Google Earth GPS Tracking Solution - Page 11

spaceskater · 02-05-2006, 03:28 PM

this is some amazing work mercury! thanks for shearing!!!

RPM_VR4 · 02-06-2006, 03:10 PM

It all looks good. I might prefer the sub-menus horizontal, not sure though. I don't fully understand what all the left icons are supposed to do though.

This is what I have named them in the INI file:
Actions=Route,Play,Car,Home,M,North,a

I got all the right menu working. I should be able to upload a GE skin tonight. It won't handle EarthBridge/nemaGE yet, it will just be for Google Earth on a PC with no GPS (for easier development).

tbird2340 · 02-06-2006, 03:19 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by Zip-Lock

I made two crude demo movies to show GE working in my car. I used GE in conjunction with Earth Bridge.

The first shows GE going down the highway:
http://www.mp3car.com/nat/GE_demo_highway.wmv

And the second short clip shows it in between 3D buildings in Washington DC at an intersection:
http://www.mp3car.com/nat/GE_3D_buildings.wmv

Pretty cool. Just needs a better front end.

Zip, some funky music you got goin on there.. Now did you use it with a GPRS cell in your demo?

sxott · 02-06-2006, 03:23 PM

I did not see this so I have a question

Is there anyway to increase the cache size beyond 1GB? In world wind for example you can set the cache at whatever size you want, such as 20GB.

It seems like a mighty big limitation for GE unless you buy the expensive version. And World Wind is free, I just wish it had roads on it and then I would be happy with it, ah well.

Zip-Lock · 02-06-2006, 03:53 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by tbird2340

Zip, some funky music you got goin on there.. Now did you use it with a GPRS cell in your demo?

No. I have a dedicated wireless Internet connection using Verizon's EVDO service with a PCMCIA card plugged into a Kyocera KR1 router. Here's more on my wireless Internet setup. http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/general-mp3car-discussion/66078-pandora-streaming-music-kyocera-kr1-evdo-router-test.html

tbird2340 · 02-06-2006, 04:36 PM

What kind of speed do you get?

MatrixPC · 02-06-2006, 05:27 PM

I am not sure if you guys already know this or not. I just post in case you don't.
In GE, if you left click, hold and drag the image, the picture will slowly move (or fast depend how fast you drag) like video. Maybe that will fill up the cache? I am not sure untill I unplug the network cable and use GE.

RPM_VR4 · 02-06-2006, 06:06 PM

SKINbedder Google Earth SKIN thread:
http://www.mp3car.com/vbulletin/sb-skins/69163-google-earth-skin-progress.html

sxott · 02-06-2006, 06:28 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by MatrixPC

I am not sure if you guys already know this or not. I just post in case you don't.
In GE, if you left click, hold and drag the image, the picture will slowly move (or fast depend how fast you drag) like video. Maybe that will fill up the cache? I am not sure untill I unplug the network cable and use GE.

Yeah, I did that you can make it go in the direction of a road and then read while it scans, and make minor adjustments. I was doing that but I filled up the cache like I was saying. It seems that many of these things are pretty useless in reality and are only good for looking pretty for passengers. The reason I say that I know my way around where I drive regularly, I only would need something like this if I was somehwere I did not regularly drive... Ah well just a regular road atlas will work I suppose.

RPM_VR4 · 02-06-2006, 06:53 PM

GE lets you cache up to 2GB of maps, however, I think it always needs internet to calculate routes, search google local, display live-traffic overlays, and most of the other cool stuff.

The GE Nav solution we are working on is basically only for cars with always-available internet access. Many people have web-access on their cell phones, and it can usually be used with a PC if your cell-phone is BlueTooth or you have a USB cable for it. Cell companies also offer PCMCIA cards for use with laptops. Some solutions are expensive, others are basically free (like using my SprintPCS phone with BT or USB since I would pay for Sprint Vision even if I didn't have a CarPC/Laptop).

If you want the cutting-edge, you definitely need internet in your car. If you can wait a year or two (and you live in a major city), then Wi-Max and other wireless internet solutions will be coming soon.

BTW: Nav systems are not just for unknown areas and passenger entertainment. They show you alternate "back-road" routes when you need to get around traffic, the nearest ATM/Gas/Coffee/etc., live traffic data, reported speed-traps, gas prices, etc.

DylanBennett · 02-06-2006, 07:00 PM

Quote:

Is there anyway to increase the cache size beyond 1GB?

Google Earth will let you set up to a 2GB cache. If you search around in the registry you can find an entry where you can set it to whatever you want. Be careful about that, though. Do at your own risk, no warranties, don't say I didn't warn you, and all that jazz.

sxott · 02-06-2006, 07:59 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by RPM_VR4

BTW: Nav systems are not just for unknown areas and passenger entertainment. They show you alternate "back-road" routes when you need to get around traffic, the nearest ATM/Gas/Coffee/etc., live traffic data, reported speed-traps, gas prices, etc.

I would not need it for static information, but the live traffic data part is quite a good idea.

Quote: Originally Posted by DylanBennett

Google Earth will let you set up to a 2GB cache. If you search around in the registry you can find an entry where you can set it to whatever you want. Be careful about that, though. Do at your own risk, no warranties, don't say I didn't warn you, and all that jazz.

Well I will have a look, thanks for telling me btw, I assumed it was not something so easy to mess with. Hopefully I can find it.

RPM_VR4 · 02-06-2006, 08:07 PM

Wow, I didn't know there was a reg hack. I have been told by my companies CTO that there are legal issues with Google allowing people to cache more than X amount of NavTec's (or whoever's) maps.

Dylan: How's EB coming? Any new version for us to try out? I need to figure out an easy keystroke-macro to disable the "Fly To View On Refresh" of your KML so that users can zoom out to see a route path, traffic map, etc. without completely disabling your moving icon.

sxott · 02-06-2006, 08:33 PM

Well that worked anyway

World Wind has a nice feature if you are into TOPO maps which I am, so perhaps I will only need two. BTW you can move the google cache location by doing this
"Do the following(at your own risk):
1. Open regedit
2.Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Google\Google Earth Plus
3. Now look for the key 'cachepath' . Double click to edit it.
4. Simply change the old location of the cache file with the new one(where you want to have the cache. )
Example : cachepath's value would most probably be something like :
"C:\documents and... \google\google earth". Replace that by whereever you want the cache file to be, like "C:\program files\google"

btw registry editing can easily mess things up, if you don't know what you are doing or sometimes even if you think you know what you are doing.

From now on the cache will be made in this new location. Finally to retain the old cache file, simply copy dbcache.dat and dncache.index from the old to the new location "

I still wish someone could figure out how to make world wind work b/c the data there is not hidden, but in regular DDS files and anyone could make the data freely available without worries etc. Ah well, it seems nothing ever fufills all your needs by itself

RPM_VR4 · 02-06-2006, 09:00 PM

World wind is cool and has some advantages over GE, but GE has more consistent maps (WW is better in some areas if you switch to Urban area ortho, but worse in most areas), street overlays, built in Google Local search with driving directions, better bookmarking, etc. (and it is just as open a system as WW. Google encourages people to write plug-ins, overlays, etc just like they do for Google Maps. Well maybe not "just as open", but it is somewhat open).

WW just doesn't seem as fit for a in-car Nav program (even if the map data is free).