Mobile GMaps

Mobile GMaps is software to run on your Java enabled mobile phone.

It is a mapping program supporting many typs of services

I'll add a guide for using the find location in later.

Satellite, Road and Hybrid maps
GPS: Inbuilt, Serial, Bluetooth
Auto save position when exit
Stored maps on a memory card (no online map download)
Location finder using google(or another maps) find location (marks on map the location)
Map Notations markers for places of your choice.
Various services such as google traffic info wikimapedia etc

Services known to work with Mobile GMaps

Ask.com
Yahoo Maps
MSN Maps
Google Maps (Via cache only)
Open Street
Ability to add your own service

Installation

Go to Mobile GMap Download on your web broswer or mobile phone and get the latest Signed JAD and JAR files.

- You need both if installing from memory card, if you are installing from mobile just use the Signed JAD

Copy to your your memory card in a folder both the JAD and JAR and install from the JAD on your phone.

(NOTE: make sure no previous mobile mgmaps software is installed)

If all goes well it will be installed and you can go to configuration.

If you get a error message in the JAD when installing it could be a few reasons and the mgmap forum or ocau is happy to help solve these issues.

Configuration

Good help manual can be found here

First thing you are going to need to do is change access permissions.

(you can find out how to change specific java application permissions in your mobile user guide)

The permission you need to change is (READ USER DATA) set this to 'ask once' or 'never' as having it as no you cant view stored maps and having it always ask means its going to ask everytime it wants to load a tile.

If you DO NOT have 'ask once' or 'never' then please uninstall and install from Signed JAD file

Also change the Internet permissions to Always ASK or never (unless you want it to always be online)

- If you are using a GPS change local connectivity to ask once or never

Now you can load the program.

Once in press the menu key then go to settings.

Below is the settings and decscriptions on what I know about. (feel free to document other settings)

Display

- Default Overlays
      - Titlebar (Turn this OFF as all it does is use up screenspace displaying the apps name)

Map Browsing

- Settings
      - Low Memory (Using a phone turn this on)
      - Stored Maps (Turn this on if you want to use pre downloaded maps 'details later on downloading maps')

GPS

- Setup 
  - Mobile tracking
      -  Show your position (I used move map to move my map with the GPS)
  - Select Device (Here you choose your GPS device easy to do)

- Storage Path (here is choose where your stored maps are located keep this in mind)

- Memory Cache (If your phone has stored maps I read its 128 recommended)

Map Types Here you choose your map type I chose Google maps. Google maps state its not available (but it does work only if you download them yourself)

Once you setup the GPS please wait a bit for the map to update with your GPS location.

-Make sure you have bluetooth enabled for the phone.

-You don't need use the phones inbuilt bluetooth find to search for the GPS use MGMaps instead, while you can use the phones bluetooth search it isn't needed for correct operation.

Map Tools for use with Mobile GMaps

There are 2 map download programs located here

gMapMaker (Windows)
Perl (command-line) tools: (I have no knowledge of this - linux gurus please edit)

There is a website for making map files that will download the maps using your tool of choice here

Next section explains making .map files definition files and after that is using the windows tool to grab the maps using that definition file.

Creating Map Definition File

Go to the website here and It'll show you a world map.

(Please note I had problems creating a world map and eventually got one given to me so my explanation will start at Australia and beyond)

After creating or getting a world map for zoom levels 1-5 (or whatever your preference is)

To select Australia click around it one click on each corner will surfice.

You will see a red box in and around Australia with the edges the points you clicked.

-If you make a mistake with clicking points click reset.

Then input zoom levels 0-7 in the box below.

Then choose type of map I went with google maps but you can use any preferred mapping service listed.

Then click generate and I'll save a .map on your computer with a strange filename.

Go back into the website and zoom in using the mouse wheel.

Select your State using the method above making sure you click reset first.

Input zoom levels 7-10 and click generate it creates another map file.

Select just your city or where you want individual street level mapping making sure to hit reset first.

Then select zoom levels 10-15 and generate to make a new map file.

You should have 4 .map files now.

Now we are going to merge all the map files into 1

Load the map files with a text edior.

You will see something similar to.

GoogleMap

10-15: -32.79915387393626, 115.48828125 : -31.609122629322332, 115.83984375

10-15: -32.50164606278278, 115.83984375 : -31.609122629322332, 116.015625

10-15: -32.352892157206036, 116.015625 : -31.757876534899072, 116.19140625

Your's may only have 1 line in it.

Notice the zoom level at the start of the line.

Basically copy all the lines into one text file from all the maps this one keeping the zoom levels in order.

So your end map text file will look something like.

GoogleMap

00-07: -54.56302394160469, -22.5 : 45.74153334903583, 157.5

07-10: -32.806087913160916, 115.3125 : -31.616428065668536, 116.3671875

10-15: -32.50164606278278, 115.83984375 : -31.609122629322332, 116.015625

Don't worry if you have multiple lines for a zoom level.

Save that as yourmap.map (where yourmap is your maps name)

You can use as many maps as you want anywhere in the world all together in this.

Please not that the more maps and area you are generating you have the bigger the download is going to be.

Downloading the actual maps

On Windows XP or earlier (VISTA doesn't work)

Load gMapMaker
Set your path to cache to
Change operating mode to (GMaps mode, use a map file)
Then click go and I'tll ask for the map file
Select that file and I'tll start caching the maps
It will start of fast then slow down when it gets to the higher zoom levels

Wait a long time for it to download the maps mine took over night on google maps on a 1.5mbit connection

(grabbing from google earth pre cache may be a option in the future I read)

If you download fails just restart the program and select the map file again (It skips files already downloaded)

Installing the actual maps after downloading

After it finishes all you need to do is:

(extra step to save you more memory card space)

copy all the data off your memory card
Format memory card clusters to 512 bytes to save more space as the size on disk is much larger than actual size.
Copy the data back to the formatted memory card

(/extra step)

(Doing that extra step may not work as some phones cant read FAT32 512b clusters, Also your phone may take over 10 mins to start up so be patient)

Copy the (MGMapsCache) folder to your phone memory card and set the folder to 'hidden'

- hiding the folder means your mobile will load faster and the cache won't show in your phones file browser

Set the path mentiond earlier to use stored maps
Set your mapping type to the type of your downloaded maps
Finally restart the map program on your phone

If all worked you'll see the maps on your phone and you'll be able to browse them.