[OSGeo-Discuss] Mobile GPS data collection...

[Mateusz Loskot]

map it out wrote:
> [...] I find there are not a lot of alternatives to the commercial 
> arcpad application.  Besides moving to a Tablet, I've already 
> installed Linux-Opie on my Ipaq, so it's a start.

Yes, this is a good start.
But I think a good idea is to potentially support Windows CE platform
too. Multiplatform mobile application (Linux/Windows CE) would have more
chances to succeed.

> So, first I would like to know if people think this is a good idea, 
> are others willing to contribute in the design/coding of this, and 
> has something like this been done in the past before we get started.

Yes, I'm interested.
I've been thinking about such application or something like Mobile GIS
Framework (set of classes, widgets, canvas, etc.) in C++ to support
mobile GIS applications programmers.

I took first steps :-)
I ported main GIS Open Source libraries to Windows CE:

1) GDAL CE - port of OGR part

http://www.gdal.org/wince.html
http://mateusz.loskot.net/projects/ogr/

A few announcements on my blog:
http://mateusz.loskot.net/2006/02/21/gdalogr-for-windows-ce/
http://mateusz.loskot.net/2006/03/04/building-ogr-for-windows-ce-using-vc-80/

2) PROJ.4 for Windows CE

http://mateusz.loskot.net/projects/proj4/

and announcement on my blog:
http://mateusz.loskot.net/2006/07/18/proj4-port-for-windows-ce/

3) GEOS compiles for Windows CE with minor changes using
Visual C++ 2005:

http://mateusz.loskot.net/projects/geos/


4) As a part of OGR port, I created WCELIBCEX library - an extension to
limited C Library on Windows CE platform, so using WCELIBCEX it should
be easier to port Unix/Linux (POSIX) libraries and programs to Windows
CE platform:

http://mateusz.loskot.net/projects/wcelibcex/
http://sourceforge.net/projects/wcelibcex

This library is under MIT Licens, but copyrights
holder is Taxus SI Ltd. (my previous employer).

5) I did small research to find portable GUI toolkit.

- wxWidgets does support Windows CE and Linux
- AFAIK there is a QT version for Windows CE, but Trolltech does not
publish it (are they affraid of the Linux-based mobile phones market?)

But, I think if the core of mobile GIS application will be prepared as a
portable framework, then GUI can be prepared in platform-specific
manner, for example QT/GTK+ for Linux mobile and ATL/WTL for Windows CE.


So, I think this is a good start too.

Best regards
-- 
Mateusz Loskot
http://mateusz.loskot.net