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Posts: 1,414 | Thanked: 7,547 times | Joined on Aug 2016 @ Estonia
#1
I would like to announce an offline maps solution: OSM Scout Server.

The server can be used as a drop-in replacement for online map services providing map tiles, search, and routing. As a result, together with the map client, a full offline solution is available for map search and navigation (car, bicycle, and walking).

The server supports:
License: GPL
Source code: https://github.com/rinigus/osmscout-server
User's guide: https://rinigus.github.io/osmscout-server
Packaging: OpenRepos https://openrepos.net/content/rinigus/osm-scout-server

Starting from 1.4.3, distribution via Jolla Store stopped until systemd linking is allowed (https://github.com/sailfishos/sdk-ha...tor/issues/102)

Translations: https://www.transifex.com/rinigus/osm-scout-server

At present, the server can be used to provide:
  • map tiles for other applications;
  • search for locations and free text search;
  • search for POIs next to a reference area;
  • calculate the route between two or more locations.

Starting from version 0.7, the server uses maps distributed via online distribution network. It is expected that the users would download, update, and, when needed, remove maps via server's GUI. This distribution model allows users to specify which components are required (libosmscout, geocoder-nlp, for example) and download only the required components.

To use the server, you have to start it and configure the client to access it. Recent versions of Poor Maps and modRana cover the full functionality of the server without any additional steps needed to be done by the user. In addition, an example configurations for Poor Maps and modRana are provided under "thirdparty" folder (see Github source tree).

The server can be used as Sailfish application or running in console on regular Linux. By default, it is configured to accept connections from localhost only, but you can change the configuration and serve it on LAN or even provide a globally accessible service, if you wish.

On Sailfish device, route calculations could take some time. As a reference, route calculation for shorter distances takes few seconds on a device (I use it on Nexus 4). For example, Stockholm -> Malmö (600 km) is about 15 seconds. Route calculation from Stockholm to Aarhus (950 km, via bridges) would take about 45 seconds. These are times that are visible for end user when using libosmscout backend (2016) - from starting route calculation request in Poor Maps till Poor Maps displayed the result.

For detailed up-to-date description and map import instructions, please see https://github.com/rinigus/osmscout-...ster/README.md

The server relies on the same library as an offline map viewing application OSM Scout by Lukáš Karas (@Karry). As the result, you could use the same maps when using the server or OSM Scout. However, at the current stage of development, the server is using the latest version of the upstream library without the compatibility with the older map formats, as done in OSM Scout. This may change in future, but at present the focus is on other aspects of the development.

Starting from 0.6.0 version, the server provides an additional geocoder that uses libpostal for normalization and parsing of the search requests.

When a new backend is added, such as with the release of 0.9.0, please ensure that you have subscription information updated. For that, in Map Manager, click on "Check for updates", decline updates, and unsubscribe/subscribe each territory that you have subscribed. After that, proceed with the downloads. This is not needed if you don't want to use the added backend(s).

Acknowledgments

The server is just a small part in large amount of work that have been done on mapping solutions by many other developers.

The underlying library was originally developed by Tim Teulings (@Framstag) who is the principal developer right now as well. Lukáš Karas (@Karry) has been working actively on the development of this library and Sailfish application OSM Scout. The server relies on their and other libosmscout developers code to provide the service.

On the other side, the server allows us to use excellent map applications developed over time for Sailfish and Linux. Already in the early development stage, I was helped by Poor Maps and modRana developers Osmo Salomaa (@otsaloma) and Martin Kolman (@M4rtinK), respectively. Thank you! While developing server, I could not cover all possible client applications and limited myself to these two. I am sure that if the server would become popular, the other plugins would be developed as well.

Changelog

Please see https://github.com/rinigus/osmscout-server/releases for changelog

Last edited by rinigus; 2018-08-16 at 07:51. Reason: License updated
 

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