Database Users

GPS Showing me in the wrong location

The other day the GPS had the weirdest issue. I was stuck in traffic and decided to turn on Google Maps to find out how long the traffic is going to be. To my disbelief, the GPS showed me in a different town and MOVING on the street and then onto some freeway about 50 miles from my location. I thought the GPS satellites are screwed up but my car was showing me in the right place (and never has made such a stupid error).
Makes me wonder if the GPS info is actually going to Google servers and coming back to the phone as I guess I was getting someone else's GPS data and the lines were crossed somehow. This continued to about 30 minutes as I was enjoying the error and wondering at the same time. Holding the phone out of the window and stuff did not work. Eventually I reboot (oops! I meant I took the battery out because HTC apparently thinks we never need to reboot te G1 so there is no PIN hole for reboot like most other phones).
has anyone else experienced the same issue?

brooklynite said:
The other day the GPS had the weirdest issue. I was stuck in traffic and decided to turn on Google Maps to find out how long the traffic is going to be. To my disbelief, the GPS showed me in a different town and MOVING on the street and then onto some freeway about 50 miles from my location. I thought the GPS satellites are screwed up but my car was showing me in the right place (and never has made such a stupid error).
Makes me wonder if the GPS info is actually going to Google servers and coming back to the phone as I guess I was getting someone else's GPS data and the lines were crossed somehow. This continued to about 30 minutes as I was enjoying the error and wondering at the same time. Holding the phone out of the window and stuff did not work. Eventually I reboot (oops! I meant I took the battery out because HTC apparently thinks we never need to reboot te G1 so there is no PIN hole for reboot like most other phones).
has anyone else experienced the same issue?
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Click to collapse
The GPS is not being relayed to google... but google maps may be the thing that is wrong here. You can't get your "lines crossed" when using google maps but the maps may be downloading the wrong set. I know I have seen it do some weird things but that is expected to happen when you have several countries you have to have maps for.
As for the reboot issue... is it really that hard to hold down the power button? You do realize that the pin hole on previous devices is for emergencies only. It could really screw up the phone. Similarly like using your computer and unpluging it while it is on... or just pressing its reset button.
Maybe this is the reason for your problems with your G1.

I was just browsing my location and found that the location was in my local Radio Shack that was 2 blocks away. I tried to refresh but wouldn't allow me to.

G1 uses assisted GPS, which performs some calculations away from your phone. Could have been your A-GPS server was sending back some faulty data.

Some Application in G1 read Location info from Proprietary GPS Chip and also relies on Cell Tower GPS Coordination if GPS Signals is not available, in India my Airtel Company have Bad GPS Coordination in my Cell Tower, I Personally know which Cell Tower i am hooked to while i am at home but the Cell GPS Coordination is 8 Miles away from my Cell Tower.
Check that your GPS Signal were Strong and you have not just started seeing maps when that error occured.

I think it was stong. I had all my bars full and the 3g logo on it. Oh well I'll probably fiddle with it a little more tomorrow after I try to get a screen protector for the phone

I thought the problem had gone away until last night it happened again, with one difference. I still had me being shown 20-30 miles away (interestingly not across the globe but simply 30 miles away) the problem corrected itself after about 5 minutes.
I have a car GPS and a portable GPS and I have never seen this happen before. The issue is definately the A-GPS. I always thought during WAR the military may scramble the GPS data to confuse the enemy, I guess that is what promted Europeans to install their own GPS that is much more accurate than ours.
And there are controversies over this as well. Google is recording my location and my cell towers and IP addresses and URLs according to its NO privacy policy. This is definitely not fun.
Sending my GPS info to Google servers (which is in fact the case) without me knowing it and sending it back to my phone through internet channels it not something I am comfortable with. Especially if Google releases information to law enforcement one day that may be incorrect showing me somewhere I really was not at!

CORRECTION: A-GPS is for phones without GPS. It does not apply to this thread.

brooklynite said:
CORRECTION: A-GPS is for phones without GPS. It does not apply to this thread.
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Where do you get your information? aGPS is for phones with GPS... it uses a data connection to locate you within so many meters than uses the GPS signal to pinpoint so you are located faster.

brooklynite said:
CORRECTION: A-GPS is for phones without GPS. It does not apply to this thread.
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Click to collapse
Wrong.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GPS_Phone
http://www.apple.com/iphone/features/gps.html

I have the same dxmn problem with the gps f-ing up. It started with RC30...When I was on RC19...I had NO PROBLEMS with gps.
It would pinpoint my location in 5sec. Now it's take 10-15min to pinpoint me. Google need to fix this fast.

whether it is related to this thread or not...A-GPS....
, generally abbreviated as A-GPS, enhances the startup performance of a GPS satellite-based positioning system. It is used extensively with GPS-capable cellular phones
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Click to collapse

same problem here. i also think it started with the update.

