currently my android app is working to get gps coordinates and print them to my screen. The issues is that they seem to sometimes be up to 300m inaccurate. I don't understand how to alter it so that it will actually get a gps fix and continuously update my longitude and latitude with accurate coordinates.
The following code is my GPS handler.
public class GPSTracker extends Service implements LocationListener {
private final Context context;
boolean isGPSEnabled = false;
boolean isNetworkEnabled = false;
boolean canGetLocation = false;
Location location;
double latitude;
double longitude;
private static final long MIN_DISTANCE_CHANGE_FOR_UPDATES = 10;
private static final long MIN_TIME_BW_UPDATES = 1000 * 1;
protected LocationManager locationManager;
public GPSTracker(Context context) {
this.context = context;
getLocation();
}
public Location getLocation() {
try {
locationManager = (LocationManager) context.getSystemService(LOCATION_SERVICE);
isGPSEnabled = locationManager.isProviderEnabled(LocationManager.GPS_PROVIDER);
isNetworkEnabled = locationManager.isProviderEnabled(LocationManager.NETWORK_PROVIDER);
if (!isGPSEnabled && !isNetworkEnabled) {
} else {
this.canGetLocation = true;
if (isNetworkEnabled) {
locationManager.requestLocationUpdates(
LocationManager.NETWORK_PROVIDER,
MIN_TIME_BW_UPDATES,
MIN_DISTANCE_CHANGE_FOR_UPDATES, this);
if (locationManager != null) {
location = locationManager
.getLastKnownLocation(LocationManager.NETWORK_PROVIDER);
if (location != null) {
latitude = location.getLatitude();
longitude = location.getLongitude();
}
}
}
if (isGPSEnabled) {
if (location == null) {
locationManager.requestLocationUpdates(
LocationManager.GPS_PROVIDER,
MIN_TIME_BW_UPDATES,
MIN_DISTANCE_CHANGE_FOR_UPDATES, this);
if (locationManager != null) {
location = locationManager.getLastKnownLocation(LocationManager.GPS_PROVIDER);
if (location != null) {
latitude = location.getLatitude();
longitude = location.getLongitude();
}
}
}
}
}
} catch (Exception e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
return location;
}
public void stopUsingGPS() {
if (locationManager != null) {
locationManager.removeUpdates(GPSTracker.this);
}
}
public double getLatitude() {
if (location != null) {
latitude = location.getLatitude();
}
return latitude;
}
public double getLongitude() {
if (location != null) {
longitude = location.getLongitude();
}
return longitude;
}
public boolean canGetLocation() {
return this.canGetLocation;
}
public void showSettingsAlert() {
AlertDialog.Builder alertDialog = new AlertDialog.Builder(context);
alertDialog.setTitle("GPS is settings");
alertDialog.setMessage("GPS is not enabled. Do you want to go to settings menu?");
alertDialog.setPositiveButton("Settings", new DialogInterface.OnClickListener() {
#Override
public void onClick(DialogInterface dialog, int which) {
Intent intent = new Intent(Settings.ACTION_LOCATION_SOURCE_SETTINGS);
context.startActivity(intent);
}
});
alertDialog.setNegativeButton("Cancel", new DialogInterface.OnClickListener() {
#Override
public void onClick(DialogInterface dialog, int which) {
dialog.cancel();
}
});
alertDialog.show();
}
#Override
public void onLocationChanged(Location arg0) {
// TODO Auto-generated method stub
}
#Override
public void onProviderDisabled(String arg0) {
// TODO Auto-generated method stub
}
#Override
public void onProviderEnabled(String arg0) {
// TODO Auto-generated method stub
}
#Override
public void onStatusChanged(String arg0, int arg1, Bundle arg2) {
// TODO Auto-generated method stub
}
#Override
public IBinder onBind(Intent intent) {
// TODO Auto-generated method stub
return null;
}
}
gps = new GPSTracker(MainActivity.this);
if(gps.canGetLocation()) {
latitude = gps.getLatitude();
longitude = gps.getLongitude();
}
else {
gps.showSettingsAlert();
}
Criteria criteria = new Criteria();
criteria.setAccuracy(Criteria.ACCURACY_HIGH);
locationManager.getBestProvider(criteria, true);
Hope this wil helps you.
It looks like you use both Network Provider and GPS Provider for getting the location updates. Because Network Provider is relying on cell tower and Wi-Fi signals, it will be less accurate than GPS Provider.
To solve this problem, you can filter the location received by LocationManager by this method
private static final int TWO_MINUTES = 1000 * 60 * 2;
/** Determines whether one Location reading is better than the current Location fix
* #param location The new Location that you want to evaluate
* #param currentBestLocation The current Location fix, to which you want to compare the new one
*/
protected boolean isBetterLocation(Location location, Location currentBestLocation) {
if (currentBestLocation == null) {
// A new location is always better than no location
return true;
}
// Check whether the new location fix is newer or older
long timeDelta = location.getTime() - currentBestLocation.getTime();
boolean isSignificantlyNewer = timeDelta > TWO_MINUTES;
boolean isSignificantlyOlder = timeDelta < -TWO_MINUTES;
boolean isNewer = timeDelta > 0;
// If it's been more than two minutes since the current location, use the new location
// because the user has likely moved
if (isSignificantlyNewer) {
return true;
// If the new location is more than two minutes older, it must be worse
} else if (isSignificantlyOlder) {
return false;
}
// Check whether the new location fix is more or less accurate
int accuracyDelta = (int) (location.getAccuracy() - currentBestLocation.getAccuracy());
boolean isLessAccurate = accuracyDelta > 0;
boolean isMoreAccurate = accuracyDelta < 0;
boolean isSignificantlyLessAccurate = accuracyDelta > 200;
// Check if the old and new location are from the same provider
boolean isFromSameProvider = isSameProvider(location.getProvider(),
currentBestLocation.getProvider());
// Determine location quality using a combination of timeliness and accuracy
if (isMoreAccurate) {
return true;
} else if (isNewer && !isLessAccurate) {
return true;
} else if (isNewer && !isSignificantlyLessAccurate && isFromSameProvider) {
return true;
}
return false;
}
/** Checks whether two providers are the same */
private boolean isSameProvider(String provider1, String provider2) {
if (provider1 == null) {
return provider2 == null;
}
return provider1.equals(provider2);
}
Taken from : http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/location/strategies.html
or
Just disable updates from Network Provider by removing these lines from your code
if (isNetworkEnabled) {
locationManager.requestLocationUpdates(
LocationManager.NETWORK_PROVIDER,
MIN_TIME_BW_UPDATES,
MIN_DISTANCE_CHANGE_FOR_UPDATES, this);
if (locationManager != null) {
location = locationManager
.getLastKnownLocation(LocationManager.NETWORK_PROVIDER);
if (location != null) {
latitude = location.getLatitude();
longitude = location.getLongitude();
}
}
}
I have a service at the moment that sort of works. It checks if GPS is enabled, if it is it will get the GPS location and my map can zoom to the location. It has getLastKnownLocation. Problem is, getLastKnownLocation might be miles away(as it was yesterday when I tried it).
It runs the GPS check first, as it's enabled it doesn't run the network check for location.
Is there a way for to have it so that if GPS is enabled, but can't get a fix other than getLastKnownLcation() is will default to a network based location? After that I will check so that if the network is not enabled or lastKnownLocation is too far away I can check for Wifi.
