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Windows Mobile GPS Tracking and Google Earth
Tracker is a GPS tracking tool for Windows Mobile. You'll need to install the .NET Compact Framework 2.0 SP2 if your device doesn't already have it.
Tracker writes a track log to your My Documents folder while it's running. When you exit Tracker it will generate a Google Earth KML file and some statistics (distance, time taken, total elevation gain and average speed). Both the track log and KML file are saved with the current date in the file name. Tracker will prevent your device from powering off while it's running, so you can just kick if off and then lock your phone while it's running.
You can open the KML file in Google Earth, or upload the KML file and use it in Google Maps (see these instructions). The map below is a walk around Crissy Field in San Francisco that I logged earlier today using Catfood Tracker:
(Updated 2009-01-26: Tracker now has a menu to start and end tracks. This solves a problem reported on SmartPhone editions and means that you can log multiple tracks without restarting the app. Also, if you have any problems with Tracker you can get in touch here.)
(Updated 2009-02-23 to version 1.20.0008: Tracker will now start a log if your GPS doesn't report altitude (this doesn't affect the Google Earth KML). Tracker also now supports phones with regional settings that don't use a full stop for the decimal symbol.)
(Updated 2009-05-02: If you'd like to know the format of the Tracker log file see the comments on the Catfood Tracker 1.10 post.)
(Updated 2009-09-07 to version 1.30.0025: Tracker now includes options to configure the sample interval, switch off the GPS between samples and log altitude data to the KML file. Read more at Catfood Tracker 1.30. Download above or at http://www.catfood.net/m/.)
(Updated 2009-10-09 to version 1.31.0003: Fixed a problem that caused some devices to fail to receive samples from the GPS.) Labels: Tools, WindowsMobile
Posted by Rob on 12/27/2008, 43 comments.
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Most of the (open-source) GPS tracking software I've come across is for touchscreen models, but yours works with non-touchscreen ones and is fantastically simple to use.
Would you ever consider releasing the source code for this?
I'd love to make some minor changes (export elevation info into the .kml, name the .kml with a timestamp, allow the 20-second capture interval to be changed).
Either way, thanks for the great software!
Chris, your suggestions probably make sense for a lot of users. I'll look at adding some settings to the next version. Tracker has turned out to be a lot more successful than I expected, it seems like a lot of people want the simple logging capability it offers. Given this I'll update it reasonably frequently.
Hi!
It's all metioned how to use the output of your software in Google Earth but I couldn't find the instructions on how to use the Tracker on Windows Mobile itself.
How do you set the COM port and baud rate for the software to use?
davids5a, you should be able to configure this on the device. Go to Settings -> System -> External GPS and you can enter the COM port and baud rate on the Hardware tab. On the Access tab make sure that "Manage GPS automatically" is checked.
If this doesn't help get in touch at http://www.catfood.net/contact.asp.
I downloaded your 'Catfood Tracker' application today and installed it on my wm6 standard phone, details of the device below.
Toshiba Portege G710
http://mobilearsenal.com/review/toshiba_g710_slow_clone/specifications.html
Unfortunately, when the 'Catfood Tracker' application screen opens no gps data from the built-in receiver is displayed, see screen shot below.
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/toucan/images/catfood_tracker.png
Another gps application called 'Terracrosser' is working fine, using the following gpsid settings.
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/toucan/images/terracrosser.png
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/toucan/images/wm6_gpsid_settings.png
For information, I have set the .NET CF 'Device Policy' to '3.5.7283'.
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/toucan/images/dotnet_config.png
Have I missed something in the set-up or is this program simply not designed for a wm6 standard device.
There does not appear to be any configuration options. Can anything be changed in the registry (e.g. specifying an alternative storage location)?
From reading your blog, this program seems ideal - simple and easy to use (generating a KML file on exit).
Just wish I could get it to work ;-)
Thanks
Tony
p.s. I am getting 'Failed to send email - please try again.' on your support page.
Tony,
From the screenshot I can't see which version of Tracker you have installed. I assume it's the latest (1.20.0008) and that you've used Menu -> Start Track. Tracker won't connect to the GPS until you've done this.
Tracker does support WM6 Standard, so this shouldn't be a problem.
It does use the .NET 2.0 compact framework so it's possible that this it the problem. Try changing the device policy to "Default" and see if this helps. I notice that you have 2.0 in ROM - Try installing SP2 from the link at the top of the post.
There is no further configuration at the moment - Tracker just opens and uses the default GPS. As Terracrosser works for you I expect the problem is something to do with the .NET configuration rather than the GPS.
