Integration with QtVlm - Data files and Import/Export

[JesperWe]

Originally Posted by sinbad7

As mentioned in my earlier posting COURSE is missing in the Route wpt pop-up flag on a mouse-over,and both COURSE ane SPEED are missing in the Track.kml file.

I have fixed the "Course missing in Route mouse-over" item.
The second part of your sentence above I am not sure what it refers to. Are you copying an ocpn track and then pasting it into a file?

I will look at the wind info next.

[JesperWe]

Checking up on the wind stuff:

- Copy route from QtVlm, paste as Track in O: The track does not have anywhere to display wind info, so it is not used. Look at the "Track Properties" window, this is what we have currently and all info from QtVlm that we can display is there.

- Copy route from QtVlm, paste as Route in O: Wind info is available as XML in the description field of the points. OK, this is a bit hard to read, the primary use was on reexporting. And it is available when the route is reexported. And again we don't have anywhere to display wind info in routes in O.

- The ° character is exported from QtVlm. It is an OK UTF8 character, and when I test we read it fine into O. But to be strict and allow pasting into apps that do not read UTF8 correctly QtVlm should really be using the ° entity instead of the ° character. I don't know where you are pasting it, and getting the broken character, but making sure that the app you paste to sees the pasted text as UTF8 encoded will probably fix it.

So, in summary I see no problem here, except for the earlier discussion that we are lacking places to display certain info from QtVlm in O.

[sinbad7]

Jesper..

Thank you for the correction and explanation re the missing °.
The problem arouse using the Android OruxMaps on my Galaxy and I will inform the author about the UTF8 character. It is showing correctly in the other Android Marine Navigator.

Now to the imported qtVlm TRACK file. You suggest using Track Properties to view all information contained in the imported file,EXCEPT the important TWD and TWS you can not find any place to display.

Now follow this scenario,you´re viewing the Track Properties and want to see the location of a particular waypoint. How? The track is just a continuous line withouth ANY icons to display the wpt´s. Why not make all the wpt´s visible,each with their own pop-up balloon on mouse click or mouse-over? Here,surely,you could also include the imported TWD and TWS info.

If you all have gone to the trouble of making the copy/paste feature available between qtVlm and OCPN as an integral feature,you should at least expand the Track Properties window to also include this important wind direction/speed information, making it also exportable as a kml file for later use.

Appreciate your hard work and understanding.

Tore

[sinbad7]

Jesper/maitai..

How about also creating a route optimizer based on tidal streams,which,after all is a lot more predictable than the winds? And certainly very important for the motoring sailor.

The attached example,created from a suggestion of Thomas,is based on the grib file system and fits right into OCPN without any problems.

I have set up a POI giving direct access to daily grib predictions of tidal streams from the English Channel,German and North Sea plus the Baltic,which is a good beginning.
I believe the provider is soon going over to grib2,so bear that in mind.

I think qtVlm would be the perfect vehicle for this tidal stream prediction feature,creating the optimal route based on boat speed (perhaps also wind) and the optimal starting time,also with course/speed at set intervals along the route.

Tore

[cagney]

I think that the present level of import, is more or less appropriate.
Don't jump from importing a route to changing the way O displays tracks! Make a route from the track, if needed!
All the info is available in QtVlm and the imported route will quickly be past it's sell by date, when confronted with reality. So why put a lot of effort into showing something that quickly will be out-dated and is available in QtVlm, or in the gribs, anyway.

Thomas

[rgleason]

Thanks Tore, for summarizing those needs and for this process solution....

"The pasted optimized Track from qtVlm can use the Route from Track facility in the Route manager to convert to a suitable Route with only the necessary number of visible waypoints."

[sinbad7]

Thomas..

Any old imported track presently displays all it´s wpt´s as a small circle and it´s location can be determined by clicking the appropriate waypoint in the Track properties panel,which displays a small blue sqare icon in the Track.

I still think,having made the choice to integrate with qtVlm,ALL it´s information should be available in the Track properties panel. It will of course disappear with the track when you abandon it but I think there should be an option to paste/save ALL the information for later use for those who think they might need to come back to it at a later date.

Tore

[cagney]

Tore
You are mixing up tracks and routes.
Tracks are history.
A route is a plan for the future.
I see the track import option from QtVlm as a transition stage to a route.
More here Weather Routing | Official OpenCPN Homepage
I like QtVlm and I like to be able to import an "optimized" route, for further consideration into OpenCPN. That is as far as we need to go in "integration", no need to make O repeat all things in QtVlm.
If you want to save ALL info that QtVlm produces, just save the routes in QtVlm!
Thomas

[sinbad7]

Thomas..

I am all the time referring to the TRACK paste option and NOT ROUTE. As you know,you have the option to paste the optimized planned trip as a Track or as a Route.

In this case Track is NOT history but planning the FUTURE trip,and I can see no reason why it can not follow the normal procedure of any other imported (history) Track. As you rightly say,this optimized Track can then be converted to a Route in the Route Manager. Separate windows are used for the data display in respectively Track and Route Properties so there should be no confusion.

I like QtVlm and I like to be able to import an "optimized" route, for further consideration into OpenCPN. That is as far as we need to go in "integration", no need to make O repeat all things in QtVlm.

I thought the whole point about the copy/paste function was to be able to show all relevant wind information in OCPN,leaving out the wind direction and force does not make sense and having to jump back and forth between qtVlm and OCPN will not always be a good idea,especially under-way in a blow.

Anyway,that´s MY pennies worth...we are totally at the mercy of the creator´s...

Tore

[cagney]

Originally Posted by sinbad7

...
I thought the whole point about the copy/paste function was to be able to show all relevant wind information in OCPN,leaving out the wind direction and force does not make sense and having to jump back and forth between qtVlm and OCPN will not always be a good idea,especially under-way in a blow.

...
Tore

Tore

I don't know about you, but I would find it natural to load the same grib file in O, as QtVlm used to optimize the route. So all the wind info would already be available.
?
Thomas

[sinbad7]

Thomas..

But that´s just my point, it is NOT available anywhere in OCPN although it IS contained within the pasted Track file from qtVlm.

Tore

[cagney]

Originally Posted by sinbad7

Thomas..

But that´s just my point, it is NOT available anywhere in OCPN although it IS contained within the pasted Track file from qtVlm.

Tore

Click the grib icon in the toolbar and load the same gribfile as you just used in QtVlm. No point in reinventing the wheel.......

[sinbad7]

Thomas..

With more possibilities for errors selecting the wrong file or time.
But OK,that´s a possibillity,but would prefer adding the TWD and TWS as shown.

I´d be happier if the normal track layout was followed,also for the pasted tracks from qtVlm. Why was that changed?

Tore

[sinbad7]

Jesper...

I received the following explanation from the developer of Android OruxMaps:
(which is Greek to me)

About degree symbol;

U+00B0 ° c2 b0 DEGREE SIGN
the utf-8 code is C2B0, but see attached, in the file appears the character B0, which is the ISO-8859-15 character (http://www.charset.org/images/iso-8859-15.gif)

The result of an examination of a .kml file from qtVlm

Tore

[sinbad7]

Thomas..

An alternative way to overcome the problem of not being able to locate wpt´s along the pasted Track line is of course to paste BOTH the Track AND the Route,overlapping each other. Now you have all the facilities at hand when viewing the Track Properties window.

The only thing missing,which I believe Jesper is adding in the next release is the COURSE between the waypoints.

Apologise for the numerous postings on this subject which is now closed.

Tore