Here is my code for the service:
public class GPSTracker extends Service implements LocationListener {
private final Context mContext;
boolean isGPSEnabled = false;
boolean isNetworkEnabled = false;
boolean canGetLocation = false;
Location location;
double latitude;
double longitude;
//Minimum distance for update
private static final long MIN_DISTANCE_CHANGE_FOR_UPDATES = 10; //10 meters
// The minimum time between updates in milliseconds
private static final long MIN_TIME_BW_UPDATES = 1000 * 40; //40 seconds
protected LocationManager locationManager;
public GPSTracker(Context context) {
this.mContext = context;
getLocation();
}
public Location getLocation() {
Log.i("i", "Get location called");
locationManager = (LocationManager) mContext.getSystemService(LOCATION_SERVICE);
//Getting GPS status
isGPSEnabled = locationManager.isProviderEnabled(LocationManager.GPS_PROVIDER);
//Getting network status
isNetworkEnabled = locationManager.isProviderEnabled(LocationManager.NETWORK_PROVIDER);
this.canGetLocation = true;
if (isGPSEnabled) {
if (location == null) {
locationManager.requestLocationUpdates(LocationManager.GPS_PROVIDER, MIN_TIME_BW_UPDATES, MIN_DISTANCE_CHANGE_FOR_UPDATES, this);
Log.d("GPS Enabled", "GPS Enabled");
if (locationManager != null) {
location = locationManager.getLastKnownLocation(LocationManager.GPS_PROVIDER);
if (location != null) {
latitude = location.getLatitude();
longitude = location.getLongitude();
Log.i("GPS_LOCATION", "Location: "+location.toString());
if(location.toString().contains("0.000000")) {
Log.i("Called", "Called inside");
isNetworkEnabled = true;
isGPSEnabled = false;
getLocation();
}
}
}
}
}
else if (isNetworkEnabled) {
Log.d("Network", "Network");
locationManager.requestLocationUpdates(LocationManager.NETWORK_PROVIDER, MIN_TIME_BW_UPDATES, MIN_DISTANCE_CHANGE_FOR_UPDATES, this);
if (locationManager != null) {
location = locationManager.getLastKnownLocation(LocationManager.NETWORK_PROVIDER);
if (location != null) {
latitude = location.getLatitude();
longitude = location.getLongitude();
Log.i("NETWORK_LOCATION", "Location: "+location.toString());
}
}
}
else if (!isGPSEnabled && !isNetworkEnabled) {
// no network provider is enabled and GPS is off.
Log.d("NOT ENABLED", "Use WIFI");
}
return location;
}
What happened yesterday was that I went a few miles away from my home, got a wifi connection and had GPS enabled, but what happened was that although my location updated via Wifi, blue dot on map. It would not zoom into it. Since GPS was enabled (but couldn't get a fix) it went down that route and got LastKnownLocation() which was back at my house. Even though the blue dot was correct, it kept zooming to where I last was.
Is there a way I can have it so that it checks for GPS but doesn't use LastKnownLocation? It instead defaults to a network check, then the network check will not use lastknownLocation, it will default to Wifi. Then Wifi can have LastKnownLocation if need be. Realistically I only want to get the lastKnownLocation at the Wifi stage as a last resort.
Hopefully someone can help me on this. I don't think it's as simple as removing lastKnownLocation from the code.
Thanks for any help you may provide.
There's all kinds of ways to do this. Here's a few tips:
Don't use an old LastKnownLocation. Check for the age first!
Location provides the Provider via getProvider(), check to see if you have your highest priority first, then work on a secondary.
Use the GPS with the highest accuracy.
You might want to take a careful look at Location Strategies, specifically the isBetterLocation function. You probably want something like this, although you'll need to tweak it to suit your needs.
protected boolean isBetterLocation(Location location, Location currentBestLocation) {
if (currentBestLocation == null) {
// A new location is always better than no location
return true;
}
// Check whether the new location fix is newer or older
long timeDelta = location.getTime() - currentBestLocation.getTime();
boolean isSignificantlyNewer = timeDelta > TWO_MINUTES;
boolean isSignificantlyOlder = timeDelta < -TWO_MINUTES;
boolean isNewer = timeDelta > 0;
// If it's been more than two minutes since the current location, use the new location
// because the user has likely moved
if (isSignificantlyNewer) {
return true;
// If the new location is more than two minutes older, it must be worse
} else if (isSignificantlyOlder) {
return false;
}
// Check whether the new location fix is more or less accurate
int accuracyDelta = (int) (location.getAccuracy() - currentBestLocation.getAccuracy());
boolean isLessAccurate = accuracyDelta > 0;
boolean isMoreAccurate = accuracyDelta < 0;
boolean isSignificantlyLessAccurate = accuracyDelta > 200;
// Check if the old and new location are from the same provider
boolean isFromSameProvider = isSameProvider(location.getProvider(),
currentBestLocation.getProvider());
// Determine location quality using a combination of timeliness and accuracy
if (isMoreAccurate) {
return true;
} else if (isNewer && !isLessAccurate) {
return true;
} else if (isNewer && !isSignificantlyLessAccurate && isFromSameProvider) {
return true;
}
return false;
}
/** Checks whether two providers are the same */
private boolean isSameProvider(String provider1, String provider2) {
if (provider1 == null) {
return provider2 == null;
}
return provider1.equals(provider2);
}
I am developing a location aware app and when I request for location updates, I occasionally get a very old location (as if it doesn't update), or I get multiple location notifications. I started digging more into this issue and I found this blog that describes how ANDROIDS location listener works.
In short, my interpretation is that when you requestLocationUpdates, you don't just get one location object, but you receive multiple. So then I started trying to figure out how to pick the best location object out of multiple and found an algorithm in the Android documentation (under the section: "Maintaining a Current Best Estimate")
I am confused on how to implement the block of code from that section into my own app. The block of code takes two parameters, location and currentbestlocation and compares them.
How do you declare two location objects for the block of code to compare? (code example or pseudo code would be much appreciated!)
Is my understanding correct that locationlistener provides multiple location objects?
How do I implement GOOGLES code into mine? See below:
my code below:
public class MainActivity extends Activity {
LocationManager lm;
LocationListener ll;
private Location previousLocation;
public void onCreate(Context context, Intent intent) {
lm = (LocationManager)context.getSystemService(Context.LOCATION_SERVICE);
ll = new myListener();
lm.requestLocationUpdates(LocationManager.GPS_PROVIDER, 6000, 1000, ll);
}
private class myListener implements LocationListener {
public void onLocationChanged(Location loc) {
if (previousLocation == null) {
previousLocation = loc;
} else {
if (isBetterLocation(loc, previousLocation)) {
//NOTIFICATION NEW LOCATION IS BETTER
} else {
//NOTIFICATION PREVIOUS LOCATION IS BETTER
}
}
}
public void onProviderDisabled(String provider) {
}
public void onProviderEnabled(String provider) {
}
public void onStatusChanged(String provider, int status, Bundle extras) {
}
}
//GOOGLE ANDROID DOCUMENTATION CODE FOR MAINTAINING CURRENT BEST ESTIMATE
private static final int TWO_MINUTES = 1000 * 60 * 2;
protected boolean isBetterLocation(Location location, Location currentBestLocation) {
if (currentBestLocation == null) {
// A new location is always better than no location
return true;
}
// Check whether the new location fix is newer or older
long timeDelta = location.getTime() - currentBestLocation.getTime();
boolean isSignificantlyNewer = timeDelta > TWO_MINUTES;
boolean isSignificantlyOlder = timeDelta < -TWO_MINUTES;
boolean isNewer = timeDelta > 0;
// If it's been more than two minutes since the current location, use the new location
// because the user has likely moved
if (isSignificantlyNewer) {
return true;
// If the new location is more than two minutes older, it must be worse
} else if (isSignificantlyOlder) {
return false;
}
// Check whether the new location fix is more or less accurate
int accuracyDelta = (int) (location.getAccuracy() - currentBestLocation.getAccuracy());
boolean isLessAccurate = accuracyDelta > 0;
boolean isMoreAccurate = accuracyDelta < 0;
boolean isSignificantlyLessAccurate = accuracyDelta > 200;
// Check if the old and new location are from the same provider
boolean isFromSameProvider = isSameProvider(location.getProvider(), currentBestLocation.getProvider());
// Determine location quality using a combination of timeliness and accuracy
if (isMoreAccurate) {
return true;
} else if (isNewer && !isLessAccurate) {
return true;
} else if (isNewer && !isSignificantlyLessAccurate && isFromSameProvider) {
return true;
}
return false;
}
private boolean isSameProvider(String provider1, String provider2) {
if (provider1 == null) {
return provider2 == null;
}
return provider1.equals(provider2);
}
}
When you use the LocationManager to request location updates, it will continue giving you updates until you tell it to stop or your application is killed. This way, you can monitor the device's current location at some interval so you know when they've moved. If you only need a single location update, once you've received a location fix that is of sufficient accuracy, call locationManager.removeUpdates(listener).
