Android Development Underway

[sailias]

Originally Posted by sailias

Which leads me to the next question. I have the old data from NOAA that does cover Canadian waters and would like to tile them up. Where can I find instruction and code to complete that task.
/ch

Google point me to an older post #93 in a different thread. All the info is there. Thanks for making it available Will.....now to learn this stuff...as Im not a programmer may take some time but the readme and instructions are well documented so it should not be to hard.

It would be nice to have that Canadian waters NOAA data back even if its dated some.

Best regards and thanks as always

/ch

[manimaul]

Originally Posted by sailias

Google point me to an older post #93 in a different thread. All the info is there. Thanks for making it available Will.....now to learn this stuff...as Im not a programmer may take some time but the readme and instructions are well documented so it should not be to hard.

It would be nice to have that Canadian waters NOAA data back even if its dated some.

Best regards and thanks as always

/ch

I've been working on just the program for this called MXCart. Regular users can make there own MX Mariner chart regions from their own BSB version 3 files. Here is the first beta copy: MXCart1.0beta.zip

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. unzip MXCart1.0beta.zip
2. run MXCart.exe
3. follow on screen instructions
4. copy the two generated files to /sdcard/mxmariner on your android device
5. restart MX Mariner ... new region will be installed automatically

[sailias]

Greets Will:

Im sure this is a good program looking at all the python code... Wont work for me as Im looking at NOAA BSB version 2 charts. Last year NOAA stopped producing charts that cover Canadian waters along the border of the Great Lakes in accordance with licensing agreements with the lads who produce out charts, which are BSB v3. So I still have the old data sets, NOAA v2, that Im looking at converting in .gemf format.

Best regards...keep up the good work.

/ch

[sailias]

On a different note...the x86-android project has matured nicely. MxMariner seems to run on it with a few issues like most apps. The chart outlines are not visible. This is an issue with the OS not the app. So if you have an eeepc and consider bring new life to it, do check it out. More systems will come on line as this project matures.

Android-x86 - Porting Android to x86

[sailias]

The x86 port for the EEEPC (you can build to your own putter) supports MxMariner rather fine. The only thing I have not tested is bluetooth connectivity to a GPS as I have that not working at present. This leads to the following feature request however.

For "tablets" running MxMariner
________________________________________

While originally designed for small screens and speed of processing for low power processors, tablets (or laptops) do not lack that restriction.

The displayed maps are per sector by selection. For tablets (or putters) with larger screens it would be nice to have access to multiple sectors by means of selection. So If I want to load the charts for the Northern half of the Eastern Seaboard, that would be made available via a multi select feature.

Would be really nice for larger screens.

Many thanks.....great app.

/ch

[sailias]

Just to complete the review. x86-Android can be build from source to fit just about any putter or laptop within reason. ARM is supported. The best test platform is an older EEEPC available from ebay for a few dollars. Battery life is great. On my old test machine bluetooth and the keyboard are dead so using external. Need to source my older Bluetooth dongle and see if I can get it working. Android 4.0.1 supports external USB devices and I can connect my Terrabyte drive to it and store data on it althought it craps out the setting tab under storage. All works fine however. As stated the only feature missing is to have multiple sectors selection option. Makes a nice boat computer for a very reasonable price.

Finally, if you have concerns about android talking home to much most of this can be turned off once the initial setup is done. The only reall access to google needed is the app store and you can do that with an account via the web. It is possible to silence the machine by using alternative apps. Those that you cannot remove you can "freeze" them with a suitable application. Silent running is quite possible with android on a laptop.

MxMariner runs just fine.

Nice work Will.

/ch

[sailias]

Here's an example of what I mean. Plotting a route from Lake Ontario to NYC is not possible without switching regions. While the same applies to smaller phones a nice option for tablets would be to have multiple region selection as an option. With the higher end processors available, rendering speed should not be a factor.

Best and kind regards

/ch

[Cormorant]

In a similar vein, it might be nice to have a "high-res charts" option. Certain depths and bridge clearances are difficult to read in the US charts available now.

I don't might holding 5X or 10X more information on my phone's SD card. So long as my processor can handle the extra data, I would love to have a clearer view of small details like that.

[greenhouse]

Hi
I have an Xoom running jellybean.
I also have charts for the UK that I run on opencpn on an old laptop.
Will mxmariner run on my Xoom and will I be able to use the UK charts?

[Hyprdrv]

Yes to the Zoom, works great. No idea about the UK charts.

Steve in Solomons MD
Lagoon 410 SE

[Rik-lu]

Hi Manimaul,

do I understand it right that the android version only supports rastercharts and no cm93-2 ?

[manimaul]

Originally Posted by Rik-lu

Hi Manimaul,

do I understand it right that the android version only supports rastercharts and no cm93-2 ?

That is correct vector charts are not supported yet. However, vector support is on the release schedule.

All USA NOAA, New Zealand LINZ and Brazil Navy raster charts are available to download and install from within MX Mariner. BSB version 3 Charts for other areas can be imported using MXCart on your PC.

Cormorant:
MXCart does not quantize the chart images like the ones downloadable in app. For a little higher resolution try it out and let me know if it looks better to you.

Will

[Andres_RG]

Originally Posted by manimaul

That is correct vector charts are not supported yet. However, vector support is on the release schedule.

Great, good news .
Vector charts like S57 or CM93 v2 are a very good option for navigation on board a small craft.
In my sloop I use a PC/WXP with OpenCPN and MapTech Navigator, and a PDA with oziexplorer, but an Android tablet becomes, in my humble opinion, the best option: cost, open, user friendly, ...

Thanks and best regards.

[rgleason]

Nexus 7 Android thread. Looks favorable. Mention of good viewing in sunlight.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...let-85556.html

Is MX Mariner based on OpenCPN development?

[barnakiel]

Win 8 / Microsoft tablets later this year will sure run OpenCPN but how will they be priced?

I bet we would be better off with an Open something on Android even if only the basic functionality (say GPS tracking and AIS display) were available to start with.

b.