Guys, I am not wrong.
A-GPS as Google calls it (and there are other versions of it), is for phones without a GPS chip (thats how Google Maps find you on a T-Mobile WING), it started after an fcc mandate to be able to locate 911 callers from cell phone. It finds your location using a triangulation of the cell towers you are connected to and this particular technology and the extensive data that is required is owned by Google however Google may not call it AGPS.
http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/11/28/google-mobile-maps-pinpoints-your-location-without-gps/
Now it seems to me that Google is enhancing its data network of cell towers using our phones to collect location data. So it collects the cell towers we are connected to with the strength+ the GPS info from our phones and puts all this data in a server to that non-GPS phones using Google Maps can have a better triangulation as more data is gathered from across the country. Eventually the system could be perfected to locate any cell phone without a GPS chip or to locate a cellphone with the GPS feature turned off for privacy, and that is what concerns me.
When my phone shows me 20 miles from where I am, on the freeway, cruising at 55MPH while I am sitting in traffic on the other side of town, it concerns me.

brooklynite said:
Guys, I am not wrong.
A-GPS as Google calls it (and there are other versions of it), is for phones without a GPS chip (thats how Google Maps find you on a T-Mobile WING), it started after an fcc mandate to be able to locate 911 callers from cell phone. It finds your location using a triangulation of the cell towers you are connected to and this particular technology and the extensive data that is required is owned by Google however Google may not call it AGPS.
http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/11/28/google-mobile-maps-pinpoints-your-location-without-gps/
Now it seems to me that Google is enhancing its data network of cell towers using our phones to collect location data. So it collects the cell towers we are connected to with the strength+ the GPS info from our phones and puts all this data in a server to that non-GPS phones using Google Maps can have a better triangulation as more data is gathered from across the country. Eventually the system could be perfected to locate any cell phone without a GPS chip or to locate a cellphone with the GPS feature turned off for privacy, and that is what concerns me.
When my phone shows me 20 miles from where I am, on the freeway, cruising at 55MPH while I am sitting in traffic on the other side of town, it concerns me.
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Click to collapse
Where are you getting your information? The link you provide just says they support phones without GPS but they never say it is only for phones without GPS. In fact it says that it will work on phones with GPS... that is what the whole article is about that phones in the future will have GPS and google maps will be able to pinpoint their location faster. Basically it says they are using A-GPS.
In the link above he links to http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/11/28/google-earth-heading-towards-extinction/ Which says people will be able to add their own commentary about places like a wiki. Nothing about using other peoples devices to send information for google to collect.
It also has this link http://www.google.com/intl/en/press/annc/20071128_maps_mobile_my_location.html Which is googles official press link saying it will work with both GPS and non-GPS phones by using the Cell ID and a special formula that google developed to pinpoint your location within a certain amount of distance. Nothing says it uses other peoples GPS signals. In fact it says "This approximation is anonymous, as Google does not gather any personally identifiable information or associate any location data with personally identifiable information as part of the My Location feature."
All in all I think you are misreading and need to look over your data again.

neoobs said:
Where are you getting your information? The link you provide just says they support phones without GPS but they never say it is only for phones without GPS. In fact it says that it will work on phones with GPS... that is what the whole article is about that phones in the future will have GPS and google maps will be able to pinpoint their location faster. Basically it says they are using A-GPS.
In the link above he links to http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/11/28/google-earth-heading-towards-extinction/ Which says people will be able to add their own commentary about places like a wiki. Nothing about using other peoples devices to send information for google to collect.
It also has this link http://www.google.com/intl/en/press/annc/20071128_maps_mobile_my_location.html Which is googles official press link saying it will work with both GPS and non-GPS phones by using the Cell ID and a special formula that google developed to pinpoint your location within a certain amount of distance. Nothing says it uses other peoples GPS signals. In fact it says "This approximation is anonymous, as Google does not gather any personally identifiable information or associate any location data with personally identifiable information as part of the My Location feature."
All in all I think you are misreading and need to look over your data again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Regardless of above, and you may be correct and I may be wrong, but the thread is getting distracted from the main subject. My main issue is this: Why is the GPS reporting me in the wrong location, and even MOVING which is weird. It was pretty obvious to me from what I saw that the Google Maps software in my phone was reading someone else's location data from someone else's GPS. I could see the person move through the streets and speed up and slow down. This makes me wonder if my locatio data is being sent to Google servers somewhere and then back to the phone (and in some cases crossed over with another persons data). This feels especially more true because Google MAPS has slowed down dramatically from finding "My Location" compared to "pre RC30" upgrade and even compared to the GPS-Chop-Free WING and even my ancient car's GPS system.

