Publishing Live Location Data On Your Personal Websites

February 9th, 2009 by Saad | Print Publishing Live Location Data On Your Personal Websites

GPS

What would you not give to escape those never ending, extremely nagging, getting-on-your nerves kind of calls by the moms, dads, wives and girl friends of the world. Who just would not budge from calling you every 10 minutes, if you happen to be stuck because of a car jam, a protest, bomb scare or even a car break down, to get an update on your present location. And it’s not that I’m implying that you mind their concern, but making a simple observation that in cases like these, such calls are bound to get on one’s nerves. What if you can instead, upload your location data, to your own website, in live? And share the link with your family or friends in order to let them know about your whereabouts, in live, if and when you choose.

Well, if you happen to have one of the GPS equipped, S60 / Windows Mobile cell phones, you can use your own hosting space, in order to put up a page which shall show your location in live, using Google Maps, for free (except for your regular carrier charges for data [GPRS/EDGE/3G] transmission). You can turn this service on or off on will, so privacy concerns should be limited.

For example, in order see my latest location update, click here.

Concept:

A GPS application downloads your co-ordinates, uploads them on to the web (using EDGE/GPRS/3G/WIFI) at a location of your choice. Once the data has been uploaded, a script is then used to convert the data into information that can be then be displayed on a Google Map, using Google Maps API.

What do you need to do, to get this done?

  • Download the 3dtracking application for your Symbian / Windows Mobile cell phone.
    Symbian ver. 2.0 – Download
    Symbian ver. 3.0 – Download
    Windows Mobile – Download

  • After installation, use the application to record some of your location data, and send it to the 3dtracking.net server.

  • Head over to http://free.3dtracking.net, and login using your cell phone’s serial id or IMEI number, as your ‘username’ and ‘password’. Once inside, you can change your password from the ‘settings’ tab.

Publishing above location data on your personal website

  • Get yourself a Google Maps API key. Head over to http://www.google.com/apis/maps/signup.html and register yourself. Do note that you’ll need to give an exact URL of the page that you’ll be setting up for this purpose. In my case, the API is registered to http://track.abdullahsaad.com.

  • Log-in to your 3dtracking.net account, copy the MAP ID present in your account details area.
  • Now, open a new file in notepad and save it as index.html or whatever name that you want to give it.

  • Within the page, write the following code and replace phrases such as ‘Google Maps API key’ and ‘3dtracking Map ID’ with their respective values:

    Header

    <head>
    <script src="http://live.3dtracking.net/js/general.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
    <script src="http://maps.google.com/maps?file=api&v=2.84&key=Google API Key"
    type="text/javascript"></script>
    <style type="text/css">
    v:* {
    behavior:url(#default#VML);
    }
    </style>
    <script type="text/javascript">
    var map;
    var kml;

    function onLoad() {
    if (GBrowserIsCompatible()) {
    map = new GMap2(document.getElementById("map"));
    map.setCenter(new GLatLng(0,0), 0);
    kml = new GGeoXml("http://free.3dtracking.net/live.kmz?guid=3dtracking Map ID", function() {
    kml.gotoDefaultViewport(map)
    });
    map.addControl(new GLargeMapControl());
    map.addControl(new GMapTypeControl());
    map.enableScrollWheelZoom();
    map.addOverlay(kml);
    }

    InitializeTimer(Reload, 60);
    }

    function Reload() {
    if (GBrowserIsCompatible()) {
    var url = RandomizeUrl("http://free.3dtracking.net/live.kmz?guid=3dtracking Map ID");
    kml = new GGeoXml(url, Fun(url));

    //add the new overlay
    map.addOverlay(kml);
    }

    // do another loop around
    ResetTimer();
    }

    function Fun(url) {
    //remove the previous kml.
    map.removeOverlay(kml);
    }
    </script>
    </head>

    Body

    <body onload="onLoad()">
    <div id="map" style="width: 800px; height: 600px; float:left; border: 1px solid black;"></div>
    </div>
    <br clear="all" />
    <br />
    </body>

  • Upload this page on your server. You can now, use the 3dtracking application on your cellular device, in order to upload live tracking data on to your website.

Have fun and please do comment, if you found this post useful!

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This entry was posted on Monday, February 9th, 2009 at 1:49 am and is filed under Technology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
  • H
    really cool!
    btw, husbands and boyfriends make those kinda calls too :p
  • Pat Brennan
    Hi I have setup this on my N95 but when I access google maps via the script the green cross hairs is to the top left and not over my location. I notice when I access youre position the cross hairs is at the top left as well. Are you aware of a soloution for this.

    Thanks
    Pat.
  • Luca
    It shows only one point (last one stored?). How to show all history stored in 3dtracking webserver? Or better, how to choose a range of days to show on?
    Thank you. Best regards
  • Saad
    3dtracking only shares your most recent location data via its API. Therefore, while you can not display data from a range of days on your personal website, you can login to your 3dtracking account and get that information there.

    Regards.
  • What, no credit for pushing you to publish this? :) nice one, thanks for making it this easy for the world to stalk us (or for us to stalk each other...)
  • Saad
    Ah yes, I got to add that to the end of my post, that you pushed me in to writing this guide. =)
  • Gadgets to expose yourself and visible to 'ANYONE' who has some interest in stalking you.

    You can not hide... :) No matter what.

    Check out the movie, enemy of the state.
  • That's it I'm changing my cellphone for sure now. I really get annoyed by the "Where are You?"s whenever I'm hanging out with my friends.

    Stumbled :D
  • Great job dude ... stumbled :-}}
  • This is something I searched for a lot, but never found anything so easy and to the point.
  • As usual brilliant job - WOW
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