Add an ability of showing/searching POIs

[asakura42]

For me RouteConverter isn't a converter itself, or reviewer. I create my bike tracks from scratch in it and I'm very happy that I found the user-friendly tool I can use without any difficulties. But I miss the only one point in your program - an ability of showing and searching POIs. I have a bunch maps and only Android's Osmand can show me where the amenity=bank (for example) is for more granular route planning. I think the lack of such searching and showing is the weak point of the modern desktop programs and I hope to see such simple option in yours. 😊

[cpesch]

There is a branch 99c19f6 which contains first steps into that direction. Does that address your use case?

[asakura42]

Looks like it is! May I ask you to continue development in this direction? I have examined all 133 programs for Linux in OSM Wiki and only QMapShack can show POIs and build a route at the same time (while being fast for low-end machine). But QMapShack has bugs in some parts and is generally quite complicated for the simple task of just planning a bike ride. That's why I decided to choose your program and hope to use it in the future.

[cpesch]

Do you still use RouteConverter?

[WilfriedBl]

Do you still use RouteConverter?

If the question was meant for everybody, my response is YES,

[cpesch]

I'm happy to read that. Originally, I wanted to target @asakura42 with the question.

[asakura42]

@cpesch Yes! And just like six months ago, I’m using it not so much for converting formats as for planning routes

[Baltasarq]

I feel very identified with @asakura42, since many times I plan my routes with RouteConverter. Other times, I just polished my routes.

I think we share the same problem: I can include a track and a list of points, but cannot see both at the same time. So, I have to remember the exact point of the route in which the POI sitted, and then go to the list of points and add it.

[cpesch]

I was thinking about ways to bring POIs into RouteConverter along the Find Place dialog. Currently the dialog queries the entered search term in a list of geocoding services (Geonames, Nominatim, Photon, Google). The first service that answers answers - typically with a list of GPS positions for the entered search term. When selecting a search result, a lens-like icon is displayed on the map.

An option is to extend this Find Place dialog to

1. search for POIs from the mapsforge POI databases
2. display a lens-like icon on the map for every result in the search list
3. upon selecting a search result, pan the map to a selected entry, just like now

The benefits would be

• a reduced dependency on online services and their quotas
• POIs seamlessly made available next to geocoded location names
• POI downloads organised like routing downloads alongside the maps
• an existing functionality made more powerful

The drawbacks are

• there is no overview of POI categories
• limited to one search term at a time

But it's a start and I always loved the idea of keeping the user interface as simple as possible.

What do you think?

[Baltasarq]

Seems great!
But this seems like a way to import existing POI's, what about the POI's you can add to the map yourself?

[cpesch]

Seems great! But this seems like a way to import existing POI's, what about the POI's you can add to the map yourself?

Where do they come from? Or where are they stored?

[Baltasarq]

You can add a new list with the button new at the right, then choose Waypoint list in the Type dropdown.
From then on, you cann add POIs wherever you like. It is stored in the same GPX file. The problem is that you cannot have the route and the waypoints lists at the same time on the map.

[cpesch]

That is a feature that has been requested for a long time. Unfortunately, I've designed RouteConverter around a list of positions that is displayed on a map and for the few formats that allow more than one position list per file, I've added a combo box to allow the user to select one position list. Bringing this to N position lists is a huge effort - starting with questions like:

• How should this be displayed on the map? Colors? Symbols? Overlays?
• How do you know to which position list a position is belonging to/added to/removed from?
• How do you select the displayed position list?

And those questions need to be intuitively answerable by a sporadic user.

[Baltasarq]

That is a feature that has been requested for a long time. Unfortunately, I've designed RouteConverter around a list of positions that is displayed on a map and for the few formats that allow more than one position list per file, I've added a combo box to allow the user to select one position list.

I know. The first question that comes to my mind is: do you have any use case apart from the 1 route and 1 waypoint list? I suppose that this is by far the most use case, but don't know about others.

And those questions need to be intuitively answerable by a sporadic user.

I understand it's not an easy feature to add, like a new menu, or context menu, or a different marker for points.

How about this: let's say that, whatever points list you're editing (and you are only editing one at once), the other lists (waypoints, routes, whatever), are show in gray or whichever color that makes it clear that they are not editable at this time.

Say you have the same configuration we were talking about: you have a GPX with 1 route and 1 waypoint list. I start with only the route. I correct it, removing wrong turns or whatever. I'm still using RouteConverter the same way I've been using it. Then I create the waypoint list. The route is still shown, but in gray. I can use RouteConverter the same way it's used today, everything is normal, apart from the fact that the other list, the route, is still displayed on the map, in gray, and I cannot edit it. I can only add waypoints. If I want to modify the route, then I would have to change back to the route in the combobox. Now I'm modifying the route, and the waypoints are still visible as gray markers.

[cpesch]

do you have any use case apart from the 1 route and 1 waypoint list?

Yes, I've read lots of them. From the top of my head:

• comparing a set of tracks with another set of tracks
• showing a multi-day/week track that consists of one track per day
• showing a Triathlon track consisting of separate swimming, bicycling, running tracks
• creating a route while using multiple lists of waypoints (personal and public POI lists) as indicators where the route could go along

[Baltasarq]

Well, I think in all that use cases would be great to see the other routes/waypoints in gray. My opinion.