Updated Tutorial Available
This tutorial is for the Desktop Designer. To view the updated tutorial for the online project designer, please click here .

GPS Tracker Point

Learn how the GPS Tracker point can be used and see it in action with the sample projects.

What is the GPS Tracker point?

This point allows you to capture a sequence of GPS coordinates at set intervals, such as every 10 metres or every 30 seconds. The GPS Tracker point can be integrated with the Map Point to provide a live map with a path drawn between coordinates.

Key Features

  • Captures a sequence of coordinates at set time intervals or using distance travelled.
  • Supports integration with a Map Point to display live updates as the device's location changes.
  • Can store date/time values with each captured coordinate.
  • Configurable to automatically start and stop when sessions are opened and closed.
  • Continues capturing coordinates in the background until GPS Tracker point is stopped or session is closed.

Gps tracker point animation freeway

Integration with Map Point

The GPS Tracker point can be integrated with the Map point in order to display a live map with a line drawn between coordinates as they are stored. This can be done by following these steps:

  1. Open a project in the Mobile Data Anywhere Designer.
  2. Add a GPS Tracker point and a Map Point to the project.
  3. Open the GPS Tracker's properties window.
  4. Ensure the format includes %lat%,%long%
  5. Open the Map Point's properties window.
  6. Open the Options selection box and select the GPS Tracker point from the list.

Configuration and Settings

The GPS Tracker point can be configured in the Mobile Data Anywhere Designer to customise the behaviour of the point. Below is an example of the properties window for a GPS Tracker point, opened in the Mobile Data Anywhere Designer.


Gps tracker designer properties

Format Settings

The format settings allow you to customise the information that is recorded in the GPS Tracker point's value. The %code Insert Token dropdown allows you to select from various GPS information that can be added to the point's recorded value, including values such as latitude, longitude and much more.

Including date/time in format

It can be useful to store a date/time for each coordinate that is captured. This can be done by opening the Insert Token box and selecting any of the Date , Time or Date Time options.

Format requirements for integration with Map Point

If you plan to integrate the GPS Tracker with a Map point please ensure that you include the required format settings, see the Integration with Map Point section for details.

Options

These settings allow you to customise how the point functions when the point is used on a mobile device.

Capture Mode

This setting determines whether the point captures coordinates using one of the following:

  • Time interval

    For example, a coordinate could be captured every 30 seconds.

  • Distance interval

    For example, a coordinate could be captured every 30 metres travelled.

Capture interval

This is the interval between each coordinate that is captured and will determine how frequently coordinates are captured. The Capture Interval is dependant on the selected Capture Mode and will either be:

  • Capture Mode: Time interval

    The capture interval will be a number of seconds between captures.

  • Capture Mode: Distance interval

    The capture interval will be a number of metres between captures.

Battery Performance

GPS tracking can cause a significant drain on battery usage over time. The smaller the capture interval, the more the battery will be drained. It is recommended to use a capture interval of 60 seconds or 100 metres.

Delimiter used to separate capture values.

The GPS Tracker will store captured coordinates in a delimited string, for example a GPS tracker that has captured 3 coordinates would store:
32.432331,-120.031219;32.432331,-120.031219;32.432331,-120.031219 Each coordinate is separated using the default delimiter character ; which can be configured using this setting.

Desired Accuracy (m).

The GPS Tracker point will continue to search for GPS coordinates until the location is within the specified desired accuracy (in metres).

Automatically start/stop tracking with session start/finish.

When enabled, the GPS Tracker point will automatically start capturing coordinates when a new or active session is opened and will automatically stop when the session is finished. When disabled, the GPS Tracker can be started and stopped manually using displayed Start and Stop buttons. If the GPS Tracker is not stopped manually, it will automatically stop when the session is finished.

Allow value to be cleared.

When enabled, the GPS Tracker point will display an additional Clear button which can be used to clear all captured locations from the point.

Display start/stop/clear buttons on a second line.

When enabled, the GPS Tracker point will display buttons on a second line, below the display of the captured coordinates. This mode is recommended for use on devices with smaller screens, such as phones.

Location Services and Privacy Settings

Permission Requests

Apple iOS devices require permission to access the location services on the device. The app will prompt you to grant permission with the prompts seen below:

Location permission while in use Location permission while in background
You will need to ensure that both permissions are granted in order to allow the app to gain access to location services and to allow the app to track location changes in the background.

Checking the status of permissions

You can check on the status of permissions from within the app by opening the Settings page and scrolling down to the Location & Privacy Settings section.

Location permission settings status The location service status will be one of the following:

Status Meaning
Not Set Permission has not been requested yet. The app will request permission access when location services are required.
No Access The user has denied access to location services. Location services cannot be used by the app until the user changes the location service permissions for the app.
Limited The user has only granted permission to allow location services while the app is in use. The user has not granted permission for the app to use location services while the app is in the background. This will impact the performance of points such as the GPS Tracker point where location information needs to be tracked over time.
Full Access The user has granted permission to access location services while the app is any state. This will allow all points to use location services as required.

Updating Permissions

To change the permission settings for location services, you will need to open the Location and Privacy settings on the device. For devices running recent versions of iOS (iOS 8+) you can quickly navigate to the location and privacy settings from within the Mobile Data Anywhere app:

  • Open the Mobile Data Anywhere app.
  • Tap on Settings.
  • Scroll down to the Location & Privacy Settings section.
  • Tap on the Location and Privacy Settings button.
  • This will open the device's Settings app.
  • Tap on Location.
  • Tap on Always to provide the best experience.
For older devices, you can manually open the Location and Privacy settings by following the steps seen below:

Ios enable location services

Sample Projects

The following samples demonstrate how the GPS Tracker point can be used to capture a sequence of locations and also how a path between the coordinates can be drawn onto a Map point . Get started by downloading the GPS Tracker point sample project, below.


Sample Projects
You can download the sample files for this tutorial or import the projects directly into your account.
Download the Sample Files Import the GPS Tracker Point Sample project