Hi,

This is nothing hugely exciting -- it's more a request for assistance and lobbying.

I should preface this by stating that I've never used a Navway GPS. I am, however, a huge fan of the Ausway maps (Melway, Sydway, Brisway) -- they're certainly the best I've come across.

I emailed Ausway to ask if they had something in the works.

The response was not very confidence inspiring ("...under consideration..."), but the guy who wrote it CCed it to a couple of other Ausway people, leading me to think (perhaps only wishfully) that he wants to show them there's demand for it.

I know, I know, it's an absolute longshot, but maybe if enough people make enquiries it will become a reality.

If you want to email them, the address is ausway@ausway.com

Website: Navway Professional Street Navigation - Home

Just a thought...




The full response:

Such an application of our mapping is certainly under consideration.
However, there are no immediate plans to release such a product I'm
sorry.

Gordon Chase
Systems Manager
Melway Publishing
http://www.ausway.com
Ph. (03)9585xxxx Mob xxx

This would be awesome id also love to see something from connex

Didn't even realise that Melways had a GPS version available. Sadly it's much more expensive than many other GPS's on the market.

Regarding the connex comment a portable version of timetables/train info would be excellent, though i guess with the iphone you could always just go to their website. The one thing I'm looking forward to is being able to use tramtracker from their website via my data plan, rather than sending sms's at 55c a pop!

I'm all cool for existing mapping companies to do this, you have to make a buck. But i really think that FOSS is the way to go with this, location based s/w is going to be MASSIVE and we really need a good oss solution to mapping/GPS to start off with.

As i plugged in another thread the other day, OpenStreetMap is an attempt to map the planet for OSS use. if you want to contribute, sign up and get mapping.

Does this include route planning and turn-by-turn stuff? I keep hearing that this kind of software is not being allowed by Apple, but nobody here seems to know exactly what that means... very frustrating!

I think the turn by turn is just legal footnotes to cover their arses should anyone drive straight into a tree.
I wouldn't worry about it to much.

The SDK License agreement forbids this kind of software.

In what way? Sorry to question you here - but as we've heard that Tom Tom have this type of thing working for the iPhone, it seems odd that they have done it despite it being against the SDK?

good luck getting anything out of connex. the only thing they have given me in the last 12 months is a fine (that was there fault anyway).

IPhone 3G: iPhone SDK Agreement Prohibits "Real-Time Route Guidance" and Saving Lives

From the agreement:

Instead, you must have text based instructions and/or constantly look at the screen to see where you are going. That's like disabling audio of the iPod, instead converting the lyrics to text and making you look at the screen while driving to experience your music.

You're not supposed to use the iPhone as a GPS while driving at all, that's not what it's for, it's for location based services in third party applications and geotagging etc, not as a directional guide. GPS ≠ Travel Guide.

Apart from, of course, them showing in the demo the Google Map following the car driving down the street with the GPS tracker....

Hmmm...

I think that's not necessarily an insurmountable legal hurdle. It may be possible to get around it with disclaimers. Of course, there would be a few separate issues:

1. Would Apple, despite suitably drafted disclaimers, still deem such a system a breach of the agreement?

2. If challenged, would a court in the relevant jurisdiction hold that it's a breach. I don't have access to the agreement -- I'm not an iPhone developer -- but I would imagine that Apple would have a clause in the agreement that parties submit to the jurisdiction of California in relation to any proceedings relating to the agreement (I certainly put something like this, giving Victoria jurisdiction, in every consulting contract I enter into).

3. If such an app were released with an appropriate disclaimer, and someone had an accident and sued Ausway and/or Apple in negligence (which, given the Ausway system would only cover Australia, would be in an Australian jurisdiction), would an Australian court invalidate the disclaimer. It would be interesting to see if any precedent exists for other GPS devices.

Still, definitely a hurdle. Given the latest email I got from Ausway, in practice it probably won't happen.

From someone at Ausway named Brad Young (for some reason CCed to me):
**
Gordon, can you please investigate what it takes to be an Apple iphone
developer?

cheers
**

I expect Gordon will come across the agreement soon enough, and Ausway will be put off.

Pity.

Yeah, but with no route or directions remember, just a demonstration of tracking somebody's movement. Doing it with somebody walking wouldn't be a very good demonstration would it? Showing it driving down Lombard street demonstrated it was tracking position accurately at a reasonably high speed, and accurate enough to show the swerves down a street.