I am looking at using the bluetooth (function as a sensor) in a proximity detection app, detecting another phone/device with the same app. Has anyone tried this? I have been working with some GIS mapping data and APIs, but I think its too much to coordinate GPS points with a proximity algorithm in SQL data sets. The simpler the better... Cheers, Greg

I haven't tried bluetooth yet (in a mobile environment) but I'm curious what you're doing with GIS. I work with Mapping, GPS and GIS in my 'real life' and am always looking at how others use the data. I'm working on a Navigational App (to be released spring 2024, lol!) and building a Web Map Server for another avenue of my business. I'm working to get my data (correctly) converted from 'Polish Format' into a postgreSQL database, and other tasks. Cheers! -- Smug

I'd be interested in a Bluetooth plugin as well... maybe a project for Mr. David??? He could call it BT for BT, lol. I have an iOS project coming up that will require bluetooth connection, but it wasn't anything I assumed we could do with Buzztouch, at least without heavy customization or a custom plugin.

Smug, I have been using TileMill to make custom GIS maps for web apps,its an open source tool for assembling and creating mapping layers https://www.mapbox.com/tilemill/ With tilemill you can export MBTiles as well as others. Maps can be uploaded to mapbox.com, where custom maps can be served up as a service. MapBox has an API, REST API, and mobile SDK for the custom maps you make. Mapbox also made an open source tile (map) server called TileStream: https://github.com/mapbox/tilestream I can think of a ton of apps centered around custom maps, such as topographic maps for hikers. Detailed maps can take up a ton of space... Google maps are good for most stuff, but making a custom map can make a difference in design as well as function. I believe TileStream can use MySQL and PostgreSQL. Commercial products like ArcGIS and related products can get expensive quick. -Greg

I'm not using it in an APP yet - but I saw a BLE Demo recently and picked up one of these and have been tinkering around with the technology. http://www.ti.com/ww/en/wireless_connectivity/sensortag/index.shtml?DCMP=lprf-stdroid&HQS=lprf-stdroid-pr Pretty awesome stuff with tons of possibilities once you get the hang of it. I think that is the first TI device I've owned since a classic TI calculator or a Speak and Spell or maybe that cheesey game console they made in the 80's! http://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/4/1/5/5/9/9/webimg/384827390_tp.jpg FTW!

That is a very cool bluetooth sensor.

I've got TileMill, I haven't figured out how to use it yet, lol! I have been using MOBAC (Mobile Atlas Creator - http://mobac.sourceforge.net) to create offline map tiles for use. I haven't worked with Mapbox though… I'm not sure why, but there was a reason. I think in the end it's because I wanted to do it all from my servers rather than subscribe to anything, but heck, I can't remember what I had for breakfast yesterday, so who really knows… Cheers! -- Smug

Strange this thread seems to have bifurcated... see: https://www.buzztouch.com/forum/thread.php?tid=AB15E9B84CB04F785700BFB&sortColumn=FT.id&sortUpDown=DESC&currentPage=1 -Greg

Smug, I am pretty sure you can serve your own tile sets with Tilestream, there are a couple of others. Its a pain to set up the server in a shared hosting environment, much better to setup on AWS or similar. MapBox serves maps for free, up to 50 Megs with some limited views. For $5/month you get 250 Megs (map tile data sets) and 10,000 monthly views. Im trying it out on a project, so far so good for basic stuff. -Greg