If you only plan on supporting devices running Gingerbread and higher, you can also use the requestSingleUpdate(java.lang.String, android.location.LocationListener, android.os.Looper) method.
The first thing to do is declare your location listener and register for updates. This code should get your started:
public class MyActivity extends Activity implements LocationListener {
/** Cache the last location fix received. */
private Location mLastLocationReceived;
#Override
public void onResume() {
super.onResume();
// Register our location listener
LocationManager lm = (LocationManager) getSystemService(LOCATION_SERVICE);
lm.requestLocationUpdates(LocationManager.NETWORK_PROVIDER, 10000, 500, this);
}
#Override
public void onPause() {
super.onPause();
// Unregister our location listener
LocationManager lm = (LocationManager) getSystemService(LOCATION_SERVICE);
lm.removeUpdates(this);
}
#Override
public void onLocationChanged(Location location) {
if (mLastLocationReceived == null) {
mLastLocationReceived = location;
} else {
if (isBetterLocation(location, mLastLocationReceived)) {
// New location fix is better!
} else {
// New location fix is not better!
}
}
}
#Override
public void onProviderDisabled(String provider) {
// Pass
}
#Override
public void onProviderEnabled(String provider) {
// Pass
}
#Override
public void onStatusChanged(String provider, int status, Bundle extras) {
// Pass
}
private boolean isBetterLocation(Location newLocation,
Location oldLocation) {
// TODO: Implement the logic to determine if the new location is
// of better quality than the old location. Your application's
// business logic determines what this method should do.
return false;
}
}
Note that the isBetterLocation method always returns false and is up to you to provide the implementation. There is a good example implementation here. Also, I didn't test this code so please forgive any errors.
I am trying to retrieve the # of satellites used in the GPS fix. I have implemented two different methods, as shown below:
package ti.utils;
import android.app.Activity;
import android.content.Context;
import android.location.GpsSatellite;
import android.location.GpsStatus;
import android.location.Location;
import android.location.LocationListener;
import android.location.LocationManager;
import android.os.Bundle;
public class Gps {
private static final int TWO_MINUTES = 1000 * 60 * 2;
private static Location Location;
public static int Satellites = -1;
public static void StartTracking(Activity activity)
{
final LocationManager locationManager = (LocationManager) activity.getSystemService(Context.LOCATION_SERVICE);
//listen for gps status changes.
GpsStatus.Listener gpsStatusListener = new GpsStatus.Listener() {
public void onGpsStatusChanged(int event) {
Log("In onGpsStatusChanged event: " + event);
if (event == GpsStatus.GPS_EVENT_SATELLITE_STATUS || event == GpsStatus.GPS_EVENT_FIRST_FIX) {
GpsStatus status = locationManager.getGpsStatus(null);
Iterable<GpsSatellite> sats = status.getSatellites();
// Check number of satellites in list to determine fix state
Satellites = 0;
for (GpsSatellite sat : sats) {
//if(sat.usedInFix())
Satellites++;
}
Log("Setting Satellites from GpsStatusListener: " + Satellites);
}
}
};
locationManager.addGpsStatusListener(gpsStatusListener);
//listen for location changes.
LocationListener locationListener = new LocationListener() {
public void onLocationChanged(Location location) {
// Called when a new location is found by the network location provider.
try
{
Log("Location changed! Speed = " + location.getSpeed() + " & Satellites = " + location.getExtras().getInt("satellites"));
boolean isBetter = isBetterLocation(location, Location);
if(isBetter)
{
Log("Set to new location");
Location = location;
Satellites = location.getExtras().getInt("satellites");
Log("Setting Satellites from LocationListener: " + Satellites);
}
}
catch(Exception exc)
{
Log(exc.getMessage());
}
}
public void onStatusChanged(String provider, int status, Bundle extras) {}
public void onProviderEnabled(String provider) {}
public void onProviderDisabled(String provider) {}
};
locationManager.requestLocationUpdates(LocationManager.NETWORK_PROVIDER, 0, 0, locationListener);
}
/** Determines whether one Location reading is better than the current Location fix
* #param location The new Location that you want to evaluate
* #param currentBestLocation The current Location fix, to which you want to compare the new one
*/
protected static boolean isBetterLocation(Location location, Location currentBestLocation) {
if (currentBestLocation == null) {
// A new location is always better than no location
return true;
}
// Check whether the new location fix is newer or older
long timeDelta = location.getTime() - currentBestLocation.getTime();
boolean isSignificantlyNewer = timeDelta > TWO_MINUTES;
boolean isSignificantlyOlder = timeDelta < -TWO_MINUTES;
boolean isNewer = timeDelta > 0;
// If it's been more than two minutes since the current location, use the new location
// because the user has likely moved
if (isSignificantlyNewer) {
return true;
// If the new location is more than two minutes older, it must be worse
} else if (isSignificantlyOlder) {
return false;
}
// Check whether the new location fix is more or less accurate
int accuracyDelta = (int) (location.getAccuracy() - currentBestLocation.getAccuracy());
boolean isLessAccurate = accuracyDelta > 0;
boolean isMoreAccurate = accuracyDelta < 0;
boolean isSignificantlyLessAccurate = accuracyDelta > 200;
// Check if the old and new location are from the same provider
boolean isFromSameProvider = isSameProvider(location.getProvider(),
currentBestLocation.getProvider());
// Determine location quality using a combination of timeliness and accuracy
if (isMoreAccurate) {
return true;
} else if (isNewer && !isLessAccurate) {
return true;
} else if (isNewer && !isSignificantlyLessAccurate && isFromSameProvider) {
return true;
}
return false;
}
/** Checks whether two providers are the same */
private static boolean isSameProvider(String provider1, String provider2) {
if (provider1 == null) {
return provider2 == null;
}
return provider1.equals(provider2);
}
private static void Log(String message) {
if(message != null && message.length() > 0) {
//android.util.Log.i(LCAT, message);
org.appcelerator.kroll.common.Log.i("SygicModule", message);
}
}
}
Neither of the listener events (onGpsStatusChanged & onLocationChanged) ever fire, even though I have standalone GPS enabled on my phone. I have the ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION permission set:
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION"/>
I downloaded a 3rd party app called GPS Status and it was able to correctly display the # of satellites, so I know it isn't an issue with my Droid X2.
Any ideas?
Here is the code that ended up working.
package ti.utils;
import android.app.Activity;
import android.content.Context;
import android.location.GpsSatellite;
import android.location.GpsStatus;
import android.location.Location;
import android.location.LocationListener;
import android.location.LocationManager;
import android.os.Bundle;
public class Gps {
private static final int TWO_MINUTES = 1000 * 60 * 2;
private static Location Location;
public static int Satellites = -1;
public static void StartTracking(Activity activity)
{
final LocationManager locationManager = (LocationManager) activity.getSystemService(Context.LOCATION_SERVICE);
//listen for gps status changes.
GpsStatus.Listener gpsStatusListener = new GpsStatus.Listener() {
#Override
public void onGpsStatusChanged(int event) {
Log("In onGpsStatusChanged event: " + event);
if (event == GpsStatus.GPS_EVENT_SATELLITE_STATUS || event == GpsStatus.GPS_EVENT_FIRST_FIX) {
GpsStatus status = locationManager.getGpsStatus(null);
Iterable<GpsSatellite> sats = status.getSatellites();
// Check number of satellites in list to determine fix state
Satellites = 0;
for (GpsSatellite sat : sats) {
//if(sat.usedInFix())
Satellites++;
}
Log("Setting Satellites from GpsStatusListener: " + Satellites);
}
}
};
locationManager.addGpsStatusListener(gpsStatusListener);
//listen for location changes.
