I have a dilemna with my Ground Station software for my Quad-Rotor. My current setup uses software I wrote for LabView using Google Maps, but they came out with a new version of their API and my software doesn't get the maps anymore. So this has prompted me to re-develop it. I've been looking around at the projects on DIY Drones and am pretty impressed, but I would like to develop my own. Specifically, I would like to develop the following features:
-Draw waypoints on map
-Select different modes at each waypoint (hover, land,takeoff,etc)
-Dynamically move the map around, hopefully in 3 dimensions
-Read vehicle position and plot course
-Manually control the quad-rotor
-Display information sent from the quad-rotor
I have already set up a communications protocol for my project so the software I develop would need to be adaptable for that. My problem is that I haven't been able to find a map api service that would be able to perform the first 3 requirements above, all at the same time. The current software I have performed, prior to the new API version, all these features except the 3rd. My question for you guys is if you know of a map api that could perform these duties, hopefully with some code examples. I am pretty proficient in LabView and C/C++/C#, but not a whole lot in Java (at least not yet...)
Anybody have any starting points?
My project wiki is here: http://code.google.com/p/robot-chopper/wiki/RoboChopperWiki
And my current software: http://code.google.com/p/robot-chopper/wiki/Interface
I am willing to add hardware to my existing XBee if need be, but would rather use a laptop solution.
Thanks!
David
Replies
It is a java SDK, but I wrote a program for it, and I can provide you with source. Worldwind takes data from multiple map servers. I have Openstreetmap, Landsat, MS virtual earth (The highest res one), USGS Urban (High res for limited areas), Bike street map (great one for roads), and IR view. implemented in right now.
You can move the map from within the program, add different shape waypoint markers, and build lines (also in my source).
Let me know if you want to try this rather than working with the existing one. I can send you parts of the source (The whole thing is ~150MB)
Ok cool, sounds like a plan. [email addy deleted -automatik]
I know what you mean about Google Maps, I'm not very happy with it. Doing the point and click correlation that you described is what I did on my previous software, but I'm not very happy with it due to the inaccuracies that it produces, unless you really go the distance with it. I short-cutted the online requirement by saving the map continuously, so when you went out to the field it would automatically pull up the last saved map. Again, not very good compared to the Google Earth mapping cache.
current GCS will read (plot) waypoints IF they are already stored in the ArduPilot
((from ground control station wiki)
currently you can't assign (write) waypoints using GCS...For that use config tool (that Chris already pointed out)