Thread: ToDo/Requests

Add an "Out/Off/On/In, or OOOI" type messaging. The terms come from the airline world where Out is the pushback from the gate, the Off is takeoff, On is landing and In is arrival at gate.

So maybe the Off and On aren't pertinent but it would be cool to be able to send an email to people with your position who subscribed to your car so they would know when you are on your way and when you got there. Position reports would also be kind of cool.

A sample of such a message would look like this:

***This message generated automatically by [insert your name here] ******

[insert your name here's] car departed Annandale, Va (lat xxxx.xx long xxxx.xx) at 08:09am on 5/15/2005. The Killers Mr. Brightside" was playing on XM channel 42.

To track it live, click the following link http://www.GPSSecure.com.

************************************************** **

I like it! Very creative idea.

Added these to the list:

-MP3car user display where you can see everyone who is logged into the Live tracker on a world map.
-Send messages to the car client from the Web client for those using the Live tracker.

I think there are a lot of cool possibilities with the Live tracker.

O.K. Let's see if I can remember eveything I want done/added/changed/poked/prodded/pryed/hammered into GPSS:

1. Import utility for MM logs (I know everybody tells me I'm anal, stubborn, and uncompromising when I want my way. )

2. Change Satellite colors to match Delorme color codes: blue, green, yellow, red, grey.

3. ASCII Text only log files with EOL Line Feeds. Current logs are not "pure text". First four lines viewed with Notepad using wordwrap:
*&&,6/2/2005,1:58:46 PM,38.383433333,-88.557566667,368,96,0,*$$~*&&,6/2/2005,1:59:02 PM,38.380316667,-88.522983333,371,96,3040.9496,*$$~*&&,6/2/2005,1:59:17 PM,38.377416667,-88.4904,371,97,2864.7080,*$$~*&&,6/2/2005,1:59:32
Without wordwrap, its one single line that goes forever. Database or CSV style pure text with line feeds allows for easy import/export.

4. Button on the main screen for turning on/off the logging? This can be forced by disconnecting from the GPS, but then everything stops.

5. Perhaps when you click the icon it brings up a quick menu (touchscreen friendly) for enabling/disabling things? Or maybe assign a global hotkey for users whose front-ends completely cover the screen.

6. Embedding and hibernation friendly main screen.

7. Modify the taskbar icon so it changes to show signal status and live vs logged. Mouse over taskbar icon gives same in text format and last log and last upload.

8. User selectable options: a)imperial vs metric (nautical too for us fliers and boaters) measurements for speed, altitude, distance for GPSS and/or Server; b) graphic compass - you could put a directional arrow in the middle of the current globe and add the cartesian coordinates around the outside or on the 1.0 screens a large directional arrow fits between the "last log/last upload" or to the right of "speed and direction", c) different icons for server maps, i.e., car, truck, airplane, boat, etc.; d)

9. Make GPSS buttons 3D so they stand out.

10. Rearrange the server page to make it smaller so it fits 800x600 Firefox window/tab. Right now its too wide and too tall to see everything without scrolling around. Or make this user selectable also with screen sizes for carpcs as well as desktops. I routinely have menus, two rows of toolbars, and status bar on Firefox which makes my 800x600 viewing window smaller than most. Even when I only have menus its still apx 20 pixels too tall and the width is just way off the screen.

11. Ability to select and highlight times shown on Server and then display Google Map (logs) for just that timeframe.

That's it so far, maybe more when I start riding the train.

I think Gizmo may have mentioned it above, but it's late and he wrote a lot.....here's my suggestions:

1. When you click on the icon for GPSS on the desktop, it will maximize the application if it is already running in the tray. This will make it easier to open up the app, rather than hunting in the tray for it.

2. For Delorme users - a button in the app that will close and relaunch the program. I still have intermittent problems where GPSS says it's fixed, but doesn't log. I confirm via iGuidance that I can in fact see satellites. When I click the disconnect buttons, and then the connect button - it doesn't seem to do anything. A quick restart of the program and it's back up and running without problems. A button to handle this restart would be very helpful.
Perhaps in the future, a Delorme option in the settings, that will restart the app automatically after not logging a point after a specified time (like 5 minutes).

