the url?

use <username> for the trackme username part

thanks

[DoughtCom]

Sure.... here's a direct link to mine.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&time=&date=&ttype=&q=http:%2F%2Fwww.thedoughtcom.com%2Ftrackmehelper% 2Fdefault.aspx%3Fsite%3Dhttp:%2F%2Fluisespinosa.co m%2Ftrackme%2Froutes%2Fdoughtcom.kml&ie=UTF8&ll=33.004304,-96.542691&spn=0.001966,0.004227&z=19&om=1

Hope it works for other people :)

[staryon]

I figured I would help out with the project so I made a ASP.Net page that would basically scrape staryon's kml file and then set the mime-type which seemed to help a bit with the google maps. There's still a few errors (something to do with the style) but it at least works in google maps now.

when referencing the kml file in maps.google.com

Put the following in the "Search Map" textbox:
http://www.thedoughtcom.com/trackmehelper/default.aspx?kmlfile=#####.kml

Where ##### is your kml filename setup in the trackme program.

You can also put in the following:
http://www.thedoughtcom.com/trackmehelper/default.aspx?site=#####

Where ##### is your full URL to the kml file.

I tested it a bit this morning and it works like a charm! I take no credit/responsability for this amazing program, just figured I would help until staryon can get google maps working!

Peace
-Shawn

DoughtCom, that's awesome man! thanks a lot for contributing to the program. I will try to fix the mime-type problem that you mention so we make it compatible with Google Maps.

[warmkiwi99]

brilliant - thanks

[jcleek]

Looks like Staryon and DoughtCom need to colaborate a bit and make this app all that it can be. It certainly looks promissing!

Staryon, I don't see a list of To-Do items in your first post. Perhaps you can update it to list the things you want to do to the program so people can help flush out requirements and make suggestions? On a selfish note, things I would love to see:

1) Code for those with hosts to be able to use their own servers - this does several things including reducing your bandwidth which isn't free, and can allow say a company to use it and put all of their employees on one page.

2) Direct update for Google Maps - this provides a completely web driven output so that no software needs to be installed. The Google API can definitely support this as DoughtCom has shown.

You already have an awesome capability, but it can do much more without becoming a bloatware application. Please do continue the development, and consider open sourcing it.

[Dazzuk]

Superb application. Well done keep up the good work.

[staryon]

Looks like Staryon and DoughtCom need to colaborate a bit and make this app all that it can be. It certainly looks promissing!

Staryon, I don't see a list of To-Do items in your first post. Perhaps you can update it to list the things you want to do to the program so people can help flush out requirements and make suggestions? On a selfish note, things I would love to see:

1) Code for those with hosts to be able to use their own servers - this does several things including reducing your bandwidth which isn't free, and can allow say a company to use it and put all of their employees on one page.

2) Direct update for Google Maps - this provides a completely web driven output so that no software needs to be installed. The Google API can definitely support this as DoughtCom has shown.

You already have an awesome capability, but it can do much more without becoming a bloatware application. Please do continue the development, and consider open sourcing it.


I just updated the first post with my to-do list. I also added your Google Maps API request.




TO-DO List:

- Export to GPX files
- Provide PHP pages and mysql database for using own server.
- Generate KML/GPX files locally or remotely.
- Store GPS positions locally or remotely.
- For remote use, let the user choose between ASP or PHP pages.
- Export using Google API
- Delete trips
- Export text to different languages.
- Support for Smartphones.
- Simple and Advanced mode.
- Fix problem with KML files (mime-type problem?)
- Auto start option.
- Add a "forced position" update and display it with a different color. (add comments too)

[staryon]

hey guys,

I'm done with the part that lets you to generate the kml files locally or remotely. You can also generate them remotely and then download them to your PDA. That's working fine.

at this moment I'm stuck trying to upload a KML generated local file... this is driving me nuts! :(

I hope to have a new version soon!

[anarche]

hey guys,

I'm done with the part that lets you to generate the kml files locally or remotely. You can also generate them remotely and then download them to your PDA. That's working fine.

at this moment I'm stuck trying to upload a KML generated local file... this is driving me nuts! :(

I hope to have a new version soon!

Sounds great. Great to have a dedicated developer working on such a great app.

[SKSAustin]

Hey..

Sorry for the question, but after i use the programm and have made an upload of both.. "offline position" and "Google Earth" - all went ok and uploadet - my problem now is...

