Easily use google maps, openstreet maps etc offline.

Posted by samkea on Geeks with Blogs See other posts from Geeks with Blogs or by samkea
Published on Tue, 20 Apr 2010 09:05:44 GMT Indexed on 2010/04/20 10:23 UTC
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I did it and i am going to explain step by step. The explanatination may appear long but its simple if you follow. Note: All the softwares i have used are the latest and i have packaged them and provided them in the link below. I use Nokia N96

1) RootSign smartComGPS and install it on your phone(i havent provided the signer so that u wuld do some little work. i used Secman' rootsign).
2) Install Universal Maps Downloader, SmartCom OGF2 converter and OziExplorer 3.95.4s on my PC.
a) UMD is used to download map tiles from any map source like googlemaps,opensourcemaps etc... and also combine the tiles into an image file like png,jpg,bmp etc...
b) SmartCom OGF2 converter is used to convert the image file into a format usable on your mobile phone.
c) OziExplorer will help you to calibrate the usable map file so that it can be used with GPS on your mobile phone without the use of internet.

3) Go to google maps or where u pick your maps and pan to the area of your interest. Zoom the map to at least 15 or 16 zoom level where you can see your area clearly and the streets.
4) copy this script in a notepad file and save it on your desktop: javascript:void(prompt('',gApplication.getMap().ge tCenter()));
5) Open the universal maps downloader. You will notice that you are required to add the: left longitude, right longitude,top latitude, bottom latitude.
6) On your map in google maps, doubleclick on the your prefered to most middle point. you will notice that the map will center in that area.
7) copy the script and paste it in the address bar then press enter. You will notice that a dialog with your (top latitude) and longitude respectively pops up.
8) copy the top latitude ONLY and paste it in the corresponding textbox in the UMD.
9) repeat steps 6-7 for the botton latitude.
10)repeat steps 6-7 for left longitude and right longitude too, but u have to copy the longitudes here. (***BTW record these points in the text file as they may be needed later in calibration)
11) Give the zoom level to the same zoom level that you prefered in google maps.
12) Dont forget to choose a path to save your files and under options set the proxy connection settings in UMD if you are using so.
13) Click on start and bingo! there you have your image tiles and a file with an extension .umd will be saved in the same folder.
14) On the UMD, go to tools, click on MapViewer and choose the .umd file. you will now see your map in one piece....and you will smile!
15) Still go to tools and click on map combiner. A dialog will popup for you to choose the .umd file and to enter the IMAGE file name. u can use another extension for the image file like png, jpg etc...i usually use png.
16) Combine.....bingo! there u go! u have an IMAGE file for your map. *I SUGGEST THAT CREATE A .BMP FILE and A .PNG file*
17) Close UMD and open SmartCom OGF2 converter.
18) Choose your .png image and create an ogf2 file.
19) Connect your phone to your PC in Mass Memory mode and transfer the file to the smartComGPS\Maps folder.
20) Now disconnect your phone and load smartComGPS. it will load the map and propt you to add a calibration point. Go ahead and add one calibration point with dummy coordinates. You will notice that it will add another file with extension .map in the smartComGPS\Maps folder.
21) Connect yiur ohone and copy that file and paste it in your working folder on your PC. Delete that .map file from the phone too because you are going to edit it from your PC and put it back.
22) Now Open the OziExplorer, go to file-->Load and Calibrate Map Image.
23) Choose the .bmp image and bingo! it will load with your map in the same zoom level.
24) Now you are going to calibrate. Use the MapView window and take the small box locater to all the 4 cornners of the map. You will notice that the map in the back ground moves to that area too.
25)On the right side, select the Point1 tab. Now you are in calibration mode. Now move the red box in mapview in the left upper corner to calibrate point1.
26) out of mapview go to the the left upper corner of the background map and choose poit (0,0) and your 1st calibration point. You will notice that these X,Y cordinated will be reflected in the Point1 image cordinates.
27) now go back to the text file where you saved your coordibates and enter the top latitude and the left longitude in the corresponding places.
28) Repeat steps 25-27 for point2,point3,point4 and click on save. Thats it, you have calibrated your image and you are about to finish.
29) Go to save and a dilaog which prompts you to save a .map file will poop up. Do save the map file in your working folder.
30) Right click that .map file and edit the filename in the .map file to remove the pc's directory structure. Eg. Change C\OziExplorer\data\Kampala.bmp to Kampala.ogf2.
31) Save the .map file in the smartComGPS\Maps folder on your phone.
32) now open smartComGPS on your phone and bingo! there is your map with GPS capability and in the same zoom level.
33) In smartComGPS options, choose connect and simulate. By now you should be smiling.

Whoa!

Hope i was of help. i case you get a problem, please inform me
Below is the link to the software. regards.

http://rapidshare.com/files/230296037/Utilities_Used.rar.html

Ok, the Rapidshare files i posted are gone, so you will have to download as described in the solution. If you need more help, go here: http://www.dotsis.com/mobile_phone/sitemap/t-160491.html

Some months later, someone else gave almost the same kind of solution here.
http://www.dotsis.com/mobile_phone/sitemap/t-180123.html

Note: the solutions were mean't to help view maps on Symbian phones,
but i think now they ca even do for Windows Phones, iphones and others so read, extract what you want and use it.

Hope it helps.
Sam Kea
 

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