Have you talked to Google about this? I think you are just speculating what you want and have a hidden agenda. Did it locate you within so many feet? or was it a real location? If it was a real location than it couldn't be Google as it only pulls the map the actual lat, long is coming straight from the sats... possibly it pulled the wrong location for that tower while using A-GPS and then this calculated the wrong GPS coordinates.
Since you don't know what or how A-GPS works this may be hard to understand. A-GPS works by using that method you described for non-GPS cellphones to narrow the search for satalites. This doesn't find your location it only finds the vicinity. You can see the A part of A-GPS work when it says your location within so many meters. This is what works on your wing. The actual pinpoint location is based only off the GPS and isn't sent to google. Google only needs the map coordinates to download. Your GPS is what tracks you on the map. This is why google maps always load in blocks.
To fully understand a map system you must learn how maps work and be educated in the art of cairegraphy

I think the real concern is that brooklynite was seeing himself moving through traffic while he was actually stationary. I can understand that perhaps the GPS got the wrong co-ords and the incorrect map was loaded showing him in another location, but you would still expect him to be shown stationary in the wrong location. So why would it show him moving when he was stationary?
The fact that he was moving on the map means the data must have been coming from another device doesn't it? How else could you explain it?
I would be concerned too.

neoobs said:
.... Did it locate you within so many feet? or was it a real location?...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A real location about 50 miles away from my location. Somewhere I have never been since I have had this phone so it cannot be using the old data in my phone as sometimes it shows my locations from "last night".
...possibly it pulled the wrong location for that tower while using A-GPS and then this calculated the wrong GPS coordinates...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I always have the "use wireless networks" off, afterall, the GPS chip is one of the main reasons I switched to the G1 from my older WING.
....
I have to add that I am amazed by the GPS accuracy, it even notices when I cross the stree, turn into a driveway or the side of the street I am standing on. When I switch to Sat. view, it literally shows my exact spot on the sidewalk, not in the middle of the street like a car GPS does.

Probably getting too far off topic but car GPS units are just as accurate, it's just that most of them have a correction feature to fudge your position onto the nearest road on the map if for some reason it is not. For the most part a driver doesn't care where he is on the road in relation to the curb....only that he is on the road he thinks he should be on.

WiFi based locations

I searched through ten pages of returns on google looking for anything related to this and couldn't find it here, so I don't think it has been discussed here before. So here goes...
Does anyone think the wifi based location determination actually works on the G1? I guess I imagine that it would work like this. In the office where I work, there are a couple of 802.11 wireless networks. And once I go inside the building with my phone,the GPS quality goes to crap since it is indoors--no surprise there. It can literally be off by BLOCKS, perhaps a half mile or more after I've been inside for a while. I would like to think that the phone would somehow know that, OK, I don't have a decent GPS signal, so let's see if I can get a decent wifi location. Sure, it's not going to tell me what room in the building I am in, which GPS would be able to do if there wasn't a roof on the building, but I am OK with that. I just want the locale app to know what building I am in. So now I have to make circles of about a half mile in radius (a mile in diameter) to be sure my location in locale doesn't look like I've left and gone to the default profile since the GPS accuracy decreases once you go inside a building and it starts looking like you are hopping all over the place.
So, where does the Wifi database live? On a google server or is it a third party? How can I test it to see how accurate it is--both in terms of feet and inches and in terms of completeness of the database? Can I add new wifi access points to the database? How can I see, for instance, if my home access point is in the database? What happens if I move and take my access point with me? How do I update the database?

The phone uses two methods to determine geolocation-- a-gps and cell tower triangulation. No wifi-based methods are used.

That's interesting because when you go to Settings-->Security & location, you can see the setting for "Use wireless networks" under "My location sources". The secondary text says "Location determined by wi-fi and/or mobile networks", so it sure does look like it uses WiFi for positioning. Not that I doubt you, but you have to admit, the setting in the phone sure is misleading then.

I hate it when I do this. Look what I just found:
http://arstechnica.com/hardware/news/2009/01/skyhook-location-sdk-for-android.ars
Definitely makes one think it isn't wifi positioning isn't built into the phone.

The description text is a little misleading yes. Perhaps it's general all-encompassing text. I imagine at some point there will be Android devices without cellular radios that could benefit from wifi positioning. As it stands however wifi positioning is just not very robust. It only works in areas with wifi networks (great if you're lost in a suburb, bad if you're lost in an industrial complex).
Anyway out-of-box, Dream only uses cellular positioning (which is surprisingly accurate) and A-GPS.

GPS Issues Because of Google's Resistance to Skyhook?