Where i can see my route and the account that the Programm made, what account is this on what side? :-)

Maybe some manuel like Dokument can help.. ? :)

cu
sksaustin

[anarche]

Hey..

Sorry for the question, but after i use the programm and have made an upload of both.. "offline position" and "Google Earth" - all went ok and uploadet - my problem now is...

Where i can see my route and the account that the Programm made, what account is this on what side? :-)

Maybe some manuel like Dokument can help.. ? :)

cu
sksaustin

In the settings there's a tab to setup your "account". Keep in mind from your PDA you are creating the account.

Once you setup your username/password, you can then visit your page at:

http://luisespinosa.com/trackme/routes/username.kml (where username is replaced with the account name you provided in the configuration.



_________________________________

Strayton: Any chance of using a shorter domain/path? :-)

[staryon]

Strayton: Any chance of using a shorter domain/path? :-)


I just made a change on my web server and now you can just enter this:

http://luisespinosa.com/<username>

Try it and let me know if it works.


By the way, I'm already testing the new version. So far... so good!! If everything goes ok, I will upload it tomorrow.

[jcleek]

Sorry for the large image but I didn't want to lose any of the detail...

I had a chance to test out the application this morning and wanted to provide feedback on my experiences, expectations and possibly make some recommendations on changes. First, as I mentioned before this app is a really nice tool. With (in my non-developer eyes) a small amount of effort it can be turned into a great tool with application for individuals as well as fleet management. No, I am not a fleet manager, just throwing the idea out there.

You can check out my test track here (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&time=&date=&ttype=&q=http:%2F%2Fwww.thedoughtcom.com%2Ftrackmehelper% 2Fdefault.aspx%3Fsite%3Dhttp:%2F%2Fluisespinosa.co m%2Ftrackme%2Froutes%2FSlacker.kml)

And here is a screen capture just in case you are reading this after I have done a new track:

http://www.getcis.com/MGN_Images/TrackMe.jpg

Going out (NW) there was little traffic so I moved pretty quickly. Coming back (SE) there was a lot of traffic so there are more plots. A pretty good test I think. Someone else was driving so I could play with the app and look at the Google Maps plot (THANKS DOUGHTCOM!) in semi-real time. The comments and recommendations are based on my experience:

1) The application is super simple to use even without any instructions, with one exception: The previously mentioned confusing account information page. I know the reason for it and how to use it, but without the instructions provided here I would have had no idea.
2) If the application loses internet connectivity it stores in an offline file. Perfect. Except when connectivity is established again I have to stop the collecting and manually upload the data.
3) When a break occurs in connectivity and an offline file is created, when it is uploaded the data is put in the proper order on the graphic plot, so in theory no portion of the trip should be lost. Nice feature.
4) Application plays well with others. I ran WLM maps with GPS while running TrackMe and both shared GPS data with no problem. I do not have any GPS sharing software running, this behavior was on a HTC Tytn II standard ROM unaltered from the factory.
5) Also stated before, the application keeps the Pocket PC on. You can turn off the screen but you can not put the device to sleep.
6) It appears that each time the application is restarted a new "trip" is created.

Suggestions:
1) Regarding offline data - should automatically upload when internet connection is reestablished and should not require you to STOP data collection.
2) Not really an application problem but doughcom's page put into Google Maps occasionally would not display and always gave a partial error indicating a problem with a line in the code related to the style sheet. See the highlighted section in the screen capture. Clicking the SHOW ERRORS link showed "Line 1: <Style> contains syntax errors"
3) I am not sure it is possible but would be nice if this could allow you to power off the device and still get GPS data and upload it. Activesync still works when the device is off and I am notified about new mail messages so I know applications can still run.
4) It would be nice to be able to save off a plot on Google Maps or something that would allow me to seperate my trips out. If I restart the application my previous trip gets wiped out.
5) Manual trip reset option to force deletion of previous data.

This is a really cool little application, and with some work it can become a great tool for individuals and probably fleet managers looking to keep track of their vehicles, or (a la "Office Space") keep track of employees. I am looking forward to playing with the next version!

[jcleek]

I just made a change on my web server and now you can just enter this:

http://luisespinosa.com/<username>

Try it and let me know if it works.


By the way, I'm already testing the new version. So far... so good!! If everything goes ok, I will upload it tomorrow.


It works correctly with the doughtcom page for me.