LocationListener locationListener = new LocationListener() {
#Override
public void onLocationChanged(Location location) {
// Called when a new location is found by the network location provider.
/*try
{
Log("Location changed! Speed = " + location.getSpeed() + " & Satellites = " + location.getExtras().getInt("satellites"));
boolean isBetter = isBetterLocation(location, Location);
if(isBetter)
{
Log("Set to new location");
Location = location;
Satellites = location.getExtras().getInt("satellites");
Log("Setting Satellites from LocationListener: " + Satellites);
}
}
catch(Exception exc)
{
Log(exc.getMessage());
}*/
}
public void onStatusChanged(String provider, int status, Bundle extras) {}
public void onProviderEnabled(String provider) {}
public void onProviderDisabled(String provider) {}
};
locationManager.requestLocationUpdates(LocationManager.GPS_PROVIDER, 0, 0, locationListener);
}
/** Determines whether one Location reading is better than the current Location fix
* #param location The new Location that you want to evaluate
* #param currentBestLocation The current Location fix, to which you want to compare the new one
*/
protected static boolean isBetterLocation(Location location, Location currentBestLocation) {
if (currentBestLocation == null) {
// A new location is always better than no location
return true;
}
// Check whether the new location fix is newer or older
long timeDelta = location.getTime() - currentBestLocation.getTime();
boolean isSignificantlyNewer = timeDelta > TWO_MINUTES;
boolean isSignificantlyOlder = timeDelta < -TWO_MINUTES;
boolean isNewer = timeDelta > 0;
// If it's been more than two minutes since the current location, use the new location
// because the user has likely moved
if (isSignificantlyNewer) {
return true;
// If the new location is more than two minutes older, it must be worse
} else if (isSignificantlyOlder) {
return false;
}
// Check whether the new location fix is more or less accurate
int accuracyDelta = (int) (location.getAccuracy() - currentBestLocation.getAccuracy());
boolean isLessAccurate = accuracyDelta > 0;
boolean isMoreAccurate = accuracyDelta < 0;
boolean isSignificantlyLessAccurate = accuracyDelta > 200;
// Check if the old and new location are from the same provider
boolean isFromSameProvider = isSameProvider(location.getProvider(),
currentBestLocation.getProvider());
// Determine location quality using a combination of timeliness and accuracy
if (isMoreAccurate) {
return true;
} else if (isNewer && !isLessAccurate) {
return true;
} else if (isNewer && !isSignificantlyLessAccurate && isFromSameProvider) {
return true;
}
return false;
}
/** Checks whether two providers are the same */
private static boolean isSameProvider(String provider1, String provider2) {
if (provider1 == null) {
return provider2 == null;
}
return provider1.equals(provider2);
}
private static void Log(String message) {
if(message != null && message.length() > 0) {
//android.util.Log.i(LCAT, message);
org.appcelerator.kroll.common.Log.i("UtilsModule", message);
}
}
}
locationManager.requestLocationUpdates(LocationManager.NETWORK_PROVIDER, 0, 0, locationListener);
Should be
locationManager.requestLocationUpdates(LocationManager.GPS_PROVIDER, 0, 0, locationListener);
I got it working by having following in code.
locationManager.requestLocationUpdates(LocationManager.GPS_PROVIDER, 0, 0, new LocationUpdateHandler());
int nSatellites = location.getExtras().getInt("satellites", -1);
nSatellites was found to be >0 once i started getting fix(onLocationChanged callbacks) .
If you can't get the numebr of satellites through GPS_EVENT_SATELLITE_STATUS then you could
have your activity implement NmeaListener.
If you implement the NmeaListener then you will have to parse the message string received in onNmeaReceived in order to extract the number of satellites. The NMEA formats are described here. Then you might like to do a Google search for "Java" + "NMEA parser"
The problem:
Getting the user's current location within a threshold ASAP and at the same time conserve battery.
Why the problem is a problem:
First off, android has two providers; network and GPS. Sometimes network is better and sometimes the GPS is better.
By "better" I mean speed vs. accuracy ratio.
I'm willing to sacrifice a few meters in accuracy if I can get the location almost instant and without turning on the GPS.
Secondly, if you request updates for location changes nothing is sent if the current location is stable.
Google has an example of determining the "best" location here: http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/location/obtaining-user-location.html#BestEstimate
But I think it's no where near as good as it should/could be.
I'm kind of confused why google hasn't a normalized API for location, the developer shouldn't have to care where the location is from, you should just specify what you want and the phone should choose for you.
What I need help with:
I need to find a good way to determine the "best" location, maybe though some heuristic or maybe through some 3rd party library.
This does not mean determine the best provider!
I'm probably gonna use all providers and picking the best of them.
Background of the app:
The app will collect the user's location at a fixed interval (let say every 10 minutes or so) and send it to a server.
The app should conserve as much battery as possible and the location should have X (50-100?) meters accuracy.
The goal is to later be able to plot the user's path during the day on a map so I need sufficient accuracy for that.
Misc:
What do you think are reasonable values on desired and accepted accuracies?
I've been using 100m as accepted and 30m as desired, is this to much to ask?
I'd like to be able to plot the user's path on a map later.
Is 100m for desired and 500m for accepted better?
Also, right now I have the GPS on for a maximum of 60 seconds per location update, is this too short to get a location if you're indoors with an accuracy of maybe 200m?