It looks like Google forced OEMs to ditch Skyhook, and, affording to this article, Samsung was involved. I wonder if Samsung scrambled to put together a quick fix before releasing the Galaxy S and this could explain the AGPS issues.
http://i.engadget.com/2010/09/17/skyhook-google-forced-motorola-to-drop-our-location-service-de/
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

Isnt skyhook disabled by default? So how would this affect the GPS?

KerryG said:
Isnt skyhook disabled by default? So how would this affect the GPS?
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Click to collapse
http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/17/skyhook-google-forced-motorola-to-drop-our-location-service-de/
Following that, Skyhook claims that Google then went after an unidentified "Company X" (likely Samsung) and forced it to drop XPS as well -- which would certainly explain why Samsung's Galaxy S phones have WiFi positioning turned off by default, unlike every other Android phone. Ouch.
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Click to collapse

Skyhook is absolutely 100% unnecessary for a properly functioning gps. It has nothing to do with the problems on the Galaxy S devices.
Sent from Samsung Vibrant

Just turn it back on. Go to *#*#1472365#*#*, application settings, scroll down to skyhook, select on. Then wifi positioning/AGPS should be on now. Its a shame its off by default.
Sent from my messenger rabbit

so what is this going to change if i enable skyhook?? should I enable skyhook??

Not sure if this is the same for everyone, but I can't seem to access the GPS settings using the *#*#1472365#*#* command - not sure when it started, but the one thing I did do between the last time I accessed the service (a few weeks back) to now is flashing the leaked firmware. Anyone else with this issue? I found the noted article yesterday and wanted to check to see if the Skyhook option was still there, and, of course, I can't tell.

courtmagician said:
Not sure if this is the same for everyone, but I can't seem to access the GPS settings using the *#*#1472365#*#* command - not sure when it started, but the one thing I did do between the last time I accessed the service (a few weeks back) to now is flashing the leaked firmware. Anyone else with this issue? I found the noted article yesterday and wanted to check to see if the Skyhook option was still there, and, of course, I can't tell.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That dialer code invoked a hidden app called LbsTestMode. The dialer code no longer works in the leaked ROM, but the hidden app is still there. It can be accessed by the workaround explained here, which does involve installing LauncherPro and setting up a shortcut.

Maybe Samsung rushed to market without thoroughly testing the GPS on the Galaxy phones after being told not to use Skyhook. It could have been integrated into their existing firmware. I don't know; I could be completely wrong on this, but I'm just throwing it out there to see what others think. I also can't access the GPS service menu on the new firmware. I haven't had major GPS issues to tell you the truth, but my brother has to launch GPS test to make his maps work on his Epic.

cthach11 said:
Just turn it back on. Go to *#*#1472365#*#*, application settings, scroll down to skyhook, select on. Then wifi positioning/AGPS should be on now. Its a shame its off by default.
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Click to collapse
Skyhook has nothing to do with aGPS. It is a non-GPS method of location service based on a map of all the WiFi routers and access points out there. The Skyhook company has a bunch of people who wardrive and collect the data to populate its database, then offers the service to carriers for a fee.
However, the same hidden utility (LbsTestMode) whose menu can be used to enable Skyhook also can be used to enable aGPS. Selecting MS Based mode instead of the default Standalone mode is what would do that. This controls the operation of the satellite based GPS, accelerating the download of certain satellite data over the network. It is entirely independent of Skyhook.
Enabling MS Based aGPS makes obvious sense. It is an established industry standard for GPS operation on cellphones. The merits of Skyhook are another question, and I don't really have an informed opinion.

Thanks for the link. You can actually do the same thing in ADW (which is what I use), just choose "Custom Shortcut" and then "Activities" and you can scroll don to LbsTestMode. I like it when solutions are right in front of my face

So do you need to leave your WiFi on all the time when enabling Skyhook? That would drain your battery even faster...

courtmagician said:
Thanks for the link. You can actually do the same thing in ADW (which is what I use), just choose "Custom Shortcut" and then "Activities" and you can scroll don to LbsTestMode. I like it when solutions are right in front of my face
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for this, never knew I could do that with ADW

I've always had Skyhook turned off and yet when connected to my WiFi network I get a highly accurate position, even with GPS turned off. Thoughts?

jjohns63 said:
I've always had Skyhook turned off and yet when connected to my WiFi network I get a highly accurate position, even with GPS turned off. Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your position would be coming from your GPS or from cellphone tower triangulation, depending on your other settings, whether you use WiFi or not.
Skyhook would looking for all the other WiFi locations around you that are in its database. Those locations might include your local WiFI router along with everyone else's if Shyhook's wardivers found it. But Skyhook would not actually connect to those WiFi sources. It would only detect them.

boomerbubba said:
Your position would be coming from your GPS or from cellphone tower triangulation, depending on your other settings, whether you use WiFi or not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know this is not the case as the accuracy circle in maps covers maybe half a block, not a mile. As I said, I had disabled the GPS, and cell tower triangulation is not that accurate, especially where I am with low signal.
Skyhook would looking for all the other WiFi locations around you that are in its database. Those locations might include your local WiFI router along with everyone else's if Shyhook's wardivers found it. But Skyhook would not actually connect to those WiFi sources. It would only detect them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This makes sense because I tested it today without actually connecting to a network and it still found my location to the same "wifi accuracy". I had turned on Skyhook for this test. However, I'm still wondering how it was able to find my location with Skyhook turned off.

