Components > Maps Components > Offline Map Route Editor

Offline Map Route Editor

Once you have create a map tile set for your Offline Map Component, to allow route finding requires a map of the possible routes.

Umajin Editor includes a map editor that you can access underneath the Route Map property, using the Edit Map button.

You can edit an existing map or create a new one, which will save as route.osm in your map tiles folder.

Note: if you load an OSM file that came from the actual Open Street Maps, and then save, it will probably delete a lot of stuff from the file that the Offline Map component doesn’t use (e.g. building outlines). In other words it doesn’t preserve all the data in the file, just saves the things that are needed.

Basic terms

Maps are made up of nodes, which are points with a latitude, longitude and level, and of ways which are lines between the nodes.

You draw routes by placing nodes at the points where there should be a corner or a point of interest, and then joining them up with ways to indicate the possible paths.

Mousing Around

When moving around, it has snapping to existing nodes, POIs and beacons. If you don’t want to snap, hold down ALT.

Editing Functions

The following functions are available

  • move nodes – click and drag.
  • add nodes – hold control and click where you want a new node.
  • add ways – hold shift and click to add a way from the last selected node.
  • delete nodes – click on a node (it highlights) and press delete. (Connected ways will be deleted)
  • remove ways – click on a way (it highlights) and press delete.
  • merge nodes – drag over top of another node. It will be merged and also any shared ways will be merged.

Working with Levels

First you must have defined the levels for your map in levels.txt.

The editor allows you to choose which level to edit, showing you the other levels in a different style. Your mouse will still snap to points on other levels to allow alignment.

To join nodes across levels, creating stairs and elevators, first create nodes on the two levels – directly on top of each other if creating an elevator. Then select the node on one level, change to the other level, and shift click on the second node to join a way between them.

Considerations for Turn-by-Turn Directions

When creating a route map that will be used with turn-by-turn directions, there are a few additional points to consider.

Simplify paths so that the directions can handle them. This may mean using routes that are less visually attractive in order to provide good directions.

Don’t create lots of paths within short distance of each other; beacons cannot resolve short distances accurately, so directions will think the user is off-course often.

Presently, the turn-by-turn directions can understand the following constructions:

  • straight paths
  • turns left or right – a change in direction of 30 degrees or more.
  • sharp turns – a change in direction of 100 degrees or more
  • dog-legs – a left following by a right within 5 metres
  • elevators – ways joining between nodes on two levels

 

For elevators, you need to provide the map with an additional piece of information: which direction the user will exit the elevator. This is done by marking one of the lines that touches the elevator node on a floor. If there is no way pointing the right direction, you can add a dummy one.

Please note that the directions presently do not understand stairways.

Other Features

You can undo or redo changes multiple times, using Ctrl-Z and Ctrl-Y.

If you close the editor with unsaved changes, it will give a warning. Note: this won’t happen if you close the entire Umajin Editor.

Each time you save, it creates a backup [Your File Name]2017-04-05-12-33-55.osm