This is my current code, any feedback is appreciated (apart from the lack of error checking which is TODO):
protected void runTask() {
final LocationManager locationManager = (LocationManager) context
.getSystemService(Context.LOCATION_SERVICE);
updateBestLocation(locationManager
.getLastKnownLocation(LocationManager.GPS_PROVIDER));
updateBestLocation(locationManager
.getLastKnownLocation(LocationManager.NETWORK_PROVIDER));
if (getLocationQuality(bestLocation) != LocationQuality.GOOD) {
Looper.prepare();
setLooper(Looper.myLooper());
// Define a listener that responds to location updates
LocationListener locationListener = new LocationListener() {
public void onLocationChanged(Location location) {
updateBestLocation(location);
if (getLocationQuality(bestLocation) != LocationQuality.GOOD)
return;
// We're done
Looper l = getLooper();
if (l != null) l.quit();
}
public void onProviderEnabled(String provider) {}
public void onProviderDisabled(String provider) {}
public void onStatusChanged(String provider, int status,
Bundle extras) {
// TODO Auto-generated method stub
Log.i("LocationCollector", "Fail");
Looper l = getLooper();
if (l != null) l.quit();
}
};
// Register the listener with the Location Manager to receive
// location updates
locationManager.requestLocationUpdates(
LocationManager.GPS_PROVIDER, 1000, 1, locationListener,
Looper.myLooper());
locationManager.requestLocationUpdates(
LocationManager.NETWORK_PROVIDER, 1000, 1,
locationListener, Looper.myLooper());
Timer t = new Timer();
t.schedule(new TimerTask() {
#Override
public void run() {
Looper l = getLooper();
if (l != null) l.quit();
// Log.i("LocationCollector",
// "Stopping collector due to timeout");
}
}, MAX_POLLING_TIME);
Looper.loop();
t.cancel();
locationManager.removeUpdates(locationListener);
setLooper(null);
}
if (getLocationQuality(bestLocation) != LocationQuality.BAD)
sendUpdate(locationToString(bestLocation));
else Log.w("LocationCollector", "Failed to get a location");
}
private enum LocationQuality {
BAD, ACCEPTED, GOOD;
public String toString() {
if (this == GOOD) return "Good";
else if (this == ACCEPTED) return "Accepted";
else return "Bad";
}
}
private LocationQuality getLocationQuality(Location location) {
if (location == null) return LocationQuality.BAD;
if (!location.hasAccuracy()) return LocationQuality.BAD;
long currentTime = System.currentTimeMillis();
if (currentTime - location.getTime() < MAX_AGE
&& location.getAccuracy() <= GOOD_ACCURACY)
return LocationQuality.GOOD;
if (location.getAccuracy() <= ACCEPTED_ACCURACY)
return LocationQuality.ACCEPTED;
return LocationQuality.BAD;
}
private synchronized void updateBestLocation(Location location) {
bestLocation = getBestLocation(location, bestLocation);
}
// Pretty much an unmodified version of googles example
protected Location getBestLocation(Location location,
Location currentBestLocation) {
if (currentBestLocation == null) {
// A new location is always better than no location
return location;
}
if (location == null) return currentBestLocation;
// Check whether the new location fix is newer or older
long timeDelta = location.getTime() - currentBestLocation.getTime();
boolean isSignificantlyNewer = timeDelta > TWO_MINUTES;
boolean isSignificantlyOlder = timeDelta < -TWO_MINUTES;
boolean isNewer = timeDelta > 0;
// If it's been more than two minutes since the current location, use
// the new location
// because the user has likely moved
if (isSignificantlyNewer) {
return location;
// If the new location is more than two minutes older, it must be
// worse
} else if (isSignificantlyOlder) {
return currentBestLocation;
}
// Check whether the new location fix is more or less accurate
int accuracyDelta = (int) (location.getAccuracy() - currentBestLocation
.getAccuracy());
boolean isLessAccurate = accuracyDelta > 0;
boolean isMoreAccurate = accuracyDelta < 0;
boolean isSignificantlyLessAccurate = accuracyDelta > 200;
// Check if the old and new location are from the same provider
boolean isFromSameProvider = isSameProvider(location.getProvider(),
currentBestLocation.getProvider());
// Determine location quality using a combination of timeliness and
// accuracy
if (isMoreAccurate) {
return location;
} else if (isNewer && !isLessAccurate) {
return location;
} else if (isNewer && !isSignificantlyLessAccurate
&& isFromSameProvider) {
return location;
}
return bestLocation;
}
/** Checks whether two providers are the same */
private boolean isSameProvider(String provider1, String provider2) {
if (provider1 == null) {
return provider2 == null;
}
return provider1.equals(provider2);
}
Looks like we're coding the same application ;-)
Here is my current implementation. I'm still in the beta testing phase of my GPS uploader app, so there might be many possible improvements. but it seems to work pretty well so far.
/**
* try to get the 'best' location selected from all providers
*/
private Location getBestLocation() {
Location gpslocation = getLocationByProvider(LocationManager.GPS_PROVIDER);
Location networkLocation =
getLocationByProvider(LocationManager.NETWORK_PROVIDER);
// if we have only one location available, the choice is easy
if (gpslocation == null) {
Log.d(TAG, "No GPS Location available.");
return networkLocation;
}
if (networkLocation == null) {
Log.d(TAG, "No Network Location available");
return gpslocation;
}
// a locationupdate is considered 'old' if its older than the configured
// update interval. this means, we didn't get a
// update from this provider since the last check
long old = System.currentTimeMillis() - getGPSCheckMilliSecsFromPrefs();
boolean gpsIsOld = (gpslocation.getTime() < old);
boolean networkIsOld = (networkLocation.getTime() < old);
// gps is current and available, gps is better than network
if (!gpsIsOld) {
Log.d(TAG, "Returning current GPS Location");
return gpslocation;
}
// gps is old, we can't trust it. use network location
if (!networkIsOld) {
Log.d(TAG, "GPS is old, Network is current, returning network");
return networkLocation;
}
// both are old return the newer of those two
if (gpslocation.getTime() > networkLocation.getTime()) {
Log.d(TAG, "Both are old, returning gps(newer)");
return gpslocation;
} else {
Log.d(TAG, "Both are old, returning network(newer)");
return networkLocation;
}
}
/**
* get the last known location from a specific provider (network/gps)
*/
private Location getLocationByProvider(String provider) {
Location location = null;
if (!isProviderSupported(provider)) {
return null;
}
LocationManager locationManager = (LocationManager) getApplicationContext()
.getSystemService(Context.LOCATION_SERVICE);
try {
if (locationManager.isProviderEnabled(provider)) {
location = locationManager.getLastKnownLocation(provider);
}
} catch (IllegalArgumentException e) {
Log.d(TAG, "Cannot acces Provider " + provider);
}
return location;
}
Edit: here is the part that requests the periodic updates from the location providers:
public void startRecording() {
gpsTimer.cancel();
gpsTimer = new Timer();
long checkInterval = getGPSCheckMilliSecsFromPrefs();
long minDistance = getMinDistanceFromPrefs();
// receive updates
LocationManager locationManager = (LocationManager) getApplicationContext()
.getSystemService(Context.LOCATION_SERVICE);
for (String s : locationManager.getAllProviders()) {
locationManager.requestLocationUpdates(s, checkInterval,
minDistance, new LocationListener() {
#Override
public void onStatusChanged(String provider,
int status, Bundle extras) {}
#Override
public void onProviderEnabled(String provider) {}
#Override
public void onProviderDisabled(String provider) {}
#Override
public void onLocationChanged(Location location) {
// if this is a gps location, we can use it
if (location.getProvider().equals(
LocationManager.GPS_PROVIDER)) {
doLocationUpdate(location, true);
}
}
});
// //Toast.makeText(this, "GPS Service STARTED",
// Toast.LENGTH_LONG).show();
gps_recorder_running = true;
}
// start the gps receiver thread
gpsTimer.scheduleAtFixedRate(new TimerTask() {
#Override
public void run() {
Location location = getBestLocation();
doLocationUpdate(location, false);
}
}, 0, checkInterval);
}
public void doLocationUpdate(Location l, boolean force) {
long minDistance = getMinDistanceFromPrefs();
Log.d(TAG, "update received:" + l);
if (l == null) {
Log.d(TAG, "Empty location");
if (force)
Toast.makeText(this, "Current location not available",
Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
return;
}
if (lastLocation != null) {
float distance = l.distanceTo(lastLocation);
Log.d(TAG, "Distance to last: " + distance);
if (l.distanceTo(lastLocation) < minDistance && !force) {
Log.d(TAG, "Position didn't change");
return;
}
if (l.getAccuracy() >= lastLocation.getAccuracy()
&& l.distanceTo(lastLocation) < l.getAccuracy() && !force) {
Log.d(TAG,
"Accuracy got worse and we are still "
+ "within the accuracy range.. Not updating");
return;
}
if (l.getTime() <= lastprovidertimestamp && !force) {
Log.d(TAG, "Timestamp not never than last");
return;
}
}
// upload/store your location here
}
Things to consider:
do not request GPS updates too often, it drains battery power. I currently
use 30 min as default for my application.
add a 'minimum distance to last known location' check. without this, your points
will "jump around" when GPS is not available and the location is being triangulated
from the cell towers. or you can check if the new location is outside of the accuracy
value from the last known location.
To select the right location provider for your app, you can use Criteria objects:
Criteria myCriteria = new Criteria();
myCriteria.setAccuracy(Criteria.ACCURACY_HIGH);
myCriteria.setPowerRequirement(Criteria.POWER_LOW);
// let Android select the right location provider for you
String myProvider = locationManager.getBestProvider(myCriteria, true);
// finally require updates at -at least- the desired rate
long minTimeMillis = 600000; // 600,000 milliseconds make 10 minutes
locationManager.requestLocationUpdates(myProvider,minTimeMillis,0,locationListener);
Read the documentation for requestLocationUpdates for more details on how the arguments are taken into account:
The frequency of notification may be controlled using the minTime and
minDistance parameters. If minTime is greater than 0, the LocationManager
could potentially rest for minTime milliseconds between location updates
to conserve power. If minDistance is greater than 0, a location will only
be broadcasted if the device moves by minDistance meters. To obtain
notifications as frequently as possible, set both parameters to 0.