Skyhook is one company providing a service of mapping access points to locations. Google uses their own - probably picked up from Google maps car.
If you have "use wireless networks" checked under GPS - it will use this other provider (probably google) and not skyhook.

Ive turned skyhook on and off in testmode as well as trying other settings, gps is still bag of suck.Frankly i get better results with it on. Marginal though.BTW.use the lbs test mode app. It'll save you alot of headaches.
Vibrant vibrating nicely now,Kthx!

GPS on the XOOM

For you guys who already have the xoom please chime in.
I have a IPAD (dont judge me lol) and the "GPS" does not work while airborne; this is a big deal for me as i am a pilot.
Does the xoom gps only work when in cellphone range like the ipad or does it have a no kidding GPS chip?
On a side not i have no clue how apple gets away with selling the ipad as having GPS when it clearly is not TRUE GPS.

Since the wifi version will contain GPS as well, my guess is that it should work. I'll let you know once I get it in hand today.

When you look up on the Motorola website it states "aGPS" which is assisted GPS. IMO this means it uses regular GPS and other signals in addition. How that translates to airborne IDK. But surely the XOOM shouldn't be used for airplane navigation There's probably an iPad app for that ROFL

pyrator said:
For you guys who already have the xoom please chime in.
I have a IPAD (dont judge me lol) and the "GPS" does not work while airborne; this is a big deal for me as i am a pilot.
Does the xoom gps only work when in cellphone range like the ipad or does it have a no kidding GPS chip?
On a side not i have no clue how apple gets away with selling the ipad as having GPS when it clearly is not TRUE GPS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Xoom has the same gps. The chip works fine for following without a cell/wifi connection. To get actually directions you have to have a connection.
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

its got its own gps chip. and it locks on instantly. and i mean instant. accurate to 4 meters according to google maps.
the only problem you would run into are the maps.
you would need the maps saved on the xoom. google maps can and does cache maps while on wifi, but if you deviate off the set path during the trip you won't be able to load any additional maps during the trip unless you can get a wifi or data connection.
so you would need a gps app that stores the maps on the device if you want it to function like a standard gps. i know there are some for the iphone, but i haven't looked into android 3rd party gps apps.

I think it depends on what you want to use it for. If you want google maps, then the maps program requires data use to show your location on the map. If you simply want Longitude and Latitude, then I'm sure you can get that with the GPS chip in the Xoom.
I've got the Xoom, and the GPS is a true GPS, not relying on cell towers or wifi to determine location. However, I don't know how well GPS works in a plane since I've never tried using a GPS device in a plane (I thought that wasn't allowed?)
Again, unless you have maps STORED on your device, data access is needed to download the maps in real time. Applications like TomTom store the maps on your device, but require an additional and substantial fee.

bwcorvus said:
Xoom has the same gps. The chip works fine for following without a cell/wifi connection. To get actually directions you have to have a connection.
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so what can you do with the gps chip with no connection?
is there anway to save a preloaded map and use your gps chip to locate yourself on the previously saved map?
EDIT: So then theoretically I can dev an app that will have maps saved on the phone for use with no signal?

You should be able to get an app that gives you the GPS coordinates. Everything else is based of stored data, like others mentioned.

RadDudeTommy said:
so what can you do with the gps chip with no connection?
is there anway to save a preloaded map and use your gps chip to locate yourself on the previously saved map?
EDIT: So then theoretically I can dev an app that will have maps saved on the phone for use with no signal?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Uhmm, theoretically sure, but good luck getting the maps you're going to need, and starting from scratch would be hella painful. You would be better off purchasing a stand alone application with the maps. They usually run around $100, but I'm not sure what ones are available for Android.
They aren't normal maps, they're maps that contain location data, gps coordinates, etc.
Again, you can use a GPS app to pull your coordinates. Just do that and use a paper map to determine where you are? hehe

you might check out http://www.mapdroyd.com/

pyrator said:
For you guys who already have the xoom please chime in.
I have a IPAD (dont judge me lol) and the "GPS" does not work while airborne; this is a big deal for me as i am a pilot.
Does the xoom gps only work when in cellphone range like the ipad or does it have a no kidding GPS chip?
On a side not i have no clue how apple gets away with selling the ipad as having GPS when it clearly is not TRUE GPS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You really want to know why you can't use the GPS (of your mobile device) while you're flying?
You're not a commercial pilot I hope!
I'm sorry I'm just having a hard time picturing my Continental Airlines pilot asking for directions from texas to california because he forgot his Ipad at home.

