Thread: Software for making lists of car usage...

Wow, I like the idea, but I have no idea of any program (at least, I think you're asking about a program) that will track where you drove and on what streets you drove. Sounds like a GPS job to me, but I don't know that there are any programs that will map this. Maybe if you just use a map program that tells you where to go and you follow the directions?

Originally Posted by Slimline

Wow, I like the idea, but I have no idea of any program (at least, I think you're asking about a program) that will track where you drove and on what streets you drove. Sounds like a GPS job to me, but I don't know that there are any programs that will map this. Maybe if you just use a map program that tells you where to go and you follow the directions?

IIRC It may be possible to do this using MS Map point as this can link to DB's and spreadsheets in Excel and Access

John

This company http://www.motionbased.com/index.jsp is building / has built a service where you can upload GPS tracks to them then view them on a map, by altitude, time, various other ways. I came across this in relation to racing and autocross but it has real possibilities for this type of tracking.

I believe the uploads are in a standard form and can be captured with a regular handheld GPS, not sure if there are PC equivalents but I'm sure there will be info on the site somewhere.

I have no affiliation or even direct experience of the company or services offered.

Chris.

why bother with GPS as front end - just use Excel. A bit of VBA Programming is all thats requird. you could easily intregrate the GPS info later, or better at the end of each route.
if it doesn't have to be that acurate, then all you really need is the trip start and finish time, working on an average speed, you have your distance.

Could knock this up in about 45mins if you have a copy of Excel?

Nick

... or a link to OBDII data may yield some easily trendable data.

Sure - Excel is no problem at all - I'm planning to have the usual Epia setup, so it doesn't matter what software I need.

I'm not sure if I understand the whole gps thing right either. I guess that when I hook up a gps mouse to the computer it will start to send data from the serial port to an application. That application can either be something like Navigator3 or just input the data into an excel sheet or hopefully both at the same time- maybee the don't lock the serial port so several applications can use the data.

In that case I can use Destinator and excel simultanously.

The Excel-app inserts starting point, and so on until the trip is done. Then it uses the time stamps and the speed-stamps to count the total distance of the trip. Afterwords I can use the list to report my driving? Allthough it's not possible to view starting- and ending points in a map? It would also be nice to once you edited the different locations (in a year i go to maybe a hundred places - customers, mom's place and so on) the list wouldn't use coordinates but my names.)

The latter part of the suggestion - an online database to which the car uploads the driving data to make effective use of this data is something that I guess must be integrated into the navigation software, although this "history list" of driving seemed so obvious I guessed I'd just didn't konow enough...

OriginalNick2: I'd love something like that!

/peo

bump...

Sorry, yeah - forgot all about this,

since speed = distancte x time
distance = speed / Time
Distance = Average Speed / (Time stamped Finish - Time stamp Start)

ie:

D = 30 (mph say) / 1800 stamped finish - 1300 stamped start
D = 30 / 4 hrs
d = 7.5

I think.

Now thats dead easy to do in VBA, thinking about it MS Access would be a lot better if your on about databases and lists (reports)
You could even select where your going to from previous saved trips etc - GPS would be difficult and i dont think you need it for a simple app like this
just had to format computer and re-install everything so no office at the min
if its done in access think i can make it into a standalone file somehow. ill look into it,
PM me to remind me

Nick

I don't think you can rely in this for tracking car usage effectively, the inputs will vary yoo much. If you are aiming to calculate distance you need average speed, where will you get that from? This calculation would be more effectively used to calculate your average speed from the known quantities, the elapsed time and mileage (from the milometer on the car).

If you go ahead with Excel I'd suggest tat when you start the track you prompt for the user to enter the milometer reading then do so again at the end.

The only way to make it accurate and more automated would be to tie it to OBD2 or to a GPS. The GPS can easily track time, distance can be calculated as the distance between two track points and added up as you go, you then just need to tell it when you're starting and stopping.

I'm working on a GPS app that isn't really aimed at this but could possible achieve it as a by product without too much work. I am looking more to record the route over time and speed variations. You can read the thread here if you're interested Preliminary Testers Wanted - GPS Tracker Click on the link to www.motionbased.com near the end.

I am essentially trying to recreate the kind of trip log a portable GPS creates, you could do so as my program evolves using a PC or you could do this with a cheap (< $100) handheld GPS that records tracks.

Chris.