Information
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How To Guides AptoTrak AptoTrak User Guide - Real-time Location & Tracking AptoGraph AptoGraph User Guide - Graphing GPS (NMEA) Data DataTap User Guide - iPhone User Guide - Android User Guide - WinMobile/WinCE User Guide - WinXP User Guide - Palm |
Bluetooth Connectivity How to Connect a Handheld's Bluetooth with a BT-GPS Device Google Maps, Latitude and Earth How to Use Google Earth and Maps - Handheld How to Use Google Earth and Maps - PC |
Frequently Asked Questions
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AptoTrak
Q1: Can anyone view my location information?
Q1: Can anyone view my location information?
A1: No. AptoTrak is a permission-based web application that only allows someone else to view your location only if you've accepted their request. You can cancel their viewing privilege at any time. Equally, you can only view someone else's location if they've accepted your request.Q2: I'd like to view my friends' locations but don't want to always check when they've started a track. Can AptoTrak alert me somehow?
A2: Yes. AptoTrak can send an email when a user starts a new track. The user can select as many of their friends as they want to receive an email when a new track has been started. The friend or viewer only has to click on the URL link sent to their email (that is registered with AptoLink), and it takes them directly to the viewing page.Q3: When I view my tracks and media upload on my PC or MAC, after uploading my location to AptoTrak through DataTap, why does the Google Maps portion not display but the statistics and Altitude and Speed graphs do display?
A3: You're not logged in. Go to our home page and log in. You may wish to check the checkbox to remain logged in. Then go to AptoTrak and view your uploaded track(s).Q4: I want to have my location information viewable with local date and time, not UTC date and time. How do I get local date and time displayed?
A4: After logging into AptoTrak, go to "Preferences". You can set your local time zone, which affects the information to be displayed. This feature will be permanently enabled until you disable it.Q5: After my tracks have been uploaded automatically through my cellular link during my cycling ride, how do I calculate my total calorie burn using the MET (metabolic equivalent of task) feature? It seems I can only do this when I save the logging information to my handset and upload it from my PC.
A5: Log on to AptoTrak, go to "Preferences", and enable MET from there. You will then be able to use MET with your uploaded tracks as well. This feature will be permanently enabled until you disable it.Q6: Can I view multiple users/friends at one time?
Q6: Can I view multiple users/friends at one time?
A6: Yes. There are two ways: have AptoTrak assign unique colors to each user automatically, or select each user and assign the colors. To have AptoTrak automatically assign colors, once you're in AptoTrak, select the check box for each user to view, then click on "View". To assign colors, check the "View All Tracks" feature once each user/friend has been selected, then click on "View", and assign colors from the next screen. Either way, the colors will be displayed next to the username below the displayed map for easy identification.Q7: Can I view multiple tracks at one time for purposes of comparing or concatenating several tracks into one viewable map?
A7: Yes. Check the "View All Tracks: checkbox once the user/friend has been selected, then click on "View", and assign colors from the next screen. The colors will be displayed next to the track name below the displayed map for easy identification.Q8: Can I view only the latest point location of a user's track or several users' tracks?
Q8: Can I view only the latest point location of a user's track or several users' tracks?
A8: Yes. Check the "Only Show Latest Position..." box. Also, any uploaded media will be displayed by teardrop icons, which can be clicked to display the media.Q9: I've taken select pictures at one location but when I try to view them in Google Maps, I only see one or two teardrops to click on, when more than two pictures or videos have been uploaded.
A9: All your media - pictures and videos - are uploaded and available for viewing. The reason you only see one or two points is that the locations assigned by the GPS data are very close to each other, and Google Maps doesn’t allow them to be separated and viewed. Click on "View in Google Earth", which creates a KMZ file (that is viewable in Google Earth). Click on each teardrop icon to view each media.Q10: I've invited friends to view my location, but their name remains in the "housekeeping" part of the AptoTrak screen, at the bottom. Why?
A10: The friend(s) have to accept your invite to view your tracks. Equally, when another person sends you an invite, it will remain in the "housekeeping" part of AptoTrak screen until you accept the invite. -
AptoGraph
Q1: I have many pictures that go with my log file, but I find it tedious to upload one at a time, and I'm limited to only a few pictures. Can this process be simplified?
A1: Yes. Side-load your log file and pictures onto your PC or MAC, then place them into a ZIP file. When you open AptoGraph and browse/choose a file, select the ZIP file. AptoGraph will unzip the file and display your pictures together with the logged data.Q2: What file types can AptoGraph interpret or read?
Q2: What file types can AptoGraph interpret or read?
A2: AptoGraph is compatible with both TXT and CSV file types. TXT files contain what we call "continuous" GPS data in NMEA format, and CSV files contain what we call "point data". DataTap, the handset application that accesses and displays the GPS data, can save GPS data in both formats on Android, WinMobile and Symbian S60 platforms, as well as EXIF-tagged JPEG-formatted pictures. The pictures, together with these files, can be displayed using AptoGraph. (The iPhone app doesn't support side-loading files to a PC or MAC, and doesn't support EXIF tags, due to limitations of the iPhone. However, data and pictures can be uploaded through AptoTrak.)Q3: Can I view my location information in Google Earth? What about OpenStreetMap?
Q3: Can I view my location information in Google Earth? What about OpenStreetMap?
A3: Yes. Once your location is uploaded and displayed in Google Maps, click "View in Google Earth" in the upper left. This will give you a KMZ file, which you can open in Google Earth. Alternately, select "Google Earth" from the page where you upload files, to skip the Google Maps step. To view in OpenStreetMap, use the same procedure but select GPX format instead. -
DataTap - All Platforms
Q1: I'm trying to automatically upload my tracks and media to AptoTrak but keep getting an error message. Why?