I know the app AlpineQuest uses maps that you yourself create from a list of already available maps and then you load them onto your device and select them from the application. Its primarily for hiking since some terrain does not offer a 3g signal. But I recommend you check that out.

Does you tried IGO ???
(propably no plane support )

Thanx
ok got my answer thank you!
Also the GPS on a device will not interfere with any aircraft electronics and is 100% ok during flight. AKA when not flying and riding along everyday for 4+ hours with nothing to do.

cwizardtx said:
You really want to know why you can't use the GPS (of your mobile device) while you're flying?
You're not a commercial pilot I hope!
I'm sorry I'm just having a hard time picturing my Continental Airlines pilot asking for directions from texas to california because he forgot his Ipad at home.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually I am a FAA certified Commercial pilot, i have a degree from Embry-Riddle in Professional Aeronautics with dual minors in safety and business, over 275 combat hours alone just here in Afghanistan, so no that does not automatically mean you fly for the airlines.
Also you cannot use an unapproved system for your primary means of navigation. The only GPS you may use is an IFR approved unit with a current database. Also if you choose to go that route you must have a backup (VOR, NDB, etc).
See:
http://www.wired.com/autopia/2011/02/faa-ipad/
http://www.wired.com/autopia/2010/06/new-airplane-should-motivate-apple-fanboys-to-be-pilots/
(just needs to be android not ipad)
The reason i ask is because when im not flying aka in the back aka a passenger, im bored and would like to be able to see where i am at on a map.
But thank you for contributing nothing to this post other than to launch a personnel attack against my creditability.
Rant over:
To everyone else who actually contributed to the post THANK YOU! I will try probably all of those apps lol. I just wish there was a FalconView port for android (open source DoD app designed for windows).

may it's out of civilian range, see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Positioning_System#Restrictions_on_civilian_use

Hi pyrator,
I too am a pilot (mind you, not FAA but on the other side of the pond) and I'm also very interested in using Android tabs for aviation.
Of course not IFR, but as a backup information in VFR should the Garmin fail (never did so far)
It would be very interesting to find out what the real capabilities of the onboard sensors are.
Take the gyro for example: if it doesn't drift, it might be an interesting source for a poor man's EADI (attitude indicator) should your vacuum pump quit. It all depends if it is influenced by accelerated flight (I've looked at a few apps that wanted to simulate an AI but they relied on the accelerometers and, in a coordinated turn, you got zilch)
I'm a programmer so I guess writing an application would be an option, but its much more fun if you're not alone....
What do you think?

GPS in the Xoom is standalone. It works with wifi and 3g off. I installed copilot and it works as well as all the tomtoms and garmins that I have used. U get a beautiful 10 inch gps.
Agps is based on cellular signals.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA Premium App

1. Non-commercial VFR (in the US) you can use anything you want. You don't even need a chart. If you have a chart, it must be current. This may apply to map data.
2. The prohibition against using Cell Phones, etc while flying (in the US) is not a FAA rule but a FCC rule. If your 3G unit is transmitting from a high altitude the Cell(s) on the ground have a hard time figuring out which cell you're in.
3. As a Pax aloft, put the Xoom in airplane mode (turns off the 3G) after you've loaded up map data for your intended area and (fuselage skin notwithstanding) you should be able to follow along just fine. Keeping the unit near a window may be necessary.

GPS in my xoom does not work without wifi.
I have read the threads and I am unable to make it work without wifi like driving. I have the maps incache, but the GPS signal does not show. The ipad does because I have use it multiple times. What to do. Many hours wasted.

Is anyone having Nexus 7 GPS issues?

The GPS on my Nexus 7 is acting funky. I'm in Florida, and all of my apps are saying I'm in Vegas. Sometimes it'll show my correct location, but then it'll change back to saying I'm in Vegas. This is happening with Google maps, HD widgets, flixster, etc.. It's quite annoying. I haven't done anything to my N7 except unlock the bootloader, but it was doing it out of the box before that. What the French toast!? Anyone else having this happen? My GNex is fine with the same apps.

I tested mine to see if it would tell me where radio shack was. It worked and navigated good. It even told me the driving time to 3 of the nearest stores and traffic reports lol pretty crazy. I'd send it back for a replacement.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

Clienterror said:
I tested mine to see if it would tell me where radio shack was. It worked and navigated good. It even told me the driving time to 3 of the nearest stores and traffic reports lol pretty crazy. I'd send it back for a replacement.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
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Click to collapse
Man, I just went to Sam's Club to exchange it. Got home, set it up, and my apps (google maps, HD widgets, google now) are showing Vegas still instead of my city in Florida. Ugh!!!

