CAP ES Smartphone App Project (Android, etc.)

[MilesDyson]

Experimentation and tinkering shouldn't be off limits. We should be constantly trying to improve our abilities to provide service and save lives.

[JC004]

Would something like this cut it?

http://openhpsdr.org/index.php

That's a question for the National Communications Team.  Their comm permissions address was provided to you in another post.  Ask them and see what they say.  However, since it's open source its unlikely it would satisfy the need for secure communications.  Unless your data layer is bulletproof it probably wouldn't fly.

Unfortunately data modes aren't permitted over the air right now.  So experimentation and tinkering are off limits unless prior permission is obtained.  (I know, I know, P25 IS data.)  I look forward to the day we can use data modes; it would be nice to do the kinds of things that MARS does.

Open Source does not equal unsecure.  Ask the NSA:  http://www.nsa.gov/research/selinux/

Experimentation and tinkering shouldn't be off limits. We should be constantly trying to improve our abilities to provide service and save lives.

That is correct.  It is unfortunate that we can't transmit data over the air currently.  This is the disadvantage of not having the packet frequency anymore.  Perhaps this could be fixed or at least a waiver granted for some experimentation. 

We can, however, experiment with various things in smartphone apps.

[Spaceman3750]

I think an application where comm can have general message form on a computer and direct it to a person (PSC, AOBD, GBD, whoever) and when they submit it, it instantly "pings" the recipients phone and computer telling them they have a new message to respond to would be pretty cool. Eliminates the problems lag when comm doesn't have any runners.

If you want the general message forms for your mission folder, the system would have an option to spit all the messages out to a printer on the ICS forms at the end of the day.

[wuzafuzz]

Would something like this cut it?

http://openhpsdr.org/index.php

That's a question for the National Communications Team.  Their comm permissions address was provided to you in another post.  Ask them and see what they say.  However, since it's open source its unlikely it would satisfy the need for secure communications.  Unless your data layer is bulletproof it probably wouldn't fly.

Unfortunately data modes aren't permitted over the air right now.  So experimentation and tinkering are off limits unless prior permission is obtained.  (I know, I know, P25 IS data.)  I look forward to the day we can use data modes; it would be nice to do the kinds of things that MARS does.

Open Source does not equal unsecure.  Ask the NSA:  http://www.nsa.gov/research/selinux/

Experimentation and tinkering shouldn't be off limits. We should be constantly trying to improve our abilities to provide service and save lives.

That is correct.  It is unfortunate that we can't transmit data over the air currently.  This is the disadvantage of not having the packet frequency anymore.  Perhaps this could be fixed or at least a waiver granted for some experimentation. 

We can, however, experiment with various things in smartphone apps.

You got me there, open source does not equal unsecure.  I should have been more careful about what I typed.  However the referenced system was an amateur radio project so it is not secure.  Encryption is prohibited in the amateur radio service.  So it's unlikely an amateur radio project would satisfy any need for secure comms in CAP.

I would love to see APRS in CAP, or something like it, but National has pointed us in a different direction.  We can't do some of the things MARS does, some of which would seem pretty useful in CAP. 

[MikeD]

My brain is fried after 6+ hours of PowerPoint but here's some incoherent thoughts.

Android already has plenty of PDF readers, so I wouldn't bother building an app to contain task guides, etc.  It might be easy (and useful) to have a software hook to call "Open this PDF", and install those PDFs in a known location as part of the app install.  It's not worth the effort to do anything more, like hard-coding all of them, and then having to update the code every time one of them changes.

Putting on my software engineering hat:
Don't reinvent the wheel.  For things like the PDF viewer, don't try to make it, just use what's out there.
Come up with a small, doable list of what you want to do.  Do multiple iterations, do beta/field testing, don't get bogged down trying to make the first version do everything.  Think Spiral and Agile development instead of waterfall.  On those same lines, I'd think of doing multiple apps for multiple things instead of trying to create one unified app.  Early UI prototypes with feedback are a must, even before you start cranking out functional prototypes.  Keep the end user in mind, and get their feedback often.  If it gets the job done faster, do some rapid GUI prototypes in Visual Studios Express, and run them on a PC to show users what they'll look like.

Overlaying the CAP grid on Google Maps would be very useful.  I see a logging app that has the moving map in real time with the grid, and the ability to note things like ELT signal acquired with a note in the log file of time/location, then if able send an SMS or email.  Maybe record a bread trail of time/position every X unit of time (user selectable and/or based on speed if you want to be really slick). 

Read up on how successful open source projects are lead and managed, and talk to the Free Software Foundation to see what advice they can offer.  There's multiple people in CAP who can do software and would want to help.  Don't try to take it all on, and again don't try to take everything on head-on at once.  Small chunks.  If stock Latitude, some other app, or a quick adaptation works in some but not all situations (such as say just for UDF when you have a cell signal), do it, as a proof of concept. 

Also, I'm a notorious Android fan, so of course I'm going to suggest that as the target platform over iOS.  :angel:  However, those phones and tablets come from multiple vendors, are on the big 4 and some of the minor carriers, so you in theory have a wider target audience. 

