[OSM-dev] Fw: Re: Merkaator port to Android

[Jaak Laineste]

Hi,

> This is exactly what OSMTracker for Android does. It records GPX
> traces and lets you add any of various preset notes via big graphical
> buttons which are recorded in waypoints. When the file is opened in
> JOSM it shows the text that was recorded in the waypoints. It also
> supports recording audio and taking pictures. As long as the
> pictures/audio clips are exported along with the GPX file, JOSM shows
> a small icon for these as well and when you click on it, it either
> opens the built in photo viewer or your system's default auido
> playback application to play back the audio note.

I tried to use it now and it has several needed features like GPS
tracking and tagging buttons. Probably it is more or less all you can
do with mobile.

But for tablet it is not really optimal, it seems there are some
principal differences. One thing is how you point locations. With
OSMTracker you can bookmark (as note,image or audio) GPS track points.
If you assume always reediting in JOSM, then it could be good enough,
but for tablet you have big screen and you could already show real
locations of things there, these are always somewhere left or right
from your own (GPS) location. To place them to proper location you
need to have suitable background - simplified (perhaps BW) OSM
existing map background, also imagery (Bing, many places have better
local WMS aerial sources).

So OSMTracker could be nice to start, but for Tablet I would add following:
a) minimum
 - map-based locations, point location of object to real place
 - more background maps, WMS presets from JOSM/tilesets from Potlach2
 - offline background maps: preloading for given area
b) would be nice too
 - direct download/editing/uploading of OSM data, for at least points
(like in MapZen)
 - enable offline editing, uploading later. So you can use it with
wifi-only tablet.
 - edit tags of ways/areas. e.g. add name/address
 - add scrap notes/redlines, save them as GPX for postprocessing. Mark
on map that "there is some xxx, check it out later in JOSM".

Shortly - you could edit simple data directly, work offline and
complex (lines/areas/relations) could remain for JOSM.

-- 
Jaak