More thoughts
You can monitor the accuracy of the Location objects with Location.getAccuracy(), which returns the estimated accuracy of the position in meters.
the Criteria.ACCURACY_HIGH criterion should give you errors below 100m, which is not as good as GPS can be, but matches your needs.
You also need to monitor the status of your location provider, and switch to another provider if it gets unavailable or disabled by the user.
The passive provider may also be a good match for this kind of application: the idea is to use location updates whenever they are requested by another app and broadcast systemwide.
Answering the first two points:
GPS will always give you a more precise location, if it is enabled and if there are no thick walls around.
If location did not change, then you can call getLastKnownLocation(String) and retrieve the location immediately.
Using an alternative approach:
You can try getting the cell id in use or all the neighboring cells
TelephonyManager mTelephonyManager = (TelephonyManager) getSystemService(Context.TELEPHONY_SERVICE);
GsmCellLocation loc = (GsmCellLocation) mTelephonyManager.getCellLocation();
Log.d ("CID", Integer.toString(loc.getCid()));
Log.d ("LAC", Integer.toString(loc.getLac()));
// or
List<NeighboringCellInfo> list = mTelephonyManager.getNeighboringCellInfo ();
for (NeighboringCellInfo cell : list) {
Log.d ("CID", Integer.toString(cell.getCid()));
Log.d ("LAC", Integer.toString(cell.getLac()));
}
You can refer then to cell location through several open databases (e.g., http://www.location-api.com/ or http://opencellid.org/ )
The strategy would be to read the list of tower IDs when reading the location. Then, in next query (10 minutes in your app), read them again. If at least some towers are the same, then it's safe to use getLastKnownLocation(String). If they're not, then wait for onLocationChanged(). This avoids the need of a third party database for the location. You can also try this approach.
This is my solution which works fairly well:
private Location bestLocation = null;
private Looper looper;
private boolean networkEnabled = false, gpsEnabled = false;
private synchronized void setLooper(Looper looper) {
this.looper = looper;
}
private synchronized void stopLooper() {
if (looper == null) return;
looper.quit();
}
#Override
protected void runTask() {
final LocationManager locationManager = (LocationManager) service
.getSystemService(Context.LOCATION_SERVICE);
final SharedPreferences prefs = getPreferences();
final int maxPollingTime = Integer.parseInt(prefs.getString(
POLLING_KEY, "0"));
final int desiredAccuracy = Integer.parseInt(prefs.getString(
DESIRED_KEY, "0"));
final int acceptedAccuracy = Integer.parseInt(prefs.getString(
ACCEPTED_KEY, "0"));
final int maxAge = Integer.parseInt(prefs.getString(AGE_KEY, "0"));
final String whichProvider = prefs.getString(PROVIDER_KEY, "any");
final boolean canUseGps = whichProvider.equals("gps")
|| whichProvider.equals("any");
final boolean canUseNetwork = whichProvider.equals("network")
|| whichProvider.equals("any");
if (canUseNetwork)
networkEnabled = locationManager
.isProviderEnabled(LocationManager.NETWORK_PROVIDER);
if (canUseGps)
gpsEnabled = locationManager
.isProviderEnabled(LocationManager.GPS_PROVIDER);
// If any provider is enabled now and we displayed a notification clear it.
if (gpsEnabled || networkEnabled) removeErrorNotification();
if (gpsEnabled)
updateBestLocation(locationManager
.getLastKnownLocation(LocationManager.GPS_PROVIDER));
if (networkEnabled)
updateBestLocation(locationManager
.getLastKnownLocation(LocationManager.NETWORK_PROVIDER));
if (desiredAccuracy == 0
|| getLocationQuality(desiredAccuracy, acceptedAccuracy,
maxAge, bestLocation) != LocationQuality.GOOD) {
// Define a listener that responds to location updates
LocationListener locationListener = new LocationListener() {
public void onLocationChanged(Location location) {
updateBestLocation(location);
if (desiredAccuracy != 0
&& getLocationQuality(desiredAccuracy,
acceptedAccuracy, maxAge, bestLocation)
== LocationQuality.GOOD)
stopLooper();
}
public void onProviderEnabled(String provider) {
if (isSameProvider(provider,
LocationManager.NETWORK_PROVIDER))networkEnabled =true;
else if (isSameProvider(provider,
LocationManager.GPS_PROVIDER)) gpsEnabled = true;
// The user has enabled a location, remove any error
// notification
if (canUseGps && gpsEnabled || canUseNetwork
&& networkEnabled) removeErrorNotification();
}
public void onProviderDisabled(String provider) {
if (isSameProvider(provider,
LocationManager.NETWORK_PROVIDER))networkEnabled=false;
else if (isSameProvider(provider,
LocationManager.GPS_PROVIDER)) gpsEnabled = false;
if (!gpsEnabled && !networkEnabled) {
showErrorNotification();
stopLooper();
}
}
public void onStatusChanged(String provider, int status,
Bundle extras) {
Log.i(LOG_TAG, "Provider " + provider + " statusChanged");
if (isSameProvider(provider,
LocationManager.NETWORK_PROVIDER)) networkEnabled =
status == LocationProvider.AVAILABLE
|| status == LocationProvider.TEMPORARILY_UNAVAILABLE;
else if (isSameProvider(provider,
LocationManager.GPS_PROVIDER))
gpsEnabled = status == LocationProvider.AVAILABLE
|| status == LocationProvider.TEMPORARILY_UNAVAILABLE;
// None of them are available, stop listening
if (!networkEnabled && !gpsEnabled) {
showErrorNotification();
stopLooper();
}
// The user has enabled a location, remove any error
// notification
else if (canUseGps && gpsEnabled || canUseNetwork
&& networkEnabled) removeErrorNotification();
}
};
if (networkEnabled || gpsEnabled) {
Looper.prepare();
setLooper(Looper.myLooper());
// Register the listener with the Location Manager to receive
// location updates
if (canUseGps)
locationManager.requestLocationUpdates(
LocationManager.GPS_PROVIDER, 1000, 1,
locationListener, Looper.myLooper());
if (canUseNetwork)
locationManager.requestLocationUpdates(
LocationManager.NETWORK_PROVIDER, 1000, 1,
locationListener, Looper.myLooper());
Timer t = new Timer();
t.schedule(new TimerTask() {
#Override
public void run() {
stopLooper();
}
}, maxPollingTime * 1000);
Looper.loop();
t.cancel();
setLooper(null);
locationManager.removeUpdates(locationListener);
} else // No provider is enabled, show a notification
showErrorNotification();
}
if (getLocationQuality(desiredAccuracy, acceptedAccuracy, maxAge,
bestLocation) != LocationQuality.BAD) {
sendUpdate(new Event(EVENT_TYPE, locationToString(desiredAccuracy,
acceptedAccuracy, maxAge, bestLocation)));
} else Log.w(LOG_TAG, "LocationCollector failed to get a location");
}
private synchronized void showErrorNotification() {
if (notifId != 0) return;
ServiceHandler handler = service.getHandler();
NotificationInfo ni = NotificationInfo.createSingleNotification(
R.string.locationcollector_notif_ticker,
R.string.locationcollector_notif_title,
R.string.locationcollector_notif_text,
android.R.drawable.stat_notify_error);
Intent intent = new Intent(
android.provider.Settings.ACTION_LOCATION_SOURCE_SETTINGS);
ni.pendingIntent = PendingIntent.getActivity(service, 0, intent,
PendingIntent.FLAG_UPDATE_CURRENT);
Message msg = handler.obtainMessage(ServiceHandler.SHOW_NOTIFICATION);
msg.obj = ni;
handler.sendMessage(msg);
notifId = ni.id;
}
private void removeErrorNotification() {
if (notifId == 0) return;
ServiceHandler handler = service.getHandler();
if (handler != null) {
Message msg = handler.obtainMessage(
ServiceHandler.CLEAR_NOTIFICATION, notifId, 0);
handler.sendMessage(msg);
notifId = 0;
}
}
#Override
public void interrupt() {
stopLooper();
super.interrupt();
}
private String locationToString(int desiredAccuracy, int acceptedAccuracy,
int maxAge, Location location) {
StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
sb.append(String.format(
"qual=%s time=%d prov=%s acc=%.1f lat=%f long=%f",
getLocationQuality(desiredAccuracy, acceptedAccuracy, maxAge,
location), location.getTime() / 1000, // Millis to
// seconds
location.getProvider(), location.getAccuracy(), location
.getLatitude(), location.getLongitude()));
if (location.hasAltitude())
sb.append(String.format(" alt=%.1f", location.getAltitude()));
if (location.hasBearing())
sb.append(String.format(" bearing=%.2f", location.getBearing()));
return sb.toString();
}
private enum LocationQuality {
BAD, ACCEPTED, GOOD;
public String toString() {
if (this == GOOD) return "Good";
else if (this == ACCEPTED) return "Accepted";
else return "Bad";
}
}
private LocationQuality getLocationQuality(int desiredAccuracy,
int acceptedAccuracy, int maxAge, Location location) {
if (location == null) return LocationQuality.BAD;