I was just able to send email through the Contact Us form so there must have been a temporary problem - sorry about this. Please try again and let me know if any of this helps (or just leave another comment here).
Rob
This is probably the tracking app I'm looking for, but can't use it. I have a T-Mo Dash and am using a BT GPS. I have to specify the COM port for the GPS...yet I have no way to tell Tracker what it is. I have also perused every system setting and there's nothing referencing system GPS settings, probably because it isn't built in, so I can't set a "Let Windows manage..." type thing. Any ideas? Thanks!
KHatfull, which version of Windows Mobile do you have? There's an upgrade at http://www.t-mobile.com/wmupgrade/ which includes Windows Mobile 6. You should be able to configure the default GPS settings - see earlier comment on this post.
Hello Rob
Thank you for such a prompt reply. I have to admit I didn't think of starting the tracking from the menu :-)
Unfortunately, I now get 'Invalid' data values, see screen shot below.
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/toucan/images/catfood_tracker_2.png
I am not sure what version of Tracker I have installed, but I've only just downloaded it. The files within the cab file are dated 21 February 2009 though.
With regards to the .NET CF version, I understand v3.5 has built in functionality to make it backward compatible to work with applications that require the use of older .NET CF versions, see link below.
http://tiltmobility.com/how-to-install-net-compact-framework-35/
I did try the '2.0.7045.0 (ROM)' version, but it did not make any difference (even after a soft reset). Any other suggestions?
Thanks again
Tony
Tony,
Tracker will typically display "Invalid" to start with until it gets a GPS fix. This can take a few minutes. You said you had another GPS app installed so I'd suggest making sure this is tracking OK first, then switch to Tracker and give it a few minutes to get the GPS up and running.
21st Feb sounds right for the current version. You should be able to scroll the tracker screen down and see the version at the very bottom.
Let me know if this helps.
Rob
Hello again Rob
Well they do say patience is a virtue ;-)
I suppose we are all used to immediate results nowadays, but in this instance I simply started the tracking and waited... and then it suddenly sprang into life and started showing all the correct information.
I let it log for a while and then stopped the tracking and it created a .kml file. Excellent!
Thanks for all your helpful advice and of course your great application.
Best regards
Tony
Tony - very happy to hear that you got it working.
How often does the app read GPS data? Does it only switch on the GPS for the current reading or is the GPS on while the app is running? The reason I ask is that I'm worried about battery life :)
I like how the UI is clean and minimal, but it'd help if you added some indicator about the GPS usage.
Prasun - at the moment a sample is taken every 20 seconds. The GPS is connected while a track log is in progress. This is a hit on the battery - I wouldn't recommend leaving a track running all day.
I've been asked to make this adjustable to the next version will have a couple of settings to allow you to fine tune how the sampling works.
So if I understand you correctly, the GPS is on during the 20s between reads.
If this is changed to be configurable, is it also possible to make the GPS go off between reads?
Prasun - that's correct, the GPS is always on while a track is being recorded.
I'll look at making this optional, which might make sense especially if you set a longer interval between samples. The problem is likely to be that it takes time for the GPS to wake up and acquire a fix so for a short sample interval switching it on and off is likely to cause problems.
I'm not sure when the next update will be yet - watch this page or subscribe to the blog to get notified.
Rob,
This looks like exactly what I need to map out some forest trails on a local campsite that I frequent (the owners have some very bad maps, I'd like to give them something better with SCIENCE). My only question is, does this have the ability to label your current point? If not, is this an enhancement you'd consider adding? I'm not sure how easy or difficult it would be. I'd like to indicate where various signs are and where different trails meet (the owners of the site label different trails with different colors). Thanks!
agent0014 - there's no ability to annotate the track at the moment. I'll add this to the wish list. For now you could mark it up in Google Earth after recording the track - maybe make a note of the time when you're at each point you want to highlight.
Ooh keeping track by the time I hit each point could work. Thanks for the suggestion! Does this report on what time each point is captured, or only total time taken? I'm installing this now, maybe I'll go out to the parking lot to play with it real quick (I'm at work right now) so I can answer my own questions instead of spamming your blog with dumb questions lol.
agent0014 - yes, the time is recorded. It's UTC so you might need to convert from your time zone to match up the track points.
Hey Rob,
Great program you got here! For the next update you think you can give us the option of setting up reads for 1 sec. or 3 sec. for a project I am working on i need quicker reads! Thanks Danny!
Danny, sure, adjusting the interval between samples is on the list for the next version. I'll make sure that it can be configured down to 1s.
Any ETA on the release of the new verison?