Goat1202 said:
Man, I just went to Sam's Club to exchange it. Got home, set it up, and my apps (google maps, HD widgets, google now) are showing Vegas still instead of my city in Florida. Ugh!!!
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Click to collapse
Are you sure you're not in Vegas?

skynoir said:
Are you sure you're not in Vegas?
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Haha. Would be nice, but I'm not Could it be WiFi related? It seems that when I turn WiFi off, I shows my correct location in Florida and not Vegas. I don't know how/why the WiFi would interfere but not it's correct.

Goat1202 said:
Haha. Would be nice, but I'm not Could it be WiFi related? It seems that when I turn WiFi off, I shows my correct location in Florida and not Vegas. I don't know how/why the WiFi would interfere but not it's correct.
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Click to collapse
Did you check at the store or at home? Can you drive a few miles away and see if anything changes? Just a shot in a dark, but I work with address mapping online and sometimes for some reason the address for a certain location is totally wrong.

skynoir said:
Did you check at the store or at home? Can you drive a few miles away and see if anything changes? Just a shot in a dark, but I work with address mapping online and sometimes for some reason the address for a certain location is totally wrong.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With my original N7 and the new one that I exchanged for, I checked at home, and I haven't tried it anywhere besides at home. If I drive somewhere, I guess I would have to find a place with Wifi. I have a GNex, and it doesn't have the issue. It always shows the correct location. Not too long ago, I disconnected from WiFi on the N7 and it shows the correct location. So I don't know if WiFi is the culprit for some bizarre reason.

Download the map of your city and take a little drive. See if your GPS acts up away from. You can make sections of a map available offline in the Google maps menu.

Does this issue happen if you turn off wifi and enable GPS? Reason I ask is I remember Google Latitude acting super strange when I was using the wifi for it to determine my location when I was at my girlfriend's house. For a while it said I was in New York City, other times it said I was within PA but I was about 30 miles away. At one point it said I was in Africa somewhere.
All of the wireless towers (3G, 4G, etc) have ID's to them, so based on the ID that gets reported to the carrier is what dictates where on the map you are. That said, wireless access points aren't typically in the database to determine your location, so it uses some other sort of wacky way to determine your location, but like I said, Google Latitude was acting up. I remember hitting "improve my location" within the app and letting it run overnight to see if it could better determine my location. Oddly, I never had a chance to see if it fixed it, because the next morning our bid was accepted on a house so we ended up worrying about packing rather than did my phone work better. I just wanted to throw the above on the table just in case... turn off wifi... try GPS... see what happens.

JaSauders said:
Does this issue happen if you turn off wifi and enable GPS? Reason I ask is I remember Google Latitude acting super strange when I was using the wifi for it to determine my location when I was at my girlfriend's house. For a while it said I was in New York City, other times it said I was within PA but I was about 30 miles away. At one point it said I was in Africa somewhere.
All of the wireless towers (3G, 4G, etc) have ID's to them, so based on the ID that gets reported to the carrier is what dictates where on the map you are. That said, wireless access points aren't typically in the database to determine your location, so it uses some other sort of wacky way to determine your location, but like I said, Google Latitude was acting up. I remember hitting "improve my location" within the app and letting it run overnight to see if it could better determine my location. Oddly, I never had a chance to see if it fixed it, because the next morning our bid was accepted on a house so we ended up worrying about packing rather than did my phone work better. I just wanted to throw the above on the table just in case... turn off wifi... try GPS... see what happens.
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Click to collapse
Yeah, I mentioned somewhere in the thread that if I turn off WiFi, it seems to work fine. GPS is always on with it anyway. Either way, it should be able to pinpoint me. What's the point of the N7 if you can't keep WiFi on? Having both WiFi and GPS on should be able to find my location. I haven't really seen anyone else with this issue in trying to google it. It's just weird though because my GNex works perfect at home. And I can't get the N7 tablet to get the right location? Just odd.

Location on Google Voice Search
I'm in Lethbridge Alberta. ( Canada) Mine works fine in location and latitude... also Google Now works (when its giving me weather changes in the morning)
However, as soon as I ask Google Search "what's the weather like today", it tells me the weather for Washington and its driving me up the wall. Anybody else in Canada having the Same issues?

