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Help

Welcome to Tracman!

Website map controls

Website settings

Android

The android app is especially buggy, so be careful!

Settings

The notification

While tracman is running in the background, the update interval and priority are lessened while nobody's looking at the map. This is to save battery life. The notification will show whether its sending realtime or occasional updates. This is an informal way of seeing if anyone is viewing your location.

FAQ

How do I share my location?

You can simply share your map's url with anyone. {% if user %}Your URL is https://tracman.org/map/{{user.slug}}{% else %}The URL is https://tracman.org/map/>your-slug<{% endif %}.

How accurate is the location?

When using the web app, the location will be as accurate as the underlying geolocation data. It can be pretty accurate if opened on a mobile phone browser, since the device's GPS will be used. On a desktop, the location will be estimated based on your IP address, which can be very inaccurate. Check out the API Specification for way more information.

On android, Tracman uses Google Play Services location APIs to set your phone's location. This can use your phone's GPS data, or nearby WiFi and cellular towers. Sometimes this can be pretty inaccurate.

How is the altitude determined?

The altitude is not determined using your GPS, because this is notoriously inaccurate. Instead, the Google Maps Elevation API resolves the altitude of the ground at your coordinates. This means that if you are flying, Tracman will show the altitude of the ground beneath you.

What is the street view image?

Tracman will display a google street view image closest to your location. If you are stationary, the image will be oriented towards you. If you are in a building, and there is a street view image of the street outside the building, the panorama will be pointed at the building. While you are moving, the image will be oriented to your direction of travel, so if you are driving down a road, it will show the view in the direction you're driving. This can sometimes appear like a slow-frame-rate dashcam video.

The images come from Google street view. They are not live images from your location. Mostly, the photos were taken during the daytime when the weather was good.

Can I contribute to Tracman?

Sure! Tracman has some github repositories you can clone.

I also accept donations to help with development and server fees. You can pay with cash or bitcoin.

Why is there no iOS app?

There are a few reasons I haven't made a version of the android app for iPhone/iPad/iPod:

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