AlpineQuest & OfflineMaps

Hi and thanks for this feature!

I would like to offer:
• 5 calibration points instead of 4. The 5-th one should be in the center of the calibrated image.
• Functional button Maps and layers → to add another item Calibrate a map image below Select and save an area.

Thanks.
Alexander.

Hi Alex,
Yes there is place to improvement for this feature. I thought it was better to release a first version quickly, even simple, and improve it with the time.
As you suggest, we can imagine more options in the future for users who want more precision:
- Ability to add more calibration points;
- Ability to setup a map projection.

Concerning the new menu, what would it do? Map calibration is a feature for advanced users, most users use maps already included, and as usual I try to keep me main view and menus simple...

Hi and thanks for the feedback.

I understand this feature is more compicated and for advanced users. As to me I don't think I'm a beginner and I've been using AlpineQuest for some years, but when you announced this feature I tried to find it in the appication and I couldn't do it. Then I began thinking and selecting variants taking into account that something should work as "open a map" so I put an image to the map folder and pressed "Available maps". Only after that I've found it there as Image to calibrate. But I knew this feature was available and I was looking for it.
Imagine other users don't know it and they don't even realize that images should be placed into the Maps folder so that the application could see it as Images to calibrate.
I think there should be a kind of a hint for users and I proposed to add a new item in the Available maps section. Once a user opens Available maps he sees this item and can press it to look for images to calibrate.
I'll try to discuss this with my collegues in 4pda.ru forum.

As to calibration option... I asked questions to 4pda users. They say it wouldn't be bad to visualize this function either in Maps main menu as a new item/command or in Maps main menu as a new option. I also agree with them.

Hi Alex,
I agree that someone not aware of this feature may not find it.
But I'm not really in adding a new button in the menu because it would simply open the maps explorer to let the user choose an image, just like is doing the first menu item (Available maps). After all there is not a "Open OZF map" menu item to open an ozi map.
I made it the same way than other file based maps work: if you want to open an OZF map, you just open the maps explorer and select your map file. If you want to calibrate an image, you just open the maps explorer and select your image. Note that on the contrary of application on PC, there is not a "Choose file" way on Android, and right now the maps explorer is the only way to let the user choose an image.

But an user made this interesting request: from the device Gallery app, if you select "Share" on one image, the application appears in the list and if you select it, it opens the calibration tool.

Hi and many thanks!

I think that actions "Open a map" and "Calibrate a map" are different though a user have to open a file in any case. Of course you are right that the interface shouldn't be overloaded, but to my mind this option [calibration] is not quite clear for a user. A user is unaware of it.
As a user I know that I can open [load] offline maps which are located in the Maps folder, but looking at the AQ menues I don't even guess I can calibrate a map (and in this case I have to locate images into the Maps folder). I understand that it is not very ethical to cite a competitor as an example, but in this case all is clear at first sight.
I really sure the Calibration feature is very great for AQ but first it took me a lot of time to understand how I can do it (I do not feel like a beginner in AQ).

Hi again Alex,
Let's say I add a button in the menu, what would it do exactly?

Concerning the competitors, it's not a problem of ethic but it simply is not an argument for me, in fact, this is more a counter argument. All apps have their own logic and because it's made in a way in one app doesn't mean it must be done the same way on another. If I always add buttons, menus, tools, etc. at the same place of another application, I'll end up with an exact copy. What is the interest? On the contrary, I'm trying to make things differently so users that don't like how it is made on the other applications have an alternative choice...

Hi again, François!

Thank you for the feedback, I really appreciate it. No doubt AlpineQuest is one of the most advanced applications in its class – powerful and very userfriendly. I have been using it for several years but I can't help wondering how comfortable it is in use.
As to the "the button in the menu" I just wanted to point out that IMHO the calibrtion feature is not so obvious as it should be.

I agree that it's not very visible.
I'll see with time if it need to be modified in a way or another.