[staryon]

Suggestions:
1) Regarding offline data - should automatically upload when internet connection is reestablished and should not require you to STOP data collection.
2) Not really an application problem but doughcom's page put into Google Maps occasionally would not display and always gave a partial error indicating a problem with a line in the code related to the style sheet. See the highlighted section in the screen capture. Clicking the SHOW ERRORS link showed "Line 1: <Style> contains syntax errors"
3) I am not sure it is possible but would be nice if this could allow you to power off the device and still get GPS data and upload it. Activesync still works when the device is off and I am notified about new mail messages so I know applications can still run.
4) It would be nice to be able to save off a plot on Google Maps or something that would allow me to seperate my trips out. If I restart the application my previous trip gets wiped out.
5) Manual trip reset option to force deletion of previous data.


jcleek, thanks a lot for that great review! I love when people do that. It always encourages me to keep developing and updating the software.

Regarding your requests...

1. Yes, it makes sense. I will add an option in the Configuration to do that.
2. That's in the to-do list. I will try to have that fixed for the next version.
3. I will have to research on that. At this moment I don't know how to do it but I'm sure there has to be a way.
4. uhmm... not sure if I understand. When you restart, if you click on 'Get existing trips' you should get your trips back. That's what you mean?
5. Added to the to-do list.

Regards

[while(!(linux)){wm}]

staryon,

I have my web server receiving the data now and generating a kml file. However, even though the information gets to my script, TrackMe tells me that it was not able to send the data. Is there some response that my server has to give so that TrackMe knows everything worked?

Thanks

[jcleek]

4. uhmm... not sure if I understand. When you restart, if you click on 'Get existing trips' you should get your trips back. That's what you mean?

Don't thank us, you are the one doing the work and obviously we appreciate it. Thank you.

I am not sure how to explain what I mean, or how to implement it. A scenario might help you understand what I am having trouble explaining:

You go on a road trip to Sturgis (yes, I ride motorcycles AND I am a geek). It is a great trip and you want to save the entire route but dont want to leave the phone on the entire time. If you turn the phone off the application stops. If you have to reset the phone, the application stops. And that will cause the route to be wiped by the new route. But you want to keep the entire route. How? Without a computer to download the google file there is no way for me to capture that data.

Does that help understand what I mean? It would be nice to locally and remotely record a trip until a manual reset is done. Have you ever used a full GPS like a Garmin? I have a Zumo and it records a trip log until I reset it or it runs out of memory. I can turn the Zumo off and on, take it off the bike, etc and the trip log will start right back up and continue where it left off.

Hope that helps!

[staryon]

staryon,

I have my web server receiving the data now and generating a kml file. However, even though the information gets to my script, TrackMe tells me that it was not able to send the data. Is there some response that my server has to give so that TrackMe knows everything worked?

Thanks

I see you guys cannot wait until I release the files! :D
Ok, here are the php files and the database script.

All this may change for the next version, so keep that in mind if you want to use them.

By the way, if you guys find something that can be improved or changed, please let me know. I'm not an expert writing PHP files!

[while(!(linux)){wm}]

Thanks Staryon,

I wrote my own perl script to handle this. It's working great for me, though i'd appreciate if you would let us specify requests.*** rather than just requests.php. Right now i've told my webserver to handle .php as a perl script.

I'm using it right now, and it works great, with a few exceptions. Let me first explain what i'm trying to do.

I want TrackMe to run all the time in the background. Whenever i wake the unit up, i want trackme to connect to the GPS, take a fix, and then turn the GPS off again. I figured i could set trackme to 30 minute intervals. That way, if it's been more than 30 minutes since trackme last got a fix, it would take a fix right away.

Ideally, trackme would be able to wake up the phone by itself to take a fix. I'm not sure how hard this is for you to do.

Here are my requests:

1) TrackMe does not allow the device to go to sleep. Could you add an option to allow the device to sleep?

2) TrackMe does not know how long the unit has been off. If i set it to take a fix every 30 minutes, but then leave it off for 2 hours, it still waits 30 minutes until it takes a fix. It would be nice to have TrackMe know when it has missed a fix and take one right away.

3) This is a harder one i think, but it would be really great if trackme could wake up the device to take a fix.

4) Allow user to specify php, cgi, etc. (i already asked for this)

5) Allow the uploading of elevation data.

