[OSGeo Africa] Android based apps for navigation purposes

[christopher legg]

Hi Folks,

I assume that you will be working, at least some of the time, in areas
without good data connections. For simple navigation (visual, not
turn-by-turn) you can now cache quite large areas in Google Maps before
you go to the field, then use your GPS to overlay your position on
detailed maps. EpiCollect will also averlay your field data points, with
as many attributes as you like (collected within customisable menu
interface) on Google Maps.

Chris

On Mon, 2013-01-07 at 13:00 +0200, Dean Ollis wrote:
> Hi, Wesley
> 
> For fieldwork I have used Google Earth for Android on a tablet,
> together with an app called "kml/z to earth". Both apps are available
> for free via Google Play. The kml/z-to-earth app allows you to load
> and view KMZ or KML files as an overlay in Google Earth, and if you
> turn the GPS of your device on you get a blue dot that shows where you
> are in relation to your point/line/polygon layers. No navigation
> functionality that I know of, but really useful for seeing where
> exactly you are in relation to previously mapped features and the
> background imagery. It does seem a bit sensitive to the order in which
> you turn on the apps, at least on my device (a 7 inch Samsang Galaxy
> Tab 2)...first make sure you have the GPS of your Android device
> enabled, then open Google Earth - it should zoom to where you are and
> show a blue dot - and then, lastly, bring in your layers using "kml/z
> to earth".
> 
> Hope this helps...please keep us posted as to what you decide to use
> in the end.
> 
> Kind regards
> 
> Dean
> 
> PS: For situations where I do not have the layers in a kml/z format to
> start with, I use QGIS to convert my "standard" GIS shapefiles to KML
> so that I can use the kml/z-to-earth app...a great feature of
> QGIS  :-) 
> 
> ----------------------------------------------------------- 
> Dean Justin Ollis Pr.Sci.Nat. 
> The Freshwater Consulting Group 
> 9 Orca Close, Kommetjie 7975 
> CELL: 072 377 7006        
> 
> 
> ------- Original message -------
> Subject: [OSGeo Africa] Android based apps for navigation purposes
> From: Wes Roberts
> To: africa
> Date: 2013/01/04 - 11:50
> 
> 
> > Dear Africa.osgeo
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > We are in the process of piloting a digital data collection app for
> > our biomass surveys. In the past we have used a handheld GPS with
> > our plots loaded as waypoints. We are now moving over to Android
> > based devices and would thus like to employ a suitable navigation
> > app which allows us to upload points (biomass plots) as well as
> > additional layers such as roads and boundaries and navigate to those
> > points. In the past we have looked at GPS Essentials, Backcountry as
> > well as a number of others.
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > We are looking for suggestions for either free or paid apps that can
> > be used for navigation and orientation. 
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > Many thanks and kind regards,
> > 
> > Wesley
> > 
> >  
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > BCP CLR LOGO-FINAL LoRes
> > 
> > Wesley Roberts PhD
> > 
> > GIS and Remote Sensing Professional
> > 
> > BioCarbon Partners
> > 
> > Email:   wes at biocarbonpartners.com 
> > 
> > Tel:       +27 83 5355 646 (South Africa)
> > 
> > Skype: roberts-w
> > 
> > www.biocarbonpartners.com
> > 
> >  
> > 
> >  
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > _______________________________________________
> > Africa mailing list
> > Africa at lists.osgeo.org
> > http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/africa
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Africa mailing list
> Africa at lists.osgeo.org
> http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/africa