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Locus Map - help desk Topic Idea Locus Map (Android)

Category Locus Map (Android)

Tags guidance, automatic, out-of-course, sound notification

Comments 6

Subscribers 5

Votes 3

In guidance mode beep correspondingly left or right audio channel when out of course

Dmitrijus Druteika shared this idea ago

Gathering feedback

Hello,

Guidance feature is great, but has one big drawback in "out-of-course" notifications - no clue where to move next, left or right.

I suggest to slightly extend "beeps" notifications - when I need to go left to be back on course, beep (sound) should go to left audio channel, when right - to right audio channel.

Why that would be a great enhancement? Just consider those two points:

That would allow to use guidance feature without looking at device - big advantage for all kinds of sports activities
That would open a whole new are of application - ability to use Locus guidance for autonomous, robotic systems - audio signal to left or right channel could help a machine turn left or right!

To make it easier to develop the feature:

If it's too hard to send only left or right audio signals, just allow to select different sound to go left and go right
Map already shows where to go to be back on track, so application should already contain answer for question "left or right"
When movement stops, beeps should probably go to both channels

Behind the idea

A mobile device with GPS and Locus Maps serve as "brain" - You can completely leave navigation and guidance to this brain. For human use device has great digital-to-analog converter - display!

For machine use, that could be audio out. Almost every phone has headphones jack - another digital-to-analog converter. Why not using it to control GPS driven autonomous systems, e.g. drones, toys, mowers, etc. ?

I hope, You will share my enthusiasm about such small improvement, which would be so much useful!!!

Kind Regards,

Dmitrijus

I like this idea 0

Replies (2)

Michal Stupka ●

Hi Dmitrijus,

thanks for your interesting idea, however, Locus Map is intended for outdoor people, not for robots, so far. For notifications on leaving track when being guided I would recommend TTS - it tells you distance and direction of the nearest routepoint.

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Dmitrijus Druteika ●

Hello, Michal,

Thanks for reply!

If we forget "robots guiding", still, I believe "beep left, beep right" would be a great feature for following route. Let's say You're running with headphones on and Locus could "tell" You to keep left or right to stay on a course.

Don't You think, it would be a good and logical improvement of existing sound notifications system? :)

BTW, I see Locus has a lot of add-ons. Perhaps I could create one myself.

Do You know, if any SDK, docs, tools are provided by Locus for add-ons creation?

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Michal Stupka ●

well, now it's up to our users who will vote for your idea :) If you want to write an addon, there is some basic information here >>

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Menion ●

just my two cents ... I've worried that Locus API won't be enough to create add-on that reacts on deviation from guidance/navigation track. Locus is able to report current navigation orders and some basic parameters when guidance/navigation is active, but this is not possible.

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Dmitrijus Druteika ●

That's too bad. Then please guys vote for this idea! :)

And is there any other way I could develop the feature myself?

Maybe there's an open repository at least for free version of the app?

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Menion ●

Sorry for a delay with response.

As I think about it, I'm really worried that extending navigation notification over API is not possible for now. There is possibility to get some notifications like distance to next navigation command, time, type of command etc. but not directly what you need - shape of track and your position compare to this track.

And open repository - Locus is closed source, sorry.

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