Thanks for your great work! We really appreciate it! I will be happy to share my perl script with everyone once i have it complete. All it does is take the http request and add the position to a kml file. Using a database is a much better option, but i didn't want to spend much time on it. It took me only an hour or so to code.

[staryon]

Thanks Staryon,

I wrote my own perl script to handle this. It's working great for me, though i'd appreciate if you would let us specify requests.*** rather than just requests.php. Right now i've told my webserver to handle .php as a perl script.

I'm using it right now, and it works great, with a few exceptions. Let me first explain what i'm trying to do.

I want TrackMe to run all the time in the background. Whenever i wake the unit up, i want trackme to connect to the GPS, take a fix, and then turn the GPS off again. I figured i could set trackme to 30 minute intervals. That way, if it's been more than 30 minutes since trackme last got a fix, it would take a fix right away.

Ideally, trackme would be able to wake up the phone by itself to take a fix. I'm not sure how hard this is for you to do.

Here are my requests:

1) TrackMe does not allow the device to go to sleep. Could you add an option to allow the device to sleep?

2) TrackMe does not know how long the unit has been off. If i set it to take a fix every 30 minutes, but then leave it off for 2 hours, it still waits 30 minutes until it takes a fix. It would be nice to have TrackMe know when it has missed a fix and take one right away.

3) This is a harder one i think, but it would be really great if trackme could wake up the device to take a fix.

4) Allow user to specify php, cgi, etc. (i already asked for this)

5) Allow the uploading of elevation data.

Thanks for your great work! We really appreciate it! I will be happy to share my perl script with everyone once i have it complete. All it does is take the http request and add the position to a kml file. Using a database is a much better option, but i didn't want to spend much time on it. It took me only an hour or so to code.

About the power requirements... Yes, jcleek needs also something similar.
I will have to look at it.
At this moment, you cannot really turn off the device (GPS will stop working) but you can turn off the screen. I think I may try to keep the program running in sleep mode, and as soon as I need to get a new fix, turn it on, start the GPS, get the fix, and put it to sleep again....

Number 4... yes, that's already in the to-do list.

Number 5... I wonder why I didn't do this from the beginning :(
I will add this eventually.


Thanks a lot for contributing to the program with that perl script that you wrote!

Regards

[while(!(linux)){wm}]

I think I may try to keep the program running in sleep mode, and as soon as I need to get a new fix, turn it on, start the GPS, get the fix, and put it to sleep again....
Regards

That would be perfect!

[gthing]

So help me out with the config.

my mysql server is mysql.server.com

So

1. Create a database and run the sql query to generate the tables. I changed my database name to "tracking" and then changed it in the first part of the php file.

2. In trackMe config I add server.com as my server IP
(or do I add mysql.server.com)?

3. In the php files I add my database host, username, and password

4. I upload the two php files to the root directory on server.com

And? What am I missing here? I get an upload error.

The username and password in the trackme config can be anything, right? Or are you looking for the database username and password?

[while(!(linux)){wm}]

staryon,

I have my web server receiving the data now and generating a kml file. However, even though the information gets to my script, TrackMe tells me that it was not able to send the data. Is there some response that my server has to give so that TrackMe knows everything worked?

Thanks

Nevermind, i figured it out.

TrackMe must see "Result:0" (no quotes) as the first line returned by the http server. If not, it will think it did not update correctly, and store the data in its offline cache.

[gthing]

Okay, I'm making progress here. I've found that I have to put the .php files in a folder called "trackme" for it to work. The program automatically looks for that folder.

Now instead of a connection error, I get an error saying I need to specify a username and password. This persists even though the username and password are set.

I'm certain that the username and password variables are not being passed to the php script. Looking at the script, I don't know how they could be. Granted, I'm somewhat of a PHP noob, but I don't see a post or a get request anywhere in the script and I don't know how else data is passed into a script like that.

[staryon]

hey guys,

I'm sorry I haven't been able to help too much about this. I'm very busy with the new version.

Here some hints...

Yes, you need to have the files in a folder called 'trackme' . This will change in the new version, because you will be able to specify the folder root.

All server responses are preceded by "Result:". Depending on the query from the client the responses are differents. Usually "Result:0" means that everything wen t ok.

