Is There Linux Trip-Planning Software? 17
Spiral Man writes: "There has been a lot of talk lately about Linux on handheld and embeded device. One interest of particular interest to me is in-dash computers for cars. Probably the most important app for one of these (aside from the CD player) would be a navigation and trip planing package such as DeLorme's Street Atlas, and Microsoft's Streets USA. My question is: Are there any apps, or even plans to write apps like this for Linux. Preferably these would use a commercial, or at least well updated, street database, and would have to be able to track you current location with a GPS." Especially considering the coming flood of GNU/Linux-based handhelds and dashboard computers, this question will be one of the toughies for folks who want to use Free software wherever possible, but who also want the capabilities in applications like Streets USA. Are there any competitors out there in the Free world?
What kind of trip? (Score:1)
The problem is not so much the programming, as there are several good public-licensed Geographic Information Systems softwares out there that could be cut down to do the job. The problems is where are you going to get the mapping database?
The owners of the database need to have a huge number of copies sold in order to cover their considerable cost in labor for cleaning up raw data. Maybe what is needed is for the software publishers to piggyback a linux program on to their existing Windoze package.
Easy (Score:1)
routeplanner (Score:2)
The problem is, Yahoo! Maps sucks (Score:2)
I just checked 2 routes on Yahoo! Maps, one trip that I've personally driven completely and another that I've done about halfway. One was from my home to Arlington, VA. Where's it take you? Across most of the major highways in southern Pennsylvania, then right down the Baltimore-DC corridor. And then (get this) right through DC and down Pennsylvania Avenue! Get comfy - you'll be sitting still for a while there. I plotted my own route which was faster, shorter, and had much less traffic.
The second route was Boston to Seattle. Still a lot of excess road-switching, and oddly, it didn't route through Ontario between Buffalo, NY and Detroit, MI, which is my preferred route. You miss a number of cities going that way. Also, it keeps you off of I-90 for the majority of the trip, which just about the most direct route.
I'll be sticking with paper maps for a while. If you've got someone riding with you, let them read. And whether you're solo or driving with someone, a stop every few hours along the way to get out and stretch your legs is good for you anyway.
WINE? (Score:1)
just an idea
Try this (Score:2)
This may be more to the point: GPS for Linux [kenseglerdesigns.com] on the same board. Mentions Mayko [mayko.com], which is what I will be trying on my vehicle-mounted I-Opener, but on FreeBSD. Not exactly trip planning software, but covers the navigation portion of your question.
Visit DC2600 [dc2600.com]
Crown Copyright Issues (Score:1)
There would be a legal mine-field getting hold of this infomation for free. The money put into these surveys needs to be re-couped somehow.
Re:The problem is, Yahoo! Maps sucks (Score:2)
The "mapping" programs often choose the state routes because the distances are a bit shorter, but the highways out here often have speed limits of 75mph (compared to 55 or 65 on the state routes).
Also the point about local traffic is well taken, it would be really cool if these planners took into account the time of day you left, the local traffic conditions, and planned alternate routes if you hit certain waypoints in your trip (near high traffic areas) at bad times (ie DC down Pennsylvania or rush hour route 128) where its almost always quicker to go around the traffic even with the lower speed limits and stop lights. Of course this would require a much better database, but would be significantly more useful. I'm surprised someone isn't working/charging for this already (or maybe they are, NDA interviews anyone
Re:The problem is, Yahoo! Maps sucks (Score:1)
Perhaps you didn't notice a city-center message on the screen, and it routed you to the "center" of D.C. (although why it chose D.C. for a Virginia address is interesting).
Re:Crown Copyright Issues (Score:1)
Re:What kind of trip? (Score:2)
Bruce
Re:WINE? Try Delorme Street Atlas (Score:1)
Back in my WABI days, we found that Delorme Street Atlas was so well-coded and clean that it ran with extraordinarily few problems on WABI.
I've never tried it on WINE, but I suspect that it would have a pretty good shot there, too, depending on the current status of the WINE implementation.
The reason we liked Delorme so much was that most of the applications we tried to run on WABI turned up at least a handful of compatibility issues that we had to deal with. Many MS applications took months of analysis (black box analysis, of course) to get them to work.
Delorme Street Atlas worked right out of the box.
Of course, YMMV, this was 5+ years ago.
Tiger line files and reality... (Score:1)
1. Things are not where they are supposed to be. In the files for Alaska, points were often plus or minus five percent. The town of Bethel was off by about eight miles.
2. Numerous duplications. We found one subdvision in Anchorage was duplicated three times, in slightly different spots.
3. Don't know where they got the base maps, but I figure it was a historical archive. The towns of Whitney and Spenard havn't existed for thirty years or more...
I sure hope they get better with practice.
Re:What kind of trip? (Score:1)
A GIS is only enough to help display endpoints. The routing task is the part which I haven't noticed where it is available.
Re:What kind of trip? (Score:2)
Read my post again (Score:1)
Trip Planning? (Score:3)