I believe there is a setting somewhere that has a check box "use Wi-Fi to determine my position". You need to find it and un-check the box. I would venture a guess that your internet service provider has a hub in Vegas and your outside IP address is registered through that facility.
Edit: turn Google Location Services OFF... Settings>>Location Services

Mine is showing Vegas also, oh I am in Vegas.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

It's probably due to the MAC address of the wireless router(s) your Nexus 7 is seeing. My parents live in Oregon and my step-mom works for a company based in San Diego. They sent her a remote access point to telecommute with and while I was visiting last year my Atrix would see me as being in Oregon when I was in view of a GPS satellite but otherwise, when it could only rely on WiFi for determining my location, it would see me in San Diego due to the remote access point having been in San Diego previously. So... don't worry about it! Your router/modem/whatever or your neighbor's may have been in Vegas previously at some other person's house.

Android Location Services periodically checks on your location using GPS, Cell-ID, and Wi-Fi to locate your device. When it does this, your Android device will send back publicly broadcast Wi-Fi access points' Service set identifier (SSID) and Media Access Control (MAC) data. The Google street car does this sort of thing too; collects Wi-Fi access points' data and MAC addresses, then associates them with their GPS location data.
What this means simply is that Google knows where you are when you are connected to an SSID they have previously collected location data on. For whatever reason, Google's data regarding your SSID is that it's location is somewhere in Vegas. I imagine this to be something that would remedy itself in time, though I'm not sure what the quick fix is. Maybe if you go in and out of range of your router with GPS on, the association will reset with the new location data? Are you set up to send anonymous location data back to Google?
There's nothing wrong with your GPS though.

Thanks everyone for the feedback. These last couple replies seem logical. When I turn off Google location services, my GPS works fine. What stinks is that, Google location services is required for Google Now. Has to be something with my Wifi router.

Hawkish.KMZ said:
I'm in Lethbridge Alberta. ( Canada) Mine works fine in location and latitude... also Google Now works (when its giving me weather changes in the morning)
However, as soon as I ask Google Search "what's the weather like today", it tells me the weather for Washington and its driving me up the wall. Anybody else in Canada having the Same issues?
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Click to collapse
Land Master said:
I believe there is a setting somewhere that has a check box "use Wi-Fi to determine my position". You need to find it and un-check the box. I would venture a guess that your internet service provider has a hub in Vegas and your outside IP address is registered through that facility.
Edit: turn Google Location Services OFF... Settings>>Location Services
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think this is the problem because I've tried, my phone (Rogers, originally registered in Calgary) as a hot spot, my house, my friends house, my work's wifi. All of these respond to any Non-location-specified operation to Washington. i.e. If i asked what time it was, it will give me washington's time. Same with weather, Washington weather. Im living in Canada. Is this a Canada specific problem maybe?

Hawkish.KMZ said:
I don't think this is the problem because I've tried, my phone (Rogers, originally registered in Calgary) as a hot spot, my house, my friends house, my work's wifi. All of these respond to any Non-location-specified operation to Washington. i.e. If i asked what time it was, it will give me washington's time. Same with weather, Washington weather. Im living in Canada. Is this a Canada specific problem maybe?
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Click to collapse
Nope, I'm having the same issue and I'm in the US. With "Google location services" and enabled, mine jumps back and forth between my actual location and the main floor of the "ny, ny" casino in Vegas. I have 3 other Android devices sitting near me that have never had an issue.

Caffinatedone said:
Nope, I'm having the same issue and I'm in the US. With "Google location services" and enabled, mine jumps back and forth between my actual location and the main floor of the "ny, ny" casino in Vegas. I have 3 other Android devices sitting near me that have never had an issue.
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Click to collapse
Yep, that's why I started this thread. Mine says I'm in the "NY,NY" casino in Vegas as well, and I'm in Florida.

Switchbitch said:
Android Location Services periodically checks on your location using GPS, Cell-ID, and Wi-Fi to locate your device. When it does this, your Android device will send back publicly broadcast Wi-Fi access points' Service set identifier (SSID) and Media Access Control (MAC) data. The Google street car does this sort of thing too; collects Wi-Fi access points' data and MAC addresses, then associates them with their GPS location data.
What this means simply is that Google knows where you are when you are connected to an SSID they have previously collected location data on. For whatever reason, Google's data regarding your SSID is that it's location is somewhere in Vegas. I imagine this to be something that would remedy itself in time, though I'm not sure what the quick fix is. Maybe if you go in and out of range of your router with GPS on, the association will reset with the new location data? Are you set up to send anonymous location data back to Google?
There's nothing wrong with your GPS though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess I'm confused about this because I have both my N7 and GNex connected to my wireless router at home. I've had my GNex since it came out and have not had this issue with it. My router only has one SSID, right? And both of my devices are connected to it with only the N7 having the issue. And again it's only when "Google Location Services" is checked. It stinks to have to turn it off because "Google Now" requires it to be checked.