if (!location.hasAccuracy()) return LocationQuality.BAD;
long currentTime = System.currentTimeMillis();
if (currentTime - location.getTime() < maxAge * 1000
&& location.getAccuracy() <= desiredAccuracy)
return LocationQuality.GOOD;
if (acceptedAccuracy == -1
|| location.getAccuracy() <= acceptedAccuracy)
return LocationQuality.ACCEPTED;
return LocationQuality.BAD;
}
private synchronized void updateBestLocation(Location location) {
bestLocation = getBestLocation(location, bestLocation);
}
protected Location getBestLocation(Location location,
Location currentBestLocation) {
if (currentBestLocation == null) {
// A new location is always better than no location
return location;
}
if (location == null) return currentBestLocation;
// Check whether the new location fix is newer or older
long timeDelta = location.getTime() - currentBestLocation.getTime();
boolean isSignificantlyNewer = timeDelta > TWO_MINUTES;
boolean isSignificantlyOlder = timeDelta < -TWO_MINUTES;
boolean isNewer = timeDelta > 0;
// If it's been more than two minutes since the current location, use
// the new location
// because the user has likely moved
if (isSignificantlyNewer) {
return location;
// If the new location is more than two minutes older, it must be
// worse
} else if (isSignificantlyOlder) {
return currentBestLocation;
}
// Check whether the new location fix is more or less accurate
int accuracyDelta = (int) (location.getAccuracy() - currentBestLocation
.getAccuracy());
boolean isLessAccurate = accuracyDelta > 0;
boolean isMoreAccurate = accuracyDelta < 0;
boolean isSignificantlyLessAccurate = accuracyDelta > 200;
// Check if the old and new location are from the same provider
boolean isFromSameProvider = isSameProvider(location.getProvider(),
currentBestLocation.getProvider());
// Determine location quality using a combination of timeliness and
// accuracy
if (isMoreAccurate) {
return location;
} else if (isNewer && !isLessAccurate) {
return location;
} else if (isNewer && !isSignificantlyLessAccurate
&& isFromSameProvider) {
return location;
}
return bestLocation;
}
/** Checks whether two providers are the same */
private boolean isSameProvider(String provider1, String provider2) {
if (provider1 == null) return provider2 == null;
return provider1.equals(provider2);
}
Location accuracy depends mostly on the location provider used:
GPS - will get you several meters accuracy (assuming you have GPS reception)
Wifi - Will get you few hundred meters accuracy
Cell Network - Will get you very inaccurate results (I've seen up to 4km deviation...)
If it's accuracy you are looking for, then GPS is your only option.
I've read a very informative article about it here.
As for the GPS timeout - 60 seconds should be sufficient, and in most cases even too much. I think 30 seconds is OK and sometimes even less than 5 sec...
if you only need a single location, I'd suggest that in your onLocationChanged method, once you receive an update you'll unregister the listener and avoid unnecessary usage of the GPS.
Currently i am using since this is trustable for getting location and calculating distance for my application...... i am using this for my taxi application.
use the fusion API that google developer have developed with fusion of GPS Sensor,Magnetometer,Accelerometer also using Wifi or cell location to calculate or estimate the location. It is also able to give location updates also inside the building accurately.
for detail get to link
https://developers.google.com/android/reference/com/google/android/gms/location/FusedLocationProviderApi
import android.app.Activity;
import android.location.Location;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.support.v7.app.ActionBarActivity;
import android.support.v7.app.AppCompatActivity;
import android.util.Log;
import android.widget.TextView;
import android.widget.Toast;
import com.google.android.gms.common.ConnectionResult;
import com.google.android.gms.common.GooglePlayServicesUtil;
import com.google.android.gms.common.api.GoogleApiClient;
import com.google.android.gms.common.api.GoogleApiClient.ConnectionCallbacks;
import com.google.android.gms.common.api.GoogleApiClient.OnConnectionFailedListener;
import com.google.android.gms.location.LocationListener;
import com.google.android.gms.location.LocationRequest;
import com.google.android.gms.location.LocationServices;
import java.util.concurrent.Executors;
import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
public class MainActivity extends Activity implements LocationListener,
GoogleApiClient.ConnectionCallbacks,
GoogleApiClient.OnConnectionFailedListener {
private static final long ONE_MIN = 500;
private static final long TWO_MIN = 500;
private static final long FIVE_MIN = 500;
private static final long POLLING_FREQ = 1000 * 20;
private static final long FASTEST_UPDATE_FREQ = 1000 * 5;
private static final float MIN_ACCURACY = 1.0f;
private static final float MIN_LAST_READ_ACCURACY = 1;
private LocationRequest mLocationRequest;
private Location mBestReading;
TextView tv;
private GoogleApiClient mGoogleApiClient;
#Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
if (!servicesAvailable()) {
finish();
}
setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);
tv= (TextView) findViewById(R.id.tv1);
mLocationRequest = LocationRequest.create();
mLocationRequest.setPriority(LocationRequest.PRIORITY_HIGH_ACCURACY);
mLocationRequest.setInterval(POLLING_FREQ);
mLocationRequest.setFastestInterval(FASTEST_UPDATE_FREQ);
mGoogleApiClient = new GoogleApiClient.Builder(this)
.addApi(LocationServices.API)
.addConnectionCallbacks(this)
.addOnConnectionFailedListener(this)
.build();
if (mGoogleApiClient != null) {
mGoogleApiClient.connect();
}
}
#Override
protected void onResume() {
super.onResume();
if (mGoogleApiClient != null) {
mGoogleApiClient.connect();
}
}
#Override
protected void onPause() {d
super.onPause();
if (mGoogleApiClient != null && mGoogleApiClient.isConnected()) {
mGoogleApiClient.disconnect();
}
}
tv.setText(location + "");
// Determine whether new location is better than current best
// estimate
if (null == mBestReading || location.getAccuracy() < mBestReading.getAccuracy()) {
mBestReading = location;
if (mBestReading.getAccuracy() < MIN_ACCURACY) {
LocationServices.FusedLocationApi.removeLocationUpdates(mGoogleApiClient, this);
}
}
}
#Override
public void onConnected(Bundle dataBundle) {
// Get first reading. Get additional location updates if necessary
if (servicesAvailable()) {
// Get best last location measurement meeting criteria
mBestReading = bestLastKnownLocation(MIN_LAST_READ_ACCURACY, FIVE_MIN);
if (null == mBestReading
|| mBestReading.getAccuracy() > MIN_LAST_READ_ACCURACY
|| mBestReading.getTime() < System.currentTimeMillis() - TWO_MIN) {
LocationServices.FusedLocationApi.requestLocationUpdates(mGoogleApiClient, mLocationRequest, this);
//Schedule a runnable to unregister location listeners
#Override
public void run() {
LocationServices.FusedLocationApi.removeLocationUpdates(mGoogleApiClient, MainActivity.this);
}
}, ONE_MIN, TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS);
}
}
}
#Override
public void onConnectionSuspended(int i) {
}
private Location bestLastKnownLocation(float minAccuracy, long minTime) {
Location bestResult = null;
float bestAccuracy = Float.MAX_VALUE;
long bestTime = Long.MIN_VALUE;
// Get the best most recent location currently available
Location mCurrentLocation = LocationServices.FusedLocationApi.getLastLocation(mGoogleApiClient);
//tv.setText(mCurrentLocation+"");
if (mCurrentLocation != null) {
float accuracy = mCurrentLocation.getAccuracy();
long time = mCurrentLocation.getTime();
if (accuracy < bestAccuracy) {
bestResult = mCurrentLocation;
bestAccuracy = accuracy;
bestTime = time;
}
}
// Return best reading or null
if (bestAccuracy > minAccuracy || bestTime < minTime) {
return null;
}
else {
return bestResult;
}
}
#Override
public void onConnectionFailed(ConnectionResult connectionResult) {
}
private boolean servicesAvailable() {
int resultCode = GooglePlayServicesUtil.isGooglePlayServicesAvailable(this);
if (ConnectionResult.SUCCESS == resultCode) {
return true;
}
else {
GooglePlayServicesUtil.getErrorDialog(resultCode, this, 0).show();
return false;
}
}
}
I scoured the internet for an updated (past year) answer using the latest location pulling methods suggested by google (to use FusedLocationProviderClient). I finally landed on this:
https://github.com/googlesamples/android-play-location/tree/master/LocationUpdates
I created a new project and copied in most of this code. Boom. It works. And I think without any deprecated lines.
