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============ Introduction ============ LogMyGsm is an Android application with these main features: - logging of cellular network information versus location - on-screen display of cell and location -related information - a general purpose map viewer including route planning and distance measurement - a menu option to share the current location (as an OS grid reference) with any other application (e.g. messaging, Twitter, Evernote etc) - bookmarking of current location in the log file ============ Data logging ============ LogMyGsm will write logfiles automatically once it has a GPS fix. The files are written to the /sdcard/LogMyGsm/logs directory. Each line in the logfile has the following format 51.3383821 -2.9814906 6 A U 410939 35490 -101 23410 76.3 1347211290 The columns are * latitude * longitude * GPS estimated accuracy (metres) * cell connection state (A = in coverage, X = out of coverage or emergency calls only) * connection type (G = GPRS (2G), E = EDGE (2.5G), U = UMTS (3G), H = HSDPA (3.5G)) * cell ID * LAC * signal power level (in dBm, based on standard ASU<->dBm formula) * MCC/MNC (234 is UK, 10 is O2) * raw (WGS84) elevation (requires correction to get height above sea level) * timestamp (seconds since Unix epoch) The logging function continues to run even if the application is put into the background with the Back or Home buttons. This allows other applications to be used on the phone whilst data continues to be gathered. An Exit option on the main menu must be used to exit from the application completely. LogMyGsm cannot post-process the logfiles. They are meant to be retrieved to a PC by FTP (e.g. using the SwiFTP application to enable an FTP server on the phone), or over a USB cable, or by sharing/emailing them off the phone through the 'Cloud'. Once on the PC, the data in the logfiles can be processed to generate coverage maps. (Tools for doing this are not part of the LogMyGsm project.) The logfiles can also be processed into GPX files, suitable for use in editing OpenStreetMap etc. Any bookmarks in the logfiles become waypoints in the GPX file. ================= On-screen display ================= About 50% of screen area is the map. An example is at http://rc0rc0.wordpress.com/2013/05/15/logmygsm-explanation/ The text area displays the following: * cell ID (coloured red if the phone currently has no service or emergency calls only) * signal power level (in ASU) * LAC * the range and bearing from the centre of the map to the tower location, if known * connection type (GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, HSDPA) * MNC (network operator code); the MCC (country code) is assumed to be known... * history of recently used cells (showing cell ID, time since last use) * number of points logged to file this session * X and Y coordinates of the map tile at the centre of the map display * OS grid reference of the point at the centre of the map display (UK only) If the GPS is locked: * latitude and longitude of current position * estimated height above sea level (UK only - the approximation will be bogus elsewhere) * GPS position accuracy as reported by the system * speed (in miles per hour, if the map is NOT panned away from the current location) * heading (degrees clockwise round from north) * distance between current location and the point at the centre of the map (if the map is panned away from the current location) * number of satellites used for estimate, number with ephemeris, number with almanac, total There is a large map mode (selected as "waypoints" from the menu). On this screen a larger map is shown, and markers can be added to and deleted from the map. Markers are shown in a deep ruby colour, which seems to stand out against the supported maps. The markers are joined by links to aid in route planning. LogMyGsm will guess which pairs of markers are adjacent for linking purposes. The normal and waypoints maps have separate preferences. So for example, different maps or zoom levels can be left open on the two maps. =========== Map Viewing =========== The map view has the following features: * zoom in (+) and out (-) by touching buttons at the top of the map. Note: there is *NO* pinch to zoom function * pan the map by touching and dragging it around * choice of tile sets: - OpenStreetMap (Mapnik) - Open Cycle Map - UK Ordnance Survey - custom tiles. Suitable tiles could be generated by processing the logfiles and uploading them on to the SD card. Support for up to 3 networks' worth of coverage tiles are supported. Tools to do this are outside the scope of this project. * there is *NO* automatic downloading of missing tiles. This is to avoid the use of mobile data, or WiFi data at inconvenient times. Missing tiles are approximated by zooming into a coarser (zoomed-out) tile if available. Such regions of the map are overlayed with a pale blue cross. If no suitable coarser tile is found, a plain gray tile is shown. * various manual downloading options: - force download of the tile covering the centre of the display - useful if the tile is believed to be out of date (e.g. due to constant improvements to OpenStreetMap) - and all zoomed-out levels containing it - any missing tiles within screen area at current zoom level and all zoomed-out levels containing it - same + missing tiles at 1 further level of zoom - same + missing tiles at 1+2 further levels of zoom - any missing tiles along all links between markers to currently viewed zoom level, and all zoomed-out levels. Half a tile of "fuzz" is downloaded around this path, to cover small deviations from the planned route. - any missing tiles within 3x3 or 5x5 regions around centre-screen * the map shows the path the phone has covered as alternating black and white dots against a semi-opaque purple background. The trail can be cleared through a menu option "clear trail" on the "waypoints map" screen. * recentre by touching centre circle - if GPS is locked, recentre jumps to current GPS location - otherwise, recentre jumps to estimated position of the tower currently being accessed, if known (using /sdcard/logmygsm/prefs/cidxy.txt file) - otherwise recentre does nothing If GPS is locked * thick circle centred at current GPS location (which may be away from centre of display if the map has been dragged, and may even be off-screen) * a triangle showing the current heading The map tiles use the same directory structure as the Maverick and Maverick Pro applications, so the storage is shared if those applications are also in use on the phone. Directories under /sdcard/external_sd/Maverick/tiles are searched before /sdcard/Maverick/tiles, to handle the way newer Samsung phones mount the removable microSD card. ===== Files ===== Apart from the (bulky) map tiles, the other files are on "internal" SD card storage. /sdcard/LogMyGsm/logs/23410/YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS.log This is the path of each logfile when an UK O2 SIM card is in use. Replace "23410" by the MCC-MNC code of your SIM card. Consult http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_Network_Code /sdcard/LogMyGsm/prefs/cidxy_23410.txt This is a text file containing a mapping from LAC+CID to X,Y Web Mercator coordinates of the cell tower. This file could be generated by separate tools and copied onto the phone. For other SIM operators, replace "23410" by their MCC-MNC. /sdcard/LogMyGsm/prefs/cidxy_23410.dat Binary compiled form of the above .txt file, to speed up later loading. Automatically updated if the .txt file is replaced with a newer version. /sdcard/LogMyGsm/prefs/markers.txt File containing the markers that are edited in the "waypoints" screen /sdcard/LogMyGsm/prefs/prefs.txt Preferences for the "normal" activity (map choice, zoom level, display position etc) /sdcard/LogMyGsm/prefs/prefs.txt Preferences for the "waypoint edit" activity /sdcard/LogMyGsm/prefs/trail.dat Binary file containing the points on the trail (shown as alternative black and white dots on the map). /sdcard/external_sd/Maverick/tiles/... or /sdcard/Maverick/tiles/... Map tile storage. If you generate custom tiles showing network coverage, you have to upload these onto the phone over FTP, via USB cable, or by temporarily moving your microSD card to your computer. There is no provision in LogMyGsm to download custom tiles from the Internet. # vim:et:sw=4:sts=4:ts=4
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An Android app that both displays maps and shows + logs cell coverage data versus location for offline analysis
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