It's been some while since I last added to this blog. Most of that time has been devoted to my latest project: making PCDB Waypoints display a map over which it can overlay marks, waypoints, or collections of waypoints joined by a route. It hasn't been easy!
Stage 1 was to get it to display a map - any map. The eventual intention is to display chart-type data, but most of the mapa data available today is streat maps - either Google's or someone else's. The Google mapping apps in Android can only be used with Google maps. I don't want to be restricted in this way, so I've been looking at alternatives. One is the Open Street Mapping (OSM) initiative, which provides a free-to-use street map of much of the world, and a set of Android APIs to enable an app to access these. I've now got to the point where, starting from the Waypoints screen, I can call up the OSM map, and show the Waypoint's icon (starboard hand mark, fairway buoy, etc), suitably scaled and positioned at the correct point on the map. I can then scroll the map and zoom it in and out.
The next stage is to overaly a sequence of Waypoints, find the geographic centre of them and position the map there, the set the zoom level so that the entire route is included on the map pane. That'll keep me busy for a while yet.
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