Live tracking of friends

[Vasil Dimov]

Hello,

I would like to implement a native OsmAnd feature or a plugin to live track my friends, similarly to the OsMo plugin.

Where do I start from?

Thanks!

[Francesco Pelullo]

Hi,

In my opinion, instead of apply for another different app/plugin starting from zero, you could start from OsMo and try to keep it working.

However, most well promising solution is Traccar (http://www.traccar.org).

It has a client app, a monitoring app and a self manageable private server (or the public server, if you want).

OsmAnd could already interface with traccar server, using its tracking feature, so you don't really need traccar client. However, this feature is a bit spartan, because you can share easily your personal position, without groups support.

A solution could be to integrate Traccar API (client and manager) in a plugin, and use them togheter with OsmAnd API for bypass Traccar client and traccar manager. At this point, this plugin will upload your position as traccar client does (differentiating by groups) to a traccar server (public or private). Them, same plugin will get your position/group positions from server, showing them in OsmAnd map.

Regards
/niubii/

[Paul Johnson]

On Tue, Mar 21, 2017 at 1:19 AM, Francesco Pelullo <f.pe...@gmail.com> wrote:

In my opinion, instead of apply for another different app/plugin starting from zero, you could start from OsMo and try to keep it working.

Osmo at the server end ended support for peer-to-peer and ad-hoc tracking in favor of group tracking, which really killed the appeal for a lot of more simple scenarios.

[Vasil Dimov]

On 21 March 2017 at 08:19, Francesco Pelullo <f.pe...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> In my opinion, instead of apply for another different app/plugin starting from zero, you could start from OsMo and try to keep it working.

Stupid question - is the OsMo plugin open source? Because I could not
find its source, and if not open source, then how could I keep it
working?

> However, most well promising solution is Traccar (http://www.traccar.org).
>
> It has a client app, a monitoring app and a self manageable private server (or the public server, if you want).
>
> OsmAnd could already interface with traccar server, using its tracking feature, so you don't really need traccar client. However, this feature is a bit spartan, because you can share easily your personal position, without groups support.
>
> A solution could be to integrate Traccar API (client and manager) in a plugin, and use them togheter with OsmAnd API for bypass Traccar client and traccar manager. At this point, this plugin will upload your position as traccar client does (differentiating by groups) to a traccar server (public or private). Them, same plugin will get your position/group positions from server, showing them in OsmAnd map.

[...]

Right, I see what you mean. Ideally this feature should have a
separate presentation (e.g. how friends are displayed on the OsmAnd
map) and transport, so that other transports could be added easily
(other than e.g. traccar), reusing the code that displays friends on
the map and gathers own's coordinates for sharing with friends.

Is this best achieved as a plugin? Is there some HOWTO or examples of
creating OsmAnd plugins that can 1. Get the own's coordinates (I guess
using OsmAnd API, not directly from the OS) and 2. Draw on the map
(friends' positions)?

--
Vasil Dimov

[Max]

On Thursday, March 23, 2017 at 2:20:04 PM UTC+1, Vasil Dimov wrote:

Stupid question - is the OsMo plugin open source? Because I could not
find its source, and if not open source, then how could I keep it
working?

https://github.com/osmandapp/Osmand/tree/master/OsmAnd/src/net/osmand/plus/osmo

[Francesco Pelullo]

Il giorno giovedì 23 marzo 2017 14:20:04 UTC+1, Vasil Dimov ha scritto:

 

Stupid question - is the OsMo plugin open source? Because I could not
find its source, and if not open source, then how could I keep it
working?

Yes, another user already sent the link.
 

> However, most well promising solution is Traccar (http://www.traccar.org).

Is this best achieved as a plugin? Is there some HOWTO or examples of
creating OsmAnd plugins that can 1. Get the own's coordinates (I guess
using OsmAnd API, not directly from the OS) and 2. Draw on the map
(friends' positions)?

Please refer to OsMo code for question 1. and 2.
OsmAnd API Demo source code could be useful too. It is well commented.

Don't forget to check Osmodroid, too.
Osmodroid would be the natural descendant for OsMo, but (in my opinion) its worst problem is a lack of documentation (mostly in russian). Also, you cannot choose a private server. This is not a problem for many people (OsMo too works with a single public server), it seem to me really important.

I'm not a programmer, but I suppose there are two possible "easy" solutions:
1. change OsMo source code for let you choose where upload/download data. A Traccar server will be nice.
2. change Traccar client _and_ Traccar Manager source codes for let them share data with OsmAnd via OsmAnd API.

A third, possible solution is: change OsmAnd source code for let it share data with Traccar client and Traccar Manager via Traccar API. OsmAnd must get group position from Traccar Manager and show them on the map.

Ciao
/niubii/

[Francesco Pelullo]

BTW, starting from today, OsMo plugin definitely has been removed from OsmAnd+.

At the moment, I solved this problem with Traccar Manager.
I push positions to the server via OsmAnd built-in tracking feature, and pull positions via Traccar Manager.

However, this is not too much useful, because I need to run two different apps, that doesn't exchange data.

Anyone know a better solution?

Regards
/niubii/