This is the code in my client when uploading a new GPS positions:


if (cRes.IndexOf("Result:0") != -1) // OK
bError = false;
else if (cRes.IndexOf("Result:1") != -1)
AddText("Incorrect Password for user");
else if (cRes.IndexOf("Result:3") != -1)
AddText("You need to specity an username and password for the user.");
else if (cRes.IndexOf("Result:4") != -1)
AddText("Unable to create trip");
else if (cRes.IndexOf("Result:5") != -1)
AddText("Unable to connect to database");
else if (cRes.IndexOf("Result:2") != -1)
AddText("User didn't exist and system was unable to create it.");
else // Unknown answer. Offline?
AddText("Error uploading position.");


As I said the other requests may have other reponses. Once I have a stable version I will provide the necessary documentation. Meanwhile, feel free in asking any questions.

[staryon]

I'm certain that the username and password variables are not being passed to the php script. Looking at the script, I don't know how they could be. Granted, I'm somewhat of a PHP noob, but I don't see a post or a get request anywhere in the script and I don't know how else data is passed into a script like that.

Here is a example of URL that is sent from the client:

http://luisespinosa.com/trackme/requests.php?action=upload&username=USER&password=PASS&lat=20.2482086166667&long=28.2732949&dateadded=2007-10-30 9:57:10&dateoccurred=2007-10-30 9:57:10&tripname=

[evilc]

If you can get it to output the data in GPX or CSV format, you could use some software I have written to host and display the routes overlaid on a google map:

https://sourceforge.net/projects/geoforum

Demo here (http://www.evilc.com/phpbb/gp.php)

Elevation data would be preserved when you uploaded it, at the moment there is no code to display elevation data on the map, but it is something I have wanted to add, so it may come. Being open source, someone else could always add it.

[while(!(linux)){wm}]

evilc,

Very interesting site. I can see that becoming a common feature of community websites as GPS and internet enabled phones become more common.

I'd like to mention that for single users, you can take the KML file and put it directly into google maps. Just type the URL of your KML file into the seach box in google maps. You can also call it up with a URL if you want to automate it. Thats what i have my script doing right now.

Since i'm generating my own kml files, i'm thinking of doing things like tracks, etc. I already have elevation worked into it, though trackme is not outputting elevation yet.

How many people would be interested in a single perl script to handle the receiving and storage of data, as well as the generation of kml files and an index file to display all the different trips? I'm a bit busy now, but if anyone is interested, i could try to clean it up and give it out here. Its a quick and dirty solution for a single user with some perl experience.

[laakness]

Files work great! Got them on the webserver, created a routes folder so that it was writable by the apache user and was off and running.

Thanks!

[jcleek]

evilc,

Very interesting site. I can see that becoming a common feature of community websites as GPS and internet enabled phones become more common.

I'd like to mention that for single users, you can take the KML file and put it directly into google maps. Just type the URL of your KML file into the seach box in google maps. You can also call it up with a URL if you want to automate it. Thats what i have my script doing right now.

Since i'm generating my own kml files, i'm thinking of doing things like tracks, etc. I already have elevation worked into it, though trackme is not outputting elevation yet.

How many people would be interested in a single perl script to handle the receiving and storage of data, as well as the generation of kml files and an index file to display all the different trips? I'm a bit busy now, but if anyone is interested, i could try to clean it up and give it out here. Its a quick and dirty solution for a single user with some perl experience.

I am interested in "a" solution and it seems that several people have pieces of the puzzle. Obviously the best solution is for the application on the phone to do all of the work and not require several other scripts to convert data to get it in a Google Maps format.

With that said I would like to get a copy of your PERL script.

[gthing]

Files work great! Got them on the webserver, created a routes folder so that it was writable by the apache user and was off and running.

Thanks!

What else did you have to do? I can't seem to get it to work. The username and password are not getting passed into the server-side script.

[laakness]

Here is what I did.

Using phpMyAdmin I manually created a database called trackme, I then copied the create statements into the SQL command window which created the tables within the trackme database.

I created a folder in the root of my web server called trackme and placed the 2 .php files in there. I created a trackme/routes folder and made the routes folder owner "apache" (use whatever user your web server runs as). I then made that folder writable by owner.

Edit the two php files to insert your host,user,password for your mySQL server. Then edit the database name to reflect the name you gave it earlier.

On the phone I placed a user and password in the settings of TrackMe and changed the host url to mine. The application automatically tries to call yoururl.com/trackme/requests.php with all of the data url encoded into the request...including your password.

