[Enhancement] Please add integration with GeoClue location service.

[Baggypants]

GeoClue allows applications to integrate with multiple location sources, such as Mozilla Location Service, 3G, GeoIP and various GPS systems. Crucially for me it is being provided as the main location source in the Pinephone Mobian distribution and I'd like to use Navit for it.

GeoClue https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/geoclue/geoclue/-/wikis/home

Mobian Location docmentation for Pinephone https://wiki.mobian-project.org/doku.php?id=location

Pinephone Navit discussion https://forum.pine64.org/showthread.php?tid=10697&pid=74115#pid74115

[mvglasow]

Just for the background, we are talking primarily about the Linux build, correct? Then GeoClue would essentially replace gpsd or whatever other location source we support on Linux.

Sounds like we are talking about another vehicle implementation (Navit’s way of encapsulating the various location sources found in the wild). That should be sorted out on the architecture side already.

What platforms would we need to support with this?

[Baggypants]

Yes, it would be targeting Linux and would be an alternative source to gpsd or reading nmea data out of a serial device on that platform. gpsd and GeoClue have different use cases though. gpsd allows location data to be collected and transmitted across a network. GeoClue aggregates different sources of location data on a local machine to one interface.

[jkoan]

I have already looked into the GeoClue API, and from what i see i think it should be quite strait forword. As @mvglasow said this would be another vehicle plugin for Navit.
My only concern so far is that we don't have the real hardware (Pinephone or some other device which has a image with GeoClue). I ordered a PineTab from the first batch, so i could probably sort some things out, but the PineTab doesn't have GNSS as the PinePhone has.
Do you know if there is any OS to test/prototype with, or some sort of fake Data feedin? Probably we could feed a pipe into GeoClue and feed the pipes input from previous collected nema data. But this approche would take at least some time setting up all this, and is probably a bit sluggish.

[metalstrolch]

GeoClue is used for Qt location services on SailfishOs. Don't know if it is v1 or v2 unfortunately. Since the development headers for GeoClue should be available, one might test a GeoClue vehicle plug in on Sailfish OS devices. It's no "win" for SailfishOS, as the Qt5 vehicle is already there and working, but it's OK to give it a try. Sailfish OS is "just Linux" in all cases.
When back from vacation, I'm willing to give this a try. If somebody already started such a plug in, then drop me a note, so I might set up testing on my sailfish device.

[sirnewton01]

Someone has written a GeoClue mock from long ago. https://github.com/inzanity/geoclue-mock

Also, GeoClue will ultimately fall-back to using available WiFi or IP address for your location (inaccurate as they may be) without a GNSS modem on your system. I do this from time to time on my desktop.

Maybe these would be enough to test out a new navit geoclue vehicle?

[jkoan]

I have already started to write the vehicle plugin after i realized that my gnome desktop has it preconfigured (Manjaro Linux). I already have the main things set up. Only need to feed the inputs from GeoClue to navit.
Hopefully i can provite a prototype soon.

[jkoan]

First Prototype is done and working, will take some more hours tomorrow to tidy everything up, and then i will provide a Pull Request for testing.
My first test was on a local LAN PC where i switched between USB tethering (mobile phone) and LAN/DSL connection. This caused GeoClue to update the position and Navit did accordingly 😄
Tomorrow i will clean everything up, and test on my Laptop because it has a GNSS/GPS module build in, so i should be able to do some movement 😉

[Baggypants]

Is the prototype code available in a repository? Because I should be able to cross compile something to test on the pinephone.

[jkoan]

Got the Geoclue Prototype up at the branch https://github.com/navit-gps/navit/tree/vehicle_geoclue

[metalstrolch]

Bummer. SailfsihOS is of no help here unfortunately. It still uses ages old geoclue version 0.12.99. Don't think we want to support that old versions. Even more as Sailfish works wit qt5 vehicle.
Stated branch requires at least geoclue-2.

[sirnewton01]

@jkoan I think maybe the speed is getting assigned to the altitude in error here? https://github.com/navit-gps/navit/compare/vehicle_geoclue#diff-ad9d0ae6bf9e20aae39c3f2d8d135c8cR89

[jkoan]

@jkoan I think maybe the speed is getting assigned to the altitude in error here? https://github.com/navit-gps/navit/compare/vehicle_geoclue#diff-ad9d0ae6bf9e20aae39c3f2d8d135c8cR89

Yes indeed, this ist an Error because i was only able to test stationary so far