Re: CoreLocation clone

[Maxthon Chan]

Here is a list of tasks to finish to make this into being:

1) Enhance CoreBase, probably fuse it with Base or move a significant portion 
of code from Base, so that CoreGraphics will work properly;
2) Implement CoreGraphics on top of Back and link against CoreBase;
3) Rewrite GUI to employ the new CoreGraphics API;
4) Implement CoreLocation. This may spin off a subproject to maintain an open 
WLAN AP geolocating server using data from OBM
5) Implement MapKit that will link against GUI, CoreLocat;ion and CoreGraphins. 
CG is used to generate maps.

Tasks 4 can run parallel with tasks 1, 2 and 3.

在 2013-6-4，下午2:06，Sebastian Reitenbach <address@hidden> 写道：

> 
> On Tuesday, June 4, 2013 02:45 CEST, Ivan Vučica <address@hidden> wrote:
> 
>> 
>> On 4. 6. 2013., at 01:02, Maxthon Chan <address@hidden> wrote:
>> 
>>> From what I know, you can use Android location services without Google Maps 
>>> app as tried on a home-brew Android device - this meant that probably the 
>>> locating API is not in the Google Maps app but in the system itself, and 
>>> can be safely extracted.
>> 
>> Indeed? What backend does that use? :-)
>> 
>> If the homebrew device has GPS on it, then the location API's functionality 
>> does not surprise me. If it, however, does not, then listening to traffic 
>> with Wireshark is in order to figure out whose terms of use you want to 
>> study before reversing the protocol :-)
>> 
>> From what I can tell, you can't actually check this on a retail device which 
>> comes with Google services, because these services can also provide 
>> information to the "android.location" API, not just the "Google Location 
>> Services for Android":
>>    http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/location/index.html
>> 
>> If it turns out it is based on WLAN stations, it still almost certainly uses 
>> an API endpoint that comes with terms of service. And if it's Google Maps 
>> Location API, then all I can say is -- just because a blind eye is turned 
>> when a Google-backed open source project (that is, the "Android Open Source 
>> Project" as it's called) uses the API - well, that doesn't mean they'll like 
>> GNUstep using it.
>> 
>>> For OpenStreepMap and OpenBmap, this would require a cooperation between 
>>> projects - they should be willing to back up our CoreLocation and MapKit 
>>> implementation.
>> 
>> Yes. From what little I know about OSM, it's primarily a data source; so we 
>> would also need someone to provide tiles (the rendered images themselves). 
>> An iOS app I know offers a choice between about 8 different tiling 
>> providers; it may be worth looking into that.
> 
> 
> I don't think you'd need an extra tiles provider. OSM offers an API to query 
> its database, and you get back an XML snippet describing the map. You then 
> can just render it on your own.
> I use qlandkartegt a lot, which is doing exactly this.
> 
> cheers
> Sebastian
> 
>> 
>> By the way -- I've just remembered MySTEP also has a MapKit implementation 
>> which happens to use OpenStreetMap:
>>  http://projects.goldelico.com/p/mySTEP/page/MapKit/
>> 
>> Now, OpenBmap. OpenBmap doesn't actually provide a complete service; it 
>> primarily provides a database of MAC-to-geolocation mappings. This is great 
>> for what is needed for Core Location; one just needs to develop a good 
>> triangulation algorithm based on relative signal strengths of multiple MACs. 
>> Upload a list of MACs and signal strengths, get back the geolocation. :-)
>> 
>>> Have you ever noticed that there are lots of 3G network adapters for 
>>> computers that plugs onto a computers USB or ExpressCard port? For some 
>>> computer models (like Dell Latitude D620, as I have a really old one still 
>>> alive, kicking and serves my blog - shameless plug, 
>>> http://blog.maxchan.info/ - to everyone over the Internet) there are even 
>>> built-in ones?
>> 
>> Sure. Can you issue an AT command that will list all the cell tower 
>> identifiers along with signal strength toward that particular tower? Can you 
>> issue an AT command to get an identifier of just the tower you're connected 
>> to, so you can combine that with the current connection signal strength? :-)
>> 
>> That's the problem: you may be able to find the AT command on a particular 
>> dongle, but it's bound to be nonstandard and probably won't exist on 
>> whatever garbage operators around the world tend to sell. (For example, I 
>> had some... 'experience' with a dongle that came with OS X 10.5 drivers. 
>> These included libcurl... which, when overwritten on 10.6, broke 
>> loginwindow.app. Not a nice situation to be in. Even worse is spending a few 
>> hours on diagnosing that this is, indeed, the problem. *sigh*)
>> 
>>> The MapKit for OS X in question seemed used only public Google Maps API. It 
>>> is freely licensed as well, no key required and the author himself is not 
>>> in trouble as well.
>> 
>> Did you read Google Maps API terms of service and, more importantly, the 
>> billing information? Aside from decision to go "thermonuclear", financials 
>> are considered one of the reasons why Apple opted for rolling the infamous 
>> Apple Maps service.
>> 
>> Regarding the author of MapKit for OS X being sued: just because a tiger 
>> turns a blind eye doesn't mean you should go poking him with a stick :-)
>> 
>> Plus, aside from Google Maps API, you need to consider Google Maps Location 
>> API, which has no free tier apart from 100 requests a day. Hardly enough for 
>> any serious use.
>> 
>> On 4. 6. 2013., at 01:07, Maxthon Chan <address@hidden> wrote:
>> 
>>> And by what I say as crowd-sourcing, I mean ask users that are willing to 
>>> share for information. What we are asking for here is several numbers: AP 
>>> BSSID, transmission power, and its geological location (latitude and 
>>> longitude, as well as height). The request is done by the device uploading 
>>> a list of BSSIDs received and its signal strength, hence BSSID never leaves 
>>> our servers, and thus privacy issue avoided.
>> 
>> 
>> Sure; so the only people violating the privacy are -- we ourselves? :)
>> 
>> Plus, what happens when someone queries for location of MAC "XYZ"? We reveal 
>> the location -- which is the purpose of the API. Sure, that happens already: 
>> Google's doing it, Apple's doing it, Skyhook's doing it, OpenBmap people 
>> seem to be doing it. I'm just saying that it's private information, in a 
>> way. :-)
>> 
>> from the things-we-unknowningly-reveal dept:
>> 
>> I really liked it when, at my former workplace, we received a crash report 
>> for a game on OS X. Something ticked my curiosity and I playfully passed 
>> into Skyhook the several listed AP MAC addresses that OS X dutifully 
>> included in "full system report". Imagine my surprise when it turned out 
>> that Skyhook claimed the location was just across Apple's campus...
>> 
>> ...and yes, it did turn out it was a crash report from an Apple employee.
>> 
>> --
>> Ivan Vučica
>> address@hidden - http://ivan.vucica.net/
>> 
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