Re: voice street names

[Robert Grant]

Look at the Track Navigator app. It will give you street names for turn by turn voice nav. The key is using tcx files.  These are created when planning a route using ridewithgps. Osmand needs to accept this file type. GPX route files aren't the right answer for cycling.

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On June 13, 2015, at 12:27 PM, fredf <fel...@gmail.com> wrote:

Yes but why? As I mention the track .gpx file that I was using contains the statements for the text to speech turns at each turn. So since it is there why can't/doesn't  it use that data to announce turns?
I am trying to understand the function of text to voice as it is so important to cycling, giving trip warnings without having to leave the screen on..



On Friday, June 12, 2015 at 8:39:04 PM UTC-7, Michael Tiefenbacher wrote:

I am not an expert at all, but what I understand is:

Track: a path you have been taking in the past (could be roads, but also across a lake or just anywhere) you have been

Route: a path you want to take (from A to B to C ...) following some roads, streets ...

Based on this it's clear that only Routs can announce road-names

On Friday, June 12, 2015 at 2:00:45 PM UTC+8, fredf wrote:

Test to voice that gives the names of streets is extremely useful for bike trips. I continue to look for the perfect app to provide that.

I created a simple Route in my neighborhood with RouteConverter. I then used RouteConverter to change the Route to a Track and then uploaded both to Osmand. The Route data consisted of only 4 points with a location name and a distance, each at a turn. The Track data was many lines of text of "new position" but which also included the syntax for text to voice (in other words I could read the lines where voice was going to say something) for each turn.

Now here is the interesting part. When I opened the Route in Osmand there were 4 points with straight lines connecting them - obviously useless for navigation but then Osmand asked "Do you want to use the track for navigation?" and when I clicked OK it quickly generated a path that followed the roads perfectly (and this was done offline - amazing). As I began the active navigation the voice gave perfect commands using street names.
On the contrary, when I opened the Track in Osmand (the one with all the lines of text including voice turn descriptions) as I navigated all I heard was generic "turn left or right" and distances; no street names at all.

So the question is what did the Route have that the Track did not such that the voice output was giving street names? And why can Osmand not do the same with the Track data, ie. extracting and voicing at least the turn comments which are so useful for navigating?

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[Harry van der Wolf]

The track is there to render: nothing more. OsmAnd is the only app that gives you voice commands for a track. Tracks can contain up to thousands of points.

For this reason it is also impossible for OsmAnd to calculate a route. You would need huge amounts of memory.

Route gpx files can't be followed. They are really there for a nav app to calculate a route based on the few points (4-15?) in there. Then OsmAnd will give extended voice commands.

It is simply a fact. Not one navapp can handle the thousands of points in a track gpx. And as said: OsmAnd is the only one who does give simple instructions.

[Robert Grant]

I really believe the breakthrough will occur when Osmand is configured to accept TCX files. These are enhanced GPX track files that include street names and other remarks included during the route planning process. Various planning services allow exporting routes as TCX files. This provides turn by turn street names when used with compatible apps or hardware.

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[fredf]

Robert, I don't  think it has to do with whether the file is a gpx or a tcx one. When I export from RWGPS, both in the TCX Course format or the GPX Track one, the resultant voice commands are identical when using Track Navigator. If you examine the exported RWGPS gpx file (I don't know how to do that to a tcx file) it is nothing more than a series of location points. Somehow RWGPS has added a "secret sauce"  to the combination of Google Maps and gpx/tcx files to yield the names of streets.
 
So the way I see it:
   Osmand can compute a route with street voice commands offline but to personalize that route it is cumbersome or, in my hands, impossible. A track uploaded to Osmand will result in voice commands but without street names.
   Track Navigator is a great in that it can provide street voice commands but only with files originating from RWGPS. It can "talk" with the screen off and can download maps (Google) with internet access. It appears the relevant map can be obtained before setting out and will be useable without connectivity thereafter.
   RWGPS is the most useful of all because it can do it all with its mobile app except I haven't figured out how to use it with the screen off.

[Jamie Flores]

My workaround for this is to use RWGPS and then export a track (GPX) and to check  "include POI as waypoints." OSMAnd will then read aloud all added POI you created!

Just make sure you have critical turns or street names/notes marked down as added POI in your RWGPS map. Now when you navigate this track in OSMAnd it will read out the POI you have created. It reads text in the name field. Make sure you have "Announce GPX waypoints" box checked in the Navigation/Announce settings in OSMAnd. 

One thing I have not figured out is sometimes in OSMAnd there's a horn type alert sounded for some of the POI's and not the others. If anybody knows why it does this please let me know!