Mobile Solutions

Overview

This is not a formal OSGeo project, just a spot for a few OSGeo folks to share some ideas. The idea is to elaborate foundations of design and implementation of Open Source GIS application(s) for mobile devices.

Our main objectives are to discuss:

• principles of mobile software design
• high usable User Interface on mobile devices
• key functions automation
• usage of latest communication techniques
• portability

Hardware

TODO: What is the best device for mobile GIS application?

Operating Systems / Platforms

This section is devoted to discuss features as well as pros and cons (+/-) of various mobile operating systems and software platforms.

Here are listed platforms we have discussed, in alphabetical order:

Linux

See:

• http://familiar.handhelds.org
• http://intimate.handhelds.org
• http://www.microwindows.org
• http://www.openembedded.org

See also:

• http://www.linuxdevices.com
• http://tuxmobil.org/pda_linux.html

Pros and Cons

• +
  • choice of user environments: GPE, Opie and Qtopia
  • easy software portability
  • Open Source Software
  • POSIX

• -
  • less popular

Palm OS

See:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_OS

Pros and Cons

• +
  • available Open Source tool chain - called
  • available JVM
  • C/C++ programming language

• -
  • dedicated for a very specific hardware platform designed entirely by Palm Computing
  • no choice of user environments
  • no multitasking support in versions prior to Palm OS 6 (Cobalt)
  • proprietary

Symbian OS

See:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbian_OS

Pros and Cons

• +
  • dedicated to devices with very limited resources
  • good support for popular IDEs on Linux, Mac OS and Windows
  • open in terms of Open Standards
  • very popular on smartphones
  • very well documented APIs
  • very good support for Java
  • wide variety of programming languages: C++, Java, Perl, Python, OPL, Visual Basic

• -
  • no choice of user environments
  • proprietary

Windows CE

See:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_CE
• http://www.windowsfordevices.com

Pros and Cons

• +
  • Real-Time Operating System
  • supports wide range of hardware
  • very popular on PDAs / widely used
  • very well supported by Visual Studio 2005

• -
  • no choice of user environments
  • No good free JVM available, both recommended machines IBM J9 JVM and NSICOM CrEme JVM are commercial
  • proprietary
  • Visual Studio 2005 is expansive / no replacement

Open Source GIS for Mobile Devices

TODO: Details of mobile GIS application design and implementation

Key Features

TODO: List of key features

Brainstorm

TODO: Summary of our discussion on the OSGeo mailing list

Existing Projects

Here is the list of various existing Open Source GIS projects for mobile platforms:

• GRASS Server by Radim Blazek and Luca Nardelli - client-server system providing access to geographic information from different kinds of devices: PCs, PDAs, mobile phones; with speech recognition support.
• GRASS Server Video by Radim Blazek and Luca Nardelli - Video Demo (AVI File 31MB).