Danny, probably a month - maybe two. I'm working on an update to the Catfood Earth beta at the moment.
Nice app - simple and to the point. Many thanks.
Looking forward to the version that allows the time interval to be changed.
I've just released 1.30. This includes most of the requested changes - see details at Catfood Tracker 1.30.
GPS Device Name: QualComm GpsOne Card,
GPS Device State: On
GPS Service Name: On
this seems ok, but there is no info about position and satelites.
Program soesn't show any erros but also doesn't get position.
My device is HTC Touch HD with .NET CF 2.0 and .NET CF 3.5 installed
other programs such:
http://gpstracka.codeplex.com/
http://www.everytrail.com/winmobile
works for me
Tracker 1.30
GPS Device Name QualComm GpsOne Card,
GPS Device State: On
GPS Service Name: On
No position info, nor info about satelites in view.
Start track doesn't change anything. After End track, program notice that logs and kml were saved but I can't find any files in my documents.
I've got CF .NET 2.0 & 3.5 installed.
My device is HTC Touch HD.
I've found this program very usefull but I can't get it working on my pda.
Jacek, go to settings and then GPS Info. Try hitting Refresh a few times - you may need to wait a couple of minutes before you get a good reading. If you're inside, try going out so that your device has a clear view of the sky.
If GPS Info is showing the device name then it's at least connected to the GPS and should start receiving data.
If you need more help email me and I'll help you troubleshoot further.
This is a great piece of software.
The only problem I am seeing is when I turn the screen off it stops tracking. I have to keep the screen on in order for it to continue tracking which is not practical because of battery usage and the screen turns off automatically after 30 seconds.
hobbes487 - you do need to keep the device powered on. Tracker will prevent the phone from switching off automatically. You should be able to lock the phone without switching it off which will dim the screen and reduce power consumption.
Just fixed a problem that was causing some devices to fail to receive data from the GPS. Update to 1.31.0003 if you're having this problem - there are no other changes.
Thanks for the reply. I seem to have it working now.
One thing I don't see is timestamps for each track recorded. Is that not implemented or am I missing something? I was hoping to use this to geocode my photos, but I need timestamps to match up with them.
hobbes487 - The timestamp is in the KML file for each track point. Depending on how you're matching things up there are a couple of options:
1) Open the KML in Google Earth and select the point where the photo was taken. Right click the point and choose Properties to get the exact location.
2) Open the KML in notepad and find the time closest to when you take the photo. Then use the location from that point. The KML file is a type of XML so it's pretty easy to read.
As well as the KML file Tracker generates its own log. The format is documented here.
A good app but some improvements would be nice:
- lock screen option (like in GPSed) or better : screen off option (like in hTorch)
- Possibility to put the distance in Km and the speed in km/h
With these only two options, the program would become the better tracking software on WM ^^
Aion182 - thanks for the feedback. I've been asked about screen blanking a few times so I'll take a look at it the next time I update. It also makes sense to have a metric display option. Keep an eye on this post (or subscribe to comments) for updates when a new version is available.
Thanks for your reactivity ^^
I will wait for next version and I hope it'll be the sooner :D
This is exactly what I needed!
I installed it on my HTC Touch Pro and went outside. Selected Menu -> Settings -> GPS Info to make sure the software was able to connect to the GPS.
Then Menu -> Start Track and walked around the building that I worked at for 2 minutes and Menu -> End Track.
I then copied the kml file onto my laptop, opened it in Google and there it was. My tracks!
Great piece of software. Simple, easy to use and straight forward. Good job! And many many thanks!
Thanks for the awesome software. It works great on my HTC Tocuh. i second the other requests for a screen blanking option to allow a long run time, but otherwise it works very well!
I searched a long time for a simple software like this, just to log my tracks and sync them to my pictures at home.
I have some suggestions to make it even better.
- An option to play a sound when the GPS signal is lost.
- An option to repeat that sound at an interval until the signal is acquired.
- An option to play a different sound when the signal is acquired.
I saw that the GPS keeps logging positions even if the GPS signal is lost. It would be nice to have the option to disable logging positions until the GPS signal is acquired.
Tomorrow I will take it on the road to see how it works.
Thank you.
Sergiu, Thanks for the feedback. I can see that sounds to indicate signal loss could be helpful. I'll add this to the list of things to look at the next time I work on an update.
Hi Rob,
When will be available the next version of your wonderful software?
With all the improvements users told you ^^.
I can't wait longer lol.
Hi Aion182,
It will be a little longer I'm afraid. I'm working on an update to the website at the moment. I also have a contract for some custom software. Once these projects are completed I'll take another look at Tracker.
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