Documentation is a love letter to your future self.  if you have a good set of documentation and virtual interface prototypes, then you could have multiple independent coders and/or teams porting the design to Android, iOS, and whatever else makes sense, such as WinMo, or possibly webOS if it gets picked up by Samsung as some rumors are starting to talk about, or whatever the next big thing is.

I hope this makes sense and helps.

[Майор Хаткевич]

What about my HP TouchPad?

[davidsinn]

What about my HP TouchPad?

Put Android on it. Someone has hacked Cyanogen on to it already.

[MikeD]

What about my HP TouchPad?

Well, if you install CyanogenMod on it, in a couple of months or so it'll work.  Right now it's a rough beta.  I honestly don't see any kind of CAP app being truly useful faster then that. Unless we have some CAPers who need a Senior Design Project or similar in CS/CoE?   

[davidsinn]

Here's a thought I just had...Make an app for meeting sign in that scans the barcodes on the id cards and generates an output file to be printed and filed or imported into the popular unit management packages out there. Nice and simple and a good place to start the learning process.

[MikeD]

Here's a thought I just had...Make an app for meeting sign in that scans the barcodes on the id cards and generates an output file to be printed and filed or imported into the popular unit management packages out there. Nice and simple and a good place to start the learning process.

We don't have that yet?

[davidsinn]

Here's a thought I just had...Make an app for meeting sign in that scans the barcodes on the id cards and generates an output file to be printed and filed or imported into the popular unit management packages out there. Nice and simple and a good place to start the learning process.

We don't have that yet?

No. I wish we did.

[SarDragon]

At one time, WMU, or one of its variants, was able to accept bar codes to do log-ins. This was back in '02 or '03, right after WMU hit the street. We had it kinda working at a SAREX one time, but I haven't seen anyone try it since then.

[a2capt]

You're thinking of MMU, the precursor to IMU, and I've been doing barcode scanning with both of them anytime I've ever setup or othrwise participated in a mission base environment. I have a plethora of USB and PS2 laser based scanners. Not those "Mr Magoo" blind LED ones, and a lot of times it's the first time anyone saw that and they seem "amazed".

But.. yes, the barcode is just the CAP ID number. Nothing sinister.

[JC004]

There's some good ideas here.  I am also working on another heavily-ES training project (http://training.cap811.org) and trying to integrate things where possible.  I have been trying to teach myself as much as I can with my available time about Android development. 

I should have a decent plan/sketch of this thing soon. 

I hope that people will continue to put CAP ES app-related ideas out there...

[davidsinn]

I hope that people will continue to put CAP ES app-related ideas out there...

A simple app that will generate aircraft search patterns (expanding square, grid, route, etc) and output them into GPX, and KML format for import into other GPS programs (my favorite is Back Country Navigator). Make sure I can specify parameters such as start point, initial heading, track spacing, etc. That way I can have a moving map display with my planned track on it to help me as an observer.

[JC004]

That I would need help with.

[elipod]

I know it might be a long shot to find developers since I had basically no luck with that before and CAP web developer-types that I asked didn't have any smartphone experience.  Mine is very limited.  It would also be good to have someone who could make the app work for iPhone... I can't find ANY iPhone development people in CAP from my asking around.  Not one person with this experience so far.  Maybe if I could at least find someone who CAN develop for iPhone and simply hasn't before?

I may have something useful for you.

While browsing the Apple App store today, I found a CAP app. It is the only Civil Air Patrol App out there. Needless to say, this guy is obvs a developer, and he made an app for ribbons.

It is called "Rack 'Em Up". 

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/rack-em-up/id307076730?mt=8

You might try contacting this developer.

[N Harmon]

A simple app that will generate aircraft search patterns (expanding square, grid, route, etc) and output them into GPX, and KML format for import into other GPS programs (my favorite is Back Country Navigator). Make sure I can specify parameters such as start point, initial heading, track spacing, etc. That way I can have a moving map display with my planned track on it to help me as an observer.

Check this out: http://nharmon.multics.org/cap/sarplotter.php

The formulas are all in there, should be easy to adapt to output to KML.

[davidsinn]

A simple app that will generate aircraft search patterns (expanding square, grid, route, etc) and output them into GPX, and KML format for import into other GPS programs (my favorite is Back Country Navigator). Make sure I can specify parameters such as start point, initial heading, track spacing, etc. That way I can have a moving map display with my planned track on it to help me as an observer.

Check this out: http://nharmon.multics.org/cap/sarplotter.php

The formulas are all in there, should be easy to adapt to output to KML.

Almost exactly like that except add the ability to define a grid for parallel line search as well. I just want to be able to import those lines into my program of choice and see it below my moving cursor and use my program's tracking ability to compare where I've been to where I wanted to be.

[JC004]

Keep sending or posting ideas (which ever).  I've received some good stuff and it has given me other ideas or helped me developed others.

I should have a bit of a plan together soon.

Still learning what I can and still looking for some people to help make these things reality.  I can't do it myself but there is a TON of potential here.