3. Perhaps a little display window that always stays on top of the screen, and can be positioned where you want - that will display the 'fix' status. I think it would be nice to have it on top of my frontend, and when I see there's no fix, I can then restart the app. No I go like 10-15 minutes before I realize that the software locked up and stopped logging.

4. Some sort of intelligence for updating the 'fix' status. Like I mentioned above, there are still times when the status says 'fix' but it hasn't logged a position for a long time. I don't know if that's a bug, or if it's actually fixed, and having problems logging, or what. I have a Delorme, and I don't know if this happens to ppl without Delormes or not.

Thanks Brady for an awesome app. Besides the front ends, I think this is a very useful app. I just have to ask - you don't work for the government do you? HAHA

I like the web based interface, but I'm not comfortable giving people my username and password to see my info. Maybe we could develope something more sleek. Car owners can log in as themselves and see everything, and normal people can check on someone they know - but not see as much info.
Maybe the car owner could have settings that they would be able to limit viewing of data to a certain data range or something.
Just trying to think of a way to make a bigger impact when showing this to normal non-carputer ppl.

This follows the idea that you could see others who are running live tracking.

Traffic data sharing information - Using your log info, communicate your average speed and track for the last few minutes and display it on OTHER GPSSecure user's screens. Obviously, this would be an option you could enable disable.

Why? I live in Washington, D.C., the number 3 traffic hell in the U.S. I'd love to know how fast traffic is moving out on the beltway when I set out on my trip to/from work. If I saw on a Google map a picture of the beltway and 4 or 5 other users who were moving at an average speed of 15 mph over the last 10 minutes (like a red breadcrumb trail if under 15, a yellow if under 40, a green if over 40), it would be great info.

I know some people care whether you know where they are and what they're doing. Maybe you could input a Lat/Long and a circular "privacy" area of 5 or 10 miles that live tracking would stop sending your location so others couldn't track your exact movements.

Frankly, I wouldn't care because my life isn't that interesting. Others may or may not feel the same. As long as it's voluntary and participatory, that would be cool.

Originally Posted by GizmoQ

2. Change Satellite colors to match Delorme color codes: blue, green, yellow, red, grey.

How about just green, yellow, red - Done.

Originally Posted by GizmoQ

5. Perhaps when you click the icon it brings up a quick menu (touchscreen friendly) for enabling/disabling things? Or maybe assign a global hotkey for users whose front-ends completely cover the screen.

Does the new mini status bar cover this? I guess I'll add this to the icon anyways.

Originally Posted by GizmoQ

6. Embedding and hibernation friendly main screen.

What do you mean hibernation friendly?

Originally Posted by GizmoQ

7. Modify the taskbar icon so it changes to show signal status and live vs logged. Mouse over taskbar icon gives same in text format and last log and last upload.

Does the new mini status bar cover this? It will be very difficult to show the status of more than one thing on a 16x16 pixel icon.


I just need clarification on these ones (doesn't mean these are the only ones I'm working on).

XBrady will we be able to customize the web interface? My thought is to have three or four cars being tracking at the same each on their own map.

Originally Posted by 12Vsystems.com

XBrady will we be able to customize the web interface? My thought is to have three or four cars being tracking at the same each on their own map.

Ya, I think the next big step is to work on the web interface. I'll be adding a bunch of setting and such to each persons account. This includes: setting up aliases so you can set up a username/password for someone else to see your data (just the data that you want them to be able to see) just as was suggested above; make it so you can have your own icon on the map (kind of like your avatar) and have it so you can get put in a global network where everyone can see where you are; With this I can then set up groups so if you are in the same group with other people then you can see them and they can see you; this will make it so you can see everyone all on one map, or on seperate maps if you wish; make it so you can send a message to someone from the web client if they are set up on the live tracking; and many other options.