Also, the simulator doesn't seem to get a GPS location, that I know of. It did get as far as reporting this in the log: "All location settings are satisfied."
And finally, in case you wanted to know (I did), you DO NOT need a google maps api key from the google developer console, if all you want is the GPS location.
Also useful is their tutorial. But I wanted a full one page tutorial/code example, and that. Their tutorial stacks but is confusing when you're new to this because you don't know what pieces you need from earlier pages.
https://developer.android.com/training/location/index.html
And finally, remember things like this:
I not only had to modify the mainActivity.Java. I also had to modify Strings.xml, androidmanifest.xml, AND the correct build.gradle. And also your activity_Main.xml (but that part was easy for me).
I needed to add dependencies like this one: implementation 'com.google.android.gms:play-services-location:11.8.0', and update the settings of my android studio SDK to include google play services. (file settings appearance system settings android SDK SDK Tools check google play services).
update: the android simulator did seem to get a location and location change events (when I changed the value in the settings of the sim). But my best and first results were on an actual device. So it's probably easiest to test on actual devices.
Recently refactored to obtain the location of the code, learn some good ideas, and finally achieved a relatively perfect library and Demo.
#Gryphius's answer is good
//request all valid provider(network/gps)
private boolean requestAllProviderUpdates() {
checkRuntimeEnvironment();
checkPermission();
if (isRequesting) {
EasyLog.d("Request location update is busy");
return false;
}
long minTime = getCheckTimeInterval();
float minDistance = getCheckMinDistance();
if (mMapLocationListeners == null) {
mMapLocationListeners = new HashMap<>();
}
mValidProviders = getValidProviders();
if (mValidProviders == null || mValidProviders.isEmpty()) {
throw new IllegalArgumentException("Not available provider.");
}
for (String provider : mValidProviders) {
LocationListener locationListener = new LocationListener() {
#Override
public void onLocationChanged(Location location) {
if (location == null) {
EasyLog.e("LocationListener callback location is null.");
return;
}
printf(location);
mLastProviderTimestamp = location.getTime();
if (location.getProvider().equals(LocationManager.GPS_PROVIDER)) {
finishResult(location);
} else {
doLocationResult(location);
}
removeProvider(location.getProvider());
if (isEmptyValidProviders()) {
requestTimeoutMsgInit();
removeUpdates();
}
}
#Override
public void onStatusChanged(String provider, int status, Bundle extras) {
}
#Override
public void onProviderEnabled(String provider) {
}
#Override
public void onProviderDisabled(String provider) {
}
};
getLocationManager().requestLocationUpdates(provider, minTime, minDistance, locationListener);
mMapLocationListeners.put(provider, locationListener);
EasyLog.d("Location request %s provider update.", provider);
}
isRequesting = true;
return true;
}
//remove request update
public void removeUpdates() {
checkRuntimeEnvironment();
LocationManager locationManager = getLocationManager();
if (mMapLocationListeners != null) {
Set<String> keys = mMapLocationListeners.keySet();
for (String key : keys) {
LocationListener locationListener = mMapLocationListeners.get(key);
if (locationListener != null) {
locationManager.removeUpdates(locationListener);
EasyLog.d("Remove location update, provider is " + key);
}
}
mMapLocationListeners.clear();
isRequesting = false;
}
}
//Compared with the last successful position, to determine whether you need to filter
private boolean isNeedFilter(Location location) {
checkLocation(location);
if (mLastLocation != null) {
float distance = location.distanceTo(mLastLocation);
if (distance < getCheckMinDistance()) {
return true;
}
if (location.getAccuracy() >= mLastLocation.getAccuracy()
&& distance < location.getAccuracy()) {
return true;
}
if (location.getTime() <= mLastProviderTimestamp) {
return true;
}
}
return false;
}
private void doLocationResult(Location location) {
checkLocation(location);
if (isNeedFilter(location)) {
EasyLog.d("location need to filtered out, timestamp is " + location.getTime());
finishResult(mLastLocation);
} else {
finishResult(location);
}
}
//Return to the finished position
private void finishResult(Location location) {
checkLocation(location);
double latitude = location.getLatitude();
double longitude = location.getLongitude();
float accuracy = location.getAccuracy();
long time = location.getTime();
String provider = location.getProvider();
if (mLocationResultListeners != null && !mLocationResultListeners.isEmpty()) {
String format = "Location result:<%f, %f> Accuracy:%f Time:%d Provider:%s";
EasyLog.i(String.format(format, latitude, longitude, accuracy, time, provider));
mLastLocation = location;
synchronized (this) {
Iterator<LocationResultListener> iterator = mLocationResultListeners.iterator();
while (iterator.hasNext()) {
LocationResultListener listener = iterator.next();
if (listener != null) {
listener.onResult(location);
}
iterator.remove();
}
}
}
}
Complete implementation:
https://github.com/bingerz/FastLocation/blob/master/fastlocationlib/src/main/java/cn/bingerz/fastlocation/FastLocation.java
1.Thanks #Gryphius solution ideas, I also share the complete code.
2.Each request to complete the location, it is best to removeUpdates, otherwise the phone status bar will always display the positioning icon
In my experience, I've found it best to go with the GPS fix unless it's not available. I don't know much about other location providers, but I know that for GPS there are a few tricks that can be used to give a bit of a ghetto precision measure. The altitude is often a sign, so you could check for ridiculous values. There is the accuracy measure on Android location fixes. Also if you can see the number of satellites used, this can also indicate the precision.
An interesting way of getting a better idea of the accuracy could be to ask for a set of fixes very rapidly, like ~1/sec for 10 seconds and then sleep for a minute or two. One talk I've been to has led to believe that some android devices will do this anyway. You would then weed out the outliers (I've heard Kalman filter mentioned here) and use some kind of centering strategy to get a single fix.
Obviously the depth you get to here depends on how hard your requirements are. If you have particularly strict requirement to get THE BEST location possible, I think you'll find that GPS and network location are as similar as apples and oranges. Also GPS can be wildly different from device to device.
Skyhook (http://www.skyhookwireless.com/) has a location provider that is much faster than the standard one Google provides. It might be what you're looking for. I'm not affiliated with them.