Try watching your apache access logs while you have the phone update your location. You'll see the data in the url in plain text.

[staryon]

Update...


hey guys... I'm still debugging and adding some new features to the new version. I prefer to wait until I know that not major bugs are found.
Many new features are included!

Sorry about the delay...
I'll try to release it as soon as possible.

[DoughtCom]

I talked to Staryon earlier in the day and he said I could help out with the web portion of this project. I've started working on it tonight and have a few hours into it and almost have a working prototype.

I'm going to start out simple and get the interface/features nailed down. But these are the things to look forward to in the first release (which will be VERY soon)

1.) You'll be able to manage "trips" via their trip names, view different "trips", etc.
2.) There'll be an option to have a login before people can see your embedded "trips" or live trip, where you can specify a UN/PW.
3.) You can change your password.
4.) There'll be code you can use to embed an i-frame of the data on your website (still ironing out this idea).

Some other ideas I have.

1.) You can have it contact people based on your location (ie. e-mail, SMS (maybe?)) someone when you get to your destination.
2.) Stylize your current map overlay, by selecting colors and whatnot. I'm not sure about this I'll have to look into the google map API.

[while(!(linux)){wm}]

Ok, i cleaned up the code a bit and put in comments.

This is a single perl script that stands on its own. It handles the receiving and storage of positions and the generation of KML files and an HTML index. It is mostly designed for a single user, and does not pay attention to usernames and passwords at all. You will probably need to have some experience using perl, but if you do, it should take only minutes to set up and configure.

This is a simple perl script which will do the following-

- Receive GPS data from the URL
- Store this data in a text file
- Keep data sorted by date
- Generate KML files to be viewed in Google Maps or Google Earth
- Generate an HTML index with easy links to view in Google Maps and Earth

Usage-

- The current version of TrackMe requires that this be in placed in a directory called "trackme" at the root of your domain.
- Currently trackme looks for requests.php rather than requests.cgi. Hopefully this will be fixed soon, but if you want to use it now, you will have to rename the file to requests.php and tell your server to handle it as perl rather than php.
- There are some variables that need to be set, so open it and look at those.
- If you run the script without any arguments, it will generate an HTML index
- If it receives arguments, it will automatically generate a KML file with all positions received and a separate one with just the current position.
- It can be generate and store different data sets based on trip name
- It will generate a new HTML index each time with any updates

The PHP/SQL solution that everyone else is talking about here is a much cleaner way of handling this data... however, it really isnt necessary for my needs, and i'm more familiar with perl. If anyone finds this useful and modifies the code at all, please email me your updated code. :)

I am also using a KML file which when loaded into google earth, tells it to keep updating the position at a given interval. I might integrate that into the index generating code...

[gthing]

I talked to Staryon earlier in the day and he said I could help out with the web portion of this project. I've started working on it tonight and have a few hours into it and almost have a working prototype.

I'm going to start out simple and get the interface/features nailed down. But these are the things to look forward to in the first release (which will be VERY soon)

1.) You'll be able to manage "trips" via their trip names, view different "trips", etc.
2.) There'll be an option to have a login before people can see your embedded "trips" or live trip, where you can specify a UN/PW.
3.) You can change your password.
4.) There'll be code you can use to embed an i-frame of the data on your website (still ironing out this idea).

Some other ideas I have.

1.) You can have it contact people based on your location (ie. e-mail, SMS (maybe?)) someone when you get to your destination.
2.) Stylize your current map overlay, by selecting colors and whatnot. I'm not sure about this I'll have to look into the google map API.

Hey this sounds really cool. I have another idea ...

I've seen program where you could perform functions by sending sms messages to your phone.

It would be cool if you could activate trackme via a text message - that way if your phone was ever lost or stolen, you could go knock down the guy's door!

[jcleek]

I talked to Staryon earlier in the day and he said I could help out with the web portion of this project. I've started working on it tonight and have a few hours into it and almost have a working prototype.

I'm going to start out simple and get the interface/features nailed down. But these are the things to look forward to in the first release (which will be VERY soon)

1.) You'll be able to manage "trips" via their trip names, view different "trips", etc.
2.) There'll be an option to have a login before people can see your embedded "trips" or live trip, where you can specify a UN/PW.
3.) You can change your password.
4.) There'll be code you can use to embed an i-frame of the data on your website (still ironing out this idea).

Some other ideas I have.

