Free Open Source Android App: Avare

[John W]

Hi,

I just now discovered this group via the link about aviation on OSM. I've been volunteering work on the documentation and website on the open source Avare app by Apps4Av. I've also launched this Apps4Av gForum. Though I live in SW U.S.A. I have flown several times to Canada and wished for free moving-maps there that would work on Avare, which uses the currently free FAA data (U.S. only) and charts that cover only small parts of Canada that overlap the U.S. border.

Three things I'd like to see: 1) An OSM layer in Avare for U.S. so I can find out more about landmarks and place names I see flying VFR here. 2) OSM in Avare for Canada, so I'd at least have that info when flying there. I already have the Canadian paper charts and Jeppesen on my Garmin 430, and I use COPA's PlacesToFly web pages for airport info. 3) Eventually adding aviation info so that OAM could supplement or replace OSM for use in Avare.

I'm posting this to inquire as to whether there's anyone else interested in this, anything I might do to help import OSM maps to Avare, and then begin adding aviation data.

[John W]

Got interrupted, and forgot to linkify the Avare Forum mention.

[Raymond Raw]

Nav Canada has just made digital maps and documents available to ForeFlight. However, ForeFlight is charging 150.00 a year for them. Never-the-less, this is a big step forward for Canada. Nav Canada keeps promising to publish all of their info electronically and make it generally available but then again, they've been saying this for 5 years or more.

The "Canada AIr Pilot" is downloadable is a PDF. This contains a subset of the larger airports in the CFS.

If you go hunting you can find a complete set of the low altitude radio navigation maps for Canada available as really big PDFs with the chart as a single big page.

I am also Canadian and looking for the same thing as you. That's why I joined the OAM project. Unfortunately, I'm completely bogged down with other "real" work these days.

One thing that I did do which you might be interested in is I created a utility that will convert the "OurAirports" csv data into OAM format. This does not have any airspace data but it does contain info for airports, navaids, runway data etc for most of the world. The utility is checked in to the OAM project. It will also generate KML output from any of  the OAM data.

I have a Playbook and the "Magellan Compass" GPS app that uses OpenStreets. On top of that, it allows me to overlay the KML data that I export from OAM. So, using that, I get a moving maps GPS display with all of the airports and navaid marked. Its not IFR by any means but with this and the PDF version of the CAP I can get around. Of course I always carry paper copies to :).

The OAM projecct also has an Android app that's free. You might check it out also. As soon as I figure out how to side load Android apps into my Playbook I'll be using it.

Cheers

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[Akos Maroy]

John,

Congratulations for your project.

I see we have some overlapping capabilities, as OAM also has an android app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.euedge.openaviationmap.android , for which the source code is here: https://github.com/OpenAviationMap/oam-app-android

basically this is a gloryfied map tile viewer, which can download 'map packs' on it's own. the maps are stored in the GEMF ( http://www.cgtk.co.uk/gemf ) format, and we have java tools that turn a 'map tile directory hierarchy' into a GEMF file.

I wonder if your map tiles are compatible with the OSM map tiling scheme. if so, it would make it very easy to create 'map packages' that our viewer would be able to show

I also see that your app is displaying airport plates as well as additional airport data. I wonder where do you get this information from?

maybe it would make sense to join efforts and combine the functionalities of our apps.


Akos

[John W]

Exciting to see two very helpful and informative replies already!  I've forwarded both to Zubair, who created all the Apps4Av apps. He'll probably reply here when he has some time (very busy right now with work, family and visitors). I hope he can adapt OSM to Avare (or vice versa), and that it will complement what you're already doing. My understanding is that he started from scratch with the raw FAA charts and developed Avare around that, so at this point there might not be easy ways to share app or chart work. But it sure seems to me there's great potential over time. :)

Happy Flying  -j

[Marc R.]

Hello John,

I'm quite new to this forum and I'm very please to see that there are many aviators like you and many others who wants to put together their personal resources so an entire community can benefit from it. To be honest, I'm all lost with this new app. Looks like it is a very good one but for now, I'm struggling just to get use to my new tablet so let alone contribute to this forum. It'll come, one day... BTW, is there a guide or "user manual" that I can download ? I'm quite a good self learner but having a guide of some sort would certainly steed-up the learning curve.

[John Wiley]

> Hello John,

Hi Marc :)

> resources so an entire community can benefit from it.

Yes! I find it really rewarding to contribute what skills I have,
toward the development of free resources to support aviation.

> lost with this new app.

I guess you're talking about the Avare app. There's now a solid group
of helpful people on the Avare Forum:
<https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/apps4av-forum>

In addition to reading what's in the Help pages of the app and what's on
the website, the Forum is a great place to get help learning your way
around Avare.

> is there a guide or "user manual" that I can download

Closest thing to that right now is the Help inside the app, coupled with
the What's New and Description sections on the Google Play Store page
for Avare. The app is improving rapidly this year, and the interface is
currently being reviewed to consider a total re-design of how things work.

Hope this helps, and if you have any specific questions please post them
on the Avare Forum (link above) so that other users can benefit.

Happy Flying -j