A1: You must be logged onto AptoTrak to automatically upload your location information. Go to the user profile screen and input the user name and password that you used when you signed up on AptoLink. You may still get an error messaging indicating that the AptoTrak server is not reachable if a cellular connection cannot be established. If that happens, please wait a while (or go to a location with a stronger wireless signal, if nothing else on your phone can connect to the Internet either), then try again.Q2: Sometimes my tracks don't completely appear, or aren't completely uploaded, or they are missing pictures or video that I uploaded. Why?
A2: The cellular coverage for each carrier varies from area to area. DataTap and AptoTrak will upload your data as best they can, but if the carrier's signal is too low, uploading might be interrupted. If that happens, uploading can resume once the signal is strong enough to support it, assuming you have not already quit DataTap.
You can view the upload statistics in DataTap to see the number of GPS data points, and number of picture and video files, uploaded. You may wish to review this before quitting DataTap to confirm that your entire track has been uploaded, if cellular coverage in your area is weak enough that this is a problem for you. For better results, go to a high coverage area, if you are not already in one, after finishing a track (while DataTap tries to upload the last of the track).Q3: What are the Car, Store and Other buttons used for?
Q3: What are the Car, Store and Other buttons used for?
A3: They allow the user to save their present location in a KML file (viewable in Google Maps), and recall it later as needed. The Find Car, Find Store, and Find Other buttons will recall these past locations. For instance, if you might forget where you parked your car, use the Car button after parking, and the Find Car button when you return. NOTE: not all Windows Mobile handset browsers support viewing KML files; these files must be viewed from the handset's Google Maps or Google Earth app.Q4: What is the "I'm Here" button for?
Q4: What is the "I'm Here" button for?
A4: This button allows the user to save their present location to a KML file, and then send that KML file to an email address. The user merely has to input an email address (or a list of email addresses), and the KML file (with the altitude, longitude and latitude in the body of the email) is sent. This is like a "visual Twitter". NOTE: not all Windows Mobile handset browsers support viewing KML files; these files must be viewed from the handset's Google Maps or Google Earth app. -
DataTap - iPhone
Q1: The speed doesn't seem to be accurate, and I sometimes get an anomalous reading when I'm stationary. Why?
A1: The GPS data that the iPhone provides isn't real NMEA type data. The GPS data only starts to log new data when it senses that you've moved from your present location, so we had to construct location data from this data. We're improving on the speed output accuracy in future versions.Q2: The bearing, or compass, reading seems to vary. Why?
Q2: The bearing, or compass, reading seems to vary. Why?
A2: Similar to the GPS data, the bearing information comes from constructed data given the type of location/position data that the iPhone provides. We're improving the accuracy for 3GS iPhone by using its eCompass, which the 3G phone doesn't have.Q3: Is there a way that I can side-load my logged data to my MAC or PC?
Q3: Is there a way that I can side-load my logged data to my MAC or PC?
A3: No. The iPhone doesn't allow for side-loading, or selecting a file for uploading. The iPhone version of DataTap only allows the user's location to be viewed from the iPhone, or to be uploaded to AptoTrak so others can view it. Processed data can be downloaded from AptoTrak after being uploaded from the iPhone; while this is not the raw logs, it can suffice for many uses. -
DataTap - Android / Symbian S60 / Windows Mobile
Q1: Can I capture my location data on my handset and upload it to AptoTrak at the same time, in case my data link connection is broken?
A1: Yes, on the Windows Mobile, Symbian S60, or second generation Android platforms. Whether using the handset's internal GPS, or AptoLink's external BT-GPS (i886), the user can save the data to handset by naming a file and saving to a directory (or the microSD card on Android) while automatically uploading. The user can then side-load the location files to their PC or MAC and use AptoGraph to display the information in Google Maps, and post it to AptoTrak for others to view.Q2: When saving point location data in a CSV and pictures on my handset, are the pictures geo-tagged and saved?
A2: Yes. The pictures are geo-tagged when taken by using the Camera button, using the EXIF format as defined by the JPEG Association. The point location data is saved in a CSV file in the same directory. A note can be inputted when a point location data is saved (and for each point saved); this note will be displayed with the geo-tagged picture when the CSV and pictures are uploaded to AptoGraph. NOTE: not all Windows Mobile handset browsers support viewing KML files; these files must be viewed from the handset's Google Maps or Google Earth app.Q3: (Android only) Does the compass feature use the eCompass (i.e. magnetometer) provided by the Android platform?
A3: Yes. The compass feature uses direction/bearing data from both the handset's GPS and the eCompass. There are two compasses, one inside the other. The inner compass is the eCompass data and works best when stationary. The outer compass uses the GPS data and works best when the user is going faster than 2 mph (or 1.25 km/h). When the handset is tilted in a position to take a picture the two compasses are best aligned. An external BT-GPS can also be used with the second generation Android platforms if desired.Q4: (Windows Mobile / Symbian S60 only) Does the compass feature use the handset's GPS data?
Q4: (Windows Mobile / Symbian S60 only) Does the compass feature use the handset's GPS data?
A4: The compass feature uses direction/bearing data from the handset's GPS. The compass works best when the user is going faster than 2 mph (or 1.25 km/h). An external BT-GPS can also be used if desired.Q5: Can I use an external Bluetooth-GPS (BT-GPS) device with DataTap GPS?
Q5: Can I use an external Bluetooth-GPS (BT-GPS) device with DataTap GPS?
A5: You can use any BT-GPS device that will connect to your Symbian S60, second generation Android platforms, or Windows Mobile platform. The user needs to set up the BT-GPS using the Bluetooth connection manager. How to do so is described in this presentation.