1.) You can have it contact people based on your location (ie. e-mail, SMS (maybe?)) someone when you get to your destination.
2.) Stylize your current map overlay, by selecting colors and whatnot. I'm not sure about this I'll have to look into the google map API.

Awesome! Are you writing this in php or asp?

[derek-farn]

Great idea for a tool. Why not also make the data compatible with that used by the Open Street Map project: www.openstreetmap.org Then one day we will have some open source maps :)

[staryon]

Thanks for your suggestion, derek-farn. I'll keep that in mind for the future.

while(!(linux)){wm} and DoughtCom,

**THANKS SO MUCH** for adding those cool features to the program. I really really appreciate your cooperation.


The new version is ready. The reason I haven't uploaded it yet is because I'm trying to find a bug that happens when trying to upload a kml file that was generated locally. This bug only happens sometimes and it's hard to debug. As soon as I have this resolved, I will upload it.

Regards and thanks for your patience!

[GpsPasSion]

Can't wait to try the new version, have you given some though into adding a "waypoint" button to memorize a spot on the fly, on top of the automatic updates ?

[cre8or]

Another cool option to had to this software would be to copy our current GPS position and also to copy our current GPS position in a google maps webpage format, so that we would be able to send our position to other ppl via SMS ou EMAIL:

We would be able to have a text like this and copy it to EMAIL our SMS:

Current GPS position: xxxxxxx, xxxxxxxx
Google Maps: http://maps.google.com/xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


PocketTracker from KAI software uses a function GPS2SMS to do something like that....
http://www.pocketkai.net/asp/index.html?seitex=http://www.pocketkai.net/asp/details.aspx?383

It would be great to had this option.

[MPIIIMan]

This is pretty flippin sweet!

I used it on my way into work this morning.

Worked like a champ.

Very nice job in programming this application.

As I am a web developer I'm looking forward to having the option to use my own MySQL database. I love data :) and would like to see how I could use it in other ways.

[MPIIIMan]

Well guess I should of read all the posts to see that the option to use your own database was an option. I managed to get it all set up, but I had some problems. This was due to the way my php is setup.

Had to add the following to requests.php

$action = $_GET["action"];
$username = $_GET["username"];
$password = $_GET["password"];
$lat = $_GET["lat"];
$long = $_GET["long"];
$dateadded = $_GET["dateadded"];
$dateoccurred = $_GET["dateoccurred"];
$datefrom = $_GET["datefrom"];
$dateto = $_GET["dateto"];
$tripname = $_GET["tripname"];



And adding the following to googleearth.php

$action = $_GET["action"];
$username = $_GET["username"];
$password = $_GET["password"];
$lat = $_GET["lat"];
$long = $_GET["long"];
$dateadded = $_GET["dateadded"];
$dateoccurred = $_GET["dateoccurred"];
$datefrom = $_GET["datefrom"];
$dateto = $_GET["dateto"];
$tripname = $_GET["tripname"];


Have to declare those variables yo!

[DoughtCom]

I'm doing all of my changes/additions in ASP.Net 2.0 in C#. I'm connecting to a SQL 2005 server but could connect to a SQL 2000 server as well.

In regards to PHP I do not know PHP super well and wanted to get some functionality added asap so that people could use it so I coded it in my native language. Once I'm done with the C# version (which should be this weekend) and have a working prototype I'll look into redoing it in PHP, unless someone wants to collaborate with me on that.

If anyone wants to use my server it's free and I have a very beefy server to work with. If not and they have an ASP.Net server they can use, let me know.

Peace!
-Shawn

[powerppc]

Hey this sounds really cool. I have another idea ...

I've seen program where you could perform functions by sending sms messages to your phone.

It would be cool if you could activate trackme via a text message - that way if your phone was ever lost or stolen, you could go knock down the guy's door!

Like this one?http://www.wimp-software.co.uk/

[staryon]

[ignore this post]

[staryon]

ok guys,

here is the new version. I'm sorry it took so long, but believe me... it was really tough sometimes. The worst part is to upload data to the server. Usually servers don't like these things for a external application, and I had to try a thousand of different techniques to get it to work.
I'm still haven't been able to fix that problem that I mentioned. If you select store GPS positions locally and generate kml files remotely, and some cases it will just hang there trying to upload the data. I don't know why. It only happened to me a few times and for that reason it's very difficult to trace it.
I'll keep working on that.

