Compass/guiding to point, talking distance and direction

I would also like to see this feature added as an option to the point guidance notification, as intuitively it seems like it should be an option. Ideally it would be available with the "Increase frequency when approaching" option, but even with a fixed repeat interval would be nice. The beep is not terribly useful as you still need to be looking at the display, and the TTS will only tell me a single time when I cross the threshold distance under "Notify at distance".

My current workaround is to use the "out of route" notifications for track guidance (see attached screenshot). I find the point I want to navigate to, create a track from it to another point a few feet away, then start guidance on the track. The "out of route" notifications will then tell me the distance and direction at set intervals until I reach the track, which is functionally just the point I am trying to get to. It works, but I think it would be relatively easy to implement as an option for point guidance notifications through code reuse.

I also think that an option to automatically end guidance once you've reached the selected point/last point in a track (within a threshold distance) like navigation has would be useful, but perhaps that should be a separate topic?

-Kris

Hello guys,

in current version of Locus Map is possible to setup notification on certain distance where, if you set "tts", Locus already talk something similar to "300 m on 9 o'clock".

In next version will be added option to set repeated notifications as was initial idea here, so Locus will notify every "x" metres. If you set "tts" here, it will talk distance and angle as wanted.

Copy of private ticket from "Alezy":

I've installed last beta with described feature. The voice guidance tell incorrect cource, see files attached. I think that it tell direction to North, not to destination point.

Another ploblem is setting "Notify at distance (repeat)". If I going not directly to destination, voice guidance pronounce commands very rarely, and if I go in incorrect direction (walk backwards), there is no any commands. I think that this setting must check not distance changing to destination point, but distance that I walked in any direction. Or, if you want voice commands must be pronounced if one of the condition met: distance to destination changed by setted value, OR I have walked in any direction more than that setted value * 2

Guiding to north and not the destination would definitely diminish the usefulness of the feature. :)

As a suggestion, I think a useful algorithm might be something like the time to the next notification calculated as:

• time-to-destination/4 (it appears that the time to destination is already being calculated)
• maximum delay of 60 seconds (far away or speed is zero)
• default to continuous (or perhaps a 2 second delay for sanity) if distance to destination is <30m

It seems like this would provide a good spacing. If I'm 10 minutes out at my current speed, an update once a minute will keep me headed in the right direction. As I get closer the intervals decrease, and once I'm close they keep coming quickly in case I'm walking around in circles looking for it. This would also still work even if travelling in a direction not directly toward the destination, as I assume the time to destination is calculated by distance/speed, independent of direction of travel. I think this would be useful for many uses/travel speeds, including vehicles, bicycles, and walking.

The maximum delay and continuous distance threshold could be user settable parameters to further tailor it to a specific use. The divisor could even be a setting, perhaps presented to the user as an arbitrary more/less frequent slider, varying the divisor from something like 8 to 1.

In last beta course commands work very well, but if I go around destination there is no any commands at all! See attached file for explanations.

Good day Alezy,

this is very exact observation. Glad it works in this way. I consider current solution as usable, we will see in practice.

Hello, Menion,

After more thorough testing I found one minor issue: you need to "rotate clock" clockwise by half-hour (15 degrees), because if I have course 359 deg. there is prompt "12 hours" and if course 1 deg. it prompts "1 hour". I think that 12 hours is interval between (-15 to +15] deg., 1 hour is (+15 to +30] deg. etc.

And about my previous post, I think there are must be voice commands even if my distance to destination point not changed significantly, but I have walked resonable (as I mentioned earlier value from settings * 2) distance. In my picture in the third situation I can walk by round around destination point infinitely without any voice commands, that’s not good!

Hello Alezy,

thanks for a testing!

First issue I believe I've found, so consider fixed to next version.

Second problem ... I really wants to not use some "time" value, like "when 5 minutes no notification, just say something". Instead in next version Locus Map will measure your movement and when you move 5 times more then you defined as notification distance, it will say notification as well. This sounds to me like good compromise which prevents too much notifications when you walk in circle on second side it say at least something after a while.

Thanks for feedback!

I tried to move to a given point with the help of voice commands.

And very upset. For my purposes, the direction expressed in hours is too rough.

Each sector "one hour" is a sector of 30 °. It turns out that if I move to a specified point within a sector of "one hour" (for example, a given point may be in azimuth "to the right 15 °", and I will move along azimuth "to the left 15 °"), then I move in the direction of "twelve hours "and this is the right direction of travel. However, in this case, the difference between the direction of movement of the direction by a given point will be 30 °. This is very much.

With such tips, you can go a long time in the wrong direction and at the desired point to get real estate in a straight line, but in a spiral.

I would like instead of the phrase:

"The point is located for twelve hours, three hundred meters,"

hear:

"three hundred meters, to the right five (degrees)".

The price of division in degrees should be indicated by yourself.

Thanks!