LBS-Engine

This is a Cordova app, developed to allow users to create a location based service without detailed programming knowledge. The app can be adjusted using two configuration files, that can be changed to settings fitting the user's needs.

LBS-Engine was developed for the ifgi. Its main purpose is to have a basic template for running user studies in the field of geoinformatics.

Technologies used

1. node.js
2. Apache Cordova
3. React
4. Onsen UI
5. react-leaflet/Leaflet
6. Cordova-promise-fs
7. leaflet-offline

Installation

Install the app and run it on your machine or on a smartphone.

Required Software

Install this software to run this project:

• Apache Cordova
• node.js (npm)

To add functionality, or modify the state of the config.json or layers.json:

• Browserify
• Babelify

Installation

• Clone this repository
• Add the cordova platform you want to use cordova platform add <platformname> Cordova Getting started
• Run npm run build
• Run cordova run <platformname>

Modifications of the existing app

Modify the app's defaults

• Go the the file src/data_components/config.json (contains all available settings)
• Set the settings in the app component in a way you want your default settings (true/false values)
• Adjust the map settings:
  • center: Center of the map as default (when GPS is off). Use latitude/longitude value pairs
  • zoomable: Set the default map able to zoom (use true/false)
  • draggable: Set the default map able to be dragged (use true/false)
  • zoom: Value between 0 and 18 (0 = mininmal zoom, 18 = maximum zoom)

Modify the displayed data

• Go to the file src/data_components/layers.json (containing sample data as an example)
• Edit the file with your layers
  • Each layer must be a json Object wrapped in {}
  • Each layer can be one of eigther marker or route
  • The name of the layer is also the name used for displaying it on the map
  • Each layer can contain multiple items in an array [{item}, {item2}]
  • Each item must have a unique name
  • Provide the coordinates of your layers in pairs of latitude/longitude
  • Routes are used as single layer, so to add multiple route objects, add multiple layers
  • Add a pop-up to a marker by adding the element popup to an item of a marker. This will be displayed. It can be be styled with html elements (example: <b>Hello world!</b><br>I am a popup.)

Adding pictures for streetview

Add the picture to the folder www/img.

Extending the app

To add further plugins or extensions, create a new file in src/business_components with your logic and export your functions. Then in the component, that shall be extended (map, streetview), require the new file and just use your new functions like module.method(). To have the new modules as a part of the app, you need to run the build again npm run build.

Add more Logs

The Logger delivered with the app provides two exported functions: logEntry(data) and stopLoggingAndWriteFile. The logs have the structure: Date/Time, Latitude, Longitude, Mode, Action. To add more logs create an array and call logger.logEntry(myData) with it. The logfile can be found on the devices' root directory and is called lbs-engine-logger.csv.

Further development

The streetview component is a dummy mode at the moment. An interaction to change the displayed image and respond to location events needs to be implemented.

Bugs

Due to an error in OnsenUI's last version, the tabs are a little hacked right now. Can be fixed with an update of OnsenUI.