This new version has the following:
- Ability to store GPS positions locally and remotely.
- Ability to generate KML files locally and remotely.
- Export function has been rewritten to support new features.
- Added option for delete positions locally and remotely.
- You can export/delete positions for a given trip, for any trip, or for positions with no trip defined.
- Ability to delete trips
- If you use your own server, you can specify the extension of the files (PHP,ASP,...) and also the folder where the files are located.
- Simple and Advanced mode in Configuration.


For next version I prefer to wait in adding more features until this one is stable and I can fix that bug that happens sometimes. My next release will be the necessary PHP and mysql files and documentation for people who want to use their own server.

I hope you guys have fun with it!

ahh.... I added a link for Donations :o
If I get enough to invite my wife for a romantic dinner in the place of her choice I'll be completely satisfied!! just kidding... She almost divorced me for all those long nights that I kept working on this :D She cannot understand how much fun is to work on this project!!! Thanks a lot for your support guys.

Check my signature for downloading the program.

[jcleek]

ERROR!!

When you specify a file extension (like php) it puts that in the web address!

http://www.domain.com:80php/routes/Slacker.kml

The php should not be there, and because it is the remote KML creation does not work!

[cjmedina]

i cant get it to work on google earth i keep getting cant find http file . i followed the instruction from the read me file on the app but when i enter the url its says cant find http file. any ideas

[staryon]

ok guys, I think I fixed the problem.
Try with this new version I just uploaded.

By the way, I think I also fixed the problem uploading data. At least I left it running for 4 hours and worked fine.

[jcleek]

First time I ran it after installing this new version it immediately soft reset my device!

Still doesn't work. Now the export address shows:

http://www.domain.com:80/trackme.php/routes/Slacker.kml

Notice the folder "trackme" is now "trackme.php"

[staryon]

The program is exporting the files correctly. The only thing is that when you click on 'Show generated filenames' is not showing the right name.

Just point Google Earth to http://www.domain.com:80/trackme/routes/Slacker.kml

and the file should be there.

No idea about the soft reset. I haven't really modified anything that could do that. Let's see what feedback we get from other users.

Regards

[jcleek]

Two versions ago it was working perfectly. Last version and this one I get:

Error generating remote .kml file

Screen capture attached. Any idea why?

[daesimps]

Just tried this on my Artemis.

Told it to use COM4 (same as I do with TomTom and Co-Pilot). When I click start it just says opening COM4 and then locks my handset up. Have to reset to get it back.

Do you have any ideas as I would really like to get this app working - it is exactly what I was looking for.


Thanks in advance.
Dae

[odie3]

This looks pretty cool but I seem to be over looking the readme file. I assume I need a way to upload the file to my hosting site (does it use ftp)?

[staryon]

Two versions ago it was working perfectly. Last version and this one I get:

Error generating remote .kml file

Screen capture attached. Any idea why?

Can I see the tab where you have the settings for your remote server?

[staryon]

This looks pretty cool but I seem to be over looking the readme file. I assume I need a way to upload the file to my hosting site (does it use ftp)?

it uses HTTP post requests, so you don't need really need anything on your server (unless that you have disabled some settings)

[staryon]

I just uploaded a new version that fixes that problem when showing the generated filenames.

[odie3]

it uses HTTP post requests, so you don't need really need anything on your server (unless that you have disabled some settings)

Okay, I can hit my link on your server "http://luisespinosa.com/trackme/routes/myusername.kml" and I get some information. Now what do I do with it? Import it some how to google earth web site?

Man, I feel like a noob.

[odie3]

Say, where is the Tab "Google Earth" that has the button that states "Click here for help to setup Google Earth". It shows it on your screen shots on your first page but on my install of your program... :(


Edit:
Okay, I gave up on Google web map site and moved on to the real Google Maps (Client Install). That works great and even figured out how to add a network link under my places (rather cool).

So, any step by step for Google Web Map site and the kml file? Thanks!

[jcleek]

I just installed the latest version. Now it says uploaded correctly but there is no file on my server in the routes folder.

But after I restarted it again it now shows the file error again.

[odie3]

Okay, this thing is freaking cool! I just sent you $20.00 via paypal from your donate button.

Question: Is there a way for your app to auto-create a trip each time you start it up? Perhaps Trip-MMDDYYYY as a name?

[staryon]

I just installed